6-13-11

Monday: Today was a really good pday. It started out really cold and I
got to stay in my blessedly-warm bed. It was awesome. I eventually got
up and wrote my response to Alan`s letter that I got last week. I love
him so much. Then we went to othe Office, where I totally hit the
jackpot. I got 3 letters, One from Cassie (friend), Estèe, and Meagan!
Amazing! Daddy got a bunch of fruits and vegetables for the garden,
Cassie (sister) is going to Lindsay`s for the Summer, and Dein`s going
on a trek. He doesn`t want to. My comp. and I talked about the
Atonement and spiritual experiences. We would turn to each other and
be like, "Do you feel that?" And we could both feel the Spirit`s
presence. That`s one of my favorite things of the Mission: being able
to feel that quiet happiness inside. I really is a sacred joy that God
gives us. We had FHE with the Soliz family tonight. I love them a lot,
too. I did my "you can call me george" face last week, and all the
kids were doing it when I came in tonight. haha.

Tuesday: today we had some capacitations from our leaders. But it`s
the last one, so it was bigger than normal and the entire upper half
of the mission got to come. It. Was. AWESOME!!! I got to see two
people that made me really happy: Elders Lisonbee and Mcconnell. I saw
Lisonbee and we both stopped and did that one smile that we always
did. Then we hugged...it was manly, and stuff. The Assisstants trained
us how to get into houses easier before sending us out to practice in
the Villa Acero chapel, with different comps. I went with Isaac Demke.
He`s from Kansas City and I`ve known him since I was in Lican Ray. We
did good work. When Pres. Swenson spoke, he just told stories of good
work that missionaries have done to help with Permanaced. It`s a
program that is used to reactivate lost members. It started two years
ago. In that time 10,000 members have been re-activated! He
specifically told of Elder Barajas. He had been traveling from the
NOrth of the mission to the South, and stopped in the middle to say hi
to an inactive Sister for 15 min. She had written Pres. Swenson about
this kind act and I felt a fierce pride for Elder Barajas. We did some
contacts in our sector with no luck. Everyone`s in bed or drunk by
7:30

Wednesday: today was a pretty good day. But this morning I got mad for
the second time in only 3 months. I felt so awful for it afterward.
Anger is a weakness. I wasn`t furious, or anything. I was last out of
the shower and was getting ready while everyone told me to hurry up. I
was already going as fast as possible and I told them I knew a bus
route that would take us faster than the normal one. But as they
continued jeering me, I snapped out a sharp retorn. I think that the
greatest failure that I can do for myself is get angry. My goal is to
never get angry if I can help it--which is always. We discussed our
investigators at the Distrizona and decided we`re going to do
divisions tomorrow. Elder Demke will come here while I go to Centinela
to be with Elder Corliss. We had lunch with Hna. Vania and Hno.
Roberto. He showed us keepings from his mission. the sheer amount made
me feel like a bad pack rat. I don`t think I`ve collected many things.
He had a huge board game of the Plan of Salvation that he made. Hna.
Teresa found ou that her daughter, Lisette, who`s in the mission, has
leg cancer. she was in tears. We read in the Scriptures with her. I
hope she feels better. We taught Jessica from 3 Nephi 11. She said,
"Looks like I have to be baptized." When I invited her to be baptized,
she said that she wanted to be baptized but wanted it to come from
herself...which makes no sense whatsoever. Hna. Maritza knitted me a
tie. That was awesome. It`s lime green.

Thursday: I`m tired right now. And a little sick in the stomach. But
not too badly. Elder Calaway and I romped around in a wrestling match
for our exercise. He cheated and bit my shoulder. I threw a water
bottle at him. Then we had bread with some cow-in-a-blender meat
called "patè." yum! We planned for the week, too. We got some good
ideas on how to help some of our investigators progress in the Gospel.
I think that once we put these into practice, we`ll see them start to
complete their comittments. We finished up and went to do divisions in
Centinela. I went to be with Elder Corliss. We worked for a while
before we had to return to the apartment to get a movie to share with
the investigators. We found Elder Cortes and his hijo there, with a
problem. Elder DeGracie had left a few weeks ago, but had called their
investigator who WAS going to be baptized this Saturday to tell her
he`d be able to baptize her next Sunday. He destroyed her baptisimal
date and hep ll have to do it after church, so she`ll have to wait a
week to get the Holy Ghost. I don`t know what to do if she sinned. We
taught a family. they were really interested in Eternal families and
baptisms for the dead. They wanted to go to the temple, too. But
they`re all hesitant to take the first, little, easy step of baptism.
Aargh! We watched, "Together Forever" with them. they loved it.
They`re going to read D&C 132 as a family and pray about it.

