Monday, February 29, 2016

February 27, 2016

Hello family,

Sorry about the weird week of writing.  Even though our Pday was taken by the multizones we don´t really have a make-up time.  We´re kind of just out of luck.  But I've got a bit of time in the office right now so I'll  write a bit. 
  
  Last night we finally had some time in the area  because the multizone stuff ended and we needed to get Kirby interviewed.  It was really worrisome because it´s super bad to go so long without seeing an investigator that supposedly is getting baptized on Saturday.  But he wasn't there so we´ll see if he´s home today, try to interview him and baptize him today but I'd say the chances of everything going right are slim.  But please pray that he´ll be home, want to get  baptized, and pass his interview.  Really having basically three days without working in the area is just throwing us off.   Maria is doing well (mother of  monica).  I don´t remember how much I´ve talked about her but she has a good testimony, but she hasn't been able to stop smoking.  She somehow got some extra strength last week and as of the last time we verified had about 5 or 6 days without smoking.  But when we showed up to our appointment yesterday some guy we´ve never met was there smoking and her daughter in law told us it´s her "friend".  Hopefully they don´t just sit there hanging out and smoking together.  But she told us she´s going to make it so she can get baptized next week on the 5th of March.  But there´s an area conference on the 6th with President Nelson so we won´t be able to confirm so we can´t baptize on the 5th.  Our other investigator Noel, the husband of a recent convert who has an RM son, is cool and wants to make it so his whole family is united in the church.  Last week in church he shocked everyone by participating a ton and having some great comments during the lessons.  We learned about the Holy Ghost in Principios del Evangelio and he ate it up.  But yesterday when we passed by his wife said that he went to the casino with his friends last night so he probably smoked and drank.  Dang it.  We have a return cita today so we´ll see.  

  In the office we have a pretty normal week coming up this week but the next week is change week.  During change week there´s a TON of stuff we do and the office secretaries basically are running everywhere from Monday to Thursday and don´t get any sleep.  I´m expecting it to be really stressful and I´m not looking forward to it but hey, at least it only comes once every six weeks...

  We also had a cool experience on Monday.  We passed by for someone positive we had contacted on Sunday afternoon and her deaf cousin and her friend were there.  The investigator spoke decent sign language by what I could tell but definitely struggled a bit translating for us.  But we were able to teach these two deaf girls, through their friend translating, the restoration and then put a fecha.  It was a really cool experience.  I also learned a bit of sign language from it.  

   It sounds like the family is doing pretty well.  Sorry for making you have to scramble on Tuesday to get me those emails.  Thanks mom for sending those packages.  It´s nice to have something like that to look forward to.  One perk of the office is that I´ll get them as soon as they come:)  Thanks for holding down the fort dad, as always, with the bonus points.  I didn't realize we have the same amount of elk points.  When are you going to cash in Mom´s deer points?  Which CWMU do you want to go to?  

Just to follow up, did anyone that reads the blog actually get Jamba Juice for Peyton?  If not, there´s still time.  

Love you!!!!!



Elder Smith



  So as far as what's been going on in the office... We've just been scrambling to be ready for the visit of Elder Ochoa. He's doing what's called a mission tour. Basically just looking at us to see how we're doing. So there's a lot of pressure for everything to be perfect. The multizones have been stressful because I'm responsible for making sure everyone gets their donuts and juice for breakfast, their lunch that a restaurant does for us, drinks, granola bars, bananas, and gatorade for the bus back. And I have to give everyone their reimbursements and pay the bus drivers. But it'll all be over on Saturday. I look forward to some real sleep.

With the multizones we haven't had much time to work in the area. Last week the APs came and taught familia Robleto with us, committed them to get married and then baptized this saturday. I, as well as the other missionaries present and Javier (the dad) thought everything was very clear, but..... Müriel (the mom) apparently thought the deal was only that she had to get married. Not baptized. So we came by on Sunday night to talk about plans for the marriage and when we got talking about the baptism right after she kind of freaked out. Then she pulled a bunch of doubts out that we've answered a long time ago and just kind of desperately saying whatever she could to not get baptized. And then Javier got super mad at her because he really wants to get baptized and he was clear that they would get baptized and then married. So he stopped talking to her. We came back on Tuesday and only she was there and she said she and her daughter wouldn't get baptized for a while, if ever. But she said she knows she needs to get married and she doesn't care if Javier gets baptized. So it's a tough situation for sure. We'll keep working with them and doing everything we can to resolve müriel's doubts. It would be extremely sad to baptize only Javier after imagining how happy and united the family would be otherwise.


With the multizones we haven't had much time to work in the area. Last week the APs came and taught familia Robleto with us, committed them to get married and then baptized this saturday. I, as well as the other missionaries present and Javier (the dad) thought everything was very clear, but..... Müriel (the mom) apparently thought the deal was only that she had to get married. Not baptized. So we came by on Sunday night to talk about plans for the marriage and when we got talking about the baptism right after she kind of freaked out. Then she pulled a bunch of doubts out that we've answered a long time ago and just kind of desperately saying whatever she could to not get baptized. And then Javier got super mad at her because he really wants to get baptized and he was clear that they would get baptized and then married. So he stopped talking to her. We came back on Tuesday and only she was there and she said she and her daughter wouldn't get baptized for a while, if ever. But she said she knows she needs to get married and she doesn't care if Javier gets baptized. So it's a tough situation for sure. We'll keep working with them and doing everything we can to resolve müriel's doubts. It would be extremely sad to baptize only Javier after imagining how happy and united the family would be otherwise.
 

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