Dear Family and Friends,
This last week went by so unbelievably fast it seems like a blur. On Monday we had our zone pday. We went to a park and had a potluck lunch. We roasted hot dogs for everyone and had a lot of good food! And then we played a bunch of sports. Everyone was super involved so it was really fun! We played kickball, then ultimate frisbee. We ended with a sweet game of flag football! It was so sweet. It was fun playing football again. I hadn’t played my whole mission. I’ve really been able to up my basketball though, that’s all we do! But playing football was fun, we’ve got some good athletes in the zone, even the sisters! So there was some good competition. I had a couple sweet catches on offense and on defense I caught three interceptions and returned one the whole field for a touchdown! But you know, #nobigdeal. It’s crazy how doing sprints regularly really increases your acceleration and quickness. I don’t know what in the world I was thinking when I was in high school. I definitely should have trained on the track more. #anyway #inothernews
Leadership Meeting
On Tuesday we had Mission Leadership Council in Kingwood. It was good. Elder Erickson (not my ex companion, a different one. He went to Bingham High School) and Elder Slater (two missionaries who go home with me) and I sang “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul.” For President Crawford as a musical number. It was pretty sweet, Elder Erickson translated it into Spanish. President Crawford loves that song. Seriously, two measures into it he starts crying. Every time. #likeclockwork It’s pretty funny. On the way back we stopped at Humble and I knocked on Marilena and Cosme Martinez’s door but no one answered. They called me later and told me that Cosme has decided to be baptized! I was so happy! If you remember, we worked so hard when I was in San Jacinto to get him to come around, it was very frustrating! But he had some good experiences and now he is going to take that step!
Till Death Do You Part
Thursday was a good day. Elder Tatom and I have really been working on our contacting techniques, especially asking good, thought-provoking questions in our conversations with people. During the Hour of Power on Thursday, we were able to see a really good example of this. We had been knocking for a while now in some apartments and it was 6:45. A man answered the door and he had a wife beater and tattoos all up his arms. I introduced us and saw that he had a little girl with him at the door. She was really cute, so I decided that I would aim my approach towards his family. Right when I thought that, the thought popped into my mind, “ask him if he was married ’til death do you part.'” I have never asked someone that before, so I decided to do it. I said, “when you were married, you were married ’till death do you part’, right? Doesn’t that bother you?”
As soon as I said that, his wife – who had been listening from the back – came to the front and opened the door wide and said, “You guys need to come in. We need to listen to you.” We came inside and she went on to tell us that they had been having some really bad marriage problems and although they are trying to work things out, they are on the verge of splitting up. She said that she had been praying that day for a sign from God to help them and then we came knocking. She said as soon as she heard the question I asked, something hit her like a ton of bricks and she knew she had received her answer. They have been taught by missionaries before and remember a lot about the Plan of Salvation. So we taught them the Restoration and focused in on the blessings that it can have for their family and how it can bring them closer together. It was a great, spirit-led experience all around! I am excited to hear what ends up happening with them. Their names are Alex and Rosalinda Guerrero.
Flautas
Friday we had zone meeting, and I led a breakout session about inspired questions during contacting. So, I was able to draw upon the experience from the night before and that helped a lot. That evening, the Ortega’s invited us over to eat with them one last time. Since Denver Harbor is only five minutes away, we were able to go over there. Also, they invited their daughter Noelia Larios and her daughter Daisy and son Julio from San Jacinto to come as well. It was great to eat flautas with them one last time. I stuffed my face! It was sad saying goodbye to them! I will miss them so much!
Rough Experience for the Elders
Saturday was a really busy day! We visited a lot of people and taught some good lessons. By far the craziest thing that happened, though, was at night. There are two other missionaries who live in our apartment complex. They were biking home at night when they saw someone get shot by the side of the road right outside our complex! They tried to help the man and they were doing CPR. From what they said, he was pretty messed up and was coughing up blood and bleeding everywhere. They did everything they could to help him and comfort the family but by the time the paramedics came, he died – right there in their arms. Needless to say that was a really traumatizing experience for the two elders. We went by their apartment and we stayed up pretty late into the night with them, calling people about the transfers and also trying to comfort the elders. One of them was really, really shaken. It was a really scary thing. I can’t imagine what that would have been like. They are OK now though.
Last Day at Church in Texas
Yesterday was my last time going to church in Houston. After church we had some more meetings and then we ate with and said goodbye to Jose and Ruth Tenorio, who go to Houston 7 but live in Magnolia. Then we said goodbye to the Garza family. They are awesome!
After that we went to Pasadena for Ricardo Sandoval’s baptism, which I told y’all about last week. It was a great baptism. He was so prepared and so happy and of course, his family was too. I said goodbye to Julianna which was really sad 🙁 and after that we went to the Quintanilla’s house for dinner and said goodbye to them! They are an awesome family!
I have met so many great people on my mission! I think that is the biggest impact my mission has had on me – the people I have met. They have truly changed my life and I love them! My heart will always be here in Texas with the people I love.
Pawned
Today I am going to pawn my bike (sniff) and then go to the church one last time to ball hard! Then we will go teach for a little bit, and hopefully I can get one last, good knocking session in before a farewell that Hna. Mercedes is giving me.
Things don’t really feel real yet. It feels like I’m just getting transferred. It took me about 30 mins. to pack yesterday, since I’m leaving alot behind or just burning it. It was so fast, it was crazy. Really weird stuff. Tomorrow we will wake up early and go to Kingwood for transfer meeting and there I will bear my testimony for the last time. Then we will spend the rest of the day in the mission home with the other departing missionaries and the assistants (I’m excited to hang out with Elder Erickson, my old comp, all day tomorrow!!!) Then President will make us dinner and we will have our final interviews.
Wednesday, we will have breakfast, go to the temple, and then go to the airport. I’ll come back to Utah and give my family a huge hug and spend the day with them, and then my new life will begin…
“It started out as a feeling,
which then turned into a hope.
Which then turned into a quiet thought,
which then turned into a quiet word.
And then that word grew louder and louder,
’till it was a battle cry.
I’ll come back, when it’s over.
No need to say goodbye.”
THE GOSPEL IS TRUE!!!
Love,
Elder Viitanen