Shepherd or Sheep Herder?

Sorry this will be short. What a week this was. I have found a love for just getting to know people. With all the people who don't live here, I spend a lot of time just talking to people on the street. I am actually speaking a lot of English because of all the tourists. It is a very incredible place full of the Spirit. To help strengthen the relationship between the members and the ward, we planned an activity with the members that went really well, and was super fun. I plan on using it after the mission so I won't go in to the details, but we spent the whole evening laughing with the members. And the activity paid off and now we have received a reference of a family that are progressing great. I love the unity in my little branch - and I love Tucumanas! It's like the best food in the world. I want to learn how to make it, so I can make it in the future. Es maravillosa estar en la mision, super dificil pero no quiero estar in ningun otro lugar. Yo realamente se que cuando obedecemos Dios y amamos a los demas, que nosotros podemos lograr nuestras metas y realamente cambiar nuestra naturaleza. Les amo y gracias por todo.

(It is marvelous to be on the mission, super difficult but I don't want to be in any other place. I really know that when we obey God and love those around us, that we can achieve our goals and in truth change our nature.)

(Dad edit: I thought I would also share part of an email Nathan sent to his family) Well I spent a ton of time writing people that I haven´t spoken to in a while, but I love you all. I will send you the email that I wrote to president because I don't have much time. This week was really incredible. I feel like I finally know what it means to love one another. Its about the same as the one I wrote you last week. Also, can you send me the ingredients to pancakes, I forgot it and I miss pancakes. Well I'm glad the computer broke because I don't have time to put pictures on drive. Also my area is the limit with Grace's mission. Almost everyone here travels to Calama in Grace's mission. Its only four hours away. Also apparently there are parts of my area that go into Chile. Just the limits - its like wilderness, and the population of this part is 2 llamas and 0 people. So I probably won't visit. haha. (Letter to president) Well I have fallen in love with the work in a very different way. We literally spent the whole week walking out in the street talking with EVERYONE. I have been praying that I can have more charity and really lose myself to the work this week, and my prayers were really answered. I spoke with so many new people this week and have never been happier, just getting to know someone new and talk to them about Christ can help them in their lives. I feel like too often we get into a routine when we contact people. We come knock on their door or walk up to them in the street, and talk to them, more for the number and not for the desire. Contacting was more of a chore for me before this week. But this week it all changed. In Jesus the Christ it talks of the difference between a pastor and a sheep herder, A pastor herds his sheep through his love for them. The sheep only need to hear his voice of see him in the distance, and are running to be by his side, but the sheep herder is different. The sheep herder works with dogs, maybe horses and other men, and chase the sheep around until they are herded together. The Shepard loves his sheep, and the sheep herders are there for the money or for other personal reasons. When I read this it made me ponder if I was the shepherd or the sheep herder. The conclusion I came to is that I am a little of both, sometimes the shepherd and sometimes the sheep herder. I decided I need to put more selfless love into my contacting, and follow the example of my Shepherd. So instead of going about the contacting as a chore, I went about it more with a pure desire to help them. I found myself wanting to talk to literally everyone. I found that the people were more open with me, and the spirit was much more abundant than before. Many of them had problems with health or fights in the family, and the only thing I wanted is that they can find solutions to their problems through our message. With my change in attitude and desires, I found that my prayers have changed too from being self centered to centered in people I hardly know, praying that their lives can be better. I don't have the best memory haha so I now have a list that I keep of people I need to pray for. My goals for my mission are being met here, and I have never been happier. I like working with Elder Tovar because he just wants to help, and every time he bears his testimony the Spirit is so strong. You can't even tell that he is ending his mission in a couple of months he just wants to work and work and work. It has been great. Well I hope you week goes as well as my week went, but I don't really think that that is even possible. ATTE: Your friendly neighborhood missionary Elder Heaps