December 23, 2013

"Merry Christmas to Y'all"

Merry Christmas Y'all!

This past week was a great week leading up to Christmas! We were able to set some baptism dates and get people to church! That's pretty good right? Haha! But I want to start off by saying that mother nature down here cannot make up her mind. One week is warm and the other is cold. Last night we froze to death biking home, but 3 hours before, we could walk outside with shorts on and be warm! It is so up and down I can't take it. But it is what it is.

This week we were able to teach the Vega family. They were a referral from Austin and have been taking the missionary lessons down there. We met with them on Monday, and are so solid! They know that the Book of Mormon was true as soon as they started reading it! That never happens! It was so cool!! We set a date for them for the 28th. We met with them 3 times this week to start teaching them the lessons before their baptism. However, they did not come to church on Sunday. That is all they had to do!!! We have taught almost everything except 2 things, but now we have to push it back because we want them to come to church twice before they get baptized so they don't just get baptized and not come ya know? So frustrating! But they will be baptized though. It will be pushed back on to the 4th on January. Which is still great!

We were also able to meet with Jason this week too. This was our first lesson with him for me and Elder Hyde. Me and one of the Zone Leaders had been teaching him before. It was a little different for him at first, but once we cracked a couple jokes to show that we are normal people too, he became more comfortable. We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. He really loved it and is excited to be baptized. The really cool thing is that we prayed to know when a good date for him to be baptized would be. The member who he want to baptize him has a really crazy schedule. But once we set the date, he told us the a couple days before, he just decided to request that weekend off from work! So now he will be able to baptize him for sure! How awesome it that?! We thought it was so cool! His date is the 11th of January! Whaoo!!

Keva is starting to take a turn for the worst, sorta. We weren't able to meet with her all week, but we called her and invited her to a baptism on Saturday to see how it is done. She came and then we gave her a church tour. She loved it and she said she would come to church. But knowing the pattern of commitments she has said she would keep and do, she didn't come. So we are deciding what we should do with her. So we are praying to know.

Christmas here is different without snow, but the spirit is still strong down here! I love this time of year! There are a couple Mormon Messages that y'all should check out! It just says again what we need to focus on during this time of year! Luke 2 tells about the Christmas Story and so does 3 Nephi 1:9-21. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! I love you all! Thank you for your emails!

Elder O'Brien