Carne Asada BBQ

This last week we've taught [investigators] several times.  We were actually in exchanges on Tuesday when we had and appointment with them last and so I didn't get to go visit with them, but it sounded like it went really well.  

On thing that was really cool is that [our investigators] invited us over for dinner yesterday to eat Carne de asada (pretty much steak, but a lot better.)  It was a lot of fun, and it was really nice of them to do for them, especially considering how nice of a meal they cooked for us.

Also the members are helping us out like crazy with this family.  We talked to the Mia family a few days ago to arrange to have a lesson at their house this sunday which had and it went quite well.  Also we got out of sacrament meeting and the Romero family came up to us and said that they invited the family over for family home evening tonight (monday night) and that we were invited if we wanted to come.  It's really nice to be able to teach them and then just be the "flies on the wall" as the members do the rest of the work, because really, we can be there to teach them and invite them to keep the commandments, but it's when we have the support of the members that they actually have a friend to help support them.

That's pretty much all the excitment that went on this week.  Other than this, we just did a lot of knocking doors.

Bike Flats and Golf

Bike Crash! Jeff Is Okay

NOTE:  See the picture from the training at the end of this post.

How are things going for you all this week?  sounds like the trip to colorado was a lot of fun and salem days sounds like fun (as normal).

We had a three day training this week during tues-thurs from about 9 am - 4 pm every day.  Their changing what they teach at the MTC starting next may, and so they are beginning training us out in the field right now so that we can be ready for the new missionaries that will start coming in around may.  It's still using preach my gospel, it's just focused more on teaching by the spirit more, and "teaching people, not lessons".  We learned a lot about how to introduce and start a lesson, and then how to ask questions to find out what needs people have.  It was all really good what we learned and I think it will really help to make me a better missionary if I can apply what we've learned, it's just a lot harder said than done, but I guess I'll just stick with it and give it some time.  We were pretty much told that at first when we begin to try and teach in this way we will "crash and burn" which indeed has happened, but we just need to stick with it, because it is far better then the way we were teaching before.

This last week we taught [two investigators] a couple of times.  We're trying to encourage them to read in the book of mormon and to pray about it.  [She] has been doing this and is progressing quite well, however [he] seems to be apposed to the book of mormon and we just cant seem to get him to read it.  He'll read all the footnotes from the book of mormon in the bible, but he won't actually read the book of mormon.  So we need to talk to him and try and figure out why he doesn't want to read.  We would really like to move on with them, because [hse] is progressing, but it's kind of hard when [he] isn't.  

So I had a pretty awesome crash on my bike this week.  It was a pretty cool crash, however I'm still puzzled about how it happened.  I was just riding out of the parking lot from our apartment and I saw a car in front of me, so I decided to begin slowing down.  I grabbed the front break, which isn't abnormal, but I guess I just wasn't ready for it, but next thing I knew I was flying over the handle bars.  So somehow (I'm not sure how I actually landed because it all happened so quick) but I tucked and rolled and ended up on my back as my bike gently landed on top of me.  My companion told me that as I was upside down, because he was behind me, so I had to be upside down for him to see that my eyes were as "wide as saucers" as he told me.  However, don't worry mom, I stood right up and didn't get hurt at all.  but nonetheless, I'm still confused about how it all happened.

So last week I told you that we were going to learn how to make papusa for our pday activity.  It was a lot of fun, and they taste really good.  However, Sis hernandez, who taught us how to make them made it look a lot easier then it actually is.  She could make about three in the time it took us to make one, and they looked a whole lot better than ours.  It took some pix from that, and I'll probably be making a cd from a bunch of the pix that I have, but you'll probably have to wait about a week and a half, because I'll have to drop it off today and pick it up next week.

Elder Compton Put on Weight?

Hey, how are things going for you guys?  Sounds/looks like your having a lot of fun in colorado.  How long are you going to be there for?  Did you take the raft/bikes?

this last week we got to teach [investigator family].  Things are going quite well with them.  We taught them the word of wisdom on friday (because if you remember, they couldn't come to church last sunday because of a hangover...) but they committed to live the word of wisdom and even let us take all the coffee out of the house.  Which by the way nothing feels better than being able to throw away a container of coffee, just by understanding what kind of commitment their making by allowing us to do that.  We also taught them yesterday and talked to them about a baptismal date, however they were a little unsure about that, so we're going to allow them to study and pray about that a little bit, and hopefully they can have a baptismal date by the time I write home next week.  also this last friday we brought some ties over to let them wear to church and taught them how to tie a tie.  However it was kind of interesting trying to teach them how to tie a tie in spanish (it's not exactly the everyday vocab.)

We also had zone conference this week where we talked a lot about using the spirit as we teach lessons.  We learned a lot about asking questions through the promptings of the spirit.  One thing I've found is that people don't learn if you just teach them the information, they learn better through the scriptures and asking them questions to make them figure things out for themselves.

So, I've got some good news!  In these last 3-4 months I've put on about 7-10 lbs! I'm pretty sure that's record breaking for me, however I'm not sure exactly were it's going, but I think it's all in my legs from the average of 1 1/2 hours on the bike everyday.

I'm excited for today, because we talked to one of the members who is probably going to teach us how to cook paposa today, so I'll have to tell you how that goes next week.

Fun Activity

Note:  We were on vacation for the past two letters without internet access so didn't get things posted.  Here they are a little late.

