Hello all!
This last week was pretty good. The only reason is wasn't
really, really good
is that we didn't follow through and perform as we should have. We had a
few off days and that is our fault for sure, but there were still some
high points of course.
We had zone conference on Tuesday. Usually I leave zone conference
with a renewed knowledge that I suck. There are so many things to
improve on and remember and so I always have a new set of goals to add
to my older sets of goals and things to improve on, but such is life. I
always love Zone Conferences though. This one was especially great, more
bittersweet, because there were like 20 missionaries who bore their
departing testimonies. You bear your testimony the zone conference
before you go home and there are about 20 missionaries who are going
home in the next two transfers. There were several missionaries who I
have grown to really love. Both of the assistants, Elder Schaffer and
Elder Bradford are going home these next two transfers, back in
Clarksville we saw them quite a bit because they would come up to play
basketball with us so I saw them quite a bit and they are amazing
missionaries and really good guys, so it is weird to see them go. They
are what we would call GKLM legends, so we are losing some great
missionaries. With those great missionaries lost is Elder Castañeda. He
leaves at the end of November. I was especially touched by his testimony
because we have talked for a little bit about his trials since he has
been out and before he came out and his thoughts on the work. If I can
become even half of what these missionaries are by the time I go home I
will have changed dramatically for the better.
We also had several awesome member present lessons with our most progressing investigators. She has been touched by
the spirit and feels that what we teach is good while her boyfriend just
"thinks" it is, not as solid. So we are working hard with both of them
to help them pray for and recognize answers. We have also been fasting
for them so that they can get work off to come to church. We were so
happy to hear on Friday that they would be able to come to church, and
we were so confident that they would come because it is so obvious that
they have true desires to come. But, something happened yesterday and
they didn't come. We have members lined up to take them, lead them to
church, but something happened, so we were bummed out about that.
Hopefully all is well.
Satan has been working really hard with our investigators and with
the members in our "group". I say group because the Stake separated the
Spanish members from the English ward and we now have our own Elders
Quorum and Relief Society. We are so close to a branch, they just need
to make sure we have enough eligible people. But, honestly, it was
impressive on our members' behalf and a bit sad for the English ward
because our priesthood class was almost twice the size as theirs
yesterday. I am really excited for the future of our branch. But Satan
is working really hard on our members as well. He doesn't want these
people to stay strong and he doesn't want a branch here, that much is
obvious. But we have very strong people here and we pray that we can
help them help themselves to overcome everything.
We did thankfully have an investigator at church (even though we had
5 prepared to come). That is
his second sunday. So, next week will be his third, then we have
conference, and then hopefully the next week will be his baptism. It's
exciting.
Speaking of conference, I am STOKED. You have no idea. Seriously. I
have already read every talk from April just about 2 times and will
probably read them again. Last conference I had minimal desires to learn
and fell asleep a ton and I got nothing out of it. Which was a poor
decision because it could have helped me a ton. This time around, I know
that I am going to have an opportunity to have a spiritual feast. There
is just one catch, I will most likely be watching all five sessions in
Spanish, which is really cool. It is a catch though because there truly
is a difference between that many talks in a second language. I have
been shorthanded/blessed, double edged sword, not having everything in
Spanish my whole mission. My Spanish definitely isn't as good as it
could be because of that, but I have also understood more. My Spanish is
definitely adequate, I understand 95% of everything everyone says, I
just fear that I will miss something during conference. So, I am going
to speak as much Spanish, study as hard as possible, pray and fast for
the spiritual gifts necessary and spiritual receptiveness that I need to
understand what every speaker has to say to me. So, please pray for me
that I can understand what I need to understand come the 6th.
I can't really ask for a better birthday present than conference,
what will make it really special is i I am surrounded by our
investigators. So, that will be awesome.
I want everyone to know
that I am so very happy, safe, healthy, and loving life. This mission
is such a gift and I just pray that I won't let it pass me by. Time
moves so fast and I have so much more to learn and do. Luckily, two
people (three on a mission) can do anything - as long one of them is
God. So, I pray for the companionship of Him, His son, and His Spirit.
I love you all so much and am so thankful for your support.
Thank you for everything, I love you all so much!
Love, Zac
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
9/17/12
Hello Family and Friends!
Sounds like everyone is doing well this last week. I miss you all a lot!
This last week was a great week.
The weather really has been awesome, it didn't rain at all last week and has seriously just been gorgeous. It already looks like this week will be different because it is super dark outside and I can't see the sun, but hopefully it clears up, as long as it doesn't rain I am totally fine.
This last week we were having to deal with people's really frustrating schedules still, but we had several good appointments.
We has a really awesome lesson with two of our most progressing investigators. We brought another couple from the ward and they shared awesome testimonies and basically taught the Word of Wisdom for us as well, it was an amazing lesson.
Right before that lesson we had contacted a potential investigator and we were able to teach he and his friend the Restoration. When we finished with the First Vision and asked him what he thought about it, if he thought it was true, he told us, "Definitely! I actually saw this on the news the other night!". "The news?". "Yeah, the news! This whole Joseph Smith Vision was on the news, so yeah, I believe it!" We were super confused, but not going to say anything to him. We did hear that NBC did some special on the church or something like that, so many somewhere with all of the coverage with Mormons he saw a clip of the Restoration movie or something, he believes it is true, so no harm done! It was actually really funny. We totally forgot about it until later that night and then out of nowhere I asked Castaneda about it and we just laughed because we were so dumbfounded, but a Mormon TV special sounds more likely to be the case or something. We were able to set baptismal dates with him and his friend.
That brought our total baptismal dates up to 9. 9! It is a crazy number, several of them are first lesson dates (more as goals and dates to gauge their intent) but all the same, we have 9 baptismal dates, 8 of them are for October, so I am really excited. The dates change all of the time and people use their agency wrong sometimes as well of course, so maybe not all of them will go through, but I hope so, we shall see.
That is definitely one thing that is different about this area, the sheer number of people we have to contact and to teach in our pool, I love it. We are busy and it is an awesome feeling.
We were able to go buy and talk to the man who yelled out for us from his window the other week and meet with him for a little bit. Because he was getting ready for work we didn't have time to teach him a full lesson, but we gave him a 3 or 4 minute Restoration and then invited him to be baptized and he said that he has been wanting to be a member of the Church for years. This is the man whose whole family is Mormon and used to go to church all of the time in Mexico. He is actually helping pay for his nephews mission as well. Super solid. He was definitely heaven sent.
