Area: Santiago, Chile
Companion: Elder Barnes
Hola
Familia,
It sounds like
everyone is doing well, up to your usual adventures. It seems like ever since I
came on the mission the traveling has really taken it up a notch! Every week it
seems like there is news about the four trips people in the family went on
during the week! =) MAN! haha. But it sounds like youre all having fun!
Mom, thats cool about
Uncle Dan, he will be a good bishop. I always liked him, hes a cool Uncle. But
from what Dad says it sounds like you are doing well on your houses like usual!
You´re la jefa! And just to answer your question from the voice recording...
Yes. I think that Lindy is a princess. It seems like every other weekend she is
back in San Diego! =) She is a hard working princess though, because I don´t
know of many princesses who have a masters, are working on the 2nd and are
teaching full time so she is a hard working princess. Cutler is definitely a
prince- he´s the baby and gets everything that he wants. But that is to be
expected, you and Dad have been preparing us for that for a while now. And Mom,
you are definitely a Queen and Dad is the King! We have a pretty good lifestyle,
don´t we?
Lindy- It sounds like
you had a great time on your vacation to nor cal with jen and Spencer. I wish I
could have hiked with you guys! It must have been a great hike. And as far as
the circus goes, I will definitely be interested in it when I get back if they
still have one. It sounds like it was quite the show and you can´t beat the
seats.
Dad- The teaching
pool got much, MUCH better this week. I´ll talk more about that later on. But
your trip to SJ sounds like it was short but sweet. It was definitely a great
blessing for me to be able to spend my last couple of days with all the family
up there in SJ for Grandpas funeral. That was a great memory for me. As was the
catalina trip! I loved it and it feels like we sailed it yesterday! Time flies.
But you asked me if I would ¨be up for it¨ when I get back. My answer is ¨i´m
down!¨ Lets do it baby! It sounds like Cutler and Spencer will have a good time
this weekend, Cutler really has the tough life- school starts and he gets to
play hookie! But as for sending him to a ACT prep, I would do it. It will help
him with test taking strategy which will help alot on that test. He´ll do great.
And as for the investment, green to go. Do whatever you think is best, you´re
good with that stuff so whatever it is that you think is good just go for
it.
But as for Elder
Barnes and I, we had a FANTASTIC week! I have never had numbers this high in all
of my mission. 15 lessons with a member, 15 others, 12 with a baptismal date, 10
in church! We were GREATLY blessed.
The beginning of the
week usually starts out somewhat slow and this week wasnt so much that way, we
were blessed from the beginning. But we had a conference this week with
President Essig and he shared some thoughts and points that we can apply to help
us committ the people to do something. Whether it be praying, reading or baptism
there were some great points. The part that I liked was preparing the way for
them to accept the committment before you actually extend it. For example during
the lesson 2-4 times to say ¨when you... (read, pray, are baptized etc)¨ and
they will already have formed in their head that, ¨oh yeah, I need to do this!¨
And it makes a great difference in committing the people.
But we had the
conference on Tuesday and we were practicing and emplementing the points in our
lessons all week. But it sure seemed to work because there were 10 investigators
that made it to church! And that doesn´t include Blanca and Ruben who are going
to be baptized next week (they took sleeping pills the night before and couldnt
wake up in the morning!!! )= So there were all of them and there are even more
people who are good investigators that didnt make it to church, hopefully next
week.
But yes, it was a
miracle to see so many of them there, Church was a bit crazy this week trying to
run around and get everyone in the right place and to introduce the members to
the investigators but it was great. I love this ward, there are some great
people here who help us out A LOT. I am realizing more and more how important it
is to have friends for the people in church. Without a friend, they will feel
alone and scared and if they feel scared and out of place there is no way that
they can feel the spirit there. But if they have a friend they will feel
comfortable and will then be more open and receptive to feeling the Holy
Ghost.
I was thinking in our
investigators and the majority of them aren´t Chilean! Haha. We are visiting
with a Peruvian, 3 Dominican Republicans, a Colombian, a family from Ecuador!
Haha it is pretty funny! I love it though, they are all so great and I see such
great potential in each of them. It is amazing what the gospel does and how it
changes how we see the people. With the gospel filter the people suddenly aren´t
just people but are children of our Heavenly Father and these brothers and
sisters have eternal potential to return to live with their father in heaven
again. The gospel is really changing me and I can see it in how I see
others.
All yesterday I was
thinking about time. Kathy would be ashamed. But the change is half way through.
3 weeks left and then there are changes and I am really sad that these changes
are almost here. I love the ward here, the investigators and my companion Elder
Barnes. We are really good friends and it makes a great difference to feel that
way about your companion. I feel blessed to have had this time here with him and
with the time that is left but 3 weeks is nothing, its going to pass by SOOO
FAST! And then there will be more changes, but like Lindy says, you learn great
things when you are out of your comfort zone or when that comfort zone
changes.
Anyway, I am doing
great and it sounds like you all are too. I love you and have a great
week!
con amor,
Elder Jaromy
Holland
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