Nov 10th
I am teaching three lessons
a week in Spanish and My Spanish still needs a little improvement. The people who speak Spanish here are all the Nicaraguans who work
at the local saw mill. Yeah lets just say their Spanish is probably worse than mine because they put all their words together and drop off
letters at the end. I barely know what they are saying half of the time. We
have been doing great with the work here. We teach over twenty lessons a week
and visit so many members, also we get at least one new investigator a week. Our ward mission leader texted the
mission president about how hard we have been working and president was very
impressed. He gave me and my companion a hand shake and commended our labors. We had a guy who said he wants to be
baptized but doesn’t feel he is fully ready, he is one of the Nica's here so only I talk to him. I believe he has been taught the first
lesson by some past missionaries but I’m going through and teaching him the
lessons over again. We talked to a woman last night who has family in salt lake
ut and she wants to see us again sometime soon, the rest of our investigators
don’t seem to be progressing all that much but we are keeping up with them still.
In church the gospel principles teacher has been gone and so my companion and I have been teaching for
the last two weeks. The people in that class said we do a good job
so that was comforting. The weather is getting pretty bad, I couldn’t
even open the car door this morning and I almost gave my life for a cup of cocoa when I slipped outside. I started to listen to the Christmas music and the companion doesn’t like the ones about
being with loved ones because he starts missing his girlfriend. He is
such a big softy. We had dinner with a newish family to the area
and they gave us all this food and told us that if we ever need
anything to come to them. They have a daughter on the mission so they (I guess) are living through us. Mother I know you do that. This
week has been great but I know I will soon freeze. It is already in
the 20s so that’s good fun. 1 Nephi 10:6 fall onto the lord because we
always need it, use the atonement and have faith in Jesus Christ.
Nov 17th
Mother I must sadly report that I am dead. I froze
and didn’t make it. When people hear that I’m from Las Vegas they crack up and
then tell me all about how I’m going to freeze here, its discomforting.
This week on Friday we went down to Cheyenne, we had a mission tour and Elder
Baxter of the seventy came down to talk to us. He is a funny guy, and he
is Scottish so that was a plus. When we had our little break I asked if
he knew Grandpa and he said he did and told me all about how Grandpa is a great,
very loving, gentle man. I’m sure he tells that to all the past GA's
grandsons. The week has been good but very cold. We got a jeep, we
had been driving a Chevy cruise and that stupid car wouldn’t go anywhere once
the snow hit.
Nov 24th
I sent you a picture of a sign I noticed in one of the
trailer parks. When we drove by the guy was just staring at us through
his door. It was very creepy. This week went alright. Nothing
too exciting until transfers came up. We figured neither of us would
leave because I was still being trained but the lord had something else in mind.
I received a call from
the mission president asking if I was ready for a challenge. He told me
that I would be going down to the Greely zone in the Yuma area. Also I am
going to be training, so that’s great. It feels good to know that since I’m not
even done being trained I am going to have to make it up half the time. We
do get a car so I will still be driving, no bike yet and lets keep it that way
until the summer. I was just getting used to the area in Saratoga and now
I have to move. Packing is awful, I got so invested in this place and we
stalked up on everything. We have about 20 lbs. of steaks and ground beef
that we got yesterday from a member and I have to sadly say goodbye. I got
to speak in sacrament meeting and I shared some scriptures on the atonement.
Namely Mosiah 3:19 and 24:15 and talked on what the atonement really is and
what it can do for us when we use it. I bore my testimony on how it is a
change in ourselves to become more Christ like and not just a way of repenting
for past transgressions. I closed in Spanish and the three people that
served on Spanish speaking mission might have been able to understand me.
It wasn’t that sad to say goodbye to all the awesome people here but I will
miss them. There was one guy whose family was just like uncle Bert’s. Going
over there was a blast. He was in the same line of work and is the one who
gives us eggs and beef and sausage. He doesn’t have quite as much kids but
he does have five, and three of them are right next to each other and are boys.
They are rowdy and hilarious. I was sitting next to the dad in Sunday
school and the teacher said something about not cussing and he turned to me and
said "I think he's picking on me" with a grin. The people are
probably the best part of this place because it sure ain’t the weather. As
uncle pat would say "Lots of love" and talk to you next week.
