4/26/10

This week has been pretty slow! We're trying to find new investigators that actually want to hear the message now and transfers are coming up next sunday. So we'll see if I get moved or not. I doubt I will, but we'll see! Our most interested investigator right now is Stephanie. She is 21 Years old, has a 2 year old daughter and one on the way. We ran into her at the bus stop and gave her a BoM and then the next day, she was walking out of a nail salon and a car jumped the curb and hit her! Her 2 year old went flying about 5 feet in the air and she rolled over the car, broke her nose, and lost her two front teeth. She has them in now, cause they were able to find them, but her nose is a little swollen still. Amazingly, NOTHING happened to her baby or 2 year old! All is well!

We called her the other day and she said "Wow! it was a miracle you talked to me. The next day this and this happened and in the hospital all I had with me in my purse was your book. Can you guys come over sometime? Is that ok?" haha, we said "Of course that's ok!" so we went over the next day. She seems really interested and she's a total sweetheart. Her mom even invited us over for dinner sometime! Her sister, Nemesis (19) is also going to start sitting in on our lessons. It's going really great with them!

Rosa is our next closest I'd say. Flor is a recent convert from Peru and she lives with her sister Rosa, brother, mom Vilma, and dad. Vilma has been taking our lessons and likes it, but won't be baptized unless all her kids want to. She doesn't want to rip the family apart. Randomly, a girl in the english ward started talking to Rosa at school and Rosa said "if you go with me I'll talk to the missionaries." so Kayla told us about this, I talked to Flor (who is ecstatic) and we're having a lesson with Rosa, Kayla, Vilma, and Flor this Thursday! So that should be great! It was pretty funny because when we talked to Rosa about this, we were visiting with Flor at the time so we were there in person. Rosa started talking about how she is getting ready for senior prom etc and I said "I never went to my senior prom!" and Rosa looked at her friend, then me, then her friend, then looked at me again and said "Will you take me to prom!??!!" hahaha. I got asked to prom on my mission! haha. It was hilarious. We explained how we aren't allowed to even hug girls or anything. Needless to say, she was a little bummed out to find out she still has to go with the guy that asked her. haha. It was a pretty funny moment though, she was dead serious -- how funny.

Did I tell you a girl named Fiorella Munoz might call? She is a member here, she's 20 and she is going to school in Utah but she's on vacation here with her family for a little. She may call because she likes photography and needs to find a cheap SLR. So I gave her you and Scott's number. I figured you two could help her out.

April 19, 2010

Hey Mom and Dad

Sunday Morning: We walked outside and Elder Urrutia says "Hey, I opened the car." and Elder Barney says "No... you didn't. Someone else did." I walked down the steps to find our passenger side window blown open and all our stuff was rummaged through. Yet... Nothing was taken. Awesome. Sunglasses, CD's, cables, everything -- still there. They could have at LEAST stolen a few Books of Mormon and DVDs!!! I mean, Come On!! So that was a bummer to have to clean up. It's frustrating because they didn't take anything! So basically they just made a mess and left it for us so we could be late to church... awesome.

The Baptism: Everything went great! I was a little stressed out because we started filling the font about a half hour later than what we had hoped for, but it was finished before we started (we started 6:00pm, Mexico Time (6:45) So, that's one time the latin schedule has helped me! The water was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. It felt really cool to get in there and basically teach her how to be baptized. I feel that's probably how you felt when you were baptizing me. I changed at about 5:50 and everyone said "Allred! tu esta un angelito!" haha, I love being in my white clothes, makes me wish I could visit the temple. We had about 5 member families there, and all together there were 51 people there -- mostly investigators! Awesome!! Daisy invited a TON of people, so it was great. We started with an opening hymn, Soy un Hijo de Dios and then we had Elder Pacheco give the opening prayer. Elder Urrutia gave a talk, which was interesting -- I felt like he was a little harsh about how true our church is compared to others. I could feel a little tension, maybe that was just me though. Of course, not that ours isn't true -- but it's a pretty bold step to flat out tell 45 people that they are wrong haha. But it went well, we only had 5 people talk over him during his talk! hahahaha. Very different.

