April 25, 2011

Howdy family!

Well I had a great week here in Villa Salvador again. We have been
working really hard and the Lord has been testing me and my diligence.
There's two weeks that we have had with only about 14 lessons. Lame...
we had something around 15 or 16 appointments fall through on us. Down
here on Easter week they celebrate from Thursday to Sunday. It's a big
deal usually. Lots of people decide to celebrate the Savior partying
and drinking in the street. Not very fun for us. Lots of our
investigators weren't home because they were visiting their family and
everything. We managed to get a whole bunch of new people to teach
this week. We had 10 new investigators and 7 of them we found
yesterday. If we just keep going and we don't quit when it's hard the
Lord always blesses us in many different ways.

We have 8 people with a baptismal date for May. Some of them are
progressing better than others but they all could use your prayers.
Juan Carlos and his family are doing great! Ursula had her baby on
Tuesday. So get this, I love the names in their family. The dad is Juan
Carlos, his first son is Juan Carlos and the new baby is Juan David.
we call them the Juan's, in Spanish los Juanes. So Ursula didn't come to
church on Sunday but Juan Carlos did. He liked it a lot. He is working
on changing his job so that he can come to church every week. What day
was Titan born? Was he born the same day as Juan? That would be pretty
cool. Congrats to the Mailes! Seriously I'm stoked to go home and see
all of my new cousins. I love you all so much family. You're really the
best that there is. Sorry my letter is a little short this week.
Love elder B

April 18, 2011

Hey familia!

Thanks mom and dad for your help. It has been kind of a weird week. We
had interviews on Tuesday so that means that I pretty much didn't do
anything all day in my area. When we have interviews the zone leaders
do "interviews" with the other companionships. We check their area
book and see how they are doing. We always do that stuff but it's just
an extra time to sit down and talk to them. I like doing it but it
takes a long time. In my interview President asked me to extend my
mission and I just wrote him accepting. I'm not sure why he asked but I
know that if he asks, the Lord is asking. I will go and do. Thanks mom
for checking up on that stuff for me. I really appreciate your help.
You could tell Rick that it's possible for a couple of weeks before I
figure out what I'm going to really do. I really have no idea what my
plans are for when I get home. President told me to be thinking about
it a little bit but it just makes me more confused haha so I'll just
wait, i think...

In other news. This week was really hard. We had very few lessons. We
had to do lots of interviews for people to get baptized. I think I
interviewed 3 personally. We had 7 get baptized in the zone this week
and we will have nine more next week! We are a little bit low this
month because we had Conference and then we had the national vote for
the presidency. It's illegal to have public meetings on that day so we
couldn't have church. So I took the sacrament for the first time in
three weeks yesterday. We are teaching the Castro family right now.
They are by far our best investigators that we have. I tell you about
them every week but they really are awesome. We had a lesson with them
planned on Saturday. Another companionship was going to have a
baptism at about the same time as our lesson. We showed up to their
house and we said, hey you three want to go see how you're going to get
baptized? They said sure let's go! So we jumped in a taxi and went to
the church. They were starting a little late so we did a tour of the
church with them and then we had a short lesson with them in the
chapel, then we went to the baptismal service. It was way cool. We felt
the Spirit really strongly with them in the chapel and then at the
baptism. It was a special night. We taught them about the Sabbath day.
we knew it was going to be kind of hard for them to live it because
Hermano Castro has to work every other Sunday. He is going to talk to
his boss and do all he can to change his schedule. He could use your
prayers.

I love you so much fam! You're the best in the entire world, seriously. I
love you all tons. Thanks for all of your support and love. I don't
know what I would do without a family like you.

Love elder B

Mom thanks for your help. That is going to help me figure out what I'm
going to do. I'm not sure where I want to study... It's alright I'll
figure it out like you say, when I get home. Tell Gma hi for me and
that I love her tons! I'm so jealous seriously about her trip! It sounds
like an awe inspiring expereince. Thanks mom I love you tons. Thanks
for not getting bummed out because I'm going to be here a little
longer. I know of lots of moms that wouldn't feel the same. Thanks!!

