July 28, 2011

Dear family and friends,

         Things have been going pretty good this week. We're still trying to have another lesson with Rafael where his mom can be there also, because his mom works almost every day for a long time. So we're just waiting until we can talk to her and have her give permission to Rafael to get baptized. We also saw Gaby again for the first time in about a month and a half. She recently found a part time job doing babysitting, but she's also working on Sundays, so it's really hard for her to come to church on Sundays. We also wanted to be able to talk to her boyfriend because he seems nice to us when we come over, but he's a little mean to Gaby when we leave and he's also one of the reasons why Gaby can't be baptized, because they're not married, but they have been living together.

          We've been trying to work really hard in our area as of late, but we haven't been having too much success. There were more appointments that we scheduled and then had fall through this week than I've had any other week on my mission so far. There were a few days where we had the whole day filled with appointments and then only one of them was there. We had a lot of street contacts this past week, and we had a lot of return appointments scheduled, but only a couple of them were actually there for their appointment. On the street, they say they'll be at home, but when you actually get there, you find out they're working or sleeping or doing something else. It's discouraging when people aren't there for their appointments, but I know that we just have to keep working because we'll find the elect when we're doing what we're supposed to and being obedient.

          It was kind of funny because one of the appointments we had this week was with an older lady and she said that we could come back and teach her. We came back and we brought a member with us and we started the lesson. We had the member teach a little bit about prophets and then the investigator said "Yeah, prophets do guide us in our life. Also, my patriarchal blessing blesses me in my life.." And then we asked her "Are you a member of the Church?" and she said yes. So she was a member the whole time and she didn't bother telling us until we were already in the middle of the lesson! I guess maybe she assumed that we knew she was a member or maybe she didn't want to tell us, but it was still funny.

          With the investigator that you told me about with the smoking problem, I would say the most important thing is to pray. Another suggestion would be to take the 12-step addiction program that the Church does for members and non-members alike. It's free and it works for any addiction that you have. It's definitely not impossible to stop smoking, but it'll take a lot of effort on the investigator, but as long as they have a desire to quit, that's one of the important things. Also, it might be good to suggest that Jesus Christ paid for their sins, so He knows what they're going through and He knows how to help them get their way out.

          So I actually got sunburn last week, but it wasn't where I thought it would be. Instead of getting it on my arms or legs like I usually do, I got it on my face. So that was really annoying, but it's pretty much gone by now. I've been putting on sunblock and aloe vera, so that kind of works, because it's going to be hot for a little longer.

          That's pretty much it that I have for this week. I'll let you know if I need anything.


Elder Meiners