Dear Family and Friends,
it’s been a really great P-Day so far! After study, washing and cleaning we took a little ride to a warehouse in Denver Harbor, an area right next to downtown. We have been hearing over and over about a place called “The Mountain of Ties” by some older missionaries and decided to check it out. It was a warehouse full of people working with masks and sorting old clothes and what not, and there was an area where there were bins and barells FULL OF TIES!! A missionary’s dream!! and what’s even better.. each tie only cost 10 cents! could life get any better?! We found new ties, some classy old ties, and I evenĀ snagged a “Donald Trump” with a $75 price tag still on it! in the end, I walked away with 20 ties for $2. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Then we had some time so we went to an abandoned warehouse in the South Houston area that is all tagged up with graffiti and cool artwork so we took some cool pictures there. I will send some of the pics.
As far as the week went, it was a pretty rough and tough one but, as always, there was a great ending on Sunday. Boy, I sure felt the refiner’s fire this week.
It started off with an exchange with Elder Bown in South Houston. Elder Bown is in his last transfer, three weeks from going home, and he already has his next couple months planned out. But, he still has a strong desire to work hard and finish out strong which I was really impressed with. Tuesday poured on us but luckily we had a car. We found three new investigators just knocking.
Wednesday I was back in Houston with Elder Bruneel. it was a pretty tough day as we had to drop quite a few people. We have a lot of investigators on our board but none of them are progressing – whether it’s reading, praying, or most importantly coming to church. We let Paul & Claudia go, we let Trinidad and Julia and their family go, as well as a couple others. It’s hard because we care about them but we told them that we can’t keep coming by if they aren’t progressing because there are others out there who need our time. We told all of them we would set up appointments with them when we saw them at church.
Thursday we had personal interviews with President Crawford. I really love him! I felt so encouraged and refreshed after talking with him personally and I know that he was meant to be my mission president and I was meant to serve under him in this mission.
We taught Hayde. She is doing so awesome! She is still on track for her date of Feb. 25th and so is her nine-year-old daughter. Please keep her in your prayers!! We have taught her just about everything. we still need to talk about some of the commandments but she already has a pretty good idea of tithing and the word of wisdom from coming to church so the last real biggie is the law of chastity. I’m really excited for her and she is excited for her baptism! She has faced so much opposition from her family but she doesn’t care and she is going forward with faith!
I don’t know if I told y’all a couple of weeks ago about a man named Angel that we met. We know two men whose name is Angel. One is a gangster and the other is a really smart man who knows the Book of Mormon cover to cover. we have been visiting him but he keeps having doubts about anything other than the Bible. So we have decided to teach our lessons to him out of the Bible and then at the very end tie them up with something that correlates out of the Book of Mormon. While we have been doing this, we find that HE will actually go back and quote passages from the Book of Mormon relating to what we’re talking about! So based on that, I think he does have some understanding that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, he just doesn’t realize it yet š He is a tough one but he has real potential. If not me, someone else š
Friday was nuts. Suffice it to say, around three in the afternoon we were running around on our bikes like chickens with our heads cut off in the sisters’ area in the pouring rain with boxes of pizza in our hands. It definitely wasnt a boring day.
The underlying theme of the whole week I guess was just that all of our appointments were falling through. People weren’t home, or didn’t have time. Basically, we just struggled to get any lessons. So we would be out all day working our butts off and come home with not much to show for it. Saturday we only got one lesson, with Gustavo. He hasn’t been drinking which is an improvement from when we found him drunk on the streets.
Sunday always seems to be the miracle day. But every week it’s in a different way. This week, our whole mission had the goal to prayerfully and faithfully set goals for “Investigators at Church.” and reach it 100%. This is one we have been having a really hard time with. We prayerfully and faithfully decided that 5 would be our goal. We made plans and did our part to make sure this could happen.
Sunday morning, we had a member pick up David, Francisco’s 11 year old son so that he could come. We called Leo and reminded him. We went and walked with Gustavo from his house to the church. We called Hayde. They all came!!!
That’s not all… two less active families we have been visiting both came. One of those families is Juan Jose Hernandez, and he brought his wife who isn’t a member. Members of the ward also brought people. Four total people they brought and we were able to contact them and get their information! So in the end we had TEN people at church which has been unheard of for a while for us. It was really a faith-strengthening experience!
It was a fast and testimony meeting, and when Hayde got up to bear her testimony I will admit that my heart was racing pretty fast. But she boreĀ an incredible testimony! She thanked us and the ward and said that she felt like she was at home here and that the Book of Mormon is true and she feels the spirit when we come by. It was crazy!
One last cool note, I can’t remember if I told y’all, I’ve been learning a lot of hymns on the organ and playing them in sacrament meeting and I love it so much, it’s so fun! Also, the president told me I would be playing a few songs on theĀ violinĀ in our missionary choir’s firesides that we will be having for the next couple of weeks. Neil A. Anderson is coming to one of them! He gave me a violin and some music so I hope I will be ready! It’s pretty fun having a violin at the house! Especially when you have permission!
I’ll leave y’all with something from my studies. Jacob 5, the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. Holy cow! I will admit, before my mission, I wouldn’t really understand any of that chapter, but now that I really study it and think about it, I’ve learned so much about Israel and the role that I play s a missionary, what things have happened and what will happen. Anyway, I just encourage y’all to read that and see what you learn.
Hymn # 128 “When Faith Endures” … ‘His spirit guides, His love assures that fear departs when Faith endures.”
Hurrah for Israel!!!
love, Elder Viitanen
Hi, Carlos! I am happy for your playing organ and violin.And your great mission work, of course! Take care and drink water o lot! I love you!
I love you, my dear grandson
Dear Elder V,
It is always wonderful to read your weekly reports. I am thrilled to hear about the golden investigators such as Hayde and her daughter! I will pray for them and that they will be able to stick with the Gospel and be baptized on the 25th. Having 10 investigators/less actives attend on a Sunday is really an incredible expression of the potential life-changing power of the Gospel. I am so happy for you and your companions.
Life has been really hectic with the stressful visit of one Chinese visitor and hectic course load and writing and correcting dozens of tests, but things are looking to get better now. I will write you a letter in the next week or two. In the meantime, have a delicious chimichanga for me out there… There’s nothing like Beto’s, though… if only there was anything like that here…sigh…
Take care, and greetings from Mona and Willy the kid
Elder V.
looks like your doing awesome. i gave a talk at in my stake general priesthood meeting and i quoted you on what you said about missionary work in the mtc. I love the Gospel, I love the hope it brings into peoples lives. your doing a great job.
take care elder,
jared