April 13, 2011

Hey mom and dad,

You might be a little surprised to be getting an email from me today

but there's a reason. I had an interview with President Manning

yesterday. He asked me to do something that he said he has only asked

1 or 2 other missionaries to do. He wants me to extend my mission for

30 days,that would mean that I'll get home the end of August or first

week of September. He asked me all about my plans for when I go home

and what I want to do. He doesn't want to interfere with my schooling

but I wasn't really planning on it anyway right off the bat when I get

home. I don't think that I'll have the money or the time to get right

into school when I'm home.

What I have thought about doing after my mission until now has been

finding a good job and some place to live in utah and get settled then

after the fall semester go to school at BYU or USU im not sure...

During the fall semester when I first get home while working I wanted

to take a few classes like math to catch up in some community college.

I need you to do some things for me so that I can make a good

prayerful choice. Please:

1- find out what kind of classes I could get into in a community

college. I'm not sure which school. Maybe one in Logan or in Salt Lake.

Im not sure if they will still be taking people on in september.

please give me a couple options of schools to go to.

2- maybe talk to Jess in a little bit more detail and see if there are

some kinds of jobs out there in a hospital that I could take.

3- Please talk together and give me some advice about what I can do

when I get home. I want and value it.

President said he doesn't want me to feel pressured into doing it. But

he has had the impression that I should stay for another month. I'm not

sure what he wants me to do during that month, but what he asks the

Lord asks. I told him in my interview that I would do it, but he asked

me to look into the things that I want to do when I get home and then

make a prayerful decision. He said "I have recieved an answer but I

want you to recieve it too". I'm not sure why the Lord wants me to stay

longer but I know that he must have something for me to do while I'm

here in that extra month. I think I feel a little bummed about getting

home later cause everone will be in school but I have to look at it

from the Lords side. President said he has only asked 1 or maybe 2

elders to extend in his whole time here and now he's asking me, but he

wants me to know if I should do it for sure or not. Thanks mom and dad

for your help. I need this information by MONDAY So that I can give an

answer to President. Thanks for your help and your time to help me out

and do some investigating. I know it might be kind of a pain but it

would really help me a lot. Thanks for being the best parents ever

really. I love you so much. Have a good one. I'll talk to you Monday.

Love elder B

April 11, 2011

Howdy doo fam!

I am having an awesome time here in Floresta. Elder Jimenez and I are

working hard together. We have 23 people with a date this month and we

are making big progress. The Zone is really excited and we are

working it hard. The cool thing about being a leader in the mission is

that you have to spend your time thinking about other people and the

best way to help them. Sometimes there are low spots in the mission

and you have to figure out a way to help that area change and be

better. The best thing is that you always have to be an example. I

think that I have grown a bunch and it makes me want to be the best

that I can be. My companion and I don't have anyone with a baptismal

date for April still but we have a few for May. We are working hard to

make sure that we can get them to their dates. One of them is Azucena

the mom of Jose Maria. The other is Cristina the sister of a member and

then the Castro family. They are awesome! The Castro family is great!

We are pretty much teaching the whole family now including his mom and

aunts and sisters. The dad we are still working on... Brother Castro

said that he prayed and said that he feels an inner peace that this is

the true church. When an investigator receives an answer and they

really know that it's true, it's the best feeling that there is, really.

Mom I really liked your experience with your talk at Sarahs baptism.

It's funny how we prepare something then at the last minute we have to

change it. I know that the lord puts words in our mouths so that we

can help others, just like you did. Now the next step is invite her to

listen to the missionaries too. DC 84:85. It says don't worry about

what your going to say beforehand fore it will be given to us in the

exact moment. We still have to prepare but be ready to listen to the

Spirit to change at the last minute.