That is something I am seeing as well. When we truly come to love these people and are willing to sacrifice for them, God blesses them with a testimony and blesses us with more people. We fast a lot and really do everything we can for these people, and it really has focused me a lot more on our investigators.
On Friday we went by and met with another investigator who has had lots of issues in the past and was very angry with God for taking his mom away from him, but his heart has been softened and has seen the blessings in his life that come from living the gospel. He is a really brave man because he has left all of his old friends and the have equally shunned him as well for wanting to live a life that is in more accordance with the Gospel principles. We went by with him and watched the Great Apostasy movie about Wilford Woodruff getting baptized and for whatever reason that really changed something for him because when we invited him to be baptized he very excitedly said yes. Which is a change. He is a very shy man though and getting him to church was a struggle because he made tons of excuses and finally E. Castaneda was super blunt with him ( I dont have the Spanish skills to do so, and I am not that bold either I think) and called him out on all of his excuses and left him with no choice but to come to church, and when he did he LOVED it, he looked really good too, I was impressed.
On Saturday we had a rough day getting into contact with people but later on at night we had a super fun time with the Spanish members. The 15th of September is Mexican Independence day so we had a big party and several of the members dressed up in traditional Mexican dress and did a dance, that plus the awesome food made it an awesome night.
The members are definitely another reason that I love it here, they have stayed strong in an area with not tons of Spanish support and we almost have a branch here due to their devotion to the gospel. It is awesome.
Anyway, things have been going super great here. God is blessing us with His children to teach and I have been really impressed with the intricacies of his plan. There were many times this week that everything just so happened to work out super well.
I am so thankful to be privy to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be one of His missionaries.
Thank you all so much for your support and prayers!
I love you all so much!!!
Love,
Zac
Sounds like everyone is doing well this last week. I miss you all a lot!
This last week was a great week.
The weather really has been awesome, it didn't rain at all last week and has seriously just been gorgeous. It already looks like this week will be different because it is super dark outside and I can't see the sun, but hopefully it clears up, as long as it doesn't rain I am totally fine.
This last week we were having to deal with people's really frustrating schedules still, but we had several good appointments.
We has a really awesome lesson with two of our most progressing investigators. We brought another couple from the ward and they shared awesome testimonies and basically taught the Word of Wisdom for us as well, it was an amazing lesson.
Right before that lesson we had contacted a potential investigator and we were able to teach he and his friend the Restoration. When we finished with the First Vision and asked him what he thought about it, if he thought it was true, he told us, "Definitely! I actually saw this on the news the other night!". "The news?". "Yeah, the news! This whole Joseph Smith Vision was on the news, so yeah, I believe it!" We were super confused, but not going to say anything to him. We did hear that NBC did some special on the church or something like that, so many somewhere with all of the coverage with Mormons he saw a clip of the Restoration movie or something, he believes it is true, so no harm done! It was actually really funny. We totally forgot about it until later that night and then out of nowhere I asked Castaneda about it and we just laughed because we were so dumbfounded, but a Mormon TV special sounds more likely to be the case or something. We were able to set baptismal dates with him and his friend.
That brought our total baptismal dates up to 9. 9! It is a crazy number, several of them are first lesson dates (more as goals and dates to gauge their intent) but all the same, we have 9 baptismal dates, 8 of them are for October, so I am really excited. The dates change all of the time and people use their agency wrong sometimes as well of course, so maybe not all of them will go through, but I hope so, we shall see.
That is definitely one thing that is different about this area, the sheer number of people we have to contact and to teach in our pool, I love it. We are busy and it is an awesome feeling.
We were able to go buy and talk to the man who yelled out for us from his window the other week and meet with him for a little bit. Because he was getting ready for work we didn't have time to teach him a full lesson, but we gave him a 3 or 4 minute Restoration and then invited him to be baptized and he said that he has been wanting to be a member of the Church for years. This is the man whose whole family is Mormon and used to go to church all of the time in Mexico. He is actually helping pay for his nephews mission as well. Super solid. He was definitely heaven sent.
That is something I am seeing as well. When we truly come to love these people and are willing to sacrifice for them, God blesses them with a testimony and blesses us with more people. We fast a lot and really do everything we can for these people, and it really has focused me a lot more on our investigators.
On Friday we went by and met with another investigator who has had lots of issues in the past and was very angry with God for taking his mom away from him, but his heart has been softened and has seen the blessings in his life that come from living the gospel. He is a really brave man because he has left all of his old friends and the have equally shunned him as well for wanting to live a life that is in more accordance with the Gospel principles. We went by with him and watched the Great Apostasy movie about Wilford Woodruff getting baptized and for whatever reason that really changed something for him because when we invited him to be baptized he very excitedly said yes. Which is a change. He is a very shy man though and getting him to church was a struggle because he made tons of excuses and finally E. Castaneda was super blunt with him ( I dont have the Spanish skills to do so, and I am not that bold either I think) and called him out on all of his excuses and left him with no choice but to come to church, and when he did he LOVED it, he looked really good too, I was impressed.
On Saturday we had a rough day getting into contact with people but later on at night we had a super fun time with the Spanish members. The 15th of September is Mexican Independence day so we had a big party and several of the members dressed up in traditional Mexican dress and did a dance, that plus the awesome food made it an awesome night.
The members are definitely another reason that I love it here, they have stayed strong in an area with not tons of Spanish support and we almost have a branch here due to their devotion to the gospel. It is awesome.
Anyway, things have been going super great here. God is blessing us with His children to teach and I have been really impressed with the intricacies of his plan. There were many times this week that everything just so happened to work out super well.
I am so thankful to be privy to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be one of His missionaries.
Thank you all so much for your support and prayers!
I love you all so much!!!
Love,
Zac
9/10/12
Hello family and friends!!!
We are sitting right under an AC and my fingers are freezing, I have no idea why they have the AC on so high, it is so nice outside. Kentuckians freak out about the weather. Anyway, if my letter is shorter, that is why, I am wussing out and my fingers are frozen.
Anyway, this last week was good.
I am getting into things well with the bike, I am not really having any issues, there are quite a few hills here in Lex. but I haven't had any problems with them yet. If anything it is a good cardio workout.
This last wednesday we had a lot of rain and we were riding around in the rain for a bit so I got a little sick. That affected us for a little bit, not much, just didn't ride home one night, we took the bus, but I had to fight through it a little bit. We also work out at nights and so all of that included wore me out, but I feel much better now, so it shouldn't be an issue now.
