Hey everyone (I've grown tired of writing all the names),
So, I got all my mail like last Thursday. It was like 10
letters, so forgive me for reprimanding ya'll for not writing.
I write on Tuesday instead of Monday because we had to
switch our P-Day to Tuesday. More on that later.
Things out here are going great. I am loving life, I am
loving the obra misional, I am loving the people. It is awesome.
We have some really great investigators. Elizabeth and
Heliot have really progressed and we have a baptismal date for Elizabeth on the
25th. Heliot still has a little bit to go before we can extend a baptismal
invitation. But both have progressed, both are going to church consistently. both
will be baptized soon. Hopefully...
Had my first experience tocando puertas (knocking doors).
Elder Hawke says it is a lot harder to tocar puertas here than anywhere else in
the mission because there are so many apartment complexes that like to kick us
out and there are very few Latino homes. For example, we got kicked out of one
apartment complex and had no luck knocking other doors. So most of our new
investigators come from former investigators. We very very rarely get any media
or member referrals. We're working on the members.
Actually, the members here give so much support to us
missionaries. Hermana Salegio has helped out a lot with Elizabeth. She tries to
come as much as she can to our lessons with her, she takes Elizabeth to church
every Sunday, she is a really great friend to Elizabeth. And they both have
like the same story. They are both from El Salvador, they both have a daughter,
they both were opposed to the church when they first received it. It's pretty
cool.
Sometimes, though, it's best not to have members in our
lessons. Last Sunday, we asked if we could visit Heliot with Hno. Casco. We
were all ready for our cita (appointment) with him, when a couple hours before,
Hno. Casco cancelled, said he couldn't make it. We scrambled to find someone
else to replace him. Finally, about 10 minutes before our cita, we decided that
the Lord didn't want a member to be at our cita with Heliot, and left it in his
hands. We are so glad that we did not have a member there. Heliot really opened
up to us, told us about the difficulties of raising 3 kids (1 set of
rambunctious 10 year old twin boys and a girl), how he lost his first child
after he lived only a few weeks, and the rough divorce he had just gone
through. It was the first time he really talked openly with us. Now he trusts
us, so it's going really good.
But with members, it's sometimes a little difficult. We told
Elizabeth not to worry about what she was wearing as long as she wore something
modest and respectful because she didn't have a falda (dress? I think) to wear
or some nice dress pants. So she wore some nice jeans and a nice blouse.
Unfortunately, the topic at sacrament meeting that day was modesty in our
apparel, and the lady that spoke ripped apart anyone that was wearing jeans to
church. We had some damage control to do.
Another story... So we went out going to find new
investigators. We went out to go find this one person that lived in this mobile
home park. So we looked and looked and found it. We knocked on the door, and
this young man, 18 years old, comes to the door. He speaks English so we talk
to him. Find out his name is Ulysses. His parents are from Mexico and El
Salvador. We are able to have a good doorstep conversation with him, and invite
him to read the Book of Mormon. Elder Hawke only had a Spanish copy. But I, for
some reason or another, had packed away an English copy of the Book of Mormon
and we gave that to him. I think I had packed it away because we were supposed
to have a lesson in English with one of our less active members, but we ended
up giving that lesson in Spanish. We also found out that he has a really busy
schedule, that he works full-time at Jack in the Box and also goes to school
and has a girlfriend, and it is really hard to find him, so we were lucky to find
him at home. So we teach Ulysses in his home, invite him to read and pray, and
he gives us his word (he said it pretty firmly too, so I believe him).
When we got home later that day, we reviewed the day, talked about
Ulysses. We looked at the area book at the investigator we were supposed to
visit and we realized that we had knocked at the wrong address, at the wrong
home. This is like by far the coolest story I have for this week.
Something else that's cool, Alice Larson you'll love this.
Our stake center has one of the coolest pipe organs. I mean, it's not as grand
as the Conference Center pipe organ, but it's so much fun. I got to play it
yesterday, and I loved it! Pres. Martin gave me the key to open the console and
open the door to the pipes and stuff. It does need some fixing up, but Pres.
Martin said whatever is wrong with it, just to e-mail him about what is wrong
and he will tell the facilities managers to get someone to fix it. So that's
what I'm going to be doing as soon as I am done with this e-mail. But I get to
go into the back and see all the pipes, show people what a pipe organ is like,
show them all the pipes. It was awesome!
Yesterday we had what's called a mission tour, where a
general authority comes and tours the mission. Elder Golden from the Seventy
came. It was good. We learned about planning, becoming a better missionary, the
good stuff. Talked about doctrinal questions that we had. Explained to us why
we have key indicators as missionaries. Excellent.
So I've got some pictures. I'm just hoping they're the right
pictures. I can't preview them on here. Dumb stuff huh. One is of me and my MTC
companion, Elder Schoenfeld (the one where I am wearing an orange tie and no
suit). One is of me and my MTC district. One is of me and Elder Morga (the one
where I am wearing a suit). Mom, that's Lori's friend that you met and thought
we would see each other in the MTC. Well, we were in the same zone. Another is
of me and the Budge Boys (the one by the map). And one is of me and Sis.
Mullen. I would add more pictures, but there's a limit on here, and we only
have one cord for all the missionaries that want to send pictures to their
parents.
Well, that's all. I have 10 minutes to write my mission
president.
Love you.
Elder Nathan Gruenewald
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