November 26, 2012: Week 58

Hey Fam!

I'm doing really good just to start off. My comp is actually from Murray and his name is Bryce Woolston. We have a lot in common so we always talk about stuff for really long times. Only difference is that he likes soccer and I like basketball. Also he's my first comp who's taller then me. By 1/2 inch... He has 2 sisters and 2 brother and he's the oldest, like me.

Investigadores: It's going alright. No one came to church last Sunday....Barely any members came, we dropped from 70 last week to around 40. I just don't get where those 30 people went... Gilberto is doing fine. We actually go by all the time with the first counciler in the bishopric. He's a great guy and really believes that the gospel can help him.
Estela is doing mas o menos. We only met with her once this week because of her ridiculous work schedule. Also when we went to pick her up for church she had gone to visit a friends whose aunt died. Other than them we have people who need to get married.....Such a big problem in Uruguay, and the laws about marriage here are just absurd. First you have to wait like a month just to take out a fecha (date). Then you have to wait another 3 months or so to have your wedding be announced in the big national newspapers. All in all it can take up to 6 months just to get someone married! ya.

We are definitely using the members. In our mission other lessons are pretty much shunned. Right now it's really being pushed to do lessons of retention and do lessons with menos activos and try to find through them. It works really well and you find a lot of part member familes to complete doing it. We've actually found some good people through it. Also we've found a guy and his wife who are really great. Noelia and Paulo. He told us that if God tells him to leave his church and join ours, that he'll do it. Ya, we got really excited like little giddy girls ;) lol!

I wish you could just transfer all your good ideas and successes to me. It would be like having super-missionaries everywhere that don't have to learn how to work effectitively, they would just know.(Edit by Dad: Uh, no. This young man is already a better missionary than I ever was...but that doesn't stop me from giving him ideas! ;) )  But that doesn't happen soo I'll just have to use your advice and use what I know to have success. Of course with using the members.

I haven't found anywhere that does hand tailored suits, but it's alright I have 2 suits now because right before I left a member in Carmelo gave my a jacket that was too small for him. Only problem is I don't have pants to match it.. I can't wait to call you guys either. It will be great to hear your voices and see how your Christmas was.

Fah! I'm super jealous! Clipper-Jazz game! I would love to see Griffin play. We'll still win though. We're just better :) And with BYU, if they don't start Lark in the bowl game then Bronco is making a mistake.

I love you guys and hope that you have great rest of your day! I know that this gospel is true and through it we can have and eternal family.

Love,

Elder Jordan Duke