July 14, 2014

Well, anyway, I guess I'll tell you how my week was.  Gustavo and Myra both have baptismal dates.  Gustavo for the 9th and Myra the 16th.  They both came to church yesterday.  It was Myra's first time and Gustavo's second time.  We had a lesson with Myra after church and taught her the plan of salvation and set her with her baptismal date for the 16th.  Gustavo seemed to really love church.  One of the talks was all about how to make and keep covenants.  He loved that and even participated in gospel principles.  WE had a lesson with him on Saturday and talked about how to overcome the natural man.  We shared Mosiah 3:13 with him.  He really wants to change and he talks all the time about how it is a process that includes changing your habits and developing new, more positive ones.  Whenever we ask him about the book of mormon he wont tell us straight out that he knows it's true, but he tells us he's reading it daily because he knows it's important and he's trying to make a habit out of it.  We testify all the time of how this gospel can truly bring about that change he wants and how he will notice extra help and hope in his life when he is baptized and receives the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He told us some other things that were cool.  When we asked if he was going to church again, he tells us, 'of course I am!  It's important!  It's a priority.'  In that talk about covenants yesterday, the guy mentioned how important the sacrament is and Gustavo afterwards seemed very determined to come every Sunday.  Because he's so focused on habits and consistency and he has that drive to change, I think he'll stay solid.  He also told us that our presence is very powerful and it brings peace and happiness.  It's a mountain of a difference, he said.  Of course we gave all the credit to the spirit.  He's a very smart dude.  He gave us a whole bunch of health advice and told us all of these interesting things about how the mind works.  He's the kind of person who if he's not at home reading a book or pondering about something or looking for work somewhere, he's at the library filling his brain with more knowledge.  Haha.  He has his own little schedule, too.  He liked hearing about how we organize our day because he likes to do that to keep his mind focused on positive things.  It's all about good habits!  He even walks around with ear buds in his ears listening to inspirational speeches by famous psychologists.  This helps him with depression.

As for Myra, she's just a cute 20 year old girl who's going to be the pioneer in her family.  Her big thing is guidance.  She just wants guidance in her life.  When we invited her to be baptized, she told us her only worry was making such a big commitment and then falling away or not being as faithful to that covenant.  She doesn't want that to happen because as she says, Jesus is someone you do NOT want to disappointed.  I've got to agree with her there.  I think church was very different from what she expected, especially because they talked all about the second coming in the 2nd class, but when we explained the plan of salvation, it answered a lot of her questions.  She accepted the 16th right away. 

Apparently the Pecjak family wants us to eat dinner with them on the 6th or 7th because they're going out of town on the 8th.  Just so you know, we have a dinner apt that day.  The mission office wants me to send baptism pictures for a slide show at the departing testimony meeting, but I'm too lazy...ugh.  Btw, just so you know, Pres Pecjak told me he was proud of me because I'm not trunky at all.  So I'm still working hard! 

I've been on 1 exchange so far and I'll be doing another one tonight.  I'm going to their area.  This morning we got up at 2:30 and drove to las vegas to hike Sunrise mountain as a district.  That was intense.  And afterwards we ate breakfast with a member in the East stake.  Our district leader set the whole thing up, with permission from president Snow, don't worry.  It was fun, but I'm tired. haha.  I took a nap, though, so I have enough energy.  I'm just always tired.  I tell you what, the mission wears you out!  I love it, but now that I'm, at the end I've got like no energy.  I'm running completely on the strength of my spirit.  Haha.  We see lots of blessings, though.  Still haven't found the Ramos family, but Gustavo and Myra are legit.  You guys will be able to be there for Gustavo's baptism, too.  Not Myra's, though. :(  I don't think so anyway. 

Love you all.  I also worry I'll fall into the slug life again...that does scare me.  So I'll need your support, but i'm determined to do something with my life now.  I should keep in touch with Gustavo so I can follow his example!  Haha.  Well, of course I'll do that anyway with all my recent converts.