Mom and Dad,
Once again the week has flown by. We had a hard wek this week because a lot of appointments fell through and we don't have a lot of investigators who are progressing well. It's hard to see others having success and baptizing converts in the mission and feel like we aren't making a difference here. That being said there's nothing to do but keep trying regardless of how things are going now.
Today we had a zone p day activity at the chapel in Ojo De Agua. The idea was that we would all make hamburgers and hotdogs and have lunch and then head back to our areas to finish our p day. For me it was an opportunity to bake as we would be in a building with an oven for an extended period of time. I had all the ingredients for cornbread so i got them together and we headed off to the activity. When we arrived we were the first so i preheat the oven, mixed up the batter and baked the cornbread. When it came out it was quite good and i was elated to have been able to bake for the first time in the mission. I left to practice piano for a while and when i returned i found a kitchen full of smoke with 4 elders cooking all manner of ingredients for hamburgers and hotdogs. To say the least it was a slightly questionable operation. If anyone from any department of public health had seen it they probably would have fainted. In all the smoke an Elder handed me a spatula so I could take over flipping burgers while he ran outside to breathe some fresh air. It was actually difficult to see in the kitchen because of the smoke but we finished and eventually turned out an edible product and everyone was fed. I wouldn't necessarily recommend having a district of Elders cook for your next special event but everything turned out alright and we had a good time.
On a more spiritual note, this week we had stake conference and it was wonderful to hear some of the talks and council that were given to us. It was also fun to see the 5 or so senior american missionary couples that are serving in the Tijuana temple. One of the Sisters came over to introduce herself to a group of us missionaries and when I introduced myself she said, hey another gringo. It's always nice to run into the occasional American down here. As part of the conference several soon to leave missionaries shared their testimonies and it was beautiful to hear their conviction and desire to go out and share the gospel.
Mom,
What an incredible experience to be able to see and hear the prophet speak in person! In our home stake in Oakland no less! I can't believe it. It's interesting to hear his council and focus on raising the youth of today to be prepared to work as effective servants of the lord. I was glad to hear in Aarons email to me this week that he is planning on taking Spanish again this year. Hopefully he and Kel both can be blessed to learn Spanish so that they can enjoy the benefits for the rest of their lives. It would also be incredible to have 4 Spanish speakers in the family!
Dad,
Thanks for the update! I'm glad to hear that 83rd sold, how exciting! It's a bummer that Auseon is back but hopefully it can be turned around quickly and still be profitable. It's awesome to hear of continued lee family adventures in auto mechanics. I miss that a lot and I hope you can get the other boys involved to that they can learn and have the same fun memories that I have. Thank you especially for your thoughts on learning to work with others and the story from Rick Jorgenson. I was actually thinking about that very idea this morning as we left the house so your timing was inspired. Learning to really love people (companions, investigators, etc.) Is still something that I am trying to learn to do. Hopefully with continued effort and a little help I can develop this week point into a strength.
Thank you both so much for your emails. they are always a source of strength for me. Also, this week I have enjoyed the music and the chocolate and ginger candies that you sent immensely. The first time I bit into one of the ginger candies I realized how much I had missed the taste of ginger. Not to mention the new shoes, I now have shoes that dont allow me to see my toes from the front and which are dirt and waterproof. This is a serious upgrade.
As always I love you guys so much!
Isaac