We are getting into the part of the year where the weather is the best, so that is exciting. What isn't exciting is that because there was a mild winter here last year and then a really bad summer, they are predicting a really bad winter as well. Apparently ice storms are pretty common here, so that is always fun news to hear when more than likely I will be here during the worst winter months. On a bike.
Whatever.
This last week Satan has been working really hard against us. We had a lot of people ready to come to church, but then one person, who doesn't usually work on Sundays, had to work. Another guy, who always had sundays off, couldn't come because his work changed his schedule on friday so now he works on Sundays, and then our most solid couple, he got a new job where he doesn't have to work on Sunday. Another gator who had a date completely disappeared from us as well, so that is frustrating. I don't really know how to look at it though. It is either Satan making them work on Sunday or God blessing them with more work, I don't know. Whatever the case, we have to overcome all of that.
We did have a cool experience. We were biking to another area and out of no where e. castaneda turned down an alley. About halfway down a guy hollered at us and told us to stay there, he was coming down. So he came out and told us that all of his family, in Mexico, are mormon. He used to go to church all the time with them down there, but he hasn't been doing that now because he has lived in the states for 14 years. He is not a member though. Yet. We are really hopeful for him. Later, castaneda told me that he just felt like we needed to go down there, so i am really thankful for the spirit.
And then last night we were biking around, pretty late, and talking to people, and we stopped this guy and started talking to him. He really didn't like Mormons. I learned a lot of new Spanish swear words. After a few minutes though a cop pulled up and took him away, obviously for something unrelated. But, that's what happens when you mess with missionaries I guess.
We are planning on working way harder this week and being more smart in our work as well. We just need to outwork Satan. Apparently he has a P-Day on Mondays too, so we are pretty safe for these next few hours. But, once 6 comes, BAM, we're baptizing.
We are doing well here, tell my friends to stop getting married.
I love you all!
Zac
We are sitting right under an AC and my fingers are freezing, I have no idea why they have the AC on so high, it is so nice outside. Kentuckians freak out about the weather. Anyway, if my letter is shorter, that is why, I am wussing out and my fingers are frozen.
Anyway, this last week was good.
I am getting into things well with the bike, I am not really having any issues, there are quite a few hills here in Lex. but I haven't had any problems with them yet. If anything it is a good cardio workout.
This last wednesday we had a lot of rain and we were riding around in the rain for a bit so I got a little sick. That affected us for a little bit, not much, just didn't ride home one night, we took the bus, but I had to fight through it a little bit. We also work out at nights and so all of that included wore me out, but I feel much better now, so it shouldn't be an issue now.
We are getting into the part of the year where the weather is the best, so that is exciting. What isn't exciting is that because there was a mild winter here last year and then a really bad summer, they are predicting a really bad winter as well. Apparently ice storms are pretty common here, so that is always fun news to hear when more than likely I will be here during the worst winter months. On a bike.
Whatever.
This last week Satan has been working really hard against us. We had a lot of people ready to come to church, but then one person, who doesn't usually work on Sundays, had to work. Another guy, who always had sundays off, couldn't come because his work changed his schedule on friday so now he works on Sundays, and then our most solid couple, he got a new job where he doesn't have to work on Sunday. Another gator who had a date completely disappeared from us as well, so that is frustrating. I don't really know how to look at it though. It is either Satan making them work on Sunday or God blessing them with more work, I don't know. Whatever the case, we have to overcome all of that.
We did have a cool experience. We were biking to another area and out of no where e. castaneda turned down an alley. About halfway down a guy hollered at us and told us to stay there, he was coming down. So he came out and told us that all of his family, in Mexico, are mormon. He used to go to church all the time with them down there, but he hasn't been doing that now because he has lived in the states for 14 years. He is not a member though. Yet. We are really hopeful for him. Later, castaneda told me that he just felt like we needed to go down there, so i am really thankful for the spirit.
And then last night we were biking around, pretty late, and talking to people, and we stopped this guy and started talking to him. He really didn't like Mormons. I learned a lot of new Spanish swear words. After a few minutes though a cop pulled up and took him away, obviously for something unrelated. But, that's what happens when you mess with missionaries I guess.
We are planning on working way harder this week and being more smart in our work as well. We just need to outwork Satan. Apparently he has a P-Day on Mondays too, so we are pretty safe for these next few hours. But, once 6 comes, BAM, we're baptizing.
We are doing well here, tell my friends to stop getting married.
I love you all!
Zac
9/4/12
Hello everyone!
Libraries were closed for Labor day, so we have to email today when we find time.
So, as you have heard by now, I am in Lexington.
It is the Lexington Downtown Spanish area, and as it sounds we cover basically downtown Lexington and the surrounding area. And we are on bikes. Fun. Our area is huge (for a bike area)! We end up taking the bus a lot as well because the streets here aren't very bike friendly. We talked to a medical interpreter who also teaches medical Spanish at the University of Kentucky and he told me that there are 35,000 Hispanics here on record, and a total of around 50,000 between recorded and not recorded. Wow. Seriously, there is not a lack of work here. I went from the total opposite in Clarksville, to here.
Downtown Lexington is the only part that looks like a big city, once you get a mile or two out it basically looks like a normal city, meaning no skyscrapers or really tall buildings or whatnot, but it is still a cool place.
A little bit about my companion as well. Elder Castañeda is from Acapulco, Mexico, he moved to Chicago to work five years ago and is going home in November. He was a Zone Leader for 6 months in Louisville and he has been here for three months. I am seriously so blessed to be with him. He is awesome. Our deal is that I speak to him in Spanish and he speaks to me in English. He has learned English on his mission here and speaks really well. It's impressive. He is a powerhouse and he has already taught me SO much this last week.
His grandma had him baptized when he was 8 and he was inactive until 18. He is the only member in his family. He is an amazing example of being converted to the gospel and making sacrifices.
I have told him that it is like I have two companions, the one that speaks english, and the one that speaks Spanish. It is different because when we are together, he speaks to me in English. And then Spanish with members and investigators, meaning usually more serious matters. So it is kinda cool to see how he is in different languages.
Here in Lexington, like I said, are tons of hispanics. A lot work out on the horse farms. They work for bigwig horse owners, the same horses that race in the Kentucky derby and whatnot. A billions of dollars business. It is crazy. This is horse country. Also, UK is in our area, we live a couple miles away from it. We drive by Jon Calipari's ( UK basketball coach) house on the bus every once and a while. UK is a cool school and there are a lots of students here. I am glad I am not here in the Summer because apparently UK girls look like ASU girls in summer. There was actually a district challenge here in the summer called "eyes on the prize" which basically means close your eyes when you go by UK. So, yeah, this area is way different from my last.
