Barberena-Week 72

HELLO!
This week has been interesting. I know that the Lord wants to teach me something and wants me in this place, but for my whole mission I have trained.  I am not ZL anymore but I am DL... which is cool:) I am in a zone called Layco in an area called Barberena. should be good??? Its like smack dab in the middle of Santa Tecla, Zacamil and Ilopanogo.

Elder A is my new comp. He tries so hard. He really does. President talked to me before the changes and warned me for what was going to happen and gave me a few instructions.... He gets nervous when talking with people and doesn't know what to say. But he tries so hard. He knows that he has trouble remembering and he prays for help very fervently. At first, I was a little frustrated, but then as I was praying, I felt the love that God has for me, and also for elder A So, since then, I have felt a lot different and looked at him differently. I need to repent for being so prideful and just accept the Lord´s will. At times it is difficult. I apologize for my pride. I hope that I will be able to help him this change.

My last day in Asturias, we visited the volcano and tried to find some new investigators. Successfully done. From where we were, I could see all the areas of my mission... I tried to take a video, but the day was not clear enough... but you know, whatever..jaja.. That night, we visited the familia interiano.. supposedly, the mom and the daughter got baptized this weekend, we were going to wait for the husband to get his Parkinson's under control.. that family is that of the attached fotos...(totally realized i translated that sentence from Spanish to English...JAJA!) the father wasn't in it.

I finished the Book of Mormon this week again this week. I started it again and plan to finish it in April before general conference to conform with a challenge made by the area president... I will just read 4 pages a night before bed. So I can focus on other studies. I love the Book of Mormon. It is so powerful and it really changes lives. I have had so many cool experiences with investigators and the Book of Mormon. Especially the ones that have gotten baptized.

I have started to study preach my gospel in depth. I am marking them in cool ways and its all sacred to me now... I will do it in Spanish and English before the next change. (studying the little ones;)) only because they opened by themselves in the package! don't get mad! That's the only thing opened!

President wanted me to ask for the address of the bishop and the stake president to write them a letter... can you do that for me? Please and thank yous.

My new area has the place where lots of missionaries go before they finish to get a bunch of tourist stuff... I let you all in on the scoop of what they all have:)

We have already been offered a place to skype on Christmas.. So that will be awesome.. That week of Christmas, Monday the 24 will not be p day.. I will call on the 25 and the 26 I will be going to the temple and it will be pday.. so I will write the 26 in that week.

So here is some big news: the change in February has been shortened by one week.. so that means that the change I go home on will be one week earlier. So I would be coming on the 16 of may... so there should be no problem anymore with Austin's graduation and what not.. right? cool beans:)

I love this gospel and the joy it brings to families. Hopefully we can give a gift to Christ the Christmas and get someone baptized. I have been doing some nasty jam on lessons and it has turned out to be awesome.

Teancum newsletter:
Welcome Teancumites!
Remember that Teancum and his army were an elite group. That is what we want to be for this mission. This email is set up to share successful ideas on how to find, teach, and baptize. Let me brief you on existing projects:
bungee: shorter lessons
Rip tear: have them imagine they only have a week to live and tell the to write something to their loved ones... then rip them up... get them to feel it.
Bomb: an attempt to explode the excitement of the ward en cuanto a missionary work.. it has many sub projects as well.
jump-roids: presidents idea to leave blessings on peoples houses. The bungee on steroids
Jam on (dazzle fest) Just Answer My Only Need. Teaching people not lessons on a whole new level. And, a la vez, dazzling them with the spirit. Send ideas and all you have on Jam on dazzle fest.
simp swip whip grip: showing a movie about small and simple things to members. Giving them a BoM and telling them to write their testimonies in them to give to others.
Jump on it??: a mix between jump roids and jam on?
sky fall: this one is in the works. Preach my gospel has 5 lessons to help investigators become converts. We want to have 3-4 lessons to transform a member into a missionary... lesson ideas?
Anyway, hopefully we can become more effective missionaries with this email! Enjoy and go baptize!

Dad, I got a talk for you by Elder Holland: "within the clasp of your arms" thanks for being a great dad!  I love you!
Mum, Thanks for everything you are a pretty cool mum.
Austin,sounds like you are still a huge stud! keep shufflin!
Ellie, sounds like everything is good with you as well! learn to shuffle
Brynn, sounds like you are starting to get the hang of the crutches and stuff:) and it looks like you ate really expensive pupusas!!!! jaja... I hope everything is going great and I hope that the Aphrodite things works out.