August 23, 2010
On Monday night us and the Hermanas (Sister Missionaries) had Family Home Evening at Carlos and Marielos house, and we made Balliadas (Honduras). They turned out okay, but Hna Vallecillo burned her arm a little bit. El martes enseñamos a la hermana de Hna. Mairena, Maritza. Estamos enseñando a ella y a su esposo Jerson, e hija Yaritza. Jerson es muy alcohólico, toma todo el día, todos los días. Es difícil enseñar allí porque el esta tomado, pero estamos tratando de ayudarles cambiar su vida. (On Tuesday we taught Mairena's Sister Maritza. We are teaching her and her husband Jerson and Yaritza their daughter. Jerson is an alcoholic. He drinks all day, everyday. It is hard to teach there because he is always drunk, but we are trying to help them change their lives.)
This week Jessica finally accepted a meta bautismal para Septiembre. (baptismal goal for September) Isa also surprised us this week and told us she wants to be baptized. She has a big smoking problem and drinks a lot of coffee, but she is determined to stop. We wrote out a plan of how she is going to beat her addictions, and we are going to write it out really big so she can see it everyday.
On Wednesday I went on divisions in Turrialba for some important citas (appointments) they had. On Thursday we had district meeting in Cartago. We focused on the topic “how to start lessons”. We read from Preach My Gospel, watched part of the new PMG DVD “The District 2”, and practiced what we learned. The district has been putting it in practice and its really helped. After district meeting we made Balliadas.
Also on Thursday I interviewed Jason, the Hnas investigator, who was going to be baptized yesterday. He passed the interview, and he was ready to be baptized but on Friday, he got home really late after school, and his mom punished him by putting off his baptism for another week. He is set to be baptized this next Sunday, as long as he doesn’t do anything else against his moms liking.
Yesterday we took 5 investigators to church. Jessica, Isa, Jorge, Jerson, and Yaritza. When we went to pick up Jerson he told us he wasn’t going to go because the effects of not drinking alcohol that day, were making him dizzy and he couldn’t walk to the church. We ran to the church and asked a member with a car to take us to pick him up. So we went and picked up Jerson and Yaritza up with the car and took them to church, but in the end Jerson had to leave early because he was feeling to sick and couldn’t take it. Not very many people came to church yesterday, the guy who plays the piano (Hno. Posas, who was in Moravia when I was there) wasn’t there, and the microphone wasn’t working very well, so it wasn’t the best day, but it was good. The Hermanas also brought two investigators to church, Ricardo and Manuel.
After church we went to Quircot, and taught Jorge. We had a long, but great lesson and Jorge agreed to be baptized this next week. Jorge is going to be baptized on Sunday morning along with the Hermans investigator Jason. He is a really cool guy.
After Jorge some of our citas failed us, but we contacted a family and we stopped by Jessica and Isa’s house to see how Isa was doing with fighting her addictions. She is drinking coffee and smoking less and less each day, and she is reading and praying as well. Today we are doing a fast with her so she can stop smoking and drinking coffee. I’m really impressed by how determined Isa seems, because it came out of nowhere.
Last night us and the Hermanas ate dinner at the Familia Morales (Lider Misional) house. It was really good food, and we had a good time. I shared a short message (D&C 128:19) at the end and they are going to have references ready for us this next week. They are a really cool family. I always love asking members how they found out about the gospel, because you get to hear some amazing stories. When its a family that have been members for many years, and they talk about the missionaries that taught them, it makes me wonder if in 30 years, the people I taught will be talking about me as well. *Ü*
Today for P'day we went to the church and played Ping Pong with Mainor (lider misional) and the Hermanas. We played Uno and ordered pizza as well. It was really fun.
The Cartago District baptismal goal for the month is 7. So far we only have 2, Brun and Jazmin from our area. At the beginning of this week it looked like the district was going to be able to pass the goal and 8 more people were going to be baptized this coming week (28th and 29th) making it 10 for the month. That would also mean that everyone in the district would have met their individual area baptismal goals as well. Unfortunately, the 3 people that Turrialba was going to baptize (Diana, Cassidy, and Journey) couldn’t come to church because there “stepfather” wouldn’t let them. He wouldn’t let their mom Patricia (who cant be baptized yet because she’s not married to the guy, and she hasn’t separated from him) goes to church either. Now Diana, Cassidy, and Journey can’t be baptized this week. There is still hope that they will meet their baptismal goal for the month, because we are going to go there on divisions this week and invite some of their other investigators who are ready to be baptized to take that step. So far we will still be able to meet the district goal because our extra baptism will in a way make up for Turrialbas loss, but not really. The important thing is I’m pretty sure that Diana, Cassidy, and Journey will be able to be baptized this next month, because they are a really great family.
Mom, don’t send me a birthday package. They’re too expensive. Save the money so you can spend it on me when I get back. I can buy candy and Pringles here, and its a lot cheaper than sending it.
Elder Tobler