Sounds like grandma is doing awesome in Jerusalem! That's awesome! I

want to visit someday. I also want to visit the temple in Rome. I

heard that it's going to be really big with a visitors center and

everything.

Thanks so much for your prayers and letters! You really are the best

family ever! I hope that everyone is doing great and that you're all

safe and sound. I love you all so much!

Love elder B

Hey mom! I hope that you got my license renewed for me! Thanks. Root

hard for Zach. That makes me happy that he's playing sports too. I

never thought that he would want to run. That's cool. Did you look for

those friends that I asked you to. That would be awesome. I want to

invite them to my homecoming and stuff. I have been thinking about

them a lot throughout my whole mission. That's awesome to hear about

Justy and Josh. Nat is about to go to Romania right? I got a letter

from her the other day. She sounds good. well mom thanks, I love you.
say Hi to Z and Dad for me! Love ya

April 4, 2011

Hey family!

Well we had a pretty sweet week! The most exciting thing that happened

was that we put a family that we have been teaching with a baptismal

date! Juan Carlos his wife Ursula and their son Juan Carlos Junior

will be getting baptized on the 28th of May! I'm way excited! We are

also teaching three of the sisters of Juan Carlos. They belong to the

Legion of Mary. They go out and preach in the hospitals and jails and

stuff once a week. They are really awesome ladies and they have some

really good questions. We have been teaching them and have had to do

it kind of slowly because of their schedules. But they are awesome!

They really read their pamphlets and they understand it well

before we have even taught them. What a blessing it is to teach them.

One day I saw Juan Carlos sitting under a tree after playing soccer

and I went up and talked to him. I felt a really strong spirit with

him and we set an appointment and we went and taught his whole family.

It was a really big blessing. How wonderful is the Gospel!

We also put Jose Maria´s mom Azucena with a date too for the 20 of

May. We are having a rough time in April and don't have anyone with a

date but I know we are going to be able to have someone.

We had our Zone leader council with President Manning on Thursday. I

love Zone councils. We make major descions for the mission together

and we talk about where we are in the mission. We are trying really

hard to reach our goal of 200 hundred baptizms. We have been close a

few times but we still haven't made it yet. I love this work. I'm having

a good time with Elder Jimenez. He is way cool and brings a very

special spirit with him.

On Saturday and Sunday we watched conference, and I got to see it in

english! WHOO! I understand it in Spanish but it's just really

different to be able to watch it in English. I loved all the talks. I

really liked the one about the Sabbath day. Throughout my mission I

have realized just how badly I kept the Sabbath day holy. I'm going to

do it better when I get home. I liked all of the talks and was really

touched by all of them.

We had two couples come and participate in a session. One of the

couples we have been teaching for a while, David and Milayda. They are

great people but they aren't married. They are working on it but they

came to the last session on Sunday. As we were heading to the stake

center I was praying that they would understand the talks and that

they would pertain to them. The first one right off the bat was

marriage! Awesome! They were listening intently.

I'm so glad to be a missionary. I'm really working hard in these last

few months that I have left. I don't wanna waste a minute. I'm really

happy for Elder Caywood and all the hard work that he has been doing.

I can tell that he has really been converted to the Gospel in his time

on the mission. I try everyday to be converted to the lord and try to

be better and follow examples like Elder Caywood. Thanks to you and

all the hard work you have done. Have a wonderful day tomorrow at your

sisters' baptism! You have to send me pics! I can't really believe that

Sarah is getting baptized! How cool is that?! I still remember bugging

her when I stayed over there at The caywoods. It's funny how with time

everything changes.

Well family, I love you so much and thanks for everything that you do

for me. Thanks for the b-day packages from both grandmas and Mom! You're

the best really! I love beef jerkey! Oh and the Reeses hit the spot

really. Thanks for everything that you are and do! Grandma have fun in

Jerusalem! I'm really Jealous! I wanna go there!

Love Elder B