First week of transfer

Buenos Dias,

This past week has gone really well, we have found some more new investigators and are working with a couple of less-actives and trying to bring them back into activity. We've had a lot of success this week as well as the last, more so in these two than in the entire past transfer. We've been working more closely with the members and trying to get them all involved in the teaching process of all of the investigators and want every investigator to have a friend in the ward. It's crazy, but only one of our current investigators is a member-referral, all the rest were found knocking doors. Really that's rare, most of the time any investigators found knocking are less likely to progress or have their interest evolve into action, so we are very grateful to our God that He has blessed us with new people to teach whom seem really interested in learning the Gospel and who are progressing. We've really been blessed in the past weeks and I know that my Father in Heaven is watching out for us and for His children who He has sent us to. We're seeing little miracles every day and it's really exciting to see. First off, we're teaching Silvia, who has two children Gilberto and Susanna. They are really awesome. Silvia seems very open to the Gospel and has always been very spiritually strong. She was raised Catholic and has always held those beliefs and practiced. She now is willing to hear from us and to learn so that she can be closer to God, because of late she has felt that though she grows closer to her church, she doesn't grow closer to her God. So we're going to help her do that. It's a great thing this Gospel can do, it truly has all the answers to the questions that we have in our lives and helps us to learn and to grow each day. It gives us guidance on how to live and act in every circumstance. If we have a question, all we need to do is ask God for an answer, listen to His promptings, write them down, then turn to scripture, read, ponder, write, and pray again. That's become the formula that I like to use whenever I need to know something for myself.

Another investigator that we have is named Geraldo. He is the boyfriend of a less-active in the ward, and he's very very quiet. He seems open to learn and to do what we ask him to, and I know that as he works to draw himself closer to God, he will help her become reactivated and they can begin to live the commandments together.

The next investigator's name is Joe. He's really cool. He apparently was being taught by the Hermanas that had been in the area, but they had lost contact, and he wasn't in their records so we never re-established it until we found him knocking. He remembers watching the Restauracion video with the Hermanas and he enjoyed it. He also remembered the first lesson and has a copy of the Book of Mormon. So we're going to continue teaching him and help him along the way. He says that we are invited into his house whenever we are in the area and is just an all-around genial guy.

We've made contact with a few other potential investigators whom we will start teaching shortly, if they be willing. I'm glad for the trial that we had for a short while there, because it taught me a lot. I love the revelation given to Joseph Smith while in Liberty Jail. Take some time and read it. To me it's awesome because it talks about how if everything goes wrong it will be for our betterment and we can and will grow from each experience that we have. It's all up to us to become like Job. Also, I never realized the power of the Sermon on the Mount, which I read this morning. I read the version that Christ gives in the Ancient Americas to the people there. He says a few things somewhat differently from how He stated them in Jerusalem, and I came to realize better how much of a perfect teacher He is, not only in what He said to the people there, but in the fact that He caused me to read it today when I could get the most out of it. He truly knows us and knows exactly what we are going through. He wants us to take up our cross and follow Him, because when we do that, we can cast our burdens upon Him. Taking up our own cross seems like a load to bear, but He did it first, and He did it alone so that we never will have to.

Umm..... today I will be making a big purchase or two. I have to get a bike, because our miles got reduced by 240 per month, so there is no way we'll do that. That'll be a pretty big purchase. Then I'm also going to get a new suit either this week or next, because my black one is getting holes in diverse places. Other than that though, I'm pretty good on money. I still have a hundred dollars from this month's alotment and the month is almost over, so I'm going to get some stuff using that.

This e-mail is taking me forever to type because I keep spelling things like you would in spanish, so I have to re-type everything like three times. I'm getting along pretty well in my spanish, por lo menos (can't really remember how to say that in english) I can understand a conversation and talk to everyone about whatever I want. I still make a few grammatical errors and need to work on understanding people on the phone. For some reason it seems like whenever I'm on the phone with someone in spanish it always sounds like they are shouting or mumbling and I can't understand them for the life of me. I definitely need more practice though before I can say that I'm fluent. I think in Spanish sometimes, but when things get hard to say I still switch into english. I'm trying to cut that out though.

Thank you very much for your letter this past week, Mom, it was really awesome to hear from you. I'd love to hear any other news about what's going on.... I feel like I haven't heard much from the friends or family lately. The letters that I've written are getting in the mail today, just need to stamp and mail them.

My new companion is really great, he's new to the spanish program, as he's been in the english program for all but two weeks of his mission. We're working well together and seem to have quite a few of the same interests. It'll be a period of growth for the both of us, as he has a lot to teach me and hopefully I can teach him something too.

I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.

Con amor,

Elder Green.

P.S. You can send me mail much the same way you did in the MTC via DearElder.com if that would make things easier.