Hi All,
Obtaining referrals in this area is rather difficult and knocking doors is mostly unproductive so we do a lot of street contacting combined with tracting to find new people. We're also raiding the area book to look for old investigators and good contacts from past missionaries. As for the area, it's really not that big in my opinion. I can walk from one end to the other in about a half hour, that's moving like a missionary though. Ya know, on the wings of the Spirit and all.
As for the weather, it's been interesting....we've had a 3 or 4 days of rain this week and this last saturday was what I would call a torrential downpour. Granted, I was prepared with my trench coat and umbrella so it really wasn't all that bad. Once I get walking, I'm almost too warm for just my trench coat. It's during studies in the morning that's the coldest because we sit for 2 hours.
We went to go visit Joel on friday of this last week and thats when things started to go a lot better. We'd talked about fasting with him in district meeting and we got into the lesson with him the next day. I had this impression that we should start fasting right then and there. So, unplanned, I commited the three of us to do so. We had service the next day, breaking old plaster off of the walls of a members home. Well, an hour into it, I was exhausted. Turns out chipping at plaster is really really hard when you've been fasting for about 20 hours. Anyways, we got to his house after service and closed our fast and talked about how he felt and what he'd learned during the fast. He started talking about a couple of things that he thought of that he'd forgotten about that might make it possible for him to get a job. I testified to him that it was the Spirit that had brought those things to his rememberance as a result of the fast. Like I said, he's now on his way to baptism and to work. Fasting without a purpose is just starving yourself. With a purpose, fasting brings about miracles.
The ward priesthood are really stepping up and supporting Joel. He's still looking for work, but what happens is he needs a new ID card because his is expired and he also needs a proof of health. But what happens is that he literally has no money. He has water that he gathered before they cut it and he has no power. He gathers food from the farmers markets that has fallen and that's how he survives. It looks like he's going to be able to get the documentation that he needs and he's on track to be baptized the 30th of this month!
Also, we've a 9 year old girl of a less active grandma that we're teaching and she's to be baptized the same day! There's also an older couple named carlos and iria that we're working with. Recently Carlos had a tumor removed from his left ear, as a result of skin cancer. They were investigating a while back, but his bed ridden mother was living with them so they really couldn't make it to church. His mother having died 5 months ago, they feel like they're ready to start taking steps in the right direction. They can't come to church til next month because Carlos really can't be outside for too long and the church isn't that warm at all so his ear would possibly be damaged by the continued exposure to the cold. So, the doctor says that he's good to go by the end of this month. Hopefully we can get them baptized by the 15th or so. We'll see what happens
There's a member in my area that made the michael Jackson thriller knock off leather coats in the '80's and there's also a really good Michael Jackson impersonator in the next ward over. Before I leave this area I'm going to try and get some pictures with him. He's a temple worker and I think the Elders Quorum President in that ward, which I was surprised to hear. Funny guy though.
Elder Andy
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