Monday, September 28, 2015

Week 14 - "I'm in Venice!"



Hola

So this week we had another junta de zone (zone meeting) with the president. It was cool because our zone got reorganized. We were the only district that stayed in the zone and we got two new districts. So it is kind of cool to see all the new people in the zone... two of the companionships were people from my group in the CCM so it was good to talk to them and see how everything is going. But after hearing about their areas, it makes me grateful for the area that I have. Our area is small compared to theirs, so we dont have to walk as much as they do. And we have a walmart and another grocery store in our area so shopping is super easy for us. 

In the beginning of the week, it was raining a lot at night and as you can see from the picture, the streets here dont really have drains.  So usually after it rains, there are certain streets that are like lakes.  So we were walking down this one street and had to completely change course because the entire street was flooded. But it isnt usually that bad. 

We found a new investigator this week. His name is Leonel and we taught him the Plan of Salvation and we gave him a date to be baptized and he accepted. We were super excited but then he told us that this week he was going to the hospital to get a tumor removed. So we decided to visit him and when we arrived at the hospital no one had any record that he was there. So we went to his house later that day and he told us that the doctors had changed his schedule and now he has to wait until November for his surgery. Also he told us that he was going to go live with his son until his operation. And his son lives very far away. And so just like that in 3 days, we had someone with a baptism date and then we lost him. 

Then later that day we went to visit our other investigator Mirian. And we talked with her and she told us that she was moving also. She has been living with her boyfriend, but she is leaving him because he has been cheating on her. And it is really sad because she has 4 kids that are all super young!! So we are going to let the other missionaries in her new area know so they can help her and teach her. And then my companion and I were both really sad because we were like, Wow, we just lost 2 of our best investigators in the same day. But don't worry... the week got a lot better. :)

So this Sunday was Elder Lowrys birthday. And some of the members in the ward threw a surprise party for us on friday. It was super cool to see all the members that are in this ward and that they all have so much love for everyone. But the best part about this was what happened after. So the party was at the house of our ward mission leader, Carlos and Lolita. And their son lives with them, and he is 28 years old and is not a member. So as we were leaving and walking down the street, we hear a voice that says "Elderes" And it is Carlitos, their son. He then says to us "make sure to fill the pools this sunday." Me and elder Lowry were both really confused and said what? Then he told us that he wants to be baptized. He said that he talked with God and that it is the right thing to do. We both almost teared up because we love our ward mission leader and his wife so much. Because they dont have very much, but they do everything they can to help us. And so Carlitos told us that he wants it to be a surprise for his parents. So we are planning on getting him ready to be baptized this friday because there is conference this weekend. He has not had all the discussions, but he has attended church a few times with his parents, so we just have to teach all the lessons to him quickly. So our goal is to teach all the lessons with him so that he can be ready for his interview before Friday.  

Oh and we saw the lunar eclipse last night too! It was really weird because before the eclipse happened we were looking at the moon and we were like the moon looks alot bigger tonight.  Then like an hour later someone said hey look an eclipse. And there it was except the moon was a lot smaller. no sé por qué. But that is super cool that you all saw it too. 

Anyway, that was pretty much my week. The language is still a bit of a challege for me. I cannot completely understand what people are saying when they are speaking directly to me and this week Elder Lowry has been trying to get me ready by having me talk on the phone which is pretty hard. I usually just end up passing the phone to him because I dont understand. But the language is coming…very slowly, but surely. I have also started reading Jesus the Christ and it is so awesome. It just really helps you understand so much more who the Savior is and how important his purpose was and is.
Love you all so much and miss our family a lot. But I love my mission, and I am so glad I am called to serve here. 
Love 
Elder Snyder