Hiya!
(FYI- BJ wasn't transferred, but he did get a new companion. He's still in the San Jose Del Monte Zone-Minuyan Branch)
Ok, so I am a TERRIBLE person for running out of time to email my beloved mother last week but I hope ya still love me haha :) We kinda had a couple of hectic P-days and ran out of time to get to ya.
So like you said I haven't had a Filipino comp since waaaaay back in June with Elder C, and I was thinking it was about time too(partly because they're way out-going and I'd be able to stay in my quiet comfort-zone:). But! It looks like the Lord's got other plans for us and I'm way excited for it. My new comp is...... Elder J from Chino Hills, CA. He's been in the field for 3 months and is super cool. He is my first comp that's been taller than me haha, he's 6'3. He's super nice and reminds me a lot of myself back when I was new in the mission except he's a little bit more laid back. He went to BYU-I for a semester before the mish so we've been sharing college stories and crazy things we've done a lot over the last few days. I'm way excited, we're getting along well and the work is already going great.
This last weekend was AWESOME. I was a little nervous because Elder H. was way talkative and I wasn't super quiet but he was definitely the center of attention so with him gone I'm taking back over with that. I thought it might take a couple days to get back in the groove but through Heavenly Father's help and especially the Spirit things have gone amazingly well. I've felt SUPER comfortable as we've shared the gospel with our investigators and new people we met this weekend. We were able to give out a new Baptismal Date, have 3 people VERY close to baptismal dates, and have 2 getting baptized this weekend. Woot! :)
The 2 getting baptized are R. and M. S. They're both 10 years old but M. is R.'s uncle cuz he's the youngest in his family. The family used to be Less-Active but they're going to church now and we'll be able to baptize them this weekend. Pretty excited. We're gonna take them to see the Christmas Lights at the temple tonight which should be really fun. I'll get ya some pictures from that and the baptism eh? :)
The new Baptismal Date is for J. O., a 24 year-old sister who has an RM boyfriend. You might think that she's just doing it for her boyfriend but he lives far away and she still goes to church every week, even when we weren't able to teach her 2 weeks in a row. SUPER cool. She's almost like an active member already haha. She was VERY excited when we invited her to be baptized. That will be on January 12.
The 3 VERY close to baptism is the teacher with her member sister that Elder H. and I ran into on the way to 7-ELEVEN and her family. She agrees with everything we're teaching but realizes the true importance of the things we're teaching and doesn't want to jump into baptism too fast. This past Sunday we were teaching her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and one of her concerns was about Enduring to the End. She seems a little apprehensive about baptism because she doesn't want to make a promise with God that she knows she will eventually break. I felt the Spirit SUPER strongly as I explained to her that us messing up is our Father's plan for us. He sent us here to Earth to learn and grow and to become perfect through our experiences. One thing that has happened a lot on my mission is companions relating the story of their baptism to our investigator because they were baptized as a teenager. I always feel left out cuz I was a little kid when I was baptized and can't remember much. I took this opportunity to explain to Sister G. that Repentance and Enduring to the End by renewing covenants is just as important, if not more important, than baptism itself. I even got a little teary eyed as I explained that I don't remember much about my baptism because I was young. But that I remember and will never forget the healing joy that comes from true repentance that comes as we strive to endure to the end. I felt the Spirit SUPER strong and feel blessed to have had the opportunity to teach that to her and to feel God working through me. Really neat feeling. That was one of my favorite experiences so far on the mission.
Sad to hear about Hunter getting sick. Hope your doin better tough guy :) Was he able to make it to his ball game? I remember that was always SUPER frustrating to get stuck home sick or with other problems when I wanted to play in a ball game so bad haha. Hope he's ok now.
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| 12 Ways of Christmas |
I got the Christmas packages!!!!! :D 4 of them AND a letter from Gma and Gpa Powell?! Wow, you guys are amazing! I'm definitely a spoiled-out-of-my-mind-Elder :) I'm loving all the goodies and fun things in the packages. Also love all the music. I know I probably shouldn't have opened anything till Christmas but I HAD to dig out the CD-shaped gifts haha. Thanks a TON you guys are the greatest :) Elder J.'s pretty surprised about how awesome you guys are too haha. He keeps telling me your parents are the coolest! :)
Also really enjoying the 12 Ways of Christmas packet. Thanks a ton for giving me another way to focus on the Savior and becoming like him. You guys are the greatest :)
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| A Couple of Santa's Cool Helpers!! |
I am WAAAAAAAAAAY excited to talk at y'all on Christmas! It sounds like Elder J.'s fam wants to Skype him 6pm your time on your Christmas Eve. Maybe we could try Skype for a little bit and then I could call you too but I'm not sure yet what we'll do. So plan on a phone call for sure but maybe we'll get a little Skype in too. Just send me the Skype address you want me to use(ask Dad or Chelsey ;) and let me know exactly what day and time you want me to call. Also need to know which phone to call. We're 15 hours ahead. If it's 12 midnight there it's 3 in the afternoon here. With Skype we would do it your Christmas Eve but with the phone call we can do it Christmas. I thought it was fun that way last year. I think it'd be fine if we talked between 1 and 2 hours. It's up to you :) Can't wait to talk at ya! :D
I'll try and do it (we asked him to send us 'A day in the life of Elder Powell) sometime but my life is too routine to send ya anything too exciting but since you want it I'll give it to ya sometime.
LOVE YOU TONS!!! Merry Christmas one and all and talk at ya next week! I'll try and email ya Christmas Eve here to finalize call plans so make sure and let me know what ya think before then.
LOVE YA!
BJ
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