Friday: Today went really well for us. It was strange being with Elder
Corliss. He would always say, "Of course!" after I told him a fact of
who I am, as if he already knew the answer because he knew me 11 years
ago. That`s not true. I`ve changed from that person. I`m different. We
switched our companions back. Elder Demke and Elder Calaway had found
and taught Denisse and Josè, the old guy...err. Gentleman. Denisse
already kenw the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. And Josè said
he`d come to churchh on Sunday. That was excellent news. Elder Calaway
was on the bed (top bunk) with Elder Montalbàn when Elder Chavez
jumped on too. He didn`t land softly and bent the angle iron a LOT!
But we found a spare to replace it. We go tinto 3 houses today. I have
discovered a way to do it better and we`re gong to help people that
way. While we were walking around, Mirta ran into us. She was a
completely different person. She spoke in a confident, happy voice and
laughed a lot as we talked. You can just SEE the difference the gift
of the Holy Ghost makes in people. My comp`s been feeling down on his
excitement lately. I wish I knew what I could do, to help. My best
advice is that everything not only happens for a readon, but for our
good. I went through my whole transfer with Elder Bernal, teaching no
one. But I learned from it and the lord has given us people to teach.
That`s not a coincidence. That`s a blessing.

Saturday: It rained all through the night,. We woke up to noisy
pitter-patter on our tin roof in our warm blankets. I have 5 wool ones
on my bed. It`s amazing. We had a really interesting talk during
lunch. We spoke with Hno. Roberto Rojas Arroyo about some really deep
doctrine. He always does. The important part was when he talked about
our mission and life. He said everything we learn in the mission is to
be applied after. We pray for investigatorsnow? We`ll pray for those
under our authority in our future callings. EVERYTHING. APPLIES. We`ll
improve every day in the mission. And finally, in our last transfer,
if that, we will learn how to be the missionary god needs. We are the
army of the weak. The apostles can be very good missionaries. They
mission removes OUR weaknesses. Every piece of life prepares us for
something. the mission prepares us for marriage. He said his progress
didn`t start until he was married. I feel sorry for the worthy man who
doesn`t take the privelage of helping others while still taking this
NECESSARY step of life. I really thing it`s as NATURAL as going to
college, even if it isn`t ORDINARY. It is essencial and should not be
discarded as something to do "just because." There is ALWAYS a
reason. that is the beauty of the True and Restored Gospel. This talk
really helped my comp. feel better.

Sunday:As we were walking to church, I told my comp. that we would
make it on time if I set the pace and he kept up with me, walking
around the rain puddles where I did. right after I said that, I
realized hat it was an excellent analogy for the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. He knows how to get back to Heavenly FAther`s presence and
Eternal life, and left us instructions in the form of his teachings. I
thought it was cool. Hna. Soledad gave a cool talk in Sacrament
Meeting. She told of all the things she sells in her little business
and the profit she makes. She has one neighbor that always buys with
change. When counted in total, her (Pennies) equaled about $200 just
from selling raw eggs. She spoke about potential. She went on about
something else, but I had the impression come to my mind that those
pennies could be representing our spiritual experiences. They may be
small on their own, but they have the potential, when given proper
attention, to make a strong testimony. Neat! Mirta says she has a
friend she`s been talking with, that wants to get to know the Church.
That`s another answer to prayers, because after Denisse gets baptized
we won`t have many people to teach. We had a devotional with Pres.
Swenson and investigators. none of ours could go, and I would rather
have worked, but the assisstants shanghai`d us. Pres. and Hna. swenson
leave in 1 1/2 weeks. I`m anxious to see what the new mission pres. is
like. Pres. Martinez is Chilean and actually lives in the mission
boundaries.