October 29, 2012

Hey Guys,

This week has been good. I still miss my old area more then I probably should but my new area is alright. Elder Myers is a really good missionary. We worked really hard this week seeing as we really don't know very many people. We have only a few investigators and most of them have to get married so we spent a lot of time visiting 24 months list people, menos activos, and doing contacts. Even though Elder Myers is going home in a few weeks I don't feel like it is affecting his work which is good. We just need to improve what time we go to bed and our comp studies but we are doing well. I have problems going to bed because of the three other Elders in the house none of them care about that rule so it is hard some days to be the example. I don't really have the most dangerous areas.  It is just that this area is more dangerous then the last. But I will tell you about that later. I got your package. Super good, all the candy got squished but its still good. My hockey stick is great! I still haven't bought a stick for it.  It will be better when I do that. Right now I am just using an old broom stick and it kind of wiggles abit. The flag was great too. The only thing I was missing was a letter from mom and dad, and instead of ankle socks I needed more church socks.  More stamps too. 

This week I feel like there is more to say then there is time so we will see how far I get. First of new area. Super Poor. The quality of life is really sad. There is one part of our area that is strait shacks made out of Tin roofing but all rusted with dirt floors. They are almost all filled with really dirty kids. In my area I saw for the first time in my life someone use drugs. We were walking by the famous corner where all the Churros sit. When they yelled at us to come over. So to be polite we walked over. There were three guys and a pregnant girl. One of the guys told us in slurred words that the girl had a tooth ace and wanted to be healed. What could we do. We explained a little about blessings and the priesthood but said we couldn't do anything on the street. They kept insisting saying things like ¨Solo el Rubio tiene que tocar su cara¨ The blondie just needs to touch her face. While this was all happening one of the guys pulls out a little bag with white powder in it and fills the end of an inhaler. While he was doing this I was like you have got to be kidding. Then he through a shirt over his head I saw a few sparks of a lighter then when he took off the shirt he breathed out this really white smoke. The drug is called pasta base which I have heard is like what is left over from crack. Anyway crazy experience. I have never even seen mary j in my life before. 

Anyway to something more spiritual.  Elder Oaks Conference.  It was super good! We got up to be there at 8. It was 400 Elders the two missions. We walked in and you just ran from one friend to another saying hi. It was great! Before it started I shook hands with Elder Oaks and his wife, Elder Hallstrom and his wife and Elder Viñas and his wife. It was sweet! Elder Hallstrom talked about our duty as missionaries/members in terms of meeting. The quality of training or talk is not really the speakers fault, he just has to create an environment for the spirit. Everyone else is then left to come to the meeting having fasted and prayed for what they need. It was really good. Then Elder Oaks talked about a lot of things he is kind of a funny guy he made a lot of jokes. But His center message was on Repentance. He said us as missionaries focus to much on Baptism. But of the 1000 times it says baptism in the Book of Mormon 950 of those times it will say repentance first. He said we need to help our investigators repent make changes not just get baptized. It is something the church is really worried about. In a lot of countries like Southern South America, Japan, the Philippines and Europe are baptizing a lot but they don't stay. It was a good talk.

One last thing. When I went to church I was surprised to see along with all of my converts, Matias, the brother of Eliana and Carolina Almada. We had worked so hard with him but he never came around. Well after church he came over to me and said hey you have a surprise next Sunday. When I asked him what it was he said he was getting baptized, and that he wanted me to baptize him. It was so sweet. I don't know if I wrote this in a letter back with Elder Navarro but I had a really spiritual lesson with him once where I felt this really strong love for him so much that I didn't want to lose him as an investigator. Well in the end he didn't want more but now he is getting baptized which is so cool. I can't wait for Sunday! Anyway that about it I have to go. Thanks for the Package. 

Love 

Elder Wray