Hello again! Things are going well here. I forgot to mention last week that there's a new e-mail policy which gives us an hour and half of computer time and we're now allowed to e-mail friends. So if it's easier for some people to send me an e-mail rather than write me a letter, they're free to do that. However, getting something in the mailbox is always fun.
We could be having up to five baptisms this Saturday, but could only end up with one. E's son J is almost for sure getting baptized and he's so excited (he's 9). His 13 year-old sister, K, should be as well, but she didn't come to church with them and she wasn't there when we visited them yesterday. We're going to try and catch her home today, and hopefully she'll be prepared by Saturday as well. Then there's Virginia and her son and daughter. V can probably be baptized and as long as we get to teach them a few times this week, her 9 year-old daughter S probably will be ready as well (she reads her Book of Mormon every night!) Her son, A is 8, and he's never really paid attention in the lessons and we're not sure if he'll be ready to be baptized on Saturday. But we'll be working closely with both those families.
We had brief hope that O might be able to be baptized on Saturday too. He got home from Mexico on Friday. But he's going back tomorrow because he found work there. So we're going to try to send the missionaries to him there.
In other news, we're still teaching D because she already knows us and is starting to get to know people in our branch, so she doesn't want to go to the YSA ward yet. And we're fine with that. She seems to be getting along with the older sisters. She even went to a Relief Society activity last week. We had branch conference this Sunday, and they talked about Family History and Temple work. Church went half an hour long, but all our investigators who came are still planning on coming back. Yay! D had lots of questions about what she learned at church and what she's been reading in the Book of Mormon. We met with her later that night to answer her questions. While we were talking, Elder Hernandez felt prompted to ask her if she had prayed for help from God before she met us. She said she had and that she felt like we have been giving her that help. She doesn't want to commit to a baptismal date because she's afraid she's going to mess up or fall away. She wants to change and become a better person. She said that she'd smoked that day and that the day before she'd gotten drunk. "And what if I hadn't come to church, just because I'd been drinking? That'd be a lame reason!" She felt so bad. We haven't even taught her the Word of Wisdom, but she knows she's going to need to change those things. She's already run in to so much opposicion, but she's been overcoming it so well! She is going to grow so quickly. We're going to be teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her next time so that she can understand what Christ did for her and how she can overcome all these things.
Well, that's about all I can think to write. We had interviews with President Gelwix on Saturday. He is so amazing! Elder Hernandez and I watched Forever Strong with an investigator yesterday (we're allowed to) and it's so much better when you actually know President Gelwix. He's done so much good in his life and he truly has a gift of discernment. I'm so blessed to have him as a mission president.
I hope everything is going well back home! I enjoy reading your letters. Love you!
-Elder Ryan Lofthouse-
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