And the bike, I luckily have a pretty nice bike I got from an outgoing elder. Elder Castañeda has been riding bikes since he was four and used to teach spinning classes in Mexico, so it is safe to say I work hard to stay up with him. But, somehow I do. We don't ride too terribly far too often, we end up taking the bus a lot because we just can't ride to certain places. But, coming home at night is always a mad dash that wears us out. Lexington streets aren't really made for bikes, plus there are many hills, so it makes for a good workout.
Also, E. Castañeda is pretty hardcore about working out, so I am stoked to get, as we say in the GKLM, "jacked and tan" . . . priorities, right? A member from the ward named Leo bought a bench press and a set of weights for us in our apartment and he comes by every night to work out, so between that and the bike, I am pretty easily worn out. I catch a few Z's on the bus every once and a while.
There are 2 sets of Spanish missionaries in the ward here, 1 set of sisters and us. And one set of English missionaries. We have quite a bit of Hispanic members here, we are getting ready to form a branch actually. That will be way cool!
Our area hasn't baptized in a while, somehow. But, we have 5 baptismal dates right now. So, the Elders have been working hard. Our goal for these next two transfers is ten baptisms, so we have our work cut out for us.
The members here are way cool, they love the missionaries and E. Castañeda being a native makes everything better as well.
Seriously, this area is way cool, and I think Lexington is way cool as well. You have to look online at downtown Lexington and then the surrounding area, especially some of the horse farms and stuff. I am interested to know how many people live in this place too, so can you guys send me some official information and whatnot?
I am so excited to be here. I am going to work really hard on my Spanish. I have an amazing opportunity to dominate the language here, so that is my plan. I am going to learn so much. And we are going to baptize the world.
If you have any questions about anything, let me know!
I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Zac
Libraries were closed for Labor day, so we have to email today when we find time.
So, as you have heard by now, I am in Lexington.
It is the Lexington Downtown Spanish area, and as it sounds we cover basically downtown Lexington and the surrounding area. And we are on bikes. Fun. Our area is huge (for a bike area)! We end up taking the bus a lot as well because the streets here aren't very bike friendly. We talked to a medical interpreter who also teaches medical Spanish at the University of Kentucky and he told me that there are 35,000 Hispanics here on record, and a total of around 50,000 between recorded and not recorded. Wow. Seriously, there is not a lack of work here. I went from the total opposite in Clarksville, to here.
Downtown Lexington is the only part that looks like a big city, once you get a mile or two out it basically looks like a normal city, meaning no skyscrapers or really tall buildings or whatnot, but it is still a cool place.
A little bit about my companion as well. Elder Castañeda is from Acapulco, Mexico, he moved to Chicago to work five years ago and is going home in November. He was a Zone Leader for 6 months in Louisville and he has been here for three months. I am seriously so blessed to be with him. He is awesome. Our deal is that I speak to him in Spanish and he speaks to me in English. He has learned English on his mission here and speaks really well. It's impressive. He is a powerhouse and he has already taught me SO much this last week.
His grandma had him baptized when he was 8 and he was inactive until 18. He is the only member in his family. He is an amazing example of being converted to the gospel and making sacrifices.
I have told him that it is like I have two companions, the one that speaks english, and the one that speaks Spanish. It is different because when we are together, he speaks to me in English. And then Spanish with members and investigators, meaning usually more serious matters. So it is kinda cool to see how he is in different languages.
Here in Lexington, like I said, are tons of hispanics. A lot work out on the horse farms. They work for bigwig horse owners, the same horses that race in the Kentucky derby and whatnot. A billions of dollars business. It is crazy. This is horse country. Also, UK is in our area, we live a couple miles away from it. We drive by Jon Calipari's ( UK basketball coach) house on the bus every once and a while. UK is a cool school and there are a lots of students here. I am glad I am not here in the Summer because apparently UK girls look like ASU girls in summer. There was actually a district challenge here in the summer called "eyes on the prize" which basically means close your eyes when you go by UK. So, yeah, this area is way different from my last.
And the bike, I luckily have a pretty nice bike I got from an outgoing elder. Elder Castañeda has been riding bikes since he was four and used to teach spinning classes in Mexico, so it is safe to say I work hard to stay up with him. But, somehow I do. We don't ride too terribly far too often, we end up taking the bus a lot because we just can't ride to certain places. But, coming home at night is always a mad dash that wears us out. Lexington streets aren't really made for bikes, plus there are many hills, so it makes for a good workout.
Also, E. Castañeda is pretty hardcore about working out, so I am stoked to get, as we say in the GKLM, "jacked and tan" . . . priorities, right? A member from the ward named Leo bought a bench press and a set of weights for us in our apartment and he comes by every night to work out, so between that and the bike, I am pretty easily worn out. I catch a few Z's on the bus every once and a while.
There are 2 sets of Spanish missionaries in the ward here, 1 set of sisters and us. And one set of English missionaries. We have quite a bit of Hispanic members here, we are getting ready to form a branch actually. That will be way cool!
Our area hasn't baptized in a while, somehow. But, we have 5 baptismal dates right now. So, the Elders have been working hard. Our goal for these next two transfers is ten baptisms, so we have our work cut out for us.
The members here are way cool, they love the missionaries and E. Castañeda being a native makes everything better as well.
Seriously, this area is way cool, and I think Lexington is way cool as well. You have to look online at downtown Lexington and then the surrounding area, especially some of the horse farms and stuff. I am interested to know how many people live in this place too, so can you guys send me some official information and whatnot?
I am so excited to be here. I am going to work really hard on my Spanish. I have an amazing opportunity to dominate the language here, so that is my plan. I am going to learn so much. And we are going to baptize the world.
If you have any questions about anything, let me know!
I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Zac
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
8/27/12
Hello Family and Friends!
It has been quite a while since I wrote anything in, so an update is in order.
The biggest thing that has happened is that I got a transfer call this last Saturday and I am leaving Clarksville. I will find out where I am getting transferred to tomorrow morning. Where I am now is the only Spanish area in Indiana so I know at least that I am going to Kentucky, where every other Spanish area is at.
It is a bittersweet feeling for me to leave here. Other missionaries get moved around more than I have these last few months, I haven't moved at all. So this is an unknown feeling for me. I love the people here. The members are awesome and there are several families who support us a ton. Also, there a a couple of investigators who I have been with since the beginning and I will be a bit sad to leave them. But, I hope that I can come back for their baptism, which I am confident will be pretty soon.
