Hola from Monterrey

Hey family!

So it's been a bit crazy this week (per the usual) but I'll start with the happy.

So this Sunday I'll be able to receive a phone call from ya'll in the Chapel at 6:20 Monterrey time. That's 4:20 Vegas time. It's limited to 40 minutes and here's the number: 011-52-81-88613903. Can't wait to talk to all ya'll!

Four converts were baptized yesterday! Sadly, none of them were mine and Elder Diaz's. But in the end it's all the same and doesn't really matter who baptizes who. Ah well. We've been told that this is the highest baptizing ward in the mission due to the strength of the members and everything, but I think it's the other area that has so much of the success. We currently only have one person attending sacrament, her name is Celia and I've never seen anybody so excited by the Church. That is other than her ten year old daughter Perlita who never comes... And we may not be able to baptize them seeing as they're moving at the end of the month. All in the Lord's time I guess. The family has committed to come to church (all 5). But they need to come to Church twice in order to be baptized. But I did have the opportunity to teach the first part of Lesson 2 (finally) so up to where we came from and why we're here. They're all really receptive and seem to believe everything, but it's hard to get them to keep their commitments... Ah well.

So we're preparing for the visit of Elder Anderson (not the Apostle) from the First Quorum of the Seventy and the boss-man of the Carribbean Islands. He's going to come talk in our zone conference which will be pretty cool.

I still have to fight feelings of dread whenever we go up to doors. Once we start talking (or allow the Spirit to start talking through us) it's much easier. I do need to work on expressing more disappointment with the investigator's who fall through on their commitments. PMG tells me to be devastated and tell them how important it is. Elder Diaz usually says "está bien" like most of his responses. To everything. Also, it's hard to ask inspired questions sometimes. It all falls to having faith that the words that are spilling from your mouth are inspired by the Spirit. Which is hard when it's another language. There's also the bit about how much you should share with investigators. Both Elder Diaz and I have said "Padres Celestiales" in our lessons. I blame one of our videos.

The Spanish is progressing quickly. It's hard to convince the members that I do in actuality understand them now. They still think that I can't speak so they usually direct their questions to Elder Diaz.

Speaking of whom, we're getting along much better now. Apparently there's a custom here that "suyos son mios y mios son suyos" I explained that en los Estados, "Mios son mios y suyos son suyos" and it went smoothly. Oh, English, "What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours". Yeah. We're making jokes and having a much better time proselyting than we did before. I think a lot of it was just me getting used to the mission. And being tired all the time. I fall asleep every week in Church. Also whenever I sit down. It's kinda bad. Oh well.

As to the problems with the Elders not having much to do during the day, I don't really know how to fix that. We aren't allowed to door contact either, only street contacts and referrals. What's really essential is that we get a bunch of referrals from the members and work with less actives. We also eat at 2 in the afternoon with a family, not at night. We don't really teach until around 4 o'clock. Unless there's somebody who has lost their job or works at night. We've gone many days where all of our meetings fall through because of work. Hmm... I don't know with Vegas. The Elders sometimes set up booths in street-markets and such.

Congrats to Colby for getting his license! And Eli for being baptized! I'm missing quite a bit. Sad that Great Grandpa passed away, but now Grandma and Grandpa have the opportunity to join me and Masey here in the Mission field! Exciting times!

Love ya'll and can't wait to talk to you this Sunday!