This has been a rather slow week.
Hi mom,
We honestly didn't have much work to do, but we did work. We talked to almost 250 people (even for me this can get to be kind of tiring) and pretty much everyone we talked to said, "GO AWAY!" some a little more elegant then others, I honestly prefer "GO AWAY!" to "Otro dia" because then at least they're being honest about their desires and not lying to me and wasting my time.
We did find two investigators, but their solidity is questionable (I've become rather critical here on the mission), I hope they do good,
Good news. We got in touch with Familia T* (Our most solid investigators) and they didn't ignore us last week. They where busy Sunday (like everyone else), and then they where out on a date when we ran by and the babysitter didn't answer. As far as I'm concerned that's a 100% answer rate when they are home.
Bad new. We also got in touch with J*. He's still really cool, but his mom's not down for his Baptism. He's only 8 so we need perinatal permission to teach and baptize, We have it to teach, but not to baptize. Maybe he'll be like Elder Joiner (my 3rd companion) and be converted years before his baptism. He's already got a good start. He's read and prayed in the Book of Mormon and knows it's true.
Fun story. We had two exchanges this week with the District Leader (because we got a new one last week and this was the last week of the transfer p.s. I'm staying). The first one nothing amazing happened. just a lot of fun talking with Elder Engle (the District Leader) and teaching a lesson on the street to a girl who was walking by. She lives in another district in our zone, so I don't know what happed to her. The second one has the fun story. We ran by a potential that has a lot of potential (ha, I didn't mean to do that) and set up a return appointment. We'd talked with him and his wife earlier in the week and they already know a lot. They're both antiguos of Elder McKinney (the last District Leader) when he was in Arleta, and as such they know everything, have his old scriptures, and already know it's true. As we got to know them better (this was the 1st time we met the wife, also, this is with Elder Weinheimer, my companion, not Elder Flores, the companion of the District Leader with him we just set up the appointment for this week coming up) anyway, she told us that she'd actually listened to the missionaries when she was a young girl and so every time they come by she invites them in. She also wantsto be baptized, but doesn't want to offend her mom, so we won't do it. :( (sometimes I hate moms... No offense) Any way, back to the story with Elder Flores. We set up the appointment and started walking home because they live on the farthest part of the area we work in. We walked maybe a block, probably less, when we ran into a member who lives just south of our Mission. Elder Flores is from Valencia, CA (if you look it up on a map, it's just south of the mission as well) so they started swapping names and seeing who they knew in common. We kept walking and then she pulled up next to us and offered us a ride. There was a man in the car to, so we gladly accepted, (see attachment for photo).
Spiritual Thought: I've been relearning the piano (Sorry I didn't practice more at home Mom). As such, I offer to help with the music whenever I can (I've also gotten some comments from other missionaries that aren't the nicest, but I keep doing it). This week in Gospel Principles, they asked me to play a hymn that I'd never seen before. I know what it is in English, but that doesn't change the fact that I didn't know the song, only made it easier to know up or down or when a key was wrong (sometimes it doesn't even help with that.) I sat down at the piano and started picking it out before the meeting and managed to paly it one time before it started. The time came to play and I managed to make it through three times without a lot of mistakes (almost perfect). Now I just need to get more then the melody line and it will be even better for the congregations. (looks like I lied)
RERUN AND REPORT
Weight Loss: 178 libs
Spanish days; 6/7.
Love Elder Michael Blanding
Elder Flores & Elder Michael Blanding
"I know that My Redeemer Lives" I've felt the comfort of that sentence over and over again in my life, especially this last year, and I've also had the privilege of watching that truth work miracles in the lives of God's children. I love this work and the Spanish language. I love all that I've learned and all that I will learn. I love my God and my savior. I know this is God's church and I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and there for Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and we have God's authority on the earth today. I've also gained a very deep love and appreciation for the scriptures and I love the hour I have every day to read, study and ponder their words.