Hello family,
Thanks for the email family. I also got an email from Erik and the one from Holly. I have been waiting for that for so long! It was good to hear from her, so I could know where she is going. I am going to write Erik today so hopefully he gets that soon. I don't know where to begin because this week has been really hard and good. I like being in the same area again but it’s hard because I know everyone so well. I will try to answer all of your questions mom, you ask a lot haha. My companion is doing better, he is really happy he is with me again. He really likes me. We get a long, but not so well when we are working. I know I am with him for a reason and I have been changing so much. He is forcing me to learn patience and charity and it’s a beautiful trial:) This last week or so have been really tough but have been really good because I am growing spiritually a lot. I want to become so much better and I can see that God is placing trials in my path that are forcing me to be humble and to accept His will. I love my companion, but we just don't mesh very well. I am trying so hard to teach him how to be obedient and how to love the work. He thinks about home so much. Whereas with me I love the work and I give it my 100%. I guess it is just tough because I am here to work and to find and teach and baptize, whereas he doesn't really know why he is here. I just want him to love the work and I am doing all I can to help but that is why I am learning patience because If we aren’t unified we won’t have success.
The new district is amazing! We have two new sister missionaries that are awesome! One is chaparrita (that means really short) and is from Mexico. She is Sister Perez. The other is newer Sister Bram and from Panama. They are really great sisters and work really hard. They are really funny too and I am super excited to work with them this transfer. District meeting was great! I learned so much from the sisters, they are so humble and I can tell they love the work. Sister missionaries are always better haha! The new elder, Elder Isley is really cool also, he served in Argentina for a time, but came back to this mission because of health issues.
The investigator that we have that is doing well is Brother Valenzuela. We have been working with him for like 5 weeks and he still hasn't come to church. We slowed down with him for a while until last week when he met with us and said that we wanted to do everything he could to change. This week he is doing so well. He is coming to all the church activities, but church. He is reading a lot and understanding. He accepted to be baptized but not to a date because he wants to come to church first. That makes sense. We are praying and fasting hard for him (I am at least).
Oh! so this funny thing happened. On Monday last week in family home evening we had the goodbye to the sisters. We got there and one of the members that is a little less-active that we are working with said that he had a surprise for the sisters. About 1000000 things went through my mind. He then said he hired a Mariachi to come and to sing to the sister in THE CHURCH! I about died. No one knew either about it. There was so many people that came because the sisters were leaving. The members about died also. The Mariachi was singing and playing. We were in the primary room. It was so bad. Finally when one of the branch leaders showed up they stopped it. I wanted to stop it but I didn't know what to say because we didn’t want to offend the member that brought it because he is really sensitive. It was the craziest experience. We had our investigator there and I just told him after that I was so sorry. After though, the sisters bore their testimonies and the elder that was leaving. It was really good but sad because I will miss Sister Rangel and Sister Thalman a lot. I was with them for 5 transfers!
Thanks for the email family. I also got an email from Erik and the one from Holly. I have been waiting for that for so long! It was good to hear from her, so I could know where she is going. I am going to write Erik today so hopefully he gets that soon. I don't know where to begin because this week has been really hard and good. I like being in the same area again but it’s hard because I know everyone so well. I will try to answer all of your questions mom, you ask a lot haha. My companion is doing better, he is really happy he is with me again. He really likes me. We get a long, but not so well when we are working. I know I am with him for a reason and I have been changing so much. He is forcing me to learn patience and charity and it’s a beautiful trial:) This last week or so have been really tough but have been really good because I am growing spiritually a lot. I want to become so much better and I can see that God is placing trials in my path that are forcing me to be humble and to accept His will. I love my companion, but we just don't mesh very well. I am trying so hard to teach him how to be obedient and how to love the work. He thinks about home so much. Whereas with me I love the work and I give it my 100%. I guess it is just tough because I am here to work and to find and teach and baptize, whereas he doesn't really know why he is here. I just want him to love the work and I am doing all I can to help but that is why I am learning patience because If we aren’t unified we won’t have success.
