Reflections of a True Millennial

As you well know, 2020 was an interesting year. On top of the worldwide calamity that occurred, I also closed a chapter of my life as I graduated from BYU. Before the pandemic, I wasn't really sure what I would do after graduation. As the world stopped in March and throughout the following months, I didn't know what was next for me. But, I tried to trust in God and move forward. Life is still imperfect, but I've hit a milestone that has caused me to look back on 2020. This has all made me reflect on my experiences during the past year. Below I share some excerpts from my personal journal in italics, with commentary on the year that was. I hope that it helps you reflect on your year and whatever is ahead. --- January 26th, 2020: "So, I guess life is pretty good. I still don't know what is next after graduation, and I probably should be looking for a job, but I don't feel much urgency. I don't know if that is peace that things will just work out, or ignorance...

I've always liked the idea of making resolutions at the beginning of each new year. Even though January 1st is essentially no different from any of the other 364 days on the calendar, it feels like a good time to start fresh and become a little bit better. For several years when I was younger, I would prepare an annual "time capsule" for my family, where we would reflect on the previous year and make a few resolutions for the next year. Because youth is usually marked by rapid change and growth (in schooling, extracurricular activities, etc.), it was always exciting to see the difference from one year to the next. In our time capsule, I would even include pages for each person to trace their foot. Of course, I was eager to see how much bigger my feet were after a whole year, but I now realize that it probably wasn't as interesting for my parents to trace their same-sized adult foot every twelve months. Anyway, despite my now constant-sized feet, each year seems to b...

Apparently I only ever feel inspired enough to write in my blog when I visit a National Park. About a year ago, I visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and just last week I went down to Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. I promise that lots of other notable things have happened in the past twelve months despite my lack of writing, and I hope to be a bit better at writing during the next twelve months... Anyway, it really is true that a lot has happened in the past year. I am entering peak millennial status as "young adult." That's the phrase used to describe someone who is definitely old enough to start acting like an adult, but definitely does not feel like they are old enough to start acting like an adult (which describes me well). In about seven months, I will be done with college and free to do adult things like get a job, move somewhere new, mow the lawn, watch cable news, talk about finances, etc. All of that sounds nice, but I'm kind of sc...

I think it is safe to say that everyone has nagging thoughts in the back of their mind of exciting or useful things that they should finally get around to doing. Maybe you frequently think about getting back into an old hobby, trying a new sport, or getting to know a certain person. In the two-and-a-half years that I've lived in Utah, one of my lingering desires has been to get out and see more of the beautiful nature that we have here. There are always lots of excuses not to (e.g., school), but somehow last weekend worked out perfectly for some friends and I to travel down and see Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near Moab, Utah. It was an awesome weekend with great friends, and the landscapes were beautiful to see in person. Arches National Park was definitely a must-see on my mental list of things to do and places to visit. Any visual reference to Utah you have seen probably includes a depiction of the famous Delicate Arch. When you drive into Utah on the interstate or ...

If you know me, you probably know that I love most sports. I could easily spend all day watching football, soccer, basketball, or most other sports (probably not baseball, sorry). I love the action of the games, but I also enjoy learning about athletes who excel as people and stand out as strong role models. One such athlete for me has been Chad Lewis, who was a tight end for BYU and the Philadelphia Eagles. I don't think I ever actually watched him played (he retired from football in 2005), but many years ago I read his memoir, Surround Yourself With Greatness . The details of the book have mostly faded from memory, but the message has recently been impressed on my mind: to be your best self, you must surround yourself with greatness. This advice carries several different meanings. First off, we must fill our time and our efforts with great things. We can't expect to shine if we waste our time doing things with no real value. We should actively be pursuing our goals and dre...

Well, it's that time of year again! I love the Christmas season. Everything just feels merry and bright in my eyes. However, for the next few weeks at least I am here in Utah, where everything seems to also be cold. I guess for most people winter and snow are the best part of Christmas, but I greatly prefer 85 degrees and 100% humidity. Luckily, I'll be able to escape to the tropical weather for a few weeks during winter break. Anyway, it may sound cliché, but I really do love the feeling of this time of year. It's a time where we can do our best to take down the barriers we have and show love to one another. During the last week or so, I have been remembering how things were this time last year on my mission in Chile (as for the weather, it thankfully was at about 85 degrees). It was a very busy time for my companion and I in the mission office as we tried to organize Christmas zone conferences, prepare the mission Christmas video, maintain all our other office responsib...

Yet again, it has been way too long since I have last written. (I'm sure that no one else has noticed, but for me it has been too long). For the past few months I have been back at BYU, and things have been going pretty well here. It certainly has been an adjustment, since I had previously been living a completely different lifestyle for the past two years as a missionary. Additionally, I am not from this part of the country and I have lots of questions regarding life and the future. I think that new situations like this can be overwhelming for most of us. Life does not seem so hard when we have everything figured out, but change and uncertainty often invoke strong emotions. Depending on how we choose to react, we may end up feeling overwhelming eagerness and optimism, or crippling negativity and doubt, or something in between. This spectrum not only applies to monumental occasions of our lives, but also to the many personal anxieties that we might face each day. How can we avo...

