Seven weeks to goal

Elder Ludlam and Elder Brooks

Dear Family,

Way to go Lia.  You got the speech.

Well, I guess this is the last Bellevue letter.  I am still waiting for my dear elders to come in so I don’t know anything about your exodus preparations.  How are you going to write during the reunion?  Is Dad going to be able to go?

Well, Elder Brooks and I are still fighting to put a program together, but we haven’t gotten anything yet.  We’ve got a bunch of references, so hopefully there will be somebody good in there. 

I have 7 weeks left.  I gave myself the goal of ending with 40 baptisms but I still have 8 to go.  I think I’m going to have to pick things up.  Did they talk to you on your mission a lot about ending with no regrets?  That is what I am thinking about, a lot.  For my birthday, I found a book of piano sheet music so we went to the chapel on p-day and played for a while.  I am not sure it was such a good idea because I kept thinking about all the songs afterwards.  I had to go through piano withdrawals.

Well, I hope everything goes well with the move.  I imagine you're all going through a lot.  Hope to hear from you all soon.

 

Love,
Nanly

Maybe it's about time...

Legal Drinking Age: An important moment in every young man´s life (Grant's wrote this as his title for the week)

Dear Family,

How are you all doing?  When is your talk, Mom?  I’m sorry I haven’t sent anything.  My favorite obedience line is from la manual misional (the Missionary Manual) p. 4. “Si hace esto, el Señor le bendecirá y usted se convertirá en un mensajero de la verdad...Al obedecer con un corazón bien dispuesto, le demostrará al Señor su amor por Él, se ganará la confianza de los que son miembros y los que no lo son y tendrá derecho a la compañía del Espíritu Santo.”  (If you do this, the Lord will bless you and you will become a messenger of truth.  Obeying with a willing heart, you will demonstrate your love for the Lord, you will gain the confidence of those who are members and those who aren’t, and you will have a right to the companionship of the Holy Ghost). The last one is my favorite.  I hope you like it.  It’s pretty missionary oriented, but it’s still good anyway.

View from our apartment

Things have been going well with Elder Brooks. We had a first good week.  Our ateo (atheist) came to church again and had another really good experience. After church was over, the whole Elder’s Quorum stayed behind for like 45 minutes to keep answering his questions about doctrine, how they gained a testimony, and how the gospel has changed their lives.  It was a good experience for him.  His mom said that he was really impressed the first time, too, even if he didn’t want to let it on.  A pesar de todo ésto, he still has his doubts.  The other day he said, "Me cuesta creer en un zombi-judío con quien puedo comunicarme telepaticamente para expiar los pecados de una mujer-costilla que comió de un árbol mágico.  (It’s a little hard for me to believe in a zombie-Jew with whom I can communicate telepathically who can atone for the sins of a woman-rib? that ate from a magic tree).  I thought it was cute-- in a sacrilegious kind of way.

We’ve been working hard on practicing Spanish with Elder Brooks.  I think Elder Velasquez and I have been talking too much in English.  Hopefully things will get back under control.

My favorite bread store on the corner

We found a good family the other day contacting. When we knocked on the door, we talked with the guy for a few minutes through the window. After, he decided to let us in, we invited them to church.  He looked at his wife and said, "Maybe it’s about time."  (I choose to translate that like all those Mormon ads)  Anyways, after finishing lesson one, his wife went to get us some drinks and he leaned closer to us and said, "Look, hermanos, I don’t know why you’re in my house. I am the kind of guy to just tell you to go away because I’m busy.  For some reason, when you asked to come in, I just decided to let you in."  His wife already has a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  She had listened to the missionaries a while ago, but never had really read the Book of Mormon, but knows she is interested and wants to keep listening.  They both want to turn their lives around, but they’ve got a couple desafíos (challenges).  We’ll keep working with them.

We are hoping to go to the Malecón next to our house to take some pictures.  Maybe I can send some later.

Love, Mr. Bubbly

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

Deep Toy Story Wisdom ☺

Dear Family,

No one has said anything about changing my homecoming date to me.  What did the email say?  Thanks for all the parts of talks that you sent me.  They helped.

This past week we’ve been using a list of inactive members that our bishop gave us to find part member families to teach.  So far it has been working pretty well.  Hopefully we can get some of them to church in the next few weeks.   

I’ve been thinking about Toy Story recently.  I guess if the scriptures ever stop being a source of revelation, I still have Pixar.  Buzz and Woody both have problems with pride and self worth.  Woody has small person pride because he wants to tear Buzz down.  He had everything how he wanted it as the ruler of his own little world until Buzz comes along.  Buzz has big person pride.  His self worth is connected to his ability to do impossibly difficult things.  As they both come to the realization they are actually inconsequential in the world, it literally puts Woody in a cage and it straps Buzz to a bomb (which I guess both could hold symbolic meaning).  The only way they can find a way out is when they actually start communicating and they help to free each other.  