The new district is amazing! We have two new sister missionaries that are awesome! One is chaparrita (that means really short) and is from Mexico. She is Sister Perez. The other is newer Sister Bram and from Panama. They are really great sisters and work really hard. They are really funny too and I am super excited to work with them this transfer. District meeting was great! I learned so much from the sisters, they are so humble and I can tell they love the work. Sister missionaries are always better haha! The new elder, Elder Isley is really cool also, he served in Argentina for a time, but came back to this mission because of health issues.
The investigator that we have that is doing well is Brother Valenzuela. We have been working with him for like 5 weeks and he still hasn't come to church. We slowed down with him for a while until last week when he met with us and said that we wanted to do everything he could to change. This week he is doing so well. He is coming to all the church activities, but church. He is reading a lot and understanding. He accepted to be baptized but not to a date because he wants to come to church first. That makes sense. We are praying and fasting hard for him (I am at least).
Oh! so this funny thing happened. On Monday last week in family home evening we had the goodbye to the sisters. We got there and one of the members that is a little less-active that we are working with said that he had a surprise for the sisters. About 1000000 things went through my mind. He then said he hired a Mariachi to come and to sing to the sister in THE CHURCH! I about died. No one knew either about it. There was so many people that came because the sisters were leaving. The members about died also. The Mariachi was singing and playing. We were in the primary room. It was so bad. Finally when one of the branch leaders showed up they stopped it. I wanted to stop it but I didn't know what to say because we didn’t want to offend the member that brought it because he is really sensitive. It was the craziest experience. We had our investigator there and I just told him after that I was so sorry. After though, the sisters bore their testimonies and the elder that was leaving. It was really good but sad because I will miss Sister Rangel and Sister Thalman a lot. I was with them for 5 transfers!
So about the name that we got from the Garcia family. We still haven't been able to visit them. Brother Garcia tried to invite them over and we had a time set but the person had to work late and said they would call to reset but never did. We are just kind of waiting.
So about the baptism and the rules thing. The elders are fine and understand. We are all good with it, it’s just some of the branch leaders that are still having a problem. One of them called President Meredith and with his broken English tried to get special permission. The next thing I know the branch president had interviewed the investigator (not a baptismal interview) and said she was cleared to be baptized. I was like nope. I am in charge of the interview and I am under rule of President Meredith and he strictly said she can’t until she gets a divorce. So I have been having fun being the middle man there. Its good because I have been learning so much about the handbook of instruction and all of that.
Yeah my companion said his family can’t send him anything. He needs a jacket though. It has been raining so much and its cold and needs just like a fleece jacket thing if that's possible. He’s size 15 1/2 if that helps. My size.
This last week though has been tough with the members. I had a really bad problem with one of the members that I love the most! Margarito! I guess that when we were leaving an appointment and he was going down the stairs he fell and no one helped him. The thing that kind of makes me mad is that I was already down and almost to the street and my companion was right behind him going down the stairs. I didn't even know he fell until I turned around to see where they were at and saw that something had happened. He got really mad that I didn't help him. I feel horrible because I didn't know. The worst part of it is we got a call from another member that said that some of her non-Mormon friends and another less-active lady saw us and saw that I just stood there and laughed at him. The member was all over me because she said that her non-Mormon friends told her that that is why they will never join our church. The less-active lady that saw us also said that she is going to be talking to the branch president about me not treating the members well. I am just...sick. What is stupid and lame also is I look at my companion and ask him didn't you help him? He said yes, but I didn't and he says it’s my fault. That really tested my patience. That night I went to see Margarito to ask for forgiveness. He just cried and said he feels bad that all this has happened. We are good now but it just bugs me so much of what happened with the non-members and my companion saying that I didn't help and it’s my fault. So we will see what happens. Hopefully it all blows over.
We found a new investigator this week and we met with him again last night and he read and prayed! He is so awesome and says that he doesn't believe that the catholic church is true and said that when he gets an answer about our church he wants to be baptized. We are working hard to help him read and pray to receive an answer.
Other than all of that. The joke in the branch now is that I offend everyone. It’s so ridiculous. It kills me because If I would have known that the member have fallen of course I would have helped him. Also me companion was right there! yeah well that's what happened here.
Loved the first Presidency message. It was so good and I learned so much. Hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks alI and I love you and I’ll try to write Erik today!
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