After his talk we entered the water! We had showed her how to hold and what to do but she was obviously a little excited so she was trying to hold my hand or something haha so I just grabbed her hand and placed my hand on her wrist. She then tried to go under right away! I whispered to her what to do though and just told her to relax, I'll do everything. It's interesting how if the person doing the baptizing is calm, it really helps the person that is being baptized. So I said the prayer "Daysi Roman, habiendo sido comisionado por Jesucristo, yo te bautizo en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espiritu Santo." and she yells out "AMEN!" and I say amen and we dunked her! haha. It was great! After we changed we had Elder Wesson sing "When I am Baptized" he's an english speaking elder, but he did it for them in spanish, then in english -- he's a fantastic singer so it really hit everyone to the soul.

We had an investigator there named Ruth-Sally. She's the south spanish elders investigator and she's 20 years old. Apparently last night her parents decided they hate each other and just left her house. She got pretty emotional and we were able to give her a blessing. She has had a rough past and it's amazing how much I see myself in her. I can really see the change, too. Her desire is so true, it's amazing. I talked to her last night about how it was for me when two split up and how it really does get better! I hope it helped her. I honestly think her parents splitting is a blessing. Her parents are VERY pentecostal and didn't want her to go to another church, they'd kick her out (like me buying a bullet bike) so I think now, it will be easier for her to get baptized. The Lord knows what he's doing! I also told her about BYU Utah and how it's pretty cheap for members etc. I think the best thing for her would be to get out of CT. It's really scary how much we take Utah for granted. It really is a safe haven. CT is very rough, but if she can just get to Utah, the sun shines there -- there is always someone around, the church is so organized and strong. I hope she takes that into serious consideration. I even said yesterday "I miss Utah." It is so safe there. I love Utah so much.I can't wait to build my own family there... speaking of which.

How interesting it is to baptize someone. I really think it's like having a child. You give this person a whole new life, and all you can really do is help them make right choices and pray that they continue to have the faith that they had at their baptism. I constantly worry about Daysi, not that I don't think she can do it, but it's like -- you know the blessings!! You don't want them to make mistakes again! Just stay strong in the church! PLEASE! It's hard because she's 48 years old, I am not related to her, I can't force her, she has her agency. But I pray each night that she will be able to have the faith in her life always to follow Christ.

Well, I'm really excited to see how my scrapbook is coming along! Julie can add a baptism sticker now! I am so thankful that she is doing that for me, it really means a lot. There is NO WAY I could do that myself out here, so it really is amazing that she finds the time to do that for me. Make sure you express my thanks to her for me.

There is a family here, the Munoz family. Their daughter is a temple square missionary and their other daughter is going to LDS Business College. They are from Peru and have a little less money than most. They really only speak spanish, but I hope it's ok I gave their daughter (can't remember her name right now) your phone # and address in case she needs anything. She is really nice, so she may call or visit sometime. She is going to be in CT for the next 4 months though for a vacation -- but other than that, she lives in Utah.

Well, not much else is going on here. Weather is good, Park Street is still ghetto, and The Church is still true.

I love you guys and miss you. If there's anything I have learned out here is that you can always be an example, but the desire to change is made in a persons own heart. I love this place! Oh! And I was told TWICE this week, that I DO NOT have a Gringo accent! Woooo! Pretty excited about that. haha. I guess the blessings that President Smith gave me are true! well, Love you

-Elder Condork Allred

Pix: Elder Meira, Elder Pacheco (in sunglasses) , "take that central elders", Daysi's baptism(3 shots), Chillin', roof by our apt.

4-12-10

So, this week we are starting to plan out Daysi's baptism! She wants me to dunk her, too! I'm pretty excited about that. So we have a lot to plan, but I'll be sending some pictures home of us in white! Woo!

Last night we had a fireside at President Pehrson's house and it went great. I was able to finally show off my spanish to President Pehrson, which seems to be coming along great (according to him) haha. I'm having a lot of fun, and Every day seems to fly. I don't really have Much else to say this week, it's been pretty plain. But I forgot my camera today so I'll send some other pictures next week. Love you! Cuidate!