Yes, I have regular P-day this week. Mother, about the titles of my weeks and what not for the mission book in the future, I am titling every day of my journal. And I write every single day, so I'm not going to be worried about that! JA JA! Anyway, it was really great to hear and see each of you! I was bummed to not get to see J, but I couldn't figure out how to call him without it being a conference call. Anyway, I love each of you so much! I am sorry that I had nothing spectacular to say. I just work and that's about it. :) I just love Spanish and the people here! It's tough not being able to talk to my companion in Spanish, but he is learning. He just is really confused about a few things. He wants to work though, so he's really to go out and work everyday! So I am grateful for him. His name is Devin Porter from Spokane Washington and he loves his motorcycle! PS, the mission just makes me want one more because that's all the people drive here . . . :) Anyway, he's half native American and so many people think that he is from Chile or Argentina, but then they figure out he's English from when he tries to talk or doesn't understand. Ja ja! I love him!
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| Elder Rubalcabo, Elder Tantachuco y yo |
With Skype and talking to you all, the bishop wanted me to tell you that it was hilarious when I showed Mom what Mate is and how the screen froze right as she made her disgusted face! Ja ja! They drink that stuff all day! Google it, you'll find a lot about it I bet. And now you've seen a fairly well off family too and their house! Kind of small and not too nice, eh? It's really poor here. But, I love it! I think I will feel out of place when I get back home and see all the space and big houses!
So, enough about that. I'll talk about some investigators now. We got to visit Mirta and Maria this week. We got one plus and one minus from that lesson. Do you want the good news first or the bad? Well, I figured you'd want the bad first to end on a good note like always, so the bad thing was that Maria doesn't want to talk about joining the church. She says the Book of Mormon is true but she feels like her church is the true church already, or that there's more than one way to get back to God. She doesn't want to talk about anything other than the questions she has from the Book of Mormon. The good news is that Maria got on Mirta's case again and made her pick a definitive baptism date! So, Mirta will finally be baptized on the 7th of January! Hopefully there isn't any more crazy things that happen like what happened to our fecha this week. . .
So, Lara wasn't baptized because of the problems they are having with the neighbors. In fact, the whole family had to move unexpectedly in the middle of the night because the neighbors were going to kill them if they didn't leave, or if they tried to leave the house, they'd burn it down with them inside, so basically it was death either way. So they left without telling anyone. I called them the other night to see when we could go by to see them and they told me the story. So, they are living somewhere in the North mission right now near the Capital. I was really sad to hear about that because that is seriously my favorite family in the whole country. The bishop, the missionaries who work near the chapel, and the stake president are all looking for houses near the church that they could move into to have their lives again but be far enough away from the neighbor to live in peace and without them knowing. So, hopefully we find a decent one that they can afford. I will call them to fix a time to go and visit all the houses we have marked out. Let's all pray for a miracle to happen! I'm about to donate half my monthly funds to buy them a house, but I don't think I'm allowed to do that . . .
We found Mabel this week. She was a contact I did because she has a beagle!!! Reminds me of a skinnier Blaze! I don't remember his name, but I love the dog! And, Mabel saw me cry a little bit. I couldn't help it with my testimony that time. She told me that she knows the emotions in my face are real and true and for that reason she is going to read the Book of Mormon and try to go to church once all the parties/holidays are over. She accepted a baptism fecha really easily and she has a lot of people in her home that we are going to try and teach too. I hope she is our "beginner's luck" for Elder Porter. She's a really kind lately too. I can see her clothed in white already!
We had the end of the year dinner with the ward this weekend too. The bishop wanted to get special permission for us to stay out until MIDNIGHT with the ward! Ja ja! Yeah right, that didn't fly. Ja ja! So, we stayed till nine thirty and took off for the pench. We had a HUGE asado/Argentine BBQ deal and it was really fun! I fall in love with this ward more and more each day! I make jokes all the time now and the members are loving us a lot more too! They are really willing to work with us now and we might start to do divisions every Sunday now! Yay! Then, with Elder Porter, the members kept telling him things like the meat was made from the dogs here and things like that and it was really funny! I told them that Dad ate dog on his mission (I hope you did because I thought so and said so . . .) and the Argentines were disgusted! Ja ja! The best thing of that night was baffling some of the members with my Spanish. The old branch president of the Fabian Onsari Branch lives in our area and now he is part of our ward along with his counselor. So, they got to meet us a little more. They asked me from where I came and I said the US. Then he was like, no, what area or ward did you come from? I told him it's my first and then another member told him that I have only been here for three months. Those two men were shocked that I talked so well and that I understood everything they said too! Ja ja! I loved that! I am starting to feel fluent now! YAY!!!!! :) I am starting to dream parts in Spanish too! I hope I master it up soon with the grammar.
Well, we didn't get a lot of time to work this past week, so I don't have tons to say. I am excited for an almost full week this week! I can't wait until all the holidays are over and then the work won't be suffering as much! I want to get working really, really hard and start finding new people to teach! I am putting everything into the Lord's hands as my new year's resolution. Everything I do will be through revelation and through promptings of the Spirit. I know it is possible to baptize every single week of my mission and I just have to work for it with the Lord's help. There are thousands of people prepared to hear the message of the Restored Gospel in every single area! I am going out there and we will find them all! Ja ja! I love my mission so much! I'm such a nerd and I love it!
Elders are saying that president is going to call me as an assistant someday, and if I do, I will be the assistant when we get a new mission president for my last three weeks or so. So, I would most likely be called to extend my mission another transfer or two to help him get adjusted and all. And to the dismay of Kevy, Mom, Aubree, Carly, and lots others, I want that extension!!!! :) In fact I'm going to ask President . . . right now! . . . to extend my mission already! Ja ja! I think missionary life would be better than life back home. I just have to worry about others here. Back home I actually have to make decision for myself. . . Gross. Ja ja!
Well, I have to go write President now! I love you all so much! I am grateful for such an amazing family and for my many friends!
Love,
Elder Blake W. Cowan
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