This last week we had an activity with the branch that was centered around the plan of salvation.  We just recently (as in 3 months ago) got a new ward mission leader.  ...he just returned home from his mission about four months ago, but he made this activity to try to spark missionary work in the branch.  For the activity we started in the room in the church that is between the gym and the chapel.  We played it out like we were on an airplane.  One of the members acted as the pilot and talked into the microphone in the chapel which went into the gym, and he welcomed us onto the plane.  The after a minute or two he told us that there were a few problems with the plane and that we were going to crash.  So we turned of the lights and made some noises like we were crashing and then we came into the "spirit world".  Me and another elder, explained the spirit world, resurection, and judgment.  then we had three other rooms in the church that were decorated to look like the three kingdoms of glory.  The Telestial kingdom was in the basement and we put glow in the dark stars up.  The Terrestrial kingdom had was in the primary room and we had a cut out moon to show that this kingdom had the glory of the moon.  And then for the celestial kingdom we put white sheets all over the chairs, and covered the walls with white paper and put a picture of the temple up and also blew up a bunch of white balloons and put them on the floor.  It was a pretty fun activity, one of the other elders took pixs of the activity, so I am planning on sending a few pictures home from this (See pictures below).

A few people have asked me if I'm going to be transferred soon.  And to answer that, I have no Idea, but I'll tell you what I do know.  Transfers were last Tuesday, so I will for sure be staying in the area for at least until the end of august.  However, that is when elder Larsen finishes his mission, so he will have to leave the area.  So the only options out there would be for me to stay for at least another transfer to show somebody the area.  Or the whitewash the area, meaning that there would be two new people to the area that don't know the area.  So in other words I could be here for another month, or another 2 and a half months.  But either way, I'm loving it out here.  Because there is so much member support, and so many people to talk to out here.

Recently we found two new investigators.  They actually came to church last sunday which was really exciting.  We've taught them twice now, they have a lot of questions (which is a good thing) however if were not careful the lessons with them can turn out really long.  But I'm excited for them and I think they have some potential. 

This last week we talked with the [member] family.  They are members that are from Argentina.  I asked them what kind of food they eat there, or what kind of food sharee will be fed out there.  However there's not too much of a trend of the kind of food they eat out there, at least from what I saw.  It's kind of different from what most hispanic food is like however she will still eat a lot of rice and probably beans.  However one thing that I found interesting is that they don't use tortillas in argentina.  In fact the first time that HNO Quintero saw a tortilla he used it as a coaster for his cup.

One thing I've found out on the mission, is that the members are extremely important in missionary work.  Looking back at all the investigators we've had, the ones that have started to progress either were referrals from the members or we brought members to visit them from the very beginning.  So...now the big question, what have you guys been doing to help the missionary program back at home/what do you plan to do?

3 Flats in 3 Days

This last week did a lot of knocking doors again.  I did however get to go on exchanges with one of the Zone leaders, Elder north.  It was quite enjoyable and I got to spend the day in a car rather than on bikes, which was a nice break.  It's kind of funny that after every exchange that we go on, whoever comes to our area is really tired by the end of the day because of the amount of biking we do, but me and elder larsen have pretty well adjusted to the biking.  (we have a lot of biking in our area, and the temperature has been in the upper 90's this week, sometimes even above 100.  And with the heat index, meaning how the temperature feels with the heat,  some days it was at 110)

This last week we got someone to come to church!  which was a miracle because it's been nearly a month and a half since any investigators have come to church.  We were actually on exchanges with a member and we had two appointments that fell through so we were just knocking doors with a member and found a family that showed some interest and HNO Milla invited him to come to church and he came yesterday.  WE also got to teach them yesterday.  It was a good lesson, a long lesson, but it went well.

So this last week we got 3 flat tires in a row (meaning in 3 consecutive days).  I know that is crazy, but I'm going to buy new tubes today and a patch kit so we should be ready to go next week.  I'm trying to decide if we get a lot of flat tires because we ride to far on the side of the rode, or just because we ride a lot in general.

So, yea that's pretty much my week, not too much exciting going on, but I'm sure enjoying out here!
And I think mom asked me this a while ago, about tornados, don't worry, I havn't seen any around here, and i don't think I will.

Golf Pictures

How's everything going for you guy's?  Sounds like a pretty crazy camp out you when on dad.  Tell sharee congrats on going through the temple!

This last week we set a baptismal date!  I wouldn't say it's the most solid baptismal date in the world, but atleast it's something.  We are still working on getting him to come to church, pray and read in the book of mormon, but were hoping that he'll come around.

With [sister investigator], were still working with her.  We had plans to teach her this last Saturday, but we were about an hour late, because we had arranged for a member to come on exchanges with us and he was confused on what time we were leaving at and he picked us up a little late so we weren't able to visit with [sister investigator] and her husband, but nonetheless, Nora is still excited about what were teaching.  We just need to get her husband on board.

So i finished the Book of Mormon this week!  I started it in the MTC in english and after about a month in the field I switched to Spanish when I was in about alma 15 more or less.

This last week some of the other elders in the branch had a baptism.  So this last thursday elder [zone leader] did the interviews.  one of the members, HNO Romero, brought one of the investigators to the interview so while Elder [zone leader]was in the interview I talked to HNO Romero.  I taught him a little bit of english and he taught me a little bit of spanish.  I found out that he played a little bit of guitar, so I had him teach me some of the vocab for the guitar.  I learned all the parts of the guitar.

This last week, with the same member (hno romero) we ate dinner with them.  His wife sells food every friday and saturday night.  She cooks food at her house and people come and buy food.  So we came early and the fed us some food.  I ate a torta.  Dad, did you ever eat torta's on your mission?  or has anyone ever had one before?  I'd probably say it's one of my favorite meals I've eaten so far.  But I had Hermana Romero teach me how to make a torta.  It was actually pretty easy, it's kind of a sandwich with some special kind of cheese, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, meet (we put some sort of roast beef on it that was more finely chopped up in to small pieces), beans, mayonnaise, and chili (chili as in more of a hot sauce kind of thing...)