So that's the biggest news this week, I´m training. Elder Osmond, who in 6 short weeks became a favorite companion, left to go open an area (cause he´s cool like that) and train as well.
We were pretty sure we were like the least likely people in the Zone to have changes. I have only been in Tatumbla for a change and a half, and he was only here for 1 change. I didn´t cry, but I was pretty sad.
We spent our last day together teaching, and finishing all the food that we didn´t want to share with the new guys. Then I helped him pack and we arranged a ride for the next day.
The Hermanas had changes too, and they were taken out, with Elders taking their place. They hadn´t arranged a ride, and were asking us if they could hop in with us in the Bishop´s CAR (tiny, like commuting car). We told them no, and luckily they found a ride.
We spent a good time talking to people. We received a big group, and a lot of people were training. We finally got sat down and waited to receive our fate.
I received Elder Rodriquez, de Ecuador. He seems pretty cool. Talking with him reminds me how much different I was 6 months ago. More insecure, worried, and doubting my own knowledge. I suppose its good he doesn´t have to learn a language. We of course visited La Abuela First, with all the new guys. An Elder Porter (de Gilbert, Arizona) and an Elder Herrarte (de Guatamala, and new as well) came to replace the hermanas. Abuela was excited to have 4 elders.
Because their house had like no food, they spent dinner with us for the first 2 nights, witch totally cleaned out any real food that we had. I was a bit miffed, more so because I had to break out my {Gringo Card} for the first time. I plan to pay myself back with money I receive from the mission (usually I don´t use that much money). This quinsena was just hard because we did a lot of random activities as a zone. First, we got gifts for each other, and we also got shirts, (which look pretty cool, although I´m not sure if I have pictures of them).
We went and played futbol as a zone today. I didn´t play that much, but it was fun. I got some respect from my Latin comps, but its pretty obvious that I will never play soccer at more than a [for fun] level.
The best part of this week was last night. Because we had divisions, y the other days were full of meetings, I didn´t get to teach with my new (very new) comp until last night. We gave a baby a blessing, and we also taught a mildly hard investigator named José de los Santos. He is just hard because he really likes to bring up scriptures and ask us what we think of them (he did bring up one about false shepherds that come to steal sheep, that was fun!). The divine inspiration of the Lessons was confirmed to me as all of his questions managed to fit perfectly into El Plan de Salvación. Even as we continued talking after the actual lesson, I could feel the guidance of God, and we (together) were able to answer all his questions from the bible. We still are going to have to work to help him receive the Book of Mormon as scripture, but we left him with a desafio a orar, si nuestro mensaje era verdadero. He is really intelligent, and I think that we can baptize him.
We also found a new family, that we are excited to keep teaching. The wife really seems interested, but we are going to have to work with the husband to help him respect us. We ´plan on serving him this week.
Also yesterday, all the youth that are planning on serving missions were called as misioneros del Barrio. We had a great lesson about the difference between being a believer, and being a disciple by the new Second Counselor, a recently returned missionary. He is really good, and is really whipping the ward into shape. It seems that his goal is to make the ward the ward he wanted to have in the mission. We have planned a lot of activities, the one that excites me is that he put the youth in charge of reteaching the lessons to our recent converts. He is planning on them doing it, and put them in companionships. He said that we can help them to prepare, but they need to do it. I am really excited to see how things turn out!
The verdad (truth), this week is looking really up. I am still nervous to train, but I can feel the help of God every day.
Elder Henrie