I really do love it here in this area. But, at a certain point a change is good, so that is where the sweet comes in. I am excited to go a to a new area with new people and new challenges. Elder Baker and I have worked hard here and we have seen that hard work pay off. He has definitely taught me a ton as well and I hope to use that knowledge and put it to good use in my next place.
In terms of what has happened the last few weeks and the state in which I am leaving this area, it has been a bit slow. We have had a couple pretty constant investigators but in terms of finding and teaching new people, we haven't seen a whole lot of new people. We have changed around how we find a little bit as well. Most of the time it is tracting, tracting, tracting. Going through members is definitely the best way to go, but we only have one active hispanic family here in our ward and the branch that we cover, and they have given quite a bit of referalls to the missionaries in the past and so our member resources aren't super heavy in this area. So, we have done as much research as we can and have gotten a pretty good map of our area set up with different addresses of hispanics. So, we drive around and knock in neighborhoods for a change. It is still tracting, tracting, tracting, but just by a bit of a different method. It isn't anything exciting but we have found a few different people using that approach that we wouldn't have ever found otherwise.
This area has definitely been worked in really hard and great progress has been made. I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish here and I really do eagerly await tomorrow to find out where I will be.
I have learned a lot from being here. I had challenges and trials before my mission for sure. But they were all focused on me. Here, these challenges focus on the salvation of souls. How many 19-20 something year old boys/men (I usually lump myself in the man category) have to deal and worry with issues pertaining to the salvation of souls? Not many. It is crazy to think about. Through the challenges in this work I have learned to rely on Heavenly Father and exercise faith in Jesus Christ knowing that our hard work and striving to better ourselves and love everyone will pay off. And it has. I haven't been a perfect missionary here, I could have done things better, I could have done things smarter. I don't have too many regrets, just a few, but regrets are regrets and I hate having them. I have learned how to truly be unified, both with the Spirit, Heavenly Father, and Christ, as well as in a companionship and in a district. Elder Baker and I have wrestled with the Lord in prayer and worried and fretted and cried and struggled over this area. I know that I have learned a lot and I am excited to learn even more in a new area.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and thoughts. I am so thankful for supportive family and friends. You are all missed and loved!
I will update y'all on where I am at next week.
With love,
Elder St. Martin
P.S. By way of mail, the mission office address is the best place to write me at.
1325 Eastern Parkway
Louisville, Kentucky 40204
It has been quite a while since I wrote anything in, so an update is in order.
The biggest thing that has happened is that I got a transfer call this last Saturday and I am leaving Clarksville. I will find out where I am getting transferred to tomorrow morning. Where I am now is the only Spanish area in Indiana so I know at least that I am going to Kentucky, where every other Spanish area is at.
It is a bittersweet feeling for me to leave here. Other missionaries get moved around more than I have these last few months, I haven't moved at all. So this is an unknown feeling for me. I love the people here. The members are awesome and there are several families who support us a ton. Also, there a a couple of investigators who I have been with since the beginning and I will be a bit sad to leave them. But, I hope that I can come back for their baptism, which I am confident will be pretty soon.
I really do love it here in this area. But, at a certain point a change is good, so that is where the sweet comes in. I am excited to go a to a new area with new people and new challenges. Elder Baker and I have worked hard here and we have seen that hard work pay off. He has definitely taught me a ton as well and I hope to use that knowledge and put it to good use in my next place.
In terms of what has happened the last few weeks and the state in which I am leaving this area, it has been a bit slow. We have had a couple pretty constant investigators but in terms of finding and teaching new people, we haven't seen a whole lot of new people. We have changed around how we find a little bit as well. Most of the time it is tracting, tracting, tracting. Going through members is definitely the best way to go, but we only have one active hispanic family here in our ward and the branch that we cover, and they have given quite a bit of referalls to the missionaries in the past and so our member resources aren't super heavy in this area. So, we have done as much research as we can and have gotten a pretty good map of our area set up with different addresses of hispanics. So, we drive around and knock in neighborhoods for a change. It is still tracting, tracting, tracting, but just by a bit of a different method. It isn't anything exciting but we have found a few different people using that approach that we wouldn't have ever found otherwise.
This area has definitely been worked in really hard and great progress has been made. I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish here and I really do eagerly await tomorrow to find out where I will be.
I have learned a lot from being here. I had challenges and trials before my mission for sure. But they were all focused on me. Here, these challenges focus on the salvation of souls. How many 19-20 something year old boys/men (I usually lump myself in the man category) have to deal and worry with issues pertaining to the salvation of souls? Not many. It is crazy to think about. Through the challenges in this work I have learned to rely on Heavenly Father and exercise faith in Jesus Christ knowing that our hard work and striving to better ourselves and love everyone will pay off. And it has. I haven't been a perfect missionary here, I could have done things better, I could have done things smarter. I don't have too many regrets, just a few, but regrets are regrets and I hate having them. I have learned how to truly be unified, both with the Spirit, Heavenly Father, and Christ, as well as in a companionship and in a district. Elder Baker and I have wrestled with the Lord in prayer and worried and fretted and cried and struggled over this area. I know that I have learned a lot and I am excited to learn even more in a new area.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and thoughts. I am so thankful for supportive family and friends. You are all missed and loved!
I will update y'all on where I am at next week.
With love,
Elder St. Martin
P.S. By way of mail, the mission office address is the best place to write me at.
1325 Eastern Parkway
Louisville, Kentucky 40204
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
7/9/12: First Baptism
Hello family and friends!
I think it has been a while since anyone has had much of an update on the mission, so here I am.
I am still in Clarksville, Indiana - next week is transfers so that might change. Things have been pretty good lately!
I am actually coming up on my sixth month mark this Wednesday! That is so crazy to think about. As I sit here it still feels like the first Monday that I sent out an email about the area. It really feels like yesterday that I stepped off the plane. Time flies so fast and it is hard to believe that I am even on a mission let alone been out for 6 months.
Sometimes it is hard to perceive the changes that have occurred since I have been out, but I really do know that I have learned a lot and have had some awesome experiences.
The last several weeks really have blurred together, and that is not a bad thing. We have all been figuring out our ways to beat the heat and not let it deter us from working just as hard as if it were super nice outside. But, the good thing is that people feel bad for us so they usually will offer us some water or something. The heat also affects those we teach because their hours are longer now and then the heats wipes them out so by the time we get over to teach someone they are so tired. It is a little rough, but that just means our teaching needs to get better.
