Grateful Dad is good from surgery

Hola Padres y todos las otras!                August 8 2011

Como estan? Well this week went by crazy fast. There were some days that drug on and were long while they happened, but overall, the week just cruised by! I guess that is what happens as the mission moves forward and I get farther and farther into it.

Last week was a pretty good P-Day. We were able to do some things to relax and it helped us enjoy the day a little more. We played another round of golf at a golf course about a half an hour away from here. It was in the middle of no where, but it had some pretty challenging holes and some cool views. It even had a waterfall in the middle of the course. So not too shabby for being in the middle of eastern Utah.

That night we had a good Family Home Evening with a family that Elder Nathan baptized their daughter and reactivated the family. We ended the night by going for a ride in their Jeep on some trails. It was a good way to just relax, but still help others come unto Christ.

Well one of those days that drug on was Tuesday, the day of Dad's surgery. It was pretty hard to keep myself focused throughout the day. I really tried to just stay all about the work, but it just kept coming back into my mind. We were doing service for a guy that is slightly handicapped and we got a call from President Leonard. It took a second for me to realize why he was calling. I also didn’t know if it was going to be good or bad, so I just mustered up all I could and answered the phone. Well luckily it was all good things that he had to say. He also gave me the option to call home, but I just didn't feel that it would be beneficial to me. I wanted to call home, but I think that it may have set me back a little bit. So I decided that it was best for me to just stay focused and keep working. I knew that Pops was okay and that was just the weight lifted off of my shoulders and I didn’t want to put another one on by calling home. So hopefully that makes sense why I didn’t call home.

Well the next day after Dad's surgery we had another baptism. This baptism was of another 10 year old kid named Braxton. This kid is pretty crazy and has ADHD, so it made it a challenge to teach him and have him focus, but it worked out. He was also taught by Elder Nathan last year as well. So Elder Nathan is working on the business he didn’t finish when he was here last year. The funny thing is that we didn’t have a jumpsuit small enough for him to wear, so we gave him an adult small and just rolled it up. So when he had it on, he looked like he had parachute pants on, the style that MC Hammer used to wear. Elder Nathan did the baptism and then yesterday I was able to do the confirmation. That was a little nerve wracking. I had never done one in English and I was comfortable with all of that stuff in Spanish, because that was how I learned them, but to try and learn and memorize all that stuff in English is new to me.

This week we have been finding just a ton of new people to teach. They range from 9 year old kids to 65 year old Texan guys. It is just crazy to see how you can touch the lives of so many different people with just one single message. The only down part is that we haven’t been able to find any new investigators in Spanish. That is the main struggle here is trying increase the Spanish work, but at the same time not let the English work suffer. It is something that is just hard to find that perfect blend or balance.

Well on a random fact, we helped a family pack up a U-Haul this week.  The random part is that they are from San Diego (where Elder Nathan is from), they are living in Wellington, and they are moving to Yakima. It is a really strange connection that they have with Elder Nathan and I.

I am glad that you are both doing well and recuperating well. It is nice to hear that Aunt Debi is there and is taking care of you both! Just keep strong and fight the good fight!

Live it, Love it, Preach it!     LES AMO!!!      ELDER D