11 months - Como lo haría Jesucristo

Jospeh called today while I was out with the kids at a splash pad, so it was pretty noisy on my end and I mostly listened to him and Corey talk. 

One fun thing was that there is a missionary, Elder Barczi, in Joseph's area who is 27 years old and from Santiago Chile. Corey talked with him and got some good laughs out of him as Corey used words that only Chilenos know - like pintar monos, that is the only one I remember. It was fun to listen to them though.

Corey said the Elder probably just laughed so hard cause he was homesick for Chile. But it was cute to hear them talk. I'm glad that we were able to go there as a family for a few months years ago, and that Joseph was able to go on his own! What a great experience for all of us. The world is a big place full of wonderful strangers.
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Hey Hey!! So this week was really great!!

The best parts were the Multi-zone conference and Valeska and Joan's wedding and Valeska's baptism! The marriage and baptism were on saturday and it looked like there were some complications with the lawyer and some other stuff about an hour before it started but then it all worked out and went very smoothly! Which we were super grateful for because neither of us have put on a wedding before. Actually we didn't even do that much it was mostly the ward but we did coordinate the lawyer who is the bishop of another ward in the stake. And hopefully we'll be doing another wedding soon as soon as Juan gets his papers from Mexico he and Melany will get married and baptized. I think I mentioned them last week but they are pilas magilas and speak perfect english. And the papers should be getting here soon which is what we are praying for. We had a great lesson with them this week about daily scripture study and holding to the rod of iron so that we endure to the end. Anyways though back to the wedding here are some pictures!

It was a simple little wedding but there was a good turnout (including some friends not of our faith) and they all stayed for the baptism too.

And here are some pics of the baptism!

So we are super excited about them and have already started to teach the lessons again after baptism which regrettably sometimes doesn't happen but it's super important in helping the recent converts stay active. 

A member baptized Valeska but just in case, last week I bought some white crocs (except here they are chicotes) so that in baptismal pics (if I'm baptizing them) it's not all white and then green sandals because it kinda takes away from the picture. And they are SO comfy. I don't know why I never used crocs before but they are great. A lot of people here in Guate use them for walking around the house or going to the tienda to buy something and I would highly recommend them.

Also I have been trying (with a mas o menos success rate) to use sunblock because I'm coming up on a year in a couple weeks and the giant thing of sunblock I brought down is still almost full. Before the mission I almost only used sunblock at Disneyland or at the beach and it's the same brand I used before so whenever I use it I feel like I'm in California. Not getting baggy though.

Also here is a picture of La Zona Florida en el Jardín de Edén!

We took this the day after the multizone conference which was also really great! Normally we go to Utatlan for a multizone but this week we went to Don Justo (which is on the other edge of the capital) because of the mission change. The multi zone on Thursday was with all of the zones (more than 100 missionaries) who are going to be leaving the south mission to go to the Antigua, Central, or East mission. So I got to see most of the missionaries who were in the Jutiapa zone! And a bunch of other missionaries who I've been in the same zone or district as before who are going to different missions. Also seeing as we aren't in May anymore (remember May without numbers) President Shumway talked a lot about the importance of goals but focusing on the people and their needs. He doesn't regret not having anything to do with numbers in May because it killed the pride that sometimes exists when missionaries compare numbers and it helped us improve our teaching. And while our teaching improved a TON (which was also the whole purpose of doing Mayo sin Numeros) as a mission we lost some of the urgency which is also very very important. As an average each area had about 10 lessons a week meaning 1 or 2 a day, and they were good lessons but we need to be teaching more. So now things are all balanced out. We know the numbers are there and we need to work with them but we are focusing on the teaching and helping the people resolve their problems by living the gospel of Jesus Christ and converting into His disciples. But we need to remember the purpose of goals. It is to help us push ourselves and be better than we thought we could. In the multi-zone one of the assistants talked about a six minute exercise that some of the missionaries do (which I have done) that is super intense and is a pure abb work-out. It is six exercises, one minute each, for six minutes in total without stopping. The one time I did it it totally burned and after the first minute it's like Ï can't do it anymore"but you remember you have a goal so you keep going. After 3 minutes it burns even more and you want to give up but you keep going and end up reaching the six minutes and the goal helped you keep going and finish even when you didn't think you could. That's also why we have goals in the mission. If we don't have goals it decreases the opportunities for goals in the mission (to quote Elder Neil L. Anderson). So now all the goals and tables in district meetings are back but we aren't focusing on the numbers. We focus on the names and the people and do practices to better know how to teach them according their needs. Also if we all participate it really means that ïf one baptizes, we all baptize" because we all participate to help them and help the missionaries teaching them. So the adjustments to going back to the numbers but with a focus on the people, urgency and teaching in the Savior's way is what the multi zone was all about. We are still using the evaluation card but they gave us a new one.

Now we don't just score 0, 1, or 2 but there is a 3 as well. If we give ourselves a 3 it means that we did that exactly like Jesus Christ would. So we are constantly trying to be more like Christ in our teaching and it's not that common to get a 3 but when it happens it is super awesome! Christ is our perfect example and if we teach like Him more people will be able to follow His example and become His disciples.