Fat, Bald Man

Mi querido familia,

Sounds like Justin has had a rough week. A soccer ball and a wheel. You had just better let him lie down for minute and recover his energies. 

The mission this week had a good week, in all there were 57 people baptized or rescued (returned to activity). In fact we had one in our own area that we weren´t expecting.

This week we were teaching Brother Cruz about tithing and we asked him if he would pay his tithing after he is baptized and he said, ¨Yeah, after Saturday right?¨. And we were surprised because he wanted to be baptized with his wife but decided to go ahead and do it now. So we had a baptism and confirmation this week. The funny thing was is we asked him who do you want to baptize you and he said, ¨that fat, bald man who baptized his son last week, what is his name? I want him." Also, Brother Cruz is 56---not too old to learn something new (right dad?)

I am going to send my email now becuase the internet is sooo slow that it takes a few minutes to send, and hopefully the pictures make it too.

A few matters of business:

I will need my information for skype. I think a left a paper somewhere with that on it. For the next email send my username and password and at what time you want to do it. Keep in mind that I am 2 hours ahead and that I eat lunch at 1. They'll probably let me call to confirm the hour sometime next week or something. 

And also I am going to need some new insoles for my shoes. The ones here are horrible. It is for one my ecco´s and it think it is size 44. But I think I will need two just so that they will be the same.

I hope you also recieved the notice about the package weight limit.

Cheers,

Elder Gilbert

Missionary Work

Mom must be the only one in the family going and doing stuff these days (because she had something to write) while the rest of you sittin' around. What was it that grandma said last week...ah yes...she called ya carcasses (Grandma always testifies of the truth ya know)

As for me this week, my week wasn't too eventful but we had the opportunity to teach an Elder from the Jehovah's witnesses. it was interesting. It didn't really accept anything but was somewhat curious to learn about the church.

We also had a Family Home Evening in Ketchua, the native language here. We invited the members who speak it and had them bear their testimonies in Ketchua to the family Cruz (investigators). 

And yes it is true that we also focus on ¨rescuing¨. Helping people to return to the church. because it doesn't make any sense to baptize and then not be able to retain. These are the main three functions of missionaries: find, retain, and activate. so the next time the missionaries come to your house and ask for referrals give them all the less actives in the ward. 

Anywhere here are some questions for you guys to answer and respond to me

What does it mean to you  to do ¨missionary work¨?

What impedes you from doing it?

How would you like to take part in missionary work?

How would you like the missionaries to help you?

Until the next week, Elder Gilbert

Frog

I am now in the ward "El Fuerte" with my companion Elder Ferrufino (He is from Cochabamba and this is his last transfer in the mission). I am still in Santa Cruz and we live with the zone leaders. The house is soo nice. It has an automatic door with intercom and camera and the shower has hot water (the first house since I got here) If you want to know where it was go to go maps and look for El palmar and then for the urabanization the plamitas. Thats where I live. Before I was in the area of la villa 1 de Mayo.

The people here are great. We visted a member family and the grandparents live with them. The Grandpa gets up and is like "The Japenese, ...they never smile"

One of investigators Hno Cruz. He has such a good heart and loves the Lord (he walks 12 blocks (the blocks here are a lot bigger) to get to church every sunday). He is from the campo and understands ketchua better than spanish and is a little slow to understand.

As far as the package goes, nothing besides a flash with music and maybe some church videos (the restoration, the testaments,) and another Hymnal in english. I think there is also a rule going around now that the packages have to weigh less than 2 kg because they have had trouble with that. Yes i get the Liahona's here.

I forgot to tell you about the run in I had with the frog. We were cleaning the chapel and I got put in charge of cleaning the baptismal font and the elders forgot to drain the water and so there was a frog living in it. So I had to drain the water and got to work on the frog. I put on the rubber plastic gloves and put on my courage and pick it up. I dont know I didn't expect it to jump, but it did. It jump onto the wall and I screamed. Then I knocked it off with a broom and hired another elder to hold one of those dust sweeper keepers while I put it in. While it didn't work because it would just jump out. So I did the only thing I could do, which was to hold it and run outside and put in back in nature. And I did it screaming and I made it. Everyone was soo impressed. Then I think my companion went and stepped on it. That's the end of that sucker.

Well I have to go now, hope you have a good week raising pigeons and running races.

Elder Gilbert

Fun Creature

It´s another month and it´s exactly the same weather from when I got here. It always the same never-ending cycle of summer so all the holidays seem strange here. Easter here is called Pascua and this past week is Semana Santa. The really only tradition is to eat fish and that´s about it, but it is difficult to get fish since there are no ocean here. 

The general conference was one of the strangest. The prophet didn´t speak much nor did Richard G Scott. Also during the Elder Christopherson´s talk the translator started coughing and so they cut him off and put on another but then he too started coughing attack and then put on another translator. And in total we missed a couple paragraphs. Then Sunday session there was a big thunder storm and we lost and signal until it came in when he announced the temples. But it turned out okay.

I can´t believe how crafty Grandma Miller has been lately. I am sure that she is the one fabricating those wooden nickels. 

My computer keeps turning on and so I will have to end now before it turns off again.

Tomorrow we have transfers and I think I am getting moved so we will see where i ll end up next. 

Here are some photos of a fun creature we found in the house

Love Elder Gilbert