Since I have had a few people respond with concerns for Steven I feel the need to give everyone a little more detail. We were able to speak with him for a little over an hour on Christmas day and the overall tone of the conversation was very positive and upbeat, in spite of the illness and difficult companion. We could still hear the genuine love of missionary work, Honduras and the people, so those are all very positive things. He laughed and joked on the phone as if he had only been gone a short time and did not appear to be homesick in any way.
Simply put, he really has a strong desire to work hard and do the right things, but is frustrated by not knowing how best to handle the situation since he is still very new to the mission. He knows that things can’t continue as they have been, but at the same time doesn’t want to be branded as a snitch or tattle-tale among his fellow missionaries. He mentioned that someone told him that the local congregational leader was aware of the problems and would be talking to his companion on Sunday, but unfortunately that didn’t happen as hoped for. Maybe it will happen this week and help snap his companion back into shape. You can see from Steven’s letter that this is what he is hoping for.
Those of you who know Steven well will know that he is a very kind and mild-mannered young man. He is non-confrontational and not one to voice his concerns or emotions openly, so this situation is challenging that part of his personality. As a father, I am grateful for the opportunity that this is giving him to stretch and grow, as I am sure that things will eventually improve and that he will learn some important life-lessons from this experience.
Any words of encouragement that you want to send him will be greatly appreciated, I’m sure. His email address is Steven.Neher@myldsmail.net. Since he has a very limited time on the computer each week (less than an hour), please don’t be upset if he cannot respond in depth to each email.
Thanks again for your continued interest in and support of Steven on his mission.
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