Week 61

Well the truth is, I was feeling pretty down this week. We only had three lessons this week. I have felt pretty down on myself, just in a sense, sad. I have been reading your email you sent me over and over. Yes it is true what you said, the adversary has been working hard on me trying to put lots of stupid things in my head. I have felt a little down the last couple weeks. I feel a lot better now, after reading your letter and a moment I had yesterday with a sister from the ward. We went to her house after all of our citas (appointments) fell through. We talked to her and she told us to think of our Savior sometimes, he has done so much for us. Has taken upon him all of our burdens. All we need to do is keep going forward. Our problems are small compared to the things that he went through and the things he did for us. That made me realize that I just need to continue to work hard to not feel sad but work better. That has really helped me out  this week. Thank you for your letter.

Sorry for not telling you the name of my area. I am serving in Ciudad Modelo 1 (model city 1).  The ward is called Ciudad Modelo.  
 
Don't worry mom and dad, my shoes are doing just fine. I have the two pairs we bought and I have hardly used the second pair. I do not need any other shoes nor gym shoes.  Thank you for worrying but I am fine. Besides you don't want to have too nice of things, you don't want people to think you have money and rob you. :)  My gym shoes, even though they are a little torn, they are just fine.

I've been really reading your letter a lot today just reading and reading and reading. I want you guys to know that I really love you a lot. It's been a tough week but I know it will get better.  You have given me the best advice.

We are still trying to find people to teach. We do have a new ward mission leader. We will be working hard with him. It will be really good we are going to give him a good impression and let him know that we really want to work hard with him. Hopefully we can get lots of good help from the members.

Keep praying for us and our area.

Sorry this email is so short.

I love you all.

Have a great week.

Elder Pead

Zone Photo from the Meeting with Elder Uceda

Week 60

Hey guys it's me, Dallin,

This week has been a good week in the sense that we are working hard. Our baptismal date fell through. But we found another baptismal date that should work for her.  We will continue to work with her and help her out.
Transfers came and went. My companion is staying here with me. It's been fun, we have really been working hard.

I really like what you mentioned in the last part of your letter. We are who we are today because of the trials of yesterday. It made me realize there are still a lot of things I need to learn about.

Oh, I got the package you sent. Everything is great. Everything is awesome! Thanks for everything. My companion also says thanks for the things you sent him.

Everything is fine, we just need to find more people. We have been finding a few, and we talked to the stake president the other day. He gave us a lot of good tips. The ward here does not have a ward mission leader, The Stake President suggested that we could do many of the things that the ward mission leader would be doing. That would help us with getting new investigators through members. The mission has changed quite a bit, it is really focused on preach my gospel. I can say that I'm really happy because of that.  It gives the work a really personal touch. Not so much a missionary that is like a robot. But a missionary with real feelings and not focus so much on techniques.

The experience this week that really made me learn because it was hard, is that sometimes investigators just aren't quite ready for baptism. We work so hard for investigators to make it to their baptismal day and then things seem to just fall through.   But then you realize why.  We learn from it and focus on how to help them.

Today has been really good, cleaned a lot, washed my clothes.  The good thing about Cali is you can hang your wet clothes out and in like 10 minutes they are completely dry.

Love you guys. Tell everyone I said hi, glad everyone is doing fine.

Keep praying for us. I really learned a lot this week. Part of it is that sometimes if your companion is not really animated, you have to be the one who's animated. Through your example it can change. I've learned a lot this week and I want to put in practice.

Have a great week love you all. Oh, I sent pictures.


Elder Pead

Week 59- Hard Week

Hey guys, it's me, Elder Pead.

This week has been a hard week. We only had five lessons. They were mostly with just one investigator. Three with her and two others. We have one investigator who is progressing and she will be baptized on the 24th. We are trying to figure out how to help the others and also find others to teach. It's hard, we haven't been able to find good people to teach. This week we are focusing hard on trying to find good people. We always need to improve on this part of the work. It is hard, but we will continue to do our best and work harder at it. We need to do everything possible, and we will.

Our investigator is progressing very well, she is doing great and we see progress and testimony growth every day.  We do have a few others we are working with.

The sister missionaries also had a little bit of struggle this week with one of their good investigators, her dad went to a different church and came back with a lot of anti-Mormon literature and has told his daughter that she cannot see the missionaries anymore. She still wants to meet with the missionaries. But her dad is very against it. It's pretty sad. Trying to figure out what to do in some of  these situations.

I saw the pictures you sent. Everyone looks so big. Bowen is so tall. Shaylee and Ashley are so big. I'm seeing everyone grow up. It's scary. I can also see that Jarrett has a great mustache. He is so cute.

Thanks mom and dad and everyone for loving me so much. I'm in a happy mood these days. Just need to continue to put my heart into everything we do. It was a hard week and we did get desanimados (discouraged) but when you do, you just have to change your attitude and be happy. Just start again and keep trying.

I hope you all have a great week. Thanks for everything. I will send you pictures when I can. It's been a hard week, we bought so much stuff this week for our house. Don't know if I told you before, but our house is in terrible shape. I had to buy so many things. I had to buy an electrical breaker for the house. And I just barely got the reimbursement for that, from the office. Then we lost the keys to the house, so our zone leaders had to go to the office to get another key. We had to pay them for their taxi ride to bring us the key. That just drained us so we're down for the last bit of money we have for the next few days. And the ATM that is closest to us does not work. It will be an interesting next few days.

I miss you guys, love you guys, have a great week.

Pray for us and our area. We really need the help.

Elder Pead

Cali 

Cristo El Rey

Week 58- Yeah Conference

Yeah Conference!
So Mom thinks about me a lot.  Cool, sometimes I think mom's thoughts are like 50 percent home, Jarrett, you , work and that stuff and the other 50 percent me.
Tell her I love her, and during all the talks about women this conference, I was thinking about her.

So Grandma is on dialysis, I am glad she is feeling better.  Thats tenas(good).
I remembered about a young investigator who has a problem like that to. But hey, he came to our activity for meet the Mormons!
Tell her I love her, and hope she keeps feeling better.

Well, today has been a short day. I can feel it go bye quickly already.
Got up, studied, planned, showered,(the water in the apartment is freezing cold and I have a huge pereza(lazy) to take showers now, well in the morning.  Thats life. Then left with the sisters to the center to buy some things. wow. mucho center.
Colombia is very different. Some things are weird.  Somethings are cool. But the only thing I ever buy is food.
I really need to buy batteries for my camera. Why I never have the ganas(desire) to buy them i'll never know.

Anyway this week we have been working with a few people.
In each lesson we have been inviting people to get baptized. And well, with the spirit in the lesson they say yes. So we have had a lot of baptismal dates. But, when it came close around to Sunday, only one came though.
MUCHO BELLANIRES VA  A SER BAUTIZADO!!!(Bellanires is going to be baptized)
So yeah, she´ll get there soon.
So we are trying to figure out what else we need to do, to have these people converted and to come with us to see the Lord's church.
So if you have any thoughts. Tell me. I need them.

We are progressing like a turtle, but slow and steady wins the race. Our race is to help all others come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.
Love you dad.
Love you mom.
Love you Jarrbear(even if you sleep in my bed)
Love you All.
All, have a great week.
ps. hope you took selfies with the Jentzschs. i love that family alot.

Elder Pead