So this week we was pretty nuts. Speaking of nuts, here is a picture of some little squirrely kids at church. The one on the right is the bishops kid, and the one on the left is the 1st counselors. Looking at their face you can probably tell what face I was making at them haha.
Oh here are pics of Gloria and Alice (the ones next to me in the pic). They are both now baptized and confirmed. KaPow! They are both doing good and have good friends in the church.
Here is some extreme bucket washing going down. Boo!
Speaking of bucket washing. For the past 3 weeks we have been washing ourselves out of those buckets. BOO! They are 'sending someone to fix it.' But hey, I got your towel package and your sd card cracker package so all is well. Only you would wrap the sd card in paper that is speckled like a wheat thin and disguise the sd card like a cracker. Man good work. You make me proud. Hey the towels work great, thanks tons. Also the cookies! MINT CHOCOLATE GOODNESS!
Man! Elder Chamberlain and I are working really stinkin' hard. We were able to get 10 people at church (really we got 13 but we can't count them at church because they didn't show up for sacrament, there are all these rules and stuff about numbers that make me wanna hurl) and we were able to give out 4 more baptismal dates.
We met with president Smith this week and he was talking about how we need to work with the members more often etc and now we gotta try and get 10 member present lessons each week. Also the members in the 'member present' lesson have to be able to fellowship the person, not just be some ward missionary with way to much free time who comes around with you every lesson. So we went out and started just being ourselves with the members and stuff. The best way is to get the investigator to come to the members house and then teach them there (surround them with lots of support, kinda like the cows do when you get to close to their babies. Kinda like the baptismal font at the temples. Dig?) We were able to get 10 member present lessons this week, 25 other lessons and 14 new investigators. We got 11 progressing investigators who we will hopefully baptise in the next couple of weeks if they keep coming to church and keep comittments etc.
I have been trying to think about why we were able to do well this week. Then I figured it out. It is because we are doing what President Holland advised us to do. He chastized us about not studying effectively, if at all, and not studying with our companions, not planning thoughtfully and not teaching people to keep committments. Elder Chamberlain is a great senior companion. We are doing our studying, we freaking spend forever planning and we are extending commitments right and left. We never leave a lessons without asking someone, "will you..." and then looking them in the eyes to let them know that this is important.
Also I have been treating all this missionary stuff kinda like guitar practice. You practice a lot by yourself during your own study, then you gotta practice with your band and make sure you are all on the same page and make sure you are entertaining and polished, then you gotta go all out no matter how stupid you feel or else it'll end up not being cool. Dig?
I almost know where I am know in the area. We went on splits the other day and I was able to make it to all the appointments without getting lost...well too lost...well we rode around in circles a lot but we got there haha.
We are going to baptize this mom named Savior and another girl named Celeste on Saturday. Savior actually came up to us while we were teaching a girl named Portia (porsche, like the car) and asked us about some tracts and if we taught people how to write them. I gave her a book and then she showed up to church. I later had her show us her house, we then taught her and now she has a baptism date. She is great. She has a small girl named Angel. Savior is only 24 years old and is a single mother. She really loves the gospel. We had to work a little bit to teach her about the Holy Ghost. We prayed with her and had her ask about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and she received and answer and cried and everything and said that she felt something warm inside.
Celeste is a 9 year old who stays with some great ward members the Kuchina family. The Kuchinas run a private school and Celeste stays with them. They are related somehow... Kinda how polynesians call every single other polynesian their "cousin." Dig? We called the parents and they are down with her being baptized. Celeste doesn't really have anybody that cares about her much except the Kachinas... She has been living with the Kuchinas for 2 years and has been going to church for those past 2 years. She is a smarty pants. I think I scare her though. She is kinda quiet so I just ask her stupid stuff to get her to talk. She thinks I'm a freak but she laughs.
Well I gotta run. Sorry so short today. Next week will be longer.
I'm glad Anton is home. Tell him 'what up!' and good job.
Glad all your stuff is going good. I'm sorry I dont have time, we were runnin' late and we got an appointment right now.
I miss you all and love you very much. Thanks for being a great family. It is all about the family. Thanks for rocking.
Man I actually craved some fufu today. It was weird. I am now African haha.
Well talk to you next week. LOVE YOU!!!
