Coming to you from Parla

This week has been a bit of a wild ride, but a good one nonetheless! We had the exciting job of opening a new area here in Parla. My new companion and I spent lots of time getting to know members, the area, and finding friends to teach. Although Parla is relatively small, there is a great potential to find people. The branch here is made up almost completely of Latinos which makes for an awesome mix of cultures and people. My companion, Elder Petersen from Idaho, is relatively young is his mission and is super excited to, with me, see lots of miracles this transfer. I'm not sure how long I may be in this area, and I want to ensure that I leave the area content with my efforts. 

Today we went to Toledo and saw some incredible sights! All of Spain has such beautiful and rich history and it was a ton of fun to explore. We also spent the day with the senior missionaries there. 

I would like to share a quote I was reminded of today as we counseled together as missionaries on how we can help friends in addictions. We read together this quote by Elder Renlund:

"We do need all our compassion, empathy, and love as we interact with those around us. Those who are struggling “need to experience the pure love of Jesus Christ reflected in [our] words and actions. The Savior’s job is to heal. Our job is to love—to love and minister in such a way that others are drawn to Jesus Christ."

We talked about how it is not our job to judge or condemn. Those with struggles of any type, which would be everyone, many times already know what they do is wrong. Let us be quicker to love, to offer support and a helping hand and let the Savior do the healing. 

Elder Dougall