Monday 28 November 2011

Week 18

Hope that you had a good thanksgiving holiday. So we got news about transfers on Friday night and I'm staying in Reedley again with Elder Malo. Wasn't really expecting to stay another transfer here, especially with Elder Malo, but will be here for at least another month and a half. So I have yet to experience what getting transferred feels like and what a different area is like. The good news though is that we have a lot of planned baptisms that I thought I wouldn't be at that I will now. This upcoming Sunday we have Josefinas baptism, she asked that either Elder Malo or I baptize her and the other do the confirmation. I don't really want to be the one baptizing her because she is a bigger lady and she is pretty afraid of drowning so it's a one shot deal with her and I take a couple times to baptize them. So this week I need to learn how to confirm someone in Spanish! On Thursday we went to play at the turkey bowl and that was a lot of fun we had 7v7 and we played for two hours, but I have never been so sore in my life, I'm still feeling the effects of it! At 1 we went to a families for dinner and then we had another dinner at 5 and 7 so we got fed really well. Also got to watch 17 miracles, it was really good but I think that I liked it because I haven't seen a movie in so long. So, still a little surprised that I'm staying in Reedley another transfer but were going to make it a white Christmas (of baptisms!!).
I heard about the Ravens game cuz I was getting trash talked all week about how the 49ers were going to kill the ravens but everyone is quiet now that they lost.

Monday 21 November 2011

Week 17

Great to hear from you, sounds like your getting ready for the holiday season. My week was good! We are starting to teach a lot of new investigators and are teaching a lot more lessons each week. I feel like this week has been the turning point for my Spanish, it's gotten a lot better recently because I refuse to speak English anymore, it's hard but it will be worth it. This past Saturday we had our ward thanksgiving dinner and it was really good, they were a lot of people (a lot more than at church) and we got three investigators there. Josefina is looking good for the 4th of December which we are excited about. Diego was also there but he kept on asking where all the young people were, we are still struggling to find a friend in the ward for him, I don't think he's going to progress unless we get someone young to fellowship him. Last night we got a surprise visit from President, when we got dropped off he appeared out of the woodworks and ambushed us. He was doing a BYD for our ward and he came after that. So from 9-11 last night we were talking about the area and then he interviewed us individually, it was good to talk to him about some things, my interview with him lasted a little over an hour but I got some really good instruction and advice. This week is going to be a lot of fun. We have some promising investigators to teach and then on thanksgiving we have the turkey bowl in the morning and then we have three families feeding us on thanksgiving so were set. That's cool that you watched the movie 17 miracles, it's funny because thats the one were allowed to watch for thanksgiving. We can't go out on thanksgiving unless we are at a members so we will just be eating all day which will be fun. On Saturday we have transfer calls so will be finding out if I am leaving. I think that I'm leaving so it's sad to leave because I love the members and our investigators but at the same time I think I need a change of scenery as I have been here for 4 1/2 months. Well, thats about it for this week! Well thanks for all the emails and support that you give me. Hope that you have a good thanksgiving and black Friday. Love you and look forward to hearing from you next week and talking to you in a month! Miss you all.

Monday 14 November 2011

Week 16

Great to hear everything is going well back home. Things are going good with me. On Tuesday, I went on an exchange to Selma with Elder Cruz which was really fun but it was super cold. They are in an all bike area so we were just biking all day. I didn't think that California got cold, but it unfortunately does not just have palm trees and beaches! On Saturday we had an emergency exchange because there is an elder in our district who hates his companion and is considering going home so he came to Reedley with me. I get along with him but he is lazy so that would be frustrating dealing with that all day. On Sunday we had a couple of investigators at church. Breise was there again, so that is 5 straight weeks of coming to church but our lesson the other night backfired on us. We told her to pray for a date to be baptized and we were thinking she would say next week or in two weeks but she said January 8 so that was kind of depressing because shes set on that date now. Now I know in the future to never try that again, it sucks because we've been working with her so long and I probably won't be in this area in January. We also had our other baptismal date for December 4 come to church so she's looking solid for that day. Besides from that we've just been talking to everyone we see and teaching our other investigators.

Monday 7 November 2011

Week 15

So the weeks are really starting to blend together and I forgot all that has happened this week but last Monday we weren't able to to missionary stuff so we went out of town with Diego to a really good Mexican restaurant. It was a lot of fun and he was excited to take us because he was bored since his wife was stuck in Connecticut because of the snow storm. On Tuesday, we had an exchange and I stayed in Reedley with Elder Castillo who I've already been on exchange with twice before so it was awesome. We committed two people to be baptized for the 27th of this month so hopefully they are ready for then. The weather has really cooled down and its jacket weather, I didn't think California got cold, so that was a surprise to me. All I had was my rain jacket so a member gave me a really nice jacket so hopefully he doesn't ask for it back. We biked during the days this week and we talk to everyone but its been really tough because we have had no luck with that at all. So its been a bit discouraging considering we've talked to about 100 people and not one has even shown a bit of interest. On Saturday, we went to the funeral for the sister in our ward that passed away, it was the first funeral I have ever went to so that was interesting. On Sunday, we only got one investigator to church but she went up and bore her testimony and said that she is no longer waiting for her dad and wants to be baptized. We went over last night and she prayed about a date to be baptized and she told us to come back tonight so I'm excited to see what she says. I hope its before November 30 because I think that I will be transferred at the end of this transfer and I want to be at the baptism. That's about it for last week.