Happy Birthday...a week early!

Grant got his birthday package!  This means he got his new camera! The shades didn't break!

Elder Ludlam's district in Solana, Guayaquil

Grant and Elder Silva (on his way to Chile)

Elder Ludlam, Elder Garcia, Elder Velasquez (Grant's last companion), Elder Silva

 Grant's new companion, Elder Brooks, Mesa AZ

Dear Family,

Well, it looks like I may be ending my days here in Solana.  Maybe they’ll transfer me for my last three weeks.  Elder Velasquez got moved to the ward right next to Solana with an Argentine companion.  He’s been wanting a Latino companion badly.  Elder Silva left for Chile.  My new companion’s name is Elder Brooks from Mesa,  AZ.  He has about 7 months in the mission.  He has a brother that just got back from his mission in Rascaguas, Chile, también.  I got the birthday stuff and have tried to take as many pictures as possible.  I hope you’re impressed.

I talked with Elder Johnson and he confirmed that my homecoming date is Aug 7.  I think almost everyone from my group is going home early to study so they just sent me home with them.  So much for trying to extend.  I guess I am coming home early anyway.

I am going to miss Elder Velasquez.  I think he was losing patience with me, but it was nice to have someone who was always willing to work.  We found a young man named Miguel Angel.  He is really interested in the church, but has read some a lot of atheist stuff, so he’s all confused.  He has been researching a lot of different religions and beliefs to try and find answers.  He had already started reading the beginning of the Book of Mormon online before we found him.  We gave him a real copy and he’s already in 2 Nephi 2.  He’s been having doubts with Adam and Eve.  He had a great time at church.  He seemed affected by the brotherhood exhibited by the young men.  Hopefully he will keep coming. 

The problem is that he has wanted to come closer to Christ for a few months now, and has many positive spiritual experiences.  He has told us he continues to feel these things when he reads the Book of Mormon, but has convinced himself these feelings are psychologically induced and does not want to accept them.  We have been stressing the fact that if we know the Book of Mormon is true, then we can know that Christ really was the Son of God and that he was able to complete a perfect atonement for all mankind.  He has lots of questions, but we’ve told him that we can continue answering his questions and concerns, but without a growing testimony of the Book of Mormon, we will never get anywhere because we have nothing to build on.  There will always be doubt.  We’ll see if he can pick it up this week.

Wilson story (for a gift our family was making at home):  One time in one of my lessons with Anna, I could not keep a steady rhythm so she took out the metronome, but it did not make any difference in my playing . She then took out two drum sticks and began cracking them together a few inches from my ear to help me keep the beat.  When this did not result in any change in my performance, she began hitting them together harder and harder.  I opined that if she kept doing so, something was going to get broken.  She said that we were going to continue doing this until I could stay on beat.  A few moments later, one of the sticks snapped clean in half.  It was one of the greatest "I told you so" moments of my life.

Hope you like it.  There was another time when my brakes stopped working on my bike on a scout trip and I crashed into Isaac.

Well, much love,
Sha-Nanner-gins