We actually have been running into lots of former investigators, people who have previously met and been taught by the missionaries but they were dropped because they weren't progressing or whatnot. In one week we found about 4 or 5 people who were more familiar with the message than most, and a couple of those seem to be more on top of things this time around, so that is exciting.
Elder Baker and I are working hard and keeping the dream alive: Clarksville Spanish Branch 2012.
We actually had our first baptism this last Saturday, my first one on the mission. She is a super sweet lady from Cuba who already had such a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when we met her. Her faith is so solid and she had already been studying the Bible when we tracted into her. She lives with her granddaughter's family and it took several weeks for them to feel comfortable enough with us so that they would let us come and teach her. But, from then on out she was golden. She has come to church 7 weeks in a row and is so ready for the Gospel, I am so excited for her.
A fear that I have and a constant worry for us is that the people that join the church have such a harder try staying active solely because they attend church in a ward that is all in English and the majority of the members don't speak Spanish. But, that isn't to say that their personal conversion to the Gospel isn't the real issue. So, with this lady I have been so happy to see the members rallying around her. Several of the Spanish speaking members of the ward here have supported our Spanish Gospel Principles class, have helped in lessons and rides, and have been overall a great support for her. So, that has been a highlight lately, watching everyone get involved. Because missionaries aren't always going to be there, and I feel so happy knowing that there are people who are aware of her and her needs and love her.
I am fully aware that many missionaries are able to watch someone be baptized well before their six month mark, and I am fully aware that many don't have that chance until much later and maybe some never at all. My self worth and evaluation of myself as a missionary is not 100% pegged to the number of people that join the church in my area, yes, that is the main purpose that we have, but it isn't everything. Some missionaries use that as a crutch, or an excuse to not work as hard or be as faithful, but I look at it as a learning moment for agency. Some will accept this message, and many won't. We are also accountable as missionaries, and I constantly try to reevaluate myself. But, I have learned so much. I am so thankful that I started my mission in an area that has been the least successful area with the weakest Spanish foundation in the whole mission, it has been hard, but always worth it. The challenges that I have faced and the things I have had to change about myself have resulted in me hopefully being a more faithful disciple of Christ and a better missionary.
I hope all is well and that everyone is doing alright, I love and pray for you all!
Love,
Elder St. Martin
I think it has been a while since anyone has had much of an update on the mission, so here I am.
I am still in Clarksville, Indiana - next week is transfers so that might change. Things have been pretty good lately!
I am actually coming up on my sixth month mark this Wednesday! That is so crazy to think about. As I sit here it still feels like the first Monday that I sent out an email about the area. It really feels like yesterday that I stepped off the plane. Time flies so fast and it is hard to believe that I am even on a mission let alone been out for 6 months.
Sometimes it is hard to perceive the changes that have occurred since I have been out, but I really do know that I have learned a lot and have had some awesome experiences.
The last several weeks really have blurred together, and that is not a bad thing. We have all been figuring out our ways to beat the heat and not let it deter us from working just as hard as if it were super nice outside. But, the good thing is that people feel bad for us so they usually will offer us some water or something. The heat also affects those we teach because their hours are longer now and then the heats wipes them out so by the time we get over to teach someone they are so tired. It is a little rough, but that just means our teaching needs to get better.
We actually have been running into lots of former investigators, people who have previously met and been taught by the missionaries but they were dropped because they weren't progressing or whatnot. In one week we found about 4 or 5 people who were more familiar with the message than most, and a couple of those seem to be more on top of things this time around, so that is exciting.
Elder Baker and I are working hard and keeping the dream alive: Clarksville Spanish Branch 2012.
We actually had our first baptism this last Saturday, my first one on the mission. She is a super sweet lady from Cuba who already had such a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when we met her. Her faith is so solid and she had already been studying the Bible when we tracted into her. She lives with her granddaughter's family and it took several weeks for them to feel comfortable enough with us so that they would let us come and teach her. But, from then on out she was golden. She has come to church 7 weeks in a row and is so ready for the Gospel, I am so excited for her.
A fear that I have and a constant worry for us is that the people that join the church have such a harder try staying active solely because they attend church in a ward that is all in English and the majority of the members don't speak Spanish. But, that isn't to say that their personal conversion to the Gospel isn't the real issue. So, with this lady I have been so happy to see the members rallying around her. Several of the Spanish speaking members of the ward here have supported our Spanish Gospel Principles class, have helped in lessons and rides, and have been overall a great support for her. So, that has been a highlight lately, watching everyone get involved. Because missionaries aren't always going to be there, and I feel so happy knowing that there are people who are aware of her and her needs and love her.
I am fully aware that many missionaries are able to watch someone be baptized well before their six month mark, and I am fully aware that many don't have that chance until much later and maybe some never at all. My self worth and evaluation of myself as a missionary is not 100% pegged to the number of people that join the church in my area, yes, that is the main purpose that we have, but it isn't everything. Some missionaries use that as a crutch, or an excuse to not work as hard or be as faithful, but I look at it as a learning moment for agency. Some will accept this message, and many won't. We are also accountable as missionaries, and I constantly try to reevaluate myself. But, I have learned so much. I am so thankful that I started my mission in an area that has been the least successful area with the weakest Spanish foundation in the whole mission, it has been hard, but always worth it. The challenges that I have faced and the things I have had to change about myself have resulted in me hopefully being a more faithful disciple of Christ and a better missionary.
I hope all is well and that everyone is doing alright, I love and pray for you all!
Love,
Elder St. Martin
Monday, June 11, 2012
6/11/12
Hello Family and Friends!!
Things have been silent on my end in the blogosphere lately, not for a lack of wanting my loved ones to know how I am, more so because things are super busy, even on P-Days!
These last few weeks have been awesome! This is the beginning of the third transfer now for me in the field, I am still in Clarksville, Indiana and I couldn't be any happier. This area has not always been the most golden area in the world, but Elder Baker and I are slowly starting to change that, or at least we hope! There really isn't like putting in a hard day's work for the Lord and leaving it all out on the table. Some days are more effective than others, but I am learning how to give it all I got. These past weeks have been pretty awesome though!
We are to the point where people are coming to church now, they feel more comfortable with the members and are beginning to learn more dynamically. It is so fun to watch people learn more about the Gospel and to have members get excited about the work as well.
