A Weather Delay!!

Hi Mom,

Well my first baptism did go through, and it was quite the experience. We didn't really know how to use the font, and so the water was well over 100 degrees for the baptism. We'll just say that he was baptized by water that felt like fire, and then by fire. Besides that, it was actually great. I was excited to see the change in his life, and his reaction. Honestly though, I didn't do much. He was ready for baptism before I even got to Sherman, and probably before my companion even started teaching him. The Lord blessed us with being able to meet with him.

Unfortunately, none of our other investigators were able to make it. We invited almost everyone, but no one came. There were however about 30 members there, most of which were his friends. He has a great group to keep him active in the gospel.

As for the rest of our investigators, we aren't having much luck with scheduling return appointments still, because of their crazy lives. They are all willing to let us come in when ever we are in the area though. I hope we will have more success with that this week.

We had some other things happen this week as well. On Wednesday we were asked if we could teach seminary right before mutual. It was a great experience. I do know now though a little about how Dad feels after every talk he gives. I wanted to say something to help all of the youth, and I don't know if I did so. The spirit was very strong, and this really strengthened my testimony on the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

The other big event, was that our President sent out a weather warning, because of the possibility of ice on the roads. He said that we shouldn't drive unless we absolutely had too. So, we didn't really do much the past two days, and this is why I am emailing y'all on Tuesday instead of Monday. It wasn't much fun, and by the end of Monday, we had just about gone Crazy. I am glad that we can go back to work now though.

If Eric has any good stories from his mission, can you write them to me?

I love you Mom! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Kyle

 

Hi Dad,

 

This week was great! We taught a lot of lessons, and found a good amount of new investigators. We even had the chance to teach seminary.

 

Answers

1. How did the Baptism go?

The Baptism was very interesting actually. We filled up the font, and the water was way too hot. So, he was baptized by water that felt like fire, and then by fire. He was definitely clean in multiple ways after that baptism.

 

2. Who did the baptizing?

His name is Eric Martinez, and he is a good friend of Roberto.

 

3. Were there a lot of members from the ward?

There were a lot of the youth from both wards at the baptism. Probably about 30 people came in total.

 

4.  Tell us all about it.

The rest of the baptism was a great experience for Roberto. I was excited for him. My companion and I didn't really do much to prepare him for baptism, he was ready before my companion even started teaching him. We were very blessed to have found him.

 

5. How is the work coming?

The ward group is still really small. We have about 10 members that come regularly, and all the other members work on Sundays, or aren't interested much in coming to church. We did however receive a lot of help from the English ward members, and I love all the members here!

 

6. Where are you going for Thanks Giving?

We are going to the Jackmans for dinner. They are an English family in the ward. It should be great!

 

7. Are you enjoying your experience?

I am starting to really enjoy the mission life. At times it is hard to want to go out and work and find people, but I really like teaching people, and being with the members. I have learned and grown so much already, that there is no way I want to stop. I want to keep giving it my all, and I will come to love the work more and more as I do.

 

8. How has your testimony grown?

I can't even describe how much my testimony has grown. I have learned so much and grown so much, mostly from the trying experiences. My testimony on the Atonement of Jesus Christ is really what is grown the most. When ever I feel discouraged, or like I don't want to continue, I rely on the Atonement to carry me on. I am So grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ in my life.

 

9. What kind of service are you doing in this area?

We are working at two more food pantries. In one called Share ministries, we are so loved and appreciated by the people there, and I have come to love everyone there as well. There are some great people here in Texas!

 

10. What experience did you have this week? 

We didn't have any really big experience this week, but we did have a chance to teach Seminary last Wednesday which was so much fun. Our topic was Mosiah 3, the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I love teaching about the Atonement! I also know a little about how you feel after giving talks in knowing if you did a good job or not. I wanted to help the youth know more about why the Atonement is so important in our lives. Afterwards you just never know if you did a good job or not. I had fun though, and the spirit was very strong!

 

11. Now that you have been out what should I tell the priests that will help them be ready?

To help the Priests get ready, they should study the scriptures daily! The scriptures are a great tool in missionary work, because it invites the spirit a lot more than us missionaries ever could. If the Priests will read daily from now until they go on their missions, not only will their knowledge be greater, but their testimonies will be as well. The other thing that I would suggest, and this is probably the most important thing they can do, is use and learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They should try to remember Christ all the time, and use the Atonement. I can't think of a better gift that we have than the Atonement, and if we find out why it is so important, our desire to share it with others will grow so much. When we see the blessings that come from the Atonement, and the help we can receive from it, we will do all we can to share it with others. When we start to appreciate the Atonement more in our lives, we will start to Love others more, make better choices, and try all we can to come closer to Christ. As missionaries our purpose is to invite and help others come unto Christ, but we can't help them come to Christ if we aren't there first. If they will do this, they will be great missionaries! I know that the priests will be great missionaries if they continue striving to do the best they can. I have loved being in the same quorum as all of them, and have learned a lot from their testimonies. Let them know how grateful I am to have been with them growing up.

 

Thanks for the letters you write. I love reading them weekly. Good luck with everything getting so busy, and I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving break. I love you!

 

Kyle