Esta semana

Buenos dias,

Well I hope the family got my pictures. I sent two sets of them and they were both pretty full packages. there's between 80 and 100 pictures in there in total and I wrote on the back of them, hopefully that counts as a letter for last week. It was really fun to go through those and see all the stuff that has happened since I last sent you all letters. We've had so much good going on, it's just awesome. Well today we are getting e-mails done pretty early because I am heading out to the city, Chicago! I'm really stoked, I haven't been there since I got to have the downtown tour on my first day here. Can you believe it's been almost 6 months since getting out here into the field? Obviously the MTC counts as mission time, but excluding that, I've been in Chicago for almost 6 full months! Crazy.

Wow this is weird. We're doing our e-mails in another set of elders' club house at their apartments, and there is a stereo system and they're playing punk rock. It's been so long since I heard something that wasn't the Nashville Tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith or MoTab that it's really weird. But in the words of President Stoddard (mission president here before President Doll), "If you can't avoid it, enjoy it!" So now they're playing the song "Click, Click, Boom." I don't know if I'm going to listen to this kind of music when I get back, its pretty harsh. Ooh but now it's an older Alice in Chains song... they're so weird, but it's kinda cool.

Anyway back to the letter. Well what's new in Bloomingdale IL? We are all very excited for the double-baptisms on the 10th. Overall that is going to be a good day, because everyone in our district has a baptismal candidate for that day. Also, we got a new investigator this week. I've known her since I came here but she never showed interest in the church like she is now, and so we're teaching her. Her name is Nataly and she's 15 years old. She is from Columbia, and pretty much lives with her aunt. I think I've only been to her aunt's house once when Nataly hasn't been there. Her aunt, Hna. Claudia Rodriguez, is a very strong member of the church and she is very excited that Nataly is now coming to church again and wants to work toward being baptized. Maybe that will help bring her uncle, Wilson Ramirez, to come to the gospel. Nataly has been to several churches, but hasn't attended any one consistently. She said that she has problems with the beliefs that many of them have and she sees holes in their logic and in their ideas. For being 15, she's easily as smart and aware as most of my friends my age. She digested information from the first and second lessons all in one sitting and really understood what we were trying to teach her. That's extremely unusual in an investigator of any age. As a matter of fact, oftentimes we would be talking and she could head off where the conversation was going by explaining to us and to herself exactly what we were going to ask her about. She said that she would work toward being baptized, but that she wanted to read and pray about everything before she made a commitment in setting a date. So we are going to set that date with her this coming appointment. I have a feeling she will be getting baptized this coming transfer. I would really like to see her baptism so I really hope I stay here this transfer. I will know as of this coming Tuesday what God's will is for me, and whether I stay or go. All signs from President, the Zone Leaders and my companion indicate that I will be training and District Leader here in Bloomingdale this coming transfer, so I'm ridiculously nervous, but also kinda excited. I'm really young in the mission to be doing any of that, so we'll see.

I got a letter from Taylor from the MTC, and one from Eric as well, so I'm writing them back, but I hope that Meadsy is still doing good in the MTC and that everyone is happy and loving the work as much as I am. They are going to be responsible for awesome works for good.

Speaking of Meadsy, I picked up my French Livre de Mormon this morning, and I realized how much better my Spanish is than my French when I started using my Spanish Libro de Mormon to clarify what it was saying. Thankfully, however, I can still understand the majority of the French, and I think some of it is coming back to me as I perfect my Spanish. The members of the Branch keep telling me how much my Spanish has improved since I first got here. I still somewhat speak one sentence at a time, in stead of thinking and speaking in paragraphs or full ideas. However, I've realized that's kinda what I do with my English as well now. I speak a lot slower and with more concentration because it's deteriorating a little bit. My letters and e-mails sound good because I go back and pour over what I wrote and correct everything, but at times when I'm speaking I say things funny and/or I forget the english word. It's aggravating. Hna Buckner is right, my brain doesn't like transferring between languages all the time, but it's necessary. I'm kinda jealous however, because she'll come home with a sweet Chilean accent and I sound like I got caught somewhere between Mexico, Columbia and Uruguay.

Well hey, I've got to go now, but I love you all and I know that this is the work of God. I know that He blesses us when we are obedient to His word and we are diligent in doing good continually. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know that without His help and His Atonement I am truly nothing. I know that the plan of Salvation is real and that it works and we are living it every day and every second.

Con Amor,

Elder J.