HOLA HOLA HOLA. So this week is the end of the transfer! Hard to
believe I've already been in the Field 6 weeks! That's why I'm emailing on a Wednesday,
because P-days are on Wednesdays for transfer weeks. We find out tonight if we
get moved to a new area or not. I imagine Elder Brown and I will be staying put
because I'm in training. I love the branch here as well. I'd hate to leave them
so soon :(
So Mother's day is soon and I'm not sure exactly
how the calling home works out just yet. I'll ask Elder Brown about it as it
gets closer. I think they have us call from a member's phone so that parents
don't have the temptation of calling their missionaries directly haha. I also
was just assigned to speak in church on Mother's day. It'll be fun to give my
first talk in Spanish!
I do feel that my Spanish is coming along.
I'm able to carry out a decent conversation. When teaching lessons I can teach
decently if the investigator is patient with me. My testimony of prayer has
really grown. I usually don't like to pray for myself but I kept reading
in the scriptures "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be
opened unto you." Well, totally true. I put it to the test and
there really has been a difference. If we're humble and sincerely ask
Heavenly Father for help with achieving our righteous desires, He'll help us.
That simple. He Loves us and wants to help us. We just need to ask for His help
and He'll deliver in His way, which is always the best way.
About our area... We're having a hard time
finding Spanish investigators who'll keep commitments and progress. We manage
to find incredible English speaking investigators but we've got to hand them off
if they're outside Huber Heights. It's hard to teach an amazing first lesson
and then refer them to other elders. But it's all part of the fun of
being a Spanish Elder. So this week we're really going to try to boost
branch member involvement. That'll be the key to this area (and probably most
areas). Members really are so vital to the work. Our monthly miles have been
cut from 1450 to 1300, so we'll especially need members this month!
But, a good thing is that we're probably
going to have someone at Church this week! Our first One! Wahooo! He's a guy
from Ecuador and the owner of an Italian restaurant that we visit frequently.
He works all the time, (and on Sundays), but he's been miserable these past
couple weeks...but we continue to be his friend and he accepted to
start the restaurant late Sunday so he can come to church. Wahoo! :D
Last story then time is up. We helped this lady in
a wheel chair last week. We pushed her to the store she needed to get to,
helped her shop quickly, and pushed her back home. The cash register at the
store asked us who we were (basically why we were helping her). we told her
we're missionaries and she responded "Oh, that makes sense." I
thought to myself, "How sad!" It only makes sense that missionaries
give simple service like that? No way Jose! Everybody should! We have the
restored Gospel in our lives and there are other children of God who need it
to, whether they realize it or not, whether it's convenient for us or not (I'll
add that we had an appointment to get to and easily could have dismissed the
sight of the handicapped woman for the cause that 'we don't have time').
So, my invitation to family, friend, and foe this week is to cast out fear with
love and look for an opportunity to bear testimony. :D Heavenly Father is ever
so willing to help us and accompany us with the Spirit as we think of and serve
others.
Love you MOM. Love you Dad. Krysta, Erin, Camille,
Rachel - Have a good week!
-Elder Kevin Graf