Something that I have learned more about lately is really just desiring the salvation of others, I say that kind of flippantly, but it really is something so pivotal and something that truly can be worked on. To have the love that Christ and Heavenly Father have for these people isn't always the easiest thing, but the more I am able to really see them as my brothers and sisters, the more I want to share the gospel with them and do it naturally and lovingly.
We have continued working through the random trials here and there. Every day in a mission is a bit of a microcosm of all the things we learn while we are out here. Some days start off awesome and end off on a rough note, but more often than not a day will start out really rough and then it will all come together in the end. One of, if not the biggest thing I have learned while I have been out here, is that attitude affects everything - it seriously makes the difference. There is usually at least one thing that makes the day feel productive and worth it for me, some days way more than that, but the thing is that sometimes that doesn't happen until right before we head in for the night. So, I am positive that at the end of every day I will be happy and know we are working hard, and I will be that much more grateful, every day - without a doubt that will come. But, when no one is listening or all of our appointments fall through, it is really hard to keep a good attitude. It is an interesting conundrum, when all is said and done - we have learned a lot and helped others, we might not see all the fruits of our labors, but at the end of the day, it will be worth it. So, it really gets down to just forcing myself have a good attitude some days and waiting it out until that one ray of hope shines through.
We currently have a few different people who are progressing rather well with everything, one lady in particular is from Cuba and was never allowed to go to church while she lived there, so since she has been here she has been looking for a church. She has come to church three weeks in a row and already has such an amazing comprehension of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only a matter of time until she makes her decision to be baptized, and i cannot wait for that day. A lady in her late sixties and it has taken this long for her to really feel as if she is living up to her potential as a follower of Christ and a true believer, I just know that she is so much happier now and it makes me happy to know that.
The weather really has been great lately, it warmed up for a little bit, but we have been so lucky. We are in a car while traveling, but tracting and then trying to talk to people at parks and whatnot only becomes more bothersome when it is icky humid. So, I am way grateful for that.
Elder Baker and I are doing great and working hard. We are extremely blessed to be here in Clarksville together and I know that great things await!
Also, today is my 5 month mark! CRAZY! It seriously feels like I just got here, time flies.
I love you and and I thank you all so much for your support and your prayers! Do work and love the Lord!
Elder St. Martin
Things have been silent on my end in the blogosphere lately, not for a lack of wanting my loved ones to know how I am, more so because things are super busy, even on P-Days!
These last few weeks have been awesome! This is the beginning of the third transfer now for me in the field, I am still in Clarksville, Indiana and I couldn't be any happier. This area has not always been the most golden area in the world, but Elder Baker and I are slowly starting to change that, or at least we hope! There really isn't like putting in a hard day's work for the Lord and leaving it all out on the table. Some days are more effective than others, but I am learning how to give it all I got. These past weeks have been pretty awesome though!
We are to the point where people are coming to church now, they feel more comfortable with the members and are beginning to learn more dynamically. It is so fun to watch people learn more about the Gospel and to have members get excited about the work as well.
Something that I have learned more about lately is really just desiring the salvation of others, I say that kind of flippantly, but it really is something so pivotal and something that truly can be worked on. To have the love that Christ and Heavenly Father have for these people isn't always the easiest thing, but the more I am able to really see them as my brothers and sisters, the more I want to share the gospel with them and do it naturally and lovingly.
We have continued working through the random trials here and there. Every day in a mission is a bit of a microcosm of all the things we learn while we are out here. Some days start off awesome and end off on a rough note, but more often than not a day will start out really rough and then it will all come together in the end. One of, if not the biggest thing I have learned while I have been out here, is that attitude affects everything - it seriously makes the difference. There is usually at least one thing that makes the day feel productive and worth it for me, some days way more than that, but the thing is that sometimes that doesn't happen until right before we head in for the night. So, I am positive that at the end of every day I will be happy and know we are working hard, and I will be that much more grateful, every day - without a doubt that will come. But, when no one is listening or all of our appointments fall through, it is really hard to keep a good attitude. It is an interesting conundrum, when all is said and done - we have learned a lot and helped others, we might not see all the fruits of our labors, but at the end of the day, it will be worth it. So, it really gets down to just forcing myself have a good attitude some days and waiting it out until that one ray of hope shines through.
We currently have a few different people who are progressing rather well with everything, one lady in particular is from Cuba and was never allowed to go to church while she lived there, so since she has been here she has been looking for a church. She has come to church three weeks in a row and already has such an amazing comprehension of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only a matter of time until she makes her decision to be baptized, and i cannot wait for that day. A lady in her late sixties and it has taken this long for her to really feel as if she is living up to her potential as a follower of Christ and a true believer, I just know that she is so much happier now and it makes me happy to know that.
The weather really has been great lately, it warmed up for a little bit, but we have been so lucky. We are in a car while traveling, but tracting and then trying to talk to people at parks and whatnot only becomes more bothersome when it is icky humid. So, I am way grateful for that.
Elder Baker and I are doing great and working hard. We are extremely blessed to be here in Clarksville together and I know that great things await!
Also, today is my 5 month mark! CRAZY! It seriously feels like I just got here, time flies.
I love you and and I thank you all so much for your support and your prayers! Do work and love the Lord!
Elder St. Martin
Monday, June 4, 2012
6/4/12
Hello All!
This was another great week in the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission!
The weather has cooled down because there have been some pretty nasty storms lately. Green skies is a fair sign that a tornado is coming and the skies were pretty green this last Thursday. I was on exchanges with our District Leader and it was definitely a blessing in disguise because tons of people came out to look at the sky and we ended up being able to talk to a lot of people. All was well though, it came down SUPER hard for an hour or so and a few tornadoes touched down, but that was pretty West of us.
So, the weather has definitely been a tender mercy this week. A lot of people went down to the different waterfront parks by the Ohio River, right across from Louisville, to enjoy the weather and play, so we were able to talk to tons of people this week! There is a promise that if we individually contact 10 people a day irrespective of tracting or teaching, that convert baptisms will double, from Elder Ballard. So we have been taking that and running with it.