It has been a little while since I last wrote, and a lot has happened actually. Currently I am in a transition phase of life between two big milestones. Recently I returned from Chile, where I lived for two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For the last two years I worked day in and day out to invite others to come unto Christ. Now that is done, and of course I still plan to invite others to come unto Christ in my daily living, but I also have other important responsibilities that will shape the rest of my life. In just a few weeks I will be returning to my second year at BYU to study and progress in the goals that I have. Of course, as I begin this new journey, I have to change the title of my blog, right? When I first started this blog as a pretentious 14-year old, I titled it "Reflections of a Smart Kid." To be a bit more professional and indicate my assignment as a missionary, I titled it "Reflections of an Elder" for ...

Queridos amigos y familiares, Well, this is it. This will be my last letter from Chile. I can not really believe that the time is already coming to an end. It has been another good week here. Mirovan wont quite make it to be baptised this saturday, but he is still very excited and will definitely be baptised soon. We also have a few other investigators that are progressing very well and some future investigators that we are excited about. It is kind of sad that I wont be here to see what happens with all of these great people, but I am happy that I have been able to do my part to help them. Wow, but what can I say in my last letter? I am so thankful for the experience that I have lived for the last two years. Each and every day I have been able to wear the name of Jesus Christ on my chest and serve Him as one of His representatives. My purpose has been to invite all people to come unto Jesus Christ through His restored Gospel. Many people have accepted us and listened to our me...

Hola hola, Well, we had a great week here! Wednesday wsa a particularly awesome day, despite the fact that it was raining. First off we met up with a young man named Miroban that has been attending church for the last month with his girlfriend. Originally, his girlfriend invited him to go to seminary and then he decided to start going to church also. We had our first lession with him on wednesday and he really enjoys being at the Church and wants to learn more. And he accepted the goal to be baptised on June 10th! That is next Saturday! So we really have a lot of work to do with him if he will be baptised on that day, but I did the baptismal invitation and that date was clear in my mind. I really hope that we can teach him all the lessons and that he can recognize his testimony and make the necessary changes. He is a great kid and really loves going to church. We originally planned to visit him at 6 pm and I called to confirm, but he said "Oh, well I dont know if I can because I h...

Hello, Another week gone by, and this one felt like it passed by very quickly! On Tuesday I was with Elder Olson and Elder Villegas in a trio in my sector and their sector (Alto Jahuel) and we had a great day together. On Friday we had interviews with President Harris, which meant a looooong day in the chapel for my companion and I doing a training. But the meetings went really well. We are trying to focus on having more investigators in Church and something that we dont always do well is teach the doctrine of the sabbath day. God hopes that we keep one day of the week holy, and He gives us that day as a blessing for us. As keep the Sabbath day, we will be more prepared for the week ahead of us. The interview with President Harris went well also. I am really thankful for him and for all the help and guidance he has given to me in the last year. The rest of the work we were just trying to work hard in the sector. I only have two and a half more weeks in Buin, and I am just ...

Buenas tardes, I hope you are all doing well! This week has been a great one! Of course, one of the highlights was skyping with the family yesterday! It was great to see everyone, and it is a bit strange to think that I will be back with them in less than a month. But thankfully my family wasnt too trunky, so I am still motivated to just keep working hard. This week we were able to be in our sector more which was great. The only special event was on Thursday when we went to Rancagua to do exchanges with the assistants. It was nice to be close to my previous sector, previous companion, and the office for the day. I was with Elder Vasquez for the day. He is a great fun and we have somehow been close by to each other for almost the entire mission. We had a good day in Rancagua. In our own sector, things are going well too. This week we somehow found lots of part-member families, with investigators and less active members. They have great potential to accept the Gospel and follow Jesus Chr...

Estimados, Hello hello. Wow, it is hard to believe that week 1 of my last transfer has passed by. This was a pretty administrative week with transfers and several meetings. On Tuesday we had a slight problem that three missionaries passed Buin and accidentally traveled north to Santiago, out of the mission. Oops... But after we realized that they had surely gotten lost (none of them had phones), I sent a member to the south-bound side of the highway, assuming that they probably went to Santiago and back. Sure enough they were there. Phew.  On Thursday we traveled to Rancagua for Consejo, a council (counsel?) meeting with al the zone leaders and sister leaders of the mission. President Harris focused a lot on working with the members, which is pretty much the key for us to have more success here. That is something I have always kind of struggled with, but we are working on it and starting to see some results. Hopefully we can improve with that.  On Saturday we had ...

Hello hello, So this week turned out pretty much nothing like it was planned to, but it was a good week! First off, my companion, Elder Llavilla, was called as the new Assistant to President, so Presidente Harris came here on Wednesday night to pick him up. That left me without a companion, so I went over to be with some missionaries from Buin, Elder Belayro and Elder Strong. On Friday, Elder Strong and four other missionaries from the zone headed off to Rancagua for their last weekend in Chile before they head home. So the zone was without six missionaries, including one zone leader and a district leader, which left me with a lot of things to do! Especially because this weekend is transfers, so that means a lot of phone calls and planning.  As for the transfers, I will be staying in Los Jardines for my last six weeks and my final companion will be Elder Gutierrez, from Uruguay. I dont know him, but I think we will be able to have a good change together. It is my last, so I want to mak...

