Day 6

Visiting the businesses

      We began the day at 8:00 am out in the “campo” (the fields). We went to visit the businesses of our current students, and we were incredibly impressed. The first part of the morning was spent at different green houses. We met with Carlos and Gandhi (a partnership who sells tomatoes) and then Roberto (a greenhouse tomato grower). Again, Jeff Brownlow was more than willing to sit down and methodically analyze the data of each business, create a plan for numbers and growth, and then ensure that the students understood that which he had done.

      After visiting with the students at their business, we then went back to the chapel and met with more students to help them with their businesses. Around 8:00pm we returned to the home where we are staying, ordered some tacos, and then helped Sergio Navarro with his real estate business until about 1:00am. Finally, we called it a night and sat and talked with each other. When we looked back on what we had done, with Spencer, Jeff, and Lars pulling a large portion of the weight, we couldn't help but appreciate the wonderful Spirit. In fact, it was Spencer who said it best: “There is an exponential amount of growth that I have felt within the past few days. It is as though I have grown more (spiritually) in that past few days than I have in the past several months.” When asked why he thought that was, he said, “Anytime you put someone else's needs before your own and all you do is worry about how they are progressing, there is exponential growth.”

      I want to tell you all that almost every day I hear the words, “This reminds me of my mission” or “I haven't felt like this since my mission”. I think this is a testament to the power of the work. We (five young men) are helping the Kingdom grow by using the talents and languages of our missions. Yes, it is true, our missions were the foundations for coming closer to God, and now the choice to serve a mission continues to bless our lives. We love the people, we love the Academy, and we love the special spirit that we feel each day. Thank you all for your prayers, time, love, and support. Families are changing for the better. The mental poverty of the students has declined and their wallets have literally started to grow!