First Week as a Trainer

Dear All,

This has been an amazing week. I have really felt a change come over me. In becoming not just senior companion, but a trainer as well, the charge of basically controlling what happens with our investigators in the area is my responsibility. The Spirit is different being in a leadership position, and it's really an amazing feeling. I really feel like the Spirit is always with us, except for if we're disobedient. Then he leaves and we have to earn his confidence again.

Speaking of confidence, that's something I've really found this week. Both with Elder Martinez and with my new companion, I really feel like this is what I'm here for. I really feel more like I was born to do this, not just that someone found out that I have a testimony and threw me into a strange Central American country (just kidding on that last part). I
really do feel great here, and now I'm going to tell you about my new companion, and the really cool experience we had this Sunday.

My companion is Elder Luna from Puebla, Mexico. He's amazing. Since I'm assigned as a trainer, he's brand new, and he reminds me a little of me when I entered the mission. Just that he's already ahead of where I was. I've already got him contacting, and we're working hard. We're finding new investigators, and we've got some who we hope to be baptizing soon. Since we're in the training program, we've got an hour of extra study time every day, so we can learn lots about the Gospel, and how to be a missionary. It's cool to go back and see what I can learn by going through the training program again, and how I can help Elder Luna to progress as a missionary.

We had a baptism this Sunday, the sister of the girls who were baptized last week, and her husband. I baptized the wife, and my companion baptized the husband the first weekend of his mission. How cool is that?

I feel humbled that the Lord has assigned me to be a trainer, and that he trusts me with part of the future of the Mission. I'm reminded of a quote that Elder Calta shared with me, which I may have shared before, but I'll share it again:
Peter had a temper,
David had an affair outside of marriage,
Moses stuttered,
Saul was a murderer,
Martha stressed herself out,
Jonah ran from God,
Miriam was a gossip,
Zacchaeus was small of stature,
Abraham was old,
and Lazarus was dead.
Now, what's your excuse?
Can God use you, Yes or No?
God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called.
(there are more names, but I don't remember them all.)

I testify that this is true. He's been qualifying me this week to be a trainer. I feel like my entire mission has changed this week, and I feel that it will stay this way, and even keep improving.

I love you all.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
Yours in the Faith,
Elder Nicholas Banks

P.S. I really want to send pictures, but the internet here is pretty slow as far as uploading goes and makes it difficult. I'll try and send pictures next week.