Hello hello, Another week gone by. It has been a great one here! Honestly the last two weeks have been a bit slow, especially when it comes to finding new investigators. But the last three days I have felt more energy and certainty that people are waiting for us. Yesterday we found three new investigators as a result! And they were literally placed in our path waiting for us. It was incredible to have those miracles and be able to teach some new people and invite them to come unto Christ. I know that God prepares the path of the people and I know that in this week we have more people who are waiting to hear our message. As for Maria, she is doing well but still struggling with smoking. Any prayers you can offer for her behalf would definitely help. As for Ruben he came to church for the first time with us yesterday! He is kind of hesitant about progessing, but I know he wants to and we are going to be working hard with him. We also have been focusing on visiting members and helping the...

Hello, I never can think of how to start these letters anymore haha. After like 100 weekly letters, you start to run out of things to say.. But anyway, another good week here in Los Jardines. We are kind of struggling in finding new investigators, but I think the next week should be better for that. As for our investigator Maria, she is still trying to stop smoking, and we will probably move her baptismal date another week or so. But we had a really great lesson with her on Friday and explained clearly that she needs to pray to obtain a testimony in order to reach this goal. I have faith that she will be able to do so soon. It was kind of a slow week, but yesterday it finished with a really really great lesson with Ruben. He has always been kind of iffy, and hasnt done much action to show his interest. But yesterday it all kind of clicked and he realized that he needs to repent of the sins in his life, read the scriptures, pray, go to Church, etc. He even said that he will be baptised!...

Queridos amigos, Another week gone by. This week was another busy one with lots and lots to do! Sometimes I feel like I dont even get to work in my own sector, but thats okay, I am enjoying everything. On Tuesday I was on exchanges in Alto Jahuel with Elder Terrazas. We had a pretty good day together there. On Wednesday, my companion and I both went to Rancagua to do exchanges with the assistants. It was weird to be back in the office and back in the same house I lived in. Immediately when I walked in the office everyone started asking me for my help again haha.. Then on Thursday I was in Hospital with Elder Haar. That was a very interesting sector because it is straight-up countryside. Just endless country roads winding around hills and mountains. It was pretty fun, except for Elder Haars flat tire on his bike. And then on Friday President and Hermana Harris came to Buin for interviews with each missionary. During the interviews, we did a training meeting with each district. Basically...

Hello hello, I hope you all had a great week! This week was a busy one. On Tuesday I was in the town of Maipo on exchanges with Elder Rogers. Then Wednesday, we had zone training with all the missionaries and shared about working with members and the missionary schedule. On Thursday, we had exchanges again and I was in Paine with Elder Newell. On Friday I was not feeling too good and we had to stay home (but I am all better, dont worry!). And on Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed watching the General Conference in the district center. Of course General Conference was really great. I noticed lots of messages about who are God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost. God is our loving Heavenly Father. He sent His son Jesus Christ to give us the example and sacrifice himself for us. The Holy Ghost is the messenger through which we can receive protection, warning, comfort, and testimony. I also enjoyed the many talks about being in the world, but not of the world. Christ invites us to come unto Him, but H...

Hello hello, So it has been a while since my last Pday. Last Sunday was my last one in Recreo and it was sad to say goodbye after 10 months there. I had lots of experiences and came to love the members and the people. In the midst of my time there, Robbie sent me a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 51:17. This was the instruction of the Lord to the saints when they moved to Ohio. They were not sure how much time they would need to stay there, so there was some doubt about whether or not to plant and settle down: And the hour and the day is not given unto them,wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good. When I arrived to Recreo last may (!!) I didnt imagine being there 10 months. But I tried to continue working with patience and diligence for as long as I was called to be there, and I know the Lord blessed our efforts Anyway, now I am in Buin! It has been great to be here. Without all the office responsibilities, I feel like I am u...

Estimados, So it is actually going to happen, I am being transfered! After 7 changes here, I will be heading north to the Los Jardines branch in Buin with Elder Llavilla as a zone leader, most likely to finish the mission there. I was actually already companions with Elder Llavilla before in Las Cabras, so it is a bit surprising that we will be together again. He is a great missionary. I am excited to be a zone leader too. The zone leaders help train the missionaries and direct their efforts in order to have success. The Buin zone is the biggest zone of the mission with 24 missionaries, so hopefully it is not too overwhelming. And strangely enough I started my mission in the southernmost part (Talca) and kept heading north (Curicó, San Fernando, Rancagua) until the northernmost part (Buin). But that probably doesnt mean much if you dont know the geography of the sixth and seventh region of Chile (and surely none of you do). But anyway, I am excited for the change and I hope to serve we...