Dear Family and Friends,
I never know what to talk about to y’all! So much stuff happens throughout the week, but when I get on the computer my mind just draws a blank and I don’t know what to say and I don’t want to bore y’all with stupid details. Plus, I can’t remember who I have already told y’all about and what stories I have told and I don’t want to repeat myself.
Chat With Elder Jones
Well, things are better with Elder Jones. Yesterday, I was getting so sick of him. Seriously, every little thing he does just bothers me. He is a normal kid and everything, I’m sure he has a lot of friends back home and he is nice and stuff, but our personalities just clash. And I’ve tried to just deal with it instead of talking to him about and it’s just built up more and more until now every little thing he does is like nails on the chalkboard. So, finally, I just had to stop the car yesterday and he kind of just looked at me and I said, “Elder Jones, we need to talk.” we talked for like half an hour. He really is a great kid, he took everything I had to say really well. He says he wants to improve and change and be easy to be around. We have never had an argument or anything but he has noticed friction that we have had before. We just talked it out. 99% chance that this is our last three weeks together so we may as well love being with each other.
Branch Mission Leader
In other news, we finally have a branch mission leader! His name is Teo Martinez. He was less active about a year ago but he has come back and finally was able to go to the temple again last week and now he is back in full fellowship and he is now our branch mission leader! Something we have been needing for a long time. we had a meeting with him and president Garcia last night and we got really excited about the new ideas and programs and things that we have for this area… it made me sad to think that chances are really good for me leaving in March. Oh well, I’ll try not to think about that!
Jesus and Isabel are still gone.
Juan Aleman
Juan Aleman has come to church for the second week in a row. We set a baptismal date with him for the second of March. He says he really likes church and he has been listening to the Book of Mormon on cd since he can’t really read. He really wants to go to a baptismal service before he gets baptized so he can see what it’s like.
Exchanges With My District
This week, I got to go on my first exchange as a district leader. My district is very… unique! We have elder Jones and I, a senior couple, and then two other elders who are really interesting! Elder Hoyt is really quiet and reserved and elder Newell is the opposite and a little overbearing and loud haha! I think it’s funny that I don’t really have anyone similar to me in my district, but it’s good for me. It will teach me to get along with and work with totally different people. So I went with elder Hoyt. He is a way sweet kid! He is quiet, but we got to talk a little bit. He is a pilot! Fully licensed! Way cool! He is a little timid, but he seems like a hard worker. We biked all day, and it rained ALL DAY! We didn’t get in a single door so we were outside all day. I think elder Hoyt was getting mad at me because I was working him too hard. I was just going at my normal pace but he kept saying to slow down and lets go back to the house cuz it’s raining too hard. I have never gone home because of the rain so I just said, let’s knock a couple more doors or lets go see this person and things like that. In the end, he got a flat tire, and he seemed really disappointed and frustrated. So I really tried to cheer him up. It was a terrible day, but I tried not to let him know that! I just laughed everything off and tried to be really upbeat all day.
Alright well I don’t really know what to say. Have a good week! Love y’all!
Elder Viitanen
Hi, Carlos. Al you have to do is, doing right things. When you have done your duty, go for extra mile. If others are not doing their duties, it does not matter. You have done everything right.
Sometimes God let us find new skills and things after hard work and harder work and yet a little more work. Just when you think you have done enough. Extra mile, extra prayer, extra anything, is required to reach beyond excellence. Then it happens. You know that God works with you and things get solved. Lost will be found, blind will see. It just happens. Know who you are.