What would you give me on the AP Lit exam for that, Lia?  That’s my little analysis.  Every once in a while I think to myself, "You are a toy.  You are a child’s plaything."

Well, we have changes this next week.  I think I will miss Elder Velasquez.  I won’t say I’m not really tired of the ward, but at least I had a good companion. 

I love you all.  I am excited that I will be able to see Lia.  I was looking at all the sister pictures you sent me for Christmas and thought to myself, "Skype is just not going to cut it."  What day do you head off to school, Lia? When did you say the moving date is?  It’s coming up isn’t it?

Love Nanners

What Nan's Thinking About

Dear Family,

How are you?  We are off today to take out an uñero (ingrown toenail).

We are trying to help reactivate a hermana (sister) in our ward and then baptize her kids, but progress is difficult.  She came to church yesterday, but doesn’t want to accept the Book of Mormon.  She always comes up with interesting reasons why she thinks what she is reading isn’t original.  We have decided we probably shouldn’t focus so much on her testimony of the Book of Mormon and just commit her and her family to start following the commandments, since that’s really what’s important. 

We did have some good Bible bashing last night, though.  Christ is the God of the Old Testament.  You can see God.  Our spirits don’t die.  None of these things are really the point of the gospel or are really that important, but at least we set the record straight.  I figure if we can get her to use the Book of Mormon to teach the different principles she needs to live, and she lives them, then she will not have any problem accepting the Book of Mormon.  She is reading and coming to church after all.  

I am grateful for prayer.  I have been trying recently to get daily instruction through prayer.  When you know what you need to do and Who is asking you to do it, it is easier to get work done. That’s what Nan’s thinking about.
 

Feely

I realized I need to do better at celebrating the triumphs of others.  Sometimes I forget we are all on the same team even when I don't like how some people do things in the church.  There are differences of administration of gifts, but it is the same God who worketh it all.  I think I just need to focus on doing what the Lord wants me to do, no matter how large or small.
 

Well, I love you all.

Brother Nan

Prepare for Your Interview

Grant didn't write a formal letter last week due to our attempts to communicate with him by phone on Mother's Day.  I just posted his little blurb of 5/14/12 for posterity's sake!

Dear Family,

I am sorry to hear that Granny has passed away.  I guess it is true that she was ready to go.  I had been feeling this was going to happen for the past few months.  I am glad I was able to send something to her.

It was great to get to talk to you all last week, although I like how we did it in the past more.  I would have liked to have been able to have talked with everyone one on one.  It was harder to talk to everyone at once. I guess that is how we are supposed to teach as missionaries, focus on people one by one.

Jenny Gomez and her daughter Melisa

I really like the note you sent in the last package I received where David O. McKay talks about how our PP interview with Christ will be.  One of the very effective tactics that PMG and Presidente Montalti have taught is that we need to focus our teaching on the questions for the entrevista bautismal (baptimsal interview).  Not only does it help make the investigators more comfortable about the interview, it helps the missionaries know where the investigator is struggling and what they need to teach.  I guess the same is true for our entrevista celestial (celestial interview).  Everything we do with our investigators we can ask, ¿is this helping my investigator to be better prepared to answer one of the baptismal questions?  We can ask ourselves the same thing about our final interview.  It is good to have the questions ready.

Fernando Silva, far left, next to Rafael Suarez

This week we have been teaching a man named Rafael "Chalupa" Suarez.  He is an ex futbolista and had a bad knee surgery and is waiting for funding to repair it.  He has been really receptive. He said he is not that proud of everything he’s done in the past (I think he feels empty from his soccer career) and wants to spend the last of his days tranquilo (in peace) and just get to church every Sunday.  We are happy for him.  I think he is going to buy a white shirt and tie this week.
 

Feely

This week I talked with Elder Packard about Perfectionism.  He said if I learn to 1. be more and more assertive in my interactions with others and 2. learn to set realistic expectations for myself and for others, then I will feel less and less anger and fear.  I need to learn to stop criticizing myself and others.  I am still kind of struggling with it all though.  I got really frustrated the other day for not studying well enough how I can balance working hard with enjoying what I am doing in my life.  It seemed kind of ironic to me.

Anyway, I love you all,

Hey you, mister 123

Phone Problemas

We tried all Mother's Day to reach Grant on his cell phone, but were not able to get through.  We received this message the following morning.  We had a wonderful visit with Grant on the phone Monday evening.  We were even able to Sykpe Daddy B in from New Jersey.

Dear Family,

I am sorry about the call.  Our phone sometimes has some problems. Would it be easier for me to just call you from a phone booth?  I don't have permission to do Skype.  I don't even know how to get in.  I could write later if they tell me I can do it. I was thinking of just calling you at 5-6 pm.  Is there anyway Dad could do a conference call? 

Love, Grant