Responding:
I got the Valentine's day package! Thank you very much! Also, the banner that the young men and women made for Christmas also got to me this week. Love those guys. The only people who are not allowed to write me are girls that live within the mission boundaries. So yeah, all their email addresses would be nice, and also as long as S hasn't moved to Puerto Vallarta she's good too. Also, if you could get C's email address for me that would be great, because she's sent me two letters that I still haven't responded to. Thanks!
What a great week! We found a bunch of new investigators and we have appointments with two more today! In fact, we have so many appointments tonight (4) that we are going to have to do splits with some of the Priesthood holders here to make it to all of them. We have been very blessed this week.
Meet our new investigators!
C: Valentina's brother's girlfriend who has been living with them the last few weeks. V had told her a lot about the church and invited her to listen to us this Tuesday. She's really great. She's really receptive to everything we say and really wants to be a good person and change her life. She had a super spiritual experience one time--she got hit by a motorcycle and basically died. She saw a light and went toward it and said it felt really great. Then she heard her mom's voice telling her to come back and she woke up alive again. She has definitely been prepared to hear the gospel. Also, she wants to get married to her boyfriend, so we dodged a bullet there, too. She's getting baptized April 13th.
M and A: Another referral from V. M's husband works for the military just like J, so that's how they met. They just barely moved in around the corner from V and her family and they're not from S, so naturally they are way receptive to everything. A is her 12 year old daughter who has also been listening and is really interested. She is very smart and understand's everything we talk about. They are really great and always super excited when we come over. The dad still doesn't seem to want anything to do with us, but that will change. I always feel the Spirit super strong when we teach them.
J: 10 year old son of a less active we've been reactivating. He came to church last week and loved it and has been listening to us ever since. He's a little shy, but he's a good kid and recognizes the Spirit really well.
V: We found her and her husband, L, about 2 months ago looking for a less active member from the ward list who had moved. Every time we went over after that they were always busy or not home, but we found them again this week. She's super receptive also and has accepted a baptismal date, but we are going to have to move it to the 13th of April because she didn't make it to church.
J and F: One of the members here is a taxi driver and took these two girls somewhere one day. He talked to them about the church and they were interested. We went over to visit them Saturday and had a great lesson. They are sisters, J is 21 and F is 18. Their mom is a Cataquista (I don't know this word in English, but basically she works for the Catholic church), but she lets them listen to us. They told us they had never really understood religion, that they found it hard to believe in God because they had never seen him or felt his presence. So we taught them about faith and prayer, and we invited J to pray at the end of the lesson and ask God if he really exists and if he loves her. We promised her that she would receive her answer right then, and she did! She was crying halfway through the prayer and her sister and mom were too! I love that! Our authority is so real. I love being able to tell someone with all the confidence in the world that if they ask God for an answer to their prayer right then, he will give it to them right then, and then seeing it happen! So ever since that lesson they've been hooked. We have a lesson with them tonight and it should be great!
L: Our Zone Leader, Elder A, started his mission in S and told us to visit her. We haven't had a real lesson with her yet, but we have passed by her house a couple times and she already told us she wants to get baptized! The only challenge is that she is living with her boyfriend right now, so we need to help her get married or separate from him.
Luckily, none of them came to church this week. Luckily, because it was a disaster. Our branch president had a family issue so he did not make it to church. Big problem, because he had the sound system, the microphone, and all the cables that we needed. So we had to yell from the pulpit and sing a capella.
Well, I haven't heard anything about Grandpa yet, but I really don't feel that sad. I felt the saddest when you told me he was being put on hospice. It's just obvious to me that I'll see him again and he'll be much happier when he's passed on. Heavenly Father has blessed me with a lot this week in a lot of different ways, and it's helped me stay focused and keep from getting sad. The Spirit truly is a comforter. But I am going to miss him, a lot. I have so much respect for that man and all he has taught me. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for him and his example. I love you Grandpa! Thank you for the life you've lived!
Thank you all for everything! Have a fantastic week! See you soon!
Elder Pew
