February 22, 2012

Hello Family,

So.... This week has been good, the cold weather seems to have passed. It's only kinda cold now instead of unbearable. So thats good news... Glad to hear about your week, the climbing gym with the boys sounds really fun. Do you remember my friend Jared? He was a rock climber... He could climb up a rock wall without using his feet. Just his grip. Crazy huh. Tell Davis to work towards that... Hey that's a cool sport to get in to. To be successful you gotta be strong. I'm all for the boys to start doing that.

This week, has been good. We've had a lot of issues to take care of still, like our bikes are still broken and every time we take the time to get them fixed something goes wrong and we're not able to. I had a scambio with an Anziano from my group this week, Anz. R******. He's really bravo. We got in doing knocking doors with the lil time we had to do some finding work. It was an older man, seemed nice... Shortly thereafter we learned that his wife had died 3 months before and he was really having some tough times... He was older though... 75 or so. But still. Tough. He was having a tough time controling his emotions while he was talking to us, but we used the opportunity to bear testimony of the Plan of Salvation. This man was atheist, didn't believe in anything. And no matter what we said he wouldn't take it. We talked about Eternal marriage, and life after death... He just wasn't in a state to listen, he actually ended up kicking us out of his house-it was just too sensitive of a subject for him. And why shouldn't it be? I would be the same way if I didn't believe in anything and my wife died. We are so lucky to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, to offer hope and support in moments such as these. I felt truly bad for this man we met who had nothing left in life, and nothing to look forward to. Terrible way to live. I wish he would have been more open to talk with us. Who knows maybe the next time missionaries pass by he will remember and will be in a better emotional state to accept the message...

We also made some good progress with the part member family we have been working with. This monday for family home evening with the family the father, C******, the one not baptized, wasn't home, he was in Rome for work. So we talked to the family about what they and what we can do as missionaries to help him get baptized. We talked to the family mostly about just being a good example for the father. Doing the little things and doing them happily... Reading, Praying as a family and coming to church every week. I think the family is really
the crucial part of C******* getting baptized. He needs to see his family doing these many lil things that the church asks of us and then see them reaping the blessings and he will want to be baptized. Hopefully the message sunk in.

Still tough to find solid investigators, we set up appointments with people, arrive for the appointment and then no one's there. Happens all the time. We call the Bidone, Which means, Dumpster.

I'm doing fine. It has been tough killing my comp. Trunkiness and all that other stuff. But I'll survive. I dont know if I ever told you but this transfer is a short transfer. 5 weeks not 6. So transfers are next week. I'm really just excited for next transfer... This transfer even though it has been a week shorter has felt super long.

Love you all. Have a great week.

Anz. Mendel