Headed to the jungle

Hasta Ver Buenos Aires................

This week has been possibly the best week of my entire mission. I had an interview with president and we got talking and I got to know him a lot better. He is such an amazing man. As we all know, there are changes this week... Usually we aren´t supposed to know until right now, but President told me on wednesday. I will be going to Iquitos. It´s a jungle-island. Jungle because it´s in the middle of the amazon rainforest and island because it is completely surrounded by three huge rivers that flow right from the amazon river. It is the farthest away zone in the entire mission, and I will be going there this wednesday. Cool eh? I am pretty stoked about it, it will be another good adventure. The stake where I am going is called Neuve De Octubre. I am going to be in a ward called Secada. The zone where I am going is called Secada which includes the ward Secada and three small branches- Santa Clara, Los Delfines, and Nauta. I will be in Secada, but I will travel to all the branches almost every week. President told me that I will probably be there for about 9 months haha. I am basically going to finish the mission there. Totally stoked. So, that´s the big news around here. It is going to be so hard to leave this ward. I am just sick about it. I dont know how to tell the Lopez family. I am going to miss them all so bad. I told a few people last night that I am going to be changing areas and all we could do is cry. This is one of the toughest parts of the entire mission, but things like this are necessary.

Elder Anderson is the greatest. Elder Flores called me and told me he was going to get married and I could hardly believe it. He was such a good, focused missionary, and I know he will have the coolest family ever. He is still my absolute hero from my entire mission. If you ever get to see him or talk to his mom or something, tell him that I love him and I am super proud of him and I will see him and his wife in 11 months hahahaha.

It sounds like the whole family is doing well. It makes me so happy to hear from you all and to know that you are all happy and healthy. Michele wrote me an email, too! I am so stoked to meet Addi, but she is so big already! I missed out on a ton, but I´m sure we will be best friends ever when I get back. We´re gonna eat some tortillas together and she (and all my other nieces) will be the only girls I flirt with ahahahahaha.

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting about Nefi´s experience with following the spirit. Nefi is such a good example of how to find solutions to problems and to not complain about anything. He, along with 3 older brothers, are commanded to return to Jerusalem to get the plates from the evil king Laban. Laman, Nephi´s older brother, is chosen between them to enter first, so he goes in and asks Laban for the plates and Laban gets mad and calls him a robber and chases him out. Laman returns to his brothers outside the city gates and tells them what happened and they all want just give up and go back, but Nephi says no chance! he says that they will not go back to their father in the wilderness until they have finished what he sent them to do. So they go back into the city with a plan to get all of their gold and precious things that they left behind before and give them to Laban in exchange for the plates. (pretty good plan for a couple teenage boys). So they go and offer him all their good stuff and Laban gets jealous and takes their stuff and tries to kill them! So they flee outside the city walls and hide in the cavity of a rock and Laman and Lemuel get mad and start beating Nephi and Sam with a rod and while that is going on, an angel appears and asks them what in the world they´re doing, Nephi was chosen to be their leader and they are beating him? The angel then commands them to go back into Jerusalem and they would have success. So Nephi goes back into the city WITHOUT KNOWING BEFOREHAND WHAT HE SHOULD DO. He has no clue what he has to do, he just has faith. The commandment was to get the plates, and if we all remember the story well, Nephi followed the spirit and did exactly what God wanted him to do and he left the city walls late that night with not only the plates, but Laban´s sword, servant, and his clothes!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we can keep reading in the book of mormon and see the importance that Laban´s servant, Zoram, and Laban´s sword had for years and years to come. I´ve said it so many times before, and I will say it again. I know the book of mormon is true. I know we´re in the true church and that the fulness of the everlasting gospel is here and available to everyone. I love you all so much. Thank you for all the support, love, and letters. Next time I email you I will be in the middle of the Amazon rainforest hahahahaha.

Love Elder Emett