May 30, 2011

Dear Family,

An awesome week! So, biggest news, José blessed the sacrament this week! We had talked with the bishop on Tuesday about José and his progress and the Bishop said that he was super pleased with how well José had been doing and how his interview went and he wanted him to bless the sacrament this week and that he wanted to put the goal to get ordained an Elder in September when General Priesthood meeting is. On our appointment on Saturday with José we talked about Priesthood and read D&C 20 and 84 and talked about his duties as a Priesthood holder. He told us "apart from reading and talking about the Priesthood, I want to *use* the Priesthood." My comp and I were grinning from ear to ear. We then told him that he was going to bless the sacrament on Sunday and he was pretty pleased. He’s such a solid person! He just gets it. He is excited to be a home teacher and he’s excited to have a calling and serve in the church, and he’s just going through a mighty change of heart. It’s such a miracle for me to see because he’s probably the richest investigator or member I’ve seen in my whole mission, but he’s like king Lamoni’s father, so willing to give all that he has to know God. Whenever he reads the scriptures with us it’s pretty epic, he has a deep booming voice and he reads slowly and carefully, letting every word sink in. When he blessed the sacrament, it was just awesome.

More good news. An investigator we had last transfer, Julieta, (cousin of a member) had dropped us about a month ago. She told us that she just felt that the Catholic church was what she needed to follow. It was all super fishy because like the day before she was super pumped about the church and had a baptismal date and everything, but she had a baby she was going to baptize Catholic because her husband’s fam was all Catholic and wanted it like that. We just kinda told her that we respected her decision and then went on our merry way. This week, however, one night we were walking by her house and she told us that we should drop by and chat. Then she told her cousin that she wanted to come back to church, and when we were talking to her mom she told us that she had decided on the Mormon church. We had a great appointment with her and she remembered almost everything we had taught her and showed up to church on Sunday! She should be getting baptized in about a month.

Anyway, suffice it to say, it was a good week. By the way, Quentin is totally right, usually we only find the "weird" people knocking doors. Think about it, who else is home during the middle of the day: people who don’t have jobs. Therefore, give references! Work with the missionaries! President Hinckley said that it’s the key to missionary work and that if we do that we could double the amount of convert baptisms. I love you all! The church is true!

-Elder Spencer

PS- Our mission got 150 baptisms this month, a new record for our mission president.