A lady we talked to on Tuesday came to church yesterday. We got three people saying they will call us and come to church and then we had an awesome impromptu lesson from a student at University of Louisville and he will be meeting with the missionaries there sometime this week. Now, the promise is not that each of our areas will double, but the mission as a whole will. That in and of itself does not leave a whole lot of room to be selfish about who teaches who and especially for us because all of these people are English people. So, it really is helping me to evolve into a full time missionary. Especially this week I have really learned how to start a conversation with anybody about anything. And, most of the time it ends up being fun and a good talk, a lot of them are the ones who ask us what we are all about. The truth of the matter is that the more we open our mouths the more opportunities Heavenly Father has to use us, so its all about maximizing those opportunities. And, it isn't a big deal because I write a lot in my journal and so far have remembered everyone's name with who we have talked with extensively, so when baptism reports come out, at least I can see if any of these people took the plunge. It really is so exciting though. Last night Elder Baker and I were bummed out because an appointment fell through and we were trying to not be anxious for P-Day, so we lugged ourselves down to the River to talk to people. But, it was such an awesome experience. We ended up talking to like 32 people in an hour and a half, and most of those were awesome conversations. One of them asked me if we have tons of FB friends because we talk to so many people and I said that I didn't think so, but he has my name now, so i think he will add me. So, if nothing else, I will have a good FB friend base when I get home.
This week really was awesome though. I continue to really change as a missionary and sometimes I hear myself talk and am really taken aback because it does not sound like me at all.
Also, on Wednesday we saw a Beaver down by the river, that was pretty sweet.
And some kinda crazy guy in downtown gave us a tupperware container with something called "bath salts" in it and told us that he would have a lesson with us if we came by with that container sometime during the week, so that will definitely be a pretty weird lesson, but its all good - he looked pretty thin and malnourished so maybe we can get him some food or something, sometimes we just have to face that people are hungry and look like zombies. He was from Miami and said that a lot of people look like that down there but that the bath salt stuff helps out. So, even though people are kinda crazy, we gotta love them.
We are still working with Rodrigo and Esbida who have baptismal dates for the end of this month, they are pretty awesome people, but he gets plastered on Saturdays and won't wake up for church, but he told us that he wants us to be persistent with him, so we shall be persistent.
Also, a really sweet older lady named Aida who is a refugee from Cuba has been coming to church these past couple of weeks. She really loves it and we have been able to have an awesome Spanish Gospel Principles class with her and several members from the ward, they really enjoy coming in. All of them are either converts or return missionaries, so they all take their turns really being bold and telling her that this is what God wants her to do. We basically just sit back and enjoy the show. I feel strongly that she will accept everything, so I am hopeful for that time.
This is the beginning of the third transfer, Elder Baker and I are staying together. My guess is that we will be here for two more transfers together. Which means I will probably leave Clarksville towards the end of August, I would say most likely.
But, President did tell me at interviews that he has a lot riding on us up here so we are super excited for the challenge and the responsibility.
I love you all and thank you for your prayers and your support. Thank you Mom and Dad for all that you do and the packages you send and your emails.
Love you all,
Have an awesome week!
Love, Zac
This was another great week in the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission!
The weather has cooled down because there have been some pretty nasty storms lately. Green skies is a fair sign that a tornado is coming and the skies were pretty green this last Thursday. I was on exchanges with our District Leader and it was definitely a blessing in disguise because tons of people came out to look at the sky and we ended up being able to talk to a lot of people. All was well though, it came down SUPER hard for an hour or so and a few tornadoes touched down, but that was pretty West of us.
So, the weather has definitely been a tender mercy this week. A lot of people went down to the different waterfront parks by the Ohio River, right across from Louisville, to enjoy the weather and play, so we were able to talk to tons of people this week! There is a promise that if we individually contact 10 people a day irrespective of tracting or teaching, that convert baptisms will double, from Elder Ballard. So we have been taking that and running with it.
A lady we talked to on Tuesday came to church yesterday. We got three people saying they will call us and come to church and then we had an awesome impromptu lesson from a student at University of Louisville and he will be meeting with the missionaries there sometime this week. Now, the promise is not that each of our areas will double, but the mission as a whole will. That in and of itself does not leave a whole lot of room to be selfish about who teaches who and especially for us because all of these people are English people. So, it really is helping me to evolve into a full time missionary. Especially this week I have really learned how to start a conversation with anybody about anything. And, most of the time it ends up being fun and a good talk, a lot of them are the ones who ask us what we are all about. The truth of the matter is that the more we open our mouths the more opportunities Heavenly Father has to use us, so its all about maximizing those opportunities. And, it isn't a big deal because I write a lot in my journal and so far have remembered everyone's name with who we have talked with extensively, so when baptism reports come out, at least I can see if any of these people took the plunge. It really is so exciting though. Last night Elder Baker and I were bummed out because an appointment fell through and we were trying to not be anxious for P-Day, so we lugged ourselves down to the River to talk to people. But, it was such an awesome experience. We ended up talking to like 32 people in an hour and a half, and most of those were awesome conversations. One of them asked me if we have tons of FB friends because we talk to so many people and I said that I didn't think so, but he has my name now, so i think he will add me. So, if nothing else, I will have a good FB friend base when I get home.
This week really was awesome though. I continue to really change as a missionary and sometimes I hear myself talk and am really taken aback because it does not sound like me at all.
Also, on Wednesday we saw a Beaver down by the river, that was pretty sweet.
And some kinda crazy guy in downtown gave us a tupperware container with something called "bath salts" in it and told us that he would have a lesson with us if we came by with that container sometime during the week, so that will definitely be a pretty weird lesson, but its all good - he looked pretty thin and malnourished so maybe we can get him some food or something, sometimes we just have to face that people are hungry and look like zombies. He was from Miami and said that a lot of people look like that down there but that the bath salt stuff helps out. So, even though people are kinda crazy, we gotta love them.
We are still working with Rodrigo and Esbida who have baptismal dates for the end of this month, they are pretty awesome people, but he gets plastered on Saturdays and won't wake up for church, but he told us that he wants us to be persistent with him, so we shall be persistent.
Also, a really sweet older lady named Aida who is a refugee from Cuba has been coming to church these past couple of weeks. She really loves it and we have been able to have an awesome Spanish Gospel Principles class with her and several members from the ward, they really enjoy coming in. All of them are either converts or return missionaries, so they all take their turns really being bold and telling her that this is what God wants her to do. We basically just sit back and enjoy the show. I feel strongly that she will accept everything, so I am hopeful for that time.
This is the beginning of the third transfer, Elder Baker and I are staying together. My guess is that we will be here for two more transfers together. Which means I will probably leave Clarksville towards the end of August, I would say most likely.
But, President did tell me at interviews that he has a lot riding on us up here so we are super excited for the challenge and the responsibility.
I love you all and thank you for your prayers and your support. Thank you Mom and Dad for all that you do and the packages you send and your emails.
Love you all,
Have an awesome week!
Love, Zac
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