Baptisms and Challenges

Title: There is a drunk guy talking to us as we write!

Dear family,

Like my title? I thought so.

Well another week down and still learning. Pdays are starting to value a lot more (his English is getting muy malo. . .and that's a good thing!).

We had the family home evening with Guillermo last Monday and it was kind of a disaster. We brought a movie to watch, but his TV was broken so we just explained what a family home evening was to his wife and ended up having a normal lesson with him while his wife listened. I guess it was good, but I just felt bad that we didn't have much of an activity planned. If you have any good ideas for family home evenings, please please let me know! Any activity, game, etc. that can be both spiritual and fun. . .

Guillermo taught Elders quorum yesterday which surprised me when they asked him, but at the same time I was grateful. He learned a lot. He taught from Gospel Principles chapter 2. He studied and prepared a lot and learned a lot too. Also I was surprised that there was such profound doctrine in there. He had a lot of doubts that we helped him with. I can just see that fire within him burn right now. I don't want it to go. The best way to help him right now is to help his family. I want to start working more with his daughter Valery. I feel like if she gained a testimony it would help the mom want to investigate more.

Lorena still has a baptismal date for this upcoming week. She was going to be baptized last Wednesday but had 2 months without going to church because of work. She came this Sunday and so we can baptize her. If it weren't for her testimony about the Church I would be reluctant, but she is dedicated to learning and growing in the Church. She has that hunger, which is good. We will see how the baptismal interview goes.

The other investigators are progressing slowly. It seems like a lot of appointments fell through this week and that is discouraging, but sometimes that happens. Also not very many investigators were able to come to church this Sunday. When they are there for the appointments and are able to go to church they will start progressing faster and be able to keep the commandments and everything. I have noticed that once they commit to keeping the commandments they receive the promised blessings and their testimonies and faith increase.

We need to be more dedicated to going door to door. We do it, but not enough. It is hard because the chances are so slim and it is easily the most discouraging activity. But then I think about Elder Wood and how he contacts so so much and how Guillermo was a contact. What if he had just been so-so in his contacts and had passed Guillermo's house. I think it is worth it to work your fanny even if it only means finding one person that is ready for the gospel. Also I realized that I lose faith if the investigators are not progressing like I want them to. Then I think about Guillermo and how he had talked to 7 pairs of missionaries before Elder Wood and how he took the lessons from Elder Wood 4 months and another month afterwards. I just need to have more faith and be more patient. It is quite the change. I remember one time when we had the date for Guillermo for the 12th of December and the Sunday before we went by his house and he didn't answer because he had been out drinking the night before. It would have been easy to get discouraged, but Elder Wood just kept on keeping on with him and now he is a brand new really strong member of the Church.

This week we had zone conference and I learned a lot. I always do. I learned about how important it is to plant seeds everywhere even though we will not always see the results of our efforts. I also leaned some really good ideas of how to work with members. Which reminds me. Do you know of family, friends, or neighbors that could befit from our message? Take 2 minutes and a post-it and write every name down that you can think of. Then give these names and addresses to the missionaries nearest you. Also it was good to talk to Elder Wood. Excitement for the work is contagious.

Elder R. got called somewhere in Texas that I have never heard of Spanish-speaking. It was somewhere that I had never heard of before but it sounded like Eyewatch. I only heard it from Latinos so who knows how it is really pronounced. I am glad that he will be able to finish out his two years. I was worried he would go home.

I had a really good experience with my gospel study this morning. I had been tormented a bit over all of the decisions that we make as missionaries, where to go, what to do, and what to say, and if we are making the right ones. I have faith that with the constant companionship of the Spirit I don't need to worry, but sometimes I lack faith that I can have this constant companionship and I was just wondering how. Well yesterday we read chapter 2 of Preach My Gospel as a companionship and I realized I need to have more effective study. I love my study time and I always read the Book of Mormon and Preach my Gospel or the Liahona, but I notice at times I just read and I don't really apply it to me or look for principles or find connections. So today I read chapter 2 for half an hour in the morning and only got through 2 pages because of all the things that I learned. I leaned how important personal revelation is and how we can receive it. I learned that I really need to write down everything that I am thinking and feeling and really pay attention to what the Spirit is telling me. I know that as my study becomes more meaningful my testimony will grow, I will have excitement all of the time, and I will be able to teach like I need to. I know that my faith will grow and that my fear will shrink. So I am going to organize a really good study journal and organize my thought and feelings. . .the things that I learn. I also want to review these things often to remember all of the principles that I have learned. I am really excited to do this so that I can be a better missionary!

In closing I just want to be a H.O.L.Y. missionary. Happy, Loving, Obedient, and Yearning. I found this week that the yearning part was taking over and I was missing the Happy and Loving part. There is a balance in all things and I can't let things that are out of my control stress me out. Part of this is faith and patience. Also humility to know that things are not always going to happen the way I want them to because I can't always see the entire picture.

I know that this work is real. I know that we have something special and that these blessings are not meant to be kept to ourselves. I know that Joseph Smith was an instrument in God's hands to restore the Church of Jesus Christ. Although we all have doubts at times (it is part of our nature) I know that as we pray and study these things that the Lord will let us know by the Holy Ghost that these things are true and that once we know that this Church is true we will know that our doubts are false. I have seen that with Guillermo as he had uncovered new things that he doesn't understand. The thing that he does understand are the feelings and the witness that he received about this Church and about Joseph Smith. His faith is remarkable.

I love you all and you are always in my prayers. Please pray for our investigators that they will be able to progress and receive answers to their prayers.

Love, Elder Goodman

P.S. Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! (Thanks for the calendar. . .time is weird here and without that calendar I would miss my own birthday).