Circunvalacion 1 - Week #15

¡Buenos Días al Northern Hemisphere!

Happy almost Labor Day to everyone in the great nation of the USA!!! We here in the mission office are taking advantage of the US holiday today and are having our first annual (and possibly last) Labor Day barbecue! We're all pretty stoked about it!

The temperatures here are starting to get a little bit warmer, but we had a pretty good cold snap and some wet weather on Wednesday and Thursday. The weather here can't figure out what it wants to do either... I'm actually starting to feel like I'm in East Texas weather again. Hopefully all continues to go well in regards to the hurricane season. We don't want y'all gettin' too wet up there!!!

I'm super excited to see the house! Did Ryah's floors already get the checker-board print done or just the white? Either way, it sounds like a lot got done on this long weekend and that y'all should be in pretty soon. Right??? Hopefully... LOL.

The ward seems like it continues changing, with more move-outs and move-ins. I'm pretty certain that I'm going to come back to a lot of people that I have no idea who they are. Also, how are the couple of future missionaries doing with their preparation (especially Ryan Whitworth)?

I was able to get on the online banking website, and to answer the question about Subway... yes, I did make the same transaction twice (someone else didn't money for lunch). It will be pretty helpful for me to keep an eye on the account, but either way I don't want y'all to take your guard down about it either.

I feel like all of my statements up until this point have been little 1-2 line responses to a few questions or comments on something y'all have said... LOL. Oh well!

So I'm still not really used to writing on Saturdays. In any other part of the mission we get to write just after our week has finished and fill everyone in on what happened over the weekend (aka baptisms, people in church, etc.). We've got to wait almost a whole week and then have more news the next day!!! I'll live I guess... But, last weekend we had 5 investigators in church for the first time in a long time, As an office we had 12! Carlos went and has stopped smoking (for the most part) this week, hopefully he'll get his act completely together and stop all together so he can be baptized next weekend. Also a Peruvian family we are teaching went to church and absolutely loved it. Sonia, her daughter Kimberly, and her sister Susan all went and stayed for the first 2 hours of church, Sacrament Meeting and Gospel Principles. Kimberly was able to stay for all three hours and was super excited about the Primary (she's 8). When her mom and aunt left she begged them to be able to stay, it was so cute! They've got to be the best investigators, as far as commitment and preparedness goes, that I've had. Kimberly during the week has been working to fulfill an assignment from her Primary teachers to learn the 11th Article of Faith, we passed by yesterday and she already has it memorized... along with her mom and aunt... AND they all memorized the first 3 or 4 Ariticles of Faith as well. Last night I decided to put myself to the test against them with the Articles of Faith in Spanish and they all kicked my trash!!! It was pretty fun though to get beat out by a couple of investigators of just under a month!!!

Here in El Cortijo, the office zone (with 3 full-time proselyting companionships), we are going to have a month of white this month (September). We're looking fairly good so far with the probability of 4 baptisms this month and a few more possible baptisms (a lot depends on church tomorrow)! We are all super excited about the success we've been having and we look forward to more as the month goes on!

The office is still kicking as usual... I'm still fighting against a few upcoming deadlines with almost no time to finish everything, but it will work out alright!!! The life of an office missionary is not easy, but I'm pretty sure learning to balance everything now will work out to our advantage pretty well in life after the mission.

I love this work with all my heart... and I strive daily to put all my heart, might, mind, and strength into what I do. Sometimes I fall a little short, but that doesn't keep me from getting back up and trying again. I love you all and hope that y'all can find the same happiness in sharing the Gospel that I have in these 12 & 1/2 months!!!

Love y'all and hope all is well at home!!! Send me pictures!!! Please!!!

¡Todo mi amor! y ¡muchos besitos!

-- Élder Todd