Buenos Dias :)

Well, this week has been up and down, but pretty good for the most part. Some fun updates: Magali and her family (including her husband) came to church and are really starting to like it. However, the Gospel Principles teacher was sick and Hermano Perez (who is one of the counselors of the branch and super awesome) taught. The only problem was that he knows so much info about the gospel that he got really caught up in little details. He was supposed to teach about the Sacrament and ended up going off about how our spirits look like our bodies, just without flesh, and how Christ had nails in His hands AND wrists, and off about the Plan of Salvation...it was intense and our investigators were confused, to say the least. We're probably going to have to go over and re-teach the Sacrament this week, so they understand what is really is. Magali's husband has agreed to start taking the lessons as well (instead of just joining in randomly when he feels like it), so we'll probably start with Lesson 1 with him this week.

We had a great lesson with María last week (Hermana Ascue, a member, came and helped us find some of her doubts and concerns), and she committed to read the BOM every day, but she still has been having some family problems and hasn't made it out to church in a few weeks. Bummer.

We set a baptismal date with Alejandro last night! Woot! It's pretty exciting, and hopefully he'll be baptized next month. Hopefully all goes well this week as we teach him about the Word of Wisdom and commit him to give up drinking...we'll see how that goes. He knows it's bad though, so hopefully all will go well. Oh, our lesson with him last night was in the church with Hermano Ascencio and we had a church tour and it was great!

We had a "pass-off lesson" with the Spanish Elders on Sunday, sort of. It wasn't really a pass-off because they were more like Potential Investigators, as opposed to Investigators. I think I mentioned them before though. They love us (because their daughter is on a mission) and they love to hear anything we have to say, but they are pretty hard-core Catholic and have no intention of changing that anytime soon (we'll see though). We had dinner with them on Sunday with the Elders, introducing them, and helping them feel comfortable with them, and then we read and shared a message on faith. Hopefully the Elders will be able to keep a good connection with them and soften their hearts a little bit ;)

We picked up a new investigator named Elizabeth who is crazy talkative. Our lessons are so long with her because she just talks so much. Her life is kind of crazy and she's going through some really hard things, so she just wants to talk to us for hours and we can't do that, sadly. The good news is though, that she's reading and interested in what we have to teach. She is so sweet!

Well, I wish I were better at Spanish and learning it faster. I'm grateful for how much I do know, but I really need to be more disciplined in language study and speaking it whenever possible. Hermana Ruíz and I usually speak in English, so I'm not learning as fast as I'd like, but that's my fault. I need to be more humble and patient with myself. It's hard though. Oh! The worst news this week! I lost my Planner! It's awful! I never realized how important that little book is and how attached to it I would be. I have more to use, but there was so much information in that little book! Ugh. I lost it last night, probably in the Moraga apartments (where Alejandro lives), so hopefully we'll have time to go look for it today.

So the Ward Mission Leaders have been in Mexico for the last 2 months (I've never met them) and finally got back in town yesterday. We're going to go meet them and have a correlation meeting with them tonight. Hopefully they will help the work move forward even more so. To be honest, the branch here is so great. Hermana Ruíz keeps telling me that I am going to be very disappointed in my next area because no where else has leaders that are so involved and members so willing to help.

Well, I think that's all for this week. I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and have nothing to contribute to the work...but I'm learning and trying to work hard each day. I know this is where the Lord wants me to be. He loves us, each and every one of us, and he knows us so well. His gospel is real.

Con amor,

Hermana Escalante