This week went great! The whole week we did splits with some youth of the ward and they helped us a lot. My companion is really laid back and we get work done effectively without stressing over numbers or anything. Hes going to finish up his mission in less than three months so he will probably finish up in Los Volcanes. Its also awesome to be able to speak in English during the day again with my companion too!
We are starting a program with families in the ward. Its a four week program and we took it from the dream of Lehi in the Book of Mormon. The iron rod (word of God) leads through darkness to the tree of life. So, we left scriptures with them to read everyday as a family and pray after. There is a goal every week and the first week is just to complete with the scriptures and prayers everyday. The second week, there are more scriptures and the goal is to do service. The thrid week, more scriptures and the goal is to share with a family for their needs. The fourth week, bring a less active family to church or get a refrence for the missionaries! We started with almost fifteen families this past week and we have a list of 15+ more. So, we are pretty excited about that because every missionary knows that working through the members is soo much more effective than knocking on doors (or yelling, here in Chile)!
I didnt tell anybody pretty much about my birthday! Its honestly not a huge deal to me and its just unneeded attention. But, some people had remembered from when they asked me weeks before so investigators, more than members, all wished me a happy birthday. One of our investigators had a cake for me and bought a tie for me! That was awesome. Its crazy to think that I am 20 but even crazier to think that I am 10 1/2 months through the mission! But thank you for all the birthday wishes! I obviously appreciate it a lot!
Luis got confirmed yesterday and I did the confirmation, which was a first for me! His sister has gone to church 4 times and goes to all the activities but their mom still doesnt want to give her permission to get baptized. Elizabeth and Victor, the couple we have been teaching, went to church again and I was really happy. They arent progressing according to numbers, since they dont have a baptismal date, but are really progressing spiritually. Victor would never pray in his old church but now does it almost every time we share with him! Elizabeth has been getting long visits from her Baptist pastor of how wrong she is by sharing with us and going to church. But, she is staying strong and has felt that the Book of Mormon and the church is true so that is all she has to tell him!
Thats it! Love yall!
Elder Gregory
