Quick Email

We had a big Zone activity today that took up most of my time...so I'm going to send a quick little email to let you all know that I am alive and that I have had a fantastically crazy week. I baptized another family, a family of 4 this week. The other family needs more time, possibly. We'll see what happens this week. I hit 80% retention this week. In 3 weeks we have accomplished what missionaries counldn't do in 4 or 5 weeks before! I was so excited. But that was put off by the lack of people at church this past sunday. Our attendance dropped 100! It was crazy going from 250 to 150 in one week, but that happens out here a lot. I just wish it didn't.

The baptism was crazy because there was no water in the church, so we went to a river in my area to baptize (instead of going to baptize in the ocean because they have some crazy fear of the ocean water). I will send the photos with the other email tomorrow. :)

Love,
Elder B

In a River

As previously mentioned, this week was pretty crazy. I visited a TON of people with my companion, had to go help the other missionaries in my area visit some of their investigators in order to help them understand more the familial problems, went to all of my District, Zone and Planning meetings. The list goes on and on. There's so much stuff we have to do all the time, and there never seems to be enough time to get it all done. I always have so many ideas of things to do, things I could and should be doing, but there is NEVER enough time to get it all done. Now I understand what my mom always told me about always having a huge list of things to accomplish and not getting the chance to do it! SOmetimes it frustrates me, but oh well. Life will move on, it'll all work out (it always does). ;)

We prepared our families, had them interviewed and everything, and we thought everything was all dandy for Saturday. Until MB, one of my investigators, decided to run away Saturday morning and have his wife lie to us. Just an FYI, Miskito women are bad liars, they think that they are fantastic liars because they do it all the time, but they do not lie well. She said that she didn't know where her husband went, but that he went to work. We knew he works construction so we asked her where the house he's helping to build is located. She looked all around and said with a puzzled look, "I don't know. Over there." Where? There's nothing around us in like all 360º of view! Oh well. Then they didn't come to church on Sunday, so we'll see what's going on with that family today. Oh, and apart from that, there was NO WATER in the church because the water pump broke, so we had to baptize my family in a river. That was crazy. We had to walk forever and then some, but it was worth it. It was so beautiful and clean out there!

We had a really cool lessons with some new investigators of ours, Judith and Franklin, and with some recent converts (too many to name right now). My companion, Elder Salmon, and I are having so much fun finding new families and teaching the all of them, and all of the recent converts their duties as Children of God. Really, it is like teaching Primary children all day long, but it is so much fun. I never get tired of telling people how important it is to go to church every Sunday, to pray (alone and in families), to pay tithing, to read the scriptures, etc. It never gets old for me; on the contrary, I learn new things and increase my knowledge of the Gospel. I love to hear new convert's growing testimonies, I love to see their progression and their hunger for the truth and light increase weekly. 

We're basically done baptizing this month, if I baptize the other family, fantastic! Otherwise we're simply going to prepare for August. We've gotten the results I feel were needed for this month.

Well, I love you all! I love this work and I love all of the lessons that I am learning out here. I am grateful for your love, emails, prayers and letters! Keep sending them my way...;) Have a great week and be happy!

Love,
Elder B