September 24, 2012 - Family Email

Dear Family,

Training for my new "kid"

So this last Thursday President Deere called me and told me that I will be having a new kid! Yes that is right I will be training all over again.  I must have done something right with my companion right now even though I don´t feel so.  There is only one English speaker and he is from England, I hope he is my companion.  I want to know what it feels like all over again not knowing Spanish and being terrified.  So tomorrow I get to go to Fuengirola all over again for trainers training.  I feel like I have been there every week I am lucky!

So this last week was great we had a lot of success.  We taught a lot of lessons which is unheard of here in Jaén.  We taught 24 lessons! So things are going well but as for baptisms who knows.  I have faith that Paqui, Paqui and Belén will get baptized but they aren´t doing anything to show they want to.  They don´t read at all and don´t understand the importance of the gospel in their lives.  Juan is doing great and is smoking less.  He wants to stop smoking so bad and hopefully he will stop within a couple of days, pray for him.  Oh yeah Paqui is still smoking a lot.  Miguel and Rocio will be getting baptized the next week when the family can all come out and see the baptism.  Alba is doing good and coming to church but she is confused whether so be Catholic or Mormon.  She wants to be the God Mother of her nieces but she has to do some catholic confirmation things to do it.  So she needs help! Antonia is kind of a lost cause right now. She has her problems and doesn´t care to change or get them solved by the Lord.  We have a new investigator named Luis.  He is 11 and lives with his grandparents.  They all came to church and Luis is progressing a lot and has already received an answer.  He does all his reading assignments and came to the church activity this last week.  So hopefully we have 5 baptisms this week; Alba, Juan, Paqui, Paqui and Belén.

Brother and Sister Richards

Elder Richards was amazing and made me cry like a little boy.  He looked into my eyes like 8 times just staring and I knew that Christ was looking at me.  He told us that he is a special witness of Christ and when he said that I just started crying.  He is amazing and knows so much about the gospel.  He even corrected President Deere in his teaching.  The Conference was great.

This week, well yesterday I had an experience I will never forget.  It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had.  So this man from Arizona is biking across the world.  He started in Portugal and yesterday was here in Jaén.  He does it for his job.  He is a motivational speaker and is an amazing man.  He is a member and has been his whole life.  He is very active and goes to church every week.   He came to church and after we walked up to Antonio and Ana´s house to eat.  He asked for a blessing before hand and after eating I gave him one.  I gave it to him in English and I really don´t remember what I was saying but he just started crying and I felt the spirit so strong like never before and I started crying.  After the blessing he

Hanging out with Layne Gnieghting

looked me straight in the eyes, a grown man crying and told me thank you for being worthy.  I will never forget this man.  He had the best spirit about him.  He has 8 children and most of them are in elementary school.  His name is Layne Gnieghting.  Look him up on facebook and write him a message from me telling him thank you for the experience, he changed my life.  He sleeps on the streets or in peoples homes if they invite him.  He took a shower there in the house and stayed the night I am pretty sure.  He is great, look him up on facebook and tell him hello and thanks.  He will be a friend of mine forever.  Here is a photo of him. When I mean bike I mean Road Bike.

That was my week I love you!!
CODES