Tell Your Parents That You Love Them!!

Family

Wow!  casi en Febrero!
(Wow!  Almost February!)

I hope everything is going good in Utah. 

I am so sorry for everything that has happened to Lexi.  Keep on moving.  It will all be alright.

This week was a really good week.  It all just came together.  Kinda strange.  I always know you are praying for me...but I didn't know that you were fasting for me.  But the majority of the problems that I had last week, just kind of fixed themselves.  My companion is starting to self operate, the appointments didn't fail too bad this week,  I got along great with my companion, and overall, I was just, happier.  Could have been the beach party with tacos last P-day, or perhaps the prayers and the fasting.  Probably the latter!

Beach Taco's make everything better!

Zack with Elder Rodriquez at the beach last p-day

Story time.....

This week I was on a work visit with another Elder from my district  (elder Zacarias, from El Salvador...he knew Grant Rowbery there)...SO...I was in another part of Talara. 

We had a good work day, then we passed by to visit a less-active family.  We were waiting to enter, and there was like10 kids circled around me asking me tons of questions like “how do you say chair in English” and stuff like that.  I answered and joked around with them a bit, and finally when we entered the house...all of the kids did too. 

I was sitting on a bench, and the 10 kids were sitting on a couch in front of me.  Finally, one of the kids asked me what is in my bag...and I responded “the word of God!”  All of the kids got really excited and started asking to see it.  So I whipped out my Libro de Mormon, and we had a little story time.  With the 10 little kids quietly watching me, I told the story of Lehi and Nephi (the Helaman 5 Nephi/Lehi) and then taught a little about obedience.  The kids were so attentive, and when one started to talk, the others always silenced him, and kept on listening.  I taught a little about obedience to your parents and obedience to God, and then committed them to be obedient to their parents...and to tell their parents that they love them.  It was quite a good experience.  I loved it.

The rest of this week was just such hard work.  And I am SOOOOOO TIRED.   But I am loving it so much.  Transfers are in 2 weeks, and it's 100% that I am leaving.  I have really bonded with the people here over the past 5 months.   I love them, and I am really going to miss it.  Its been a place of growing, a place of happiness, and just a great time.  Looking forward to the possibility of seeing a green plant though...just hoping to see something more than dust, desert, wind, and flatness, and a new area and companion.  But I am really going to miss it here.

Remember the story that I told you about our plan to get the Sacrament Meeting attendance up a bit...well it worked!  we passed our goal and had 63 people in the church this week!  Usually it's around 45...and twenty of them were menos activos!

Also, there is a Stake Conference in Talara in 2 weeks, so the missionaries are forming a choir.  A little Peruvian choir director came out from Piura, and we had a little practice.  If you ever thought choir in Utah in high school or middle school is weird, then...woooooow this was an experience.  I don't even know how to explain it.  LOTS of breathing exercises...and hand movements...and really, really...really, high voices coming from this little Peruvian man.

Pregunta’s

Best part of the week? 
At the church.  We had an investigator come, and had tons of menos activos and members there.

Have you taken the Christmas stuff out of the closet yet?
Nope....

Pday fun? 
Going to play some futbol with some young men and some other missionaries.

Photos?
Tacos at the beach!  And some missionaries from my district.  Me, Elder Zacarias (from El Salvador)  Elder Rapoza (Sandy, Utah) and Elder Rodriguez.

Bright spots in your week?  
It was, overall...just a brighter week.

Hand of the Lord in your work? 
I feel the Spirit so strong everyday.  I am loving it so much.

Funny stuff?
For some reason...there is so much abuse of little cats.  We saw some kids rolling a tire down the road with a baby cat flopping around inside of it like a hamster tube.

Zack with Elder Zacarias (from El Salvador) Elder Rapoza (Sandy, Utah) and Elder Rodriguez

Well...That's all folks. 

I hope that everything is going well and that you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Bradshaw