February 22, 2016

2/15-2/22

So right before p-day ended last week I went to the batting cages! It was pretty fun just to whack at the balls, not as fun as with dad though. Like with dad I can whack them really far but the net in the cage stops you from doing that and also I probably wasn't so rust when I did it with dad! :) anyways it was really fun! My forearms are a little sore from it but that is about all. So that is really good! 

I am grateful for the time on p-day to just run around and be crazy! I am able to feel more and more like myself when I am just running around playing! It is a lot of fun! 

 JOE GARCIA! So mom do you remember how I talked about this guy we found tracking one night and he was like "Mormons, we were just talking about you" and then he can out and talked to us for a bit? Well we finally found him again and he accepted to be baptized! He was like "there's a pool, just through me in! I want to be baptized!" So that was awesome! Also while we were talking to him he started smoking and it was making my head hurt and stuff but I remembered he said one time when we stopped by that he stopped smoking for like 10 days after he first saw us! So I decided to ask him if he would put it out and also I asked him if he would stop smoking all together and he said yes! He said he doesn't like it even amd if makes his stomach hurt. So that was awesome! We went back a little later and took him some candy to eat that would help him from smoking! 

After this awesome adventure and after all him crazy stories, we went to our ward mission leaders house, the main purpose was that elder Blake had to use the restroom but afterward we were able to just talk with him and catch him up on a couple of things! It was really good! And right before we were leaving he asked us if we had anywhere to eat and we didn't so he invited us over for dinner and it was so so great! We had hamburger and they were amazing! I love homemade hamburgers so much! They are a billion times better then fast food ones! 

 So fun little fact!! I am all done with new missionary training! I have graduated! Hehe! It has been really fun to have that time to do all those role plays and learn so much! I will miss it but only a tiny bit. Haha not really! 

Weekly planning this week went better then last week for me. I did it all by myself. I can do the whole what should we teach them part pretty ok but when it comes to just throwing people into times that we could possibly visit them... I take a long time and get kinda frustrated with myself. It is mostly because It is hard to just say lets see these people this day and then what happens if everyone goes through. I don't want to seem like a dummy. So that is what I am working on. Elder Blake told me something pretty great. You will never know until you try. I need to not be afraid to just throw things out there and just try! So I think this will be a good thing for me. Something that will really make me stretch but it will be good for me!

So we were out finding (or as dad told me to call it, fun time) and we knocked on this guys door and he saw us and like just started coming out the door (most people will only crack the door) and this Guy said "mi amigos! Quieran un cerveza!?" (My friends! You want a beer!?) Haha it was super funny! It really through me off for a sec but then we started talking with him and he said we could come back. Maybe just because he probably was drunk! Haha

Update on investigators

• Cristal is on date and see wants to be baptized but she said it is more because all her kids are doing it so we are going to try and work with her and have her desire it for herself. This has been a little harder because she said we can only come on Tuesdays but then she cancels on us a lot.
• Joe  is our new person on date. He is the one I have already talked about.
• Ana is kinda falling off the face of the earth and stuff... She knows she needs to be baptized and we have taught her everything and some but it really is just up to her to say "ya I want to be baptized now!" So that's hard with her. She has been taught for a while and everyone knows she will get baptized but she is just having problems with her boyfriend and stuff.
• Helen really wants to be baptized! Like every time we are over there she is like "so when is my baptism" so that is hard. Her parents are less actives that are just struggling with coming back to church and so we want them all coming to church regularly before we baptize Helen so she has a support group behind her. 

The letter that Annalee sent we like 2 weeks ago is really starting to take affect in my life. In this letter she talks about how we need to have faith in all things and that they are intended for our good and benefit. Also that we need to press forward in hard times in faith, not fear. We need to have faith that God has a plan for us and he knows what he is doing! I am starting to get nervous about my new comp and how he doesn't know as much Spanish as elder Blake does. I realized also that he doesn't know the area and so that is also up to me now. I know it will all be ok and I just need to trust that the lord knows what he is doing and he will help mold me into the person I need to be.

Today I have been up and down with the whole idea that I am getting someone new. I am super excited to get to know him and try new things. But then I keep remembering that now it is up to me to plan things and also drive us around everywhere and stuff like that. Haha I keep thinking "oh boy what am I going to do!?" And I get all worried but I keep thinking of Annalee and her saying to have faith and to have more faith then fear! So thanks Annalee! Things are getting better and I am excited for everything but I am also a little nervous. This elder only has like 2 more months then me on the mission so that's exciting. His name is Elder Dopp and he seems like a good guy!

This is the Camacho family! They are super nice and a really fun family! Always full of laughs and good times!

Love you all!  Have a great week!!!

Elder Peters