Logan - Valencia Week 5

6.16.08

Thanks for the great letter as always Dad, This week I recived letters from Audrey and Jessica. I really enjoyed your ideas about the work its funny because you and I think a lot alike. I am constantly trying to find ways to improve the whole system and it really comes down to the ward. Unfourtanetly our ward mission leader ignores our calls and its very frustrating to try and work through him. We have a corrilation meeting once a week and last week I asked what good are we accomplishing here? and everyone confessed nothing....SO I asked what do we need to do to make this worth while?

We meet with the ward mission leader and tell him about our investigators and that we need members for specific appointments and give datres and times. Unfrountanetly that is about all that happens. So I am trying to move the meeting to sunday after church and get the elders qurom pres and relief society pres so they can specifically ask people under them to help us for each apt. Its a work in progress.

We have been meeting with older people before medio dia and its great practice for sharing lessons and scriptures. Last week we went to Felipes and did a lesson with his wife he is 84. We were teaching his wife and he started singing left the room then came back in his boxers dancing. It was funny to see I dont think he is all there because when we asked him about it on sunday he said he only dances when hes drunk lol hopefully he wasnt drunk.

I am glad you are working with Elder North and Homer they are both great Elders I reall liked teaching with Elder North before I left I use a lot of his teaching skills now. The ward needs to help the missonarys a lot more here the stake president came and spoke about it pretty bluntly. The ward needs to be strong and be friend investigators and also give refrences and assit the missonaries with teaching apts. I am glad you are doing this I am sure they really appreciate it.

Our stake president said you coome to church but you are less active you need to shine more. Thats the problem so many people just go through the motions even some of the missionares here just going through the motions not really trying to help people and the ward. I feel like we have a done a pretty good job at building the ward we should be leaving it twice as strong as we found it.

IN the way of buisness I am wondering if you can send me a venus fly trap seed with maybe a little instruction booklet on growing them. I really want a venus fly trap so see if you can make that happen. Also if you could seend a begginer Yoga book and your wind tunnel skydiving video all the elders want to see that and we can on p days.

Thanks for the advice about Valencia we are renting bikes today and bike through a dried up river bed they turned into a park. The Oceanographic sounds great too we are going there nect transfer its the 2nd largest aquraiom in the world.

Our new Investigator Patricia is doing very well she is quitting smoking and is going to get baptized on the 28th with nelson. The last apt we had with her she just kept saying how did you know to knock on my door right then when my heart was open. She had just hung up on her mom that was trying to share our religion with her and her brother a few days prior she did the same too. They are members in Columbia and were trying to tell her to go to church to fix her problems. Then we knocked on her door and she started crying and let us in. Its amazing how God will guide us if we listen to the promptings of the holy ghost. She called her mom and brother and we got to talk to them they said how greatful they were we found her and asked us when she was getting baptized. Its just funny because when we were at he building it was the last building and raining we were both cold and wanted to go home but then we thought just one more and thats where we found her.

I am proud of all the missionaries here they are great young men all eagle scouts and seminary graduates all the ones ive met so far anyway,

I miss surfing as well but cant wait to go on some more adventures when I get back I ve already been out 4 months if you can believe that. Sarah good job on the surfing i am impressed you will have to send some pictures. Jessica good luck with the baby no one has told me her name yet! Emily I hope the work is going well there keep it up. COby I would love to hear from ya.

Love you all Elder G