Week 62: Weekly email

Dear Family,

This week was pretty lame, because our last Pday we had to just clean our house and werent allowed to do anything. The main thing that we need to do in the area is find new people now. We have a couple investigators...but I feel like we are loosing them. Its hard because they live so far away from the church...well actually 2 of them live pretty close, but one went out of town for Semana santa and another just didn`t show up....and we had no time to go bring him to church, because we had a bunch of important stuff going on with the members. President Valladares who is the second councilor of the mission presidency came all the way from San salvador...and we had to do like 4 important interviews and a disciplinary council. It was pretty tiring. we were in the church till 5:00 PM with all that stuff and the tithing reports on top.

So as for your question Teresa:

We are supposed to do 140 LPE (Leciones para encontrar) per week per companionship. LPE are lessons to find, and we basically just have to talk to 140 people every week inviting them to go to church and trying to put an appointment to teach them or teaching them in the moment if they are in their houses. I suck at it, I`ve never gotten to 140 with any of my companions in my whole mission. The closest I got was like 120. But its kinda an empty indicator, because the most important indicators are Investigators with Baptismal date, Investigators in Sacrament meeting/progressing, and New Investigators. But yeah its hard to find new people. I`ve found the best way here to find people is knocking doors, because the members never give references. I`ve recieved maybe 3 refferences from members my whole mission. Maybe we can like put a branch goal that everyone will talk with one friend or neighbor each month...which is cool, because we can do that ;P

I like this area... I woulds spend the rest of my mission here if they asked me. But I think they are gonna change me next week. Its hard, because I feel really attached to this branch...We focus so much on trying to find way to help the branch...but they dont have a lot of results. The members here are kinda immature spiritually, we only have 3 active Melchezedic priesthood holders, and 1 less active, and one of the 3 active is all mixed up in the socialist party of El Salvador and hes wierd and kinda ashamed of the gospel. he doesnt even put on his tie until he gets to church, and he takes it off before he leaves... I don`t like to take part in the politics here, but whatever party you are from you shouldnt be ashamed of the gospel. ( and yes that is the reason why hes ashamed) and the rest of the members are like children in the gospel. They just don`t get it that well, and those that do are all pround and innactive. I know it will get better in the future...but man its gonna be a long road. I just wish the people could have a stronger testimony of the gospel, because if we can get a strong branch here, they can open a branch in Osicala.

We had a branch activity on Saturday. It was probably the best branch activity I have been to in my mission. It was a talents night. Basically only the youth and primary participated, but it was fun. We did a play from a popular latin sit com from the 80s. I also sang a song dressed up as a clown. lol. This other guy in our branch sang a bunch of wierd cuban rebel movement songs, some of which he had composed, haha. pretty fun,

Love Elder Devictoria