January 21, 2013: Week 66

How's every one doing?

I'm great! I'm actually in Rivera right now because we came to Rivera for P-day. This week has been good and bad. We had some ups and downs but as always there's always blessing to count and hard times to forget.

So sounds like the renovations are more then you bargained for, lol! Seems to always happen that way no? Hope all goes well and maybe I won't recognize the house when I get back.

So as for the investigators this week. All is great with Carlos Machado and his daughter, who by the way is named Carla. I don't know where I got Alexsandra from... They are getting baptized this Saturday! We have everything planned and it's going to be great! I'm so excited and grateful that I was able to meet such great people and help them come to know of the truth of the gospel. It's really a great experience to be a ble to see someone dressed in white ready to make a covenant with our Heavenly Father. This truly is the work of God and being a missionary has helped me to realize that and build my testimony of that.

 As for Victor it's so-so. We had a good charla (discussion) with him about coming to church and how it will help him throughout the week with his job. He has Sunday as the only day off and he works from 5 am to 10 pm everyday so he's is always really tired. We told him that we know that it's a sacrifice, but one that's worth it. And how all the things that are worth anything in this world require sacrifices. He really has the desire to follow Christ in his life and change it for the better, He just needs a little push to get up in the mornings...lol, kind of like me sometimes ;) but don't worry i still get up on time.

Carlos Nuñez went to Tacuarembó for work and doesn't get back until February, but when he gets back we'll be working with him. Also this week we found some youth that come and play futbol with us sometimes. They are great and we teach them after futbol always but their Mom doesn't want us to come by their house. She's is a less active member and that might be why. I don't know really what to do to convince her to let us teach he kids, but we are going to pray about it and go with the Spirit as our guide. They are all really great kids and it will help them out a lot if we can get them going to church with their Mom. Oh when I put futbol I meant soccer, lol always make that mistake...

Little bit more about my comp. He's from a family of 4. Him, his sister, his Mom and his aunt. His parents are seperated and his dad lives in another city. He has been a member all his life but was inactive before the mission. He really is a great guy, just needs some help remembering things sometimes, since he was gone for so long from the church. He is younger than his sister, He's 20. She's 25 I think... and he's from Arequipa, Peru but i think I already said that.

We've also found some of the investigators and recent converts that Lopez and Tyree were working with and sadly not too many want anything. They had been going by for weeks and didn't progress. We decided to stop visiting a few and find some new people that will progress.
I know that the Lord will help us if we ask for it and we are worthy for it. I asked Pres. Heaton what he wanted accomplished here and he told me to baptize the repentant and find new people through the Spirit. So for the time I'm here in Tranqueras that will be my goal: Find and teach the people so that they can repent and be baptized.

I know that this gosple is true and that through it we will have eternal life. I'm so grateful for the oportunity that I have to serve the people of Uruguay and be able to see the change in them. I know that we can live together forever as a family and I always tell the people here that I have seen the blessings of the gospel in my family's life and for that I want them and their families to have the same blessings. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love, Elder Jordan Duke