How Great Will Be Your Joy: Weddings, Baptisms and Power Walking

Elder Mariscal and Elder Nelson
LOYAL< STRONG <TRUE

Dear Familia,

Lidia's Wedding

I heard the news about Carrie, and I was actually really sad, but she wrote me a letter explaining her perspective, and she´s always so accepting even when it’s something heartbreaking. I know she has the will to get back out there if that is what He wants for her, and if it´s not, she´s willing to accept that as well.

Okay I am still in the same zone as Elder Mariscal, so I ended up giving it (a BYU shirt we sent on his birthday) to him on Pday, therefore we took a picture with our shirts, but the computer is being mas o menos with loading the pictures and reading my card reader, so I can´t promise anything. I just don´t want to lose any more time messing with it. I´d much rather write a letter than send pictures :)

Wedding in Independencia

Did anyone celebrate your birthday with you?

Yes of course, I got two cakes and the whole zone sang happy birthday in our zone meeting this past week. No birthday goes forgotten here, including when you have to tell investigators that it’s important to teach a lesson before they can celebrate your birthday. Yep that one happened too.

What is your apartment like now?...did the mission keep the other purple palace apartment?

Yes, they kept the other apartment rented because this next month they are hoping to reopen the area with other missionaries. Right now I live in the apartment upstairs from the bishop, so that’s pretty nice. It´s about half finished, but the majority of our time is spent in the finished part, so no worries.

Where are your companions from? They look like they are both natives?

The companion with the spikier hair is Elder Artero, he is the district leader and he’s from El Salvador. He´s 25 and was baptized at 22, so he has a lot of identification with investigators and their individual problems. The other is Elder Viza, he´s from Peru, Arequipa. He´s quieter, and was Elder Mariscal´s comp from the CCM.

Will you stay in the threesome until transfers now or what?

Yes

All in all it was a crazy week, but I think it will be like that until we are in companionships again. The area is ginormous and so we spend a lot of time power walking. This weekend we baptized Jesus and Giovanna, and Lidia. Jesus and Giovanna have a daughter that will be getting baptized next week so we are preparing for that. Jesus was talking to me in the bathroom before we had the stall to change in after the baptism and he told me that he didn’t know if it was the cold from the water or something else that he was feeling but he felt different. I love that new members can feel it, they know when it’s true, he bore his testimony about how from the moment we knocked on their door, his life changed.

Also this week we were at a massive wedding in Independencia for Lidia. She came 3 hours late...her husband came 3 and a half hours late. To say the least we were stressed, and that probably was a contributing factor that Elder Artero and I look so burned in all of the photos.

This week also, Elder Oceguera came to do a work visit and divisions in our area, and I went with him, while the other two went with President. He finishes his mission in March or April, and it shows. He´s incredibly focused, knows the book of Mormon, and loves people from the moment he meets them. I learned a ton from him on the visit, and was amazed when it was over.

No time left, I love you all, I know that life is hard, but that’s because He knows we can make it through. He is our creator, our older brother, and our saviour, and He is the one that tells us when we have given enough.