January 16, 2012

Eric sent some pictures home this past week!  It was really great to see pictures of him looking so happy and healthy!  He is having such a great mission and we are so proud of him!  Here are just a few of my favorites.  For his birthday, I sent him a do-it-yourself birthday party kit!  It had a cake mix with frosting, sprinkles, and candles as well as balloons and a Happy Birthday sign for his door!

The mission president gave permission for the Elder's to participate in their ward campout activities.

We may have to wait until Eric gets back to identify the people in the pictures!  It looks like he is teaching a lot of truly wonderful folks!  Here's this week's letter:

Hello!

This week was wonderful.  We started it off by going to this great Zone Meeting with everyone in the Gainesville and Lake City zones and we were told our yearly focus and goals and what President Barry has in mind for us.  I can't decide if this quote he told us is something to worry about or something to be thrilled about...  He said that Elder Russell M. Nelson told a Mission President that was almost done with his call:  "There will come a day when people will flock to the church because it is the last bastion of hope on earth and people will flock to it because that is the only place from where hope and light will come.  It will happen in your lifetime, and in my lifetime too.  Now you go think and pray about that."  

We were told again to take advantage of the time that we are in with these presidential candidates and this play and this explosion of mormon.org all over the world.  I know that we have a lot of responsibility as members of the church!  

So anyway, we have been talking a lot to Elena and Stephanie.  Their dates are set for this weekend and they can be ready, they just need to have the faith to do it.  Stephanie has been telling us that she wants to wait, but last night we figured out she was holding back reasons from us.  I think she trusts us a lot and felt that what we told her about the Atonement and Repentance and Baptism was true.  The spirit almost burned a hole through me it was so strong in that lesson.  She's still a little bit shy and scared, but she will be baptized soon.  Hopefully this weekend.  Elena has been going out with a member and running errands and claims that member's house as "her second home."  This member is harboring her and helping her through a rough time...  I don't even know that they talk about the gospel all that much, but she still came to church yesterday because the member invited her and gave her a ride.  That's what the Lord asks of members!  Be an example and always be willing to lend a hand to those in need.  Just pray for those two because they need some guidance!!

Thank you for sending that package.  I got it on Friday I think.  I'm glad that the camera worked out and that you liked that picture of us in the wilderness.  I set up the camera on a fence post to take it.  That path was just way too desolate and untamed to not take some pictures to remember it.  I wish that you could actually see how scary that place is.  Haha

I am really enjoying everything that we are studying in Sunday School as well.  President Barry invited us to read the Book of Mormon and mark everything that relates to the doctrine of Christ as we do and to finish in 6 months.  It's interesting how there is always so much to learn from the scriptures.  I have a color pattern going on right now to tell when it's talking about faith or repentance or whatever part of the gospel.  We are taught in Spanish about the Book of Mormon in Sunday School.  Most of the people in Gainesville are actually from South America and the Caribbean Islands.  The members are from Peru and Colombia and Cuba and The Dominican Republic.  They are all wonderful people.  

Gainesville has been pretty cold this week, but all of the students are back.  It is crazy how many people live in such a small area.  There's bound to be a lot of people willing to accept the gospel and get baptized!  Keep on praying!  I love you.

I am feeling fine.  I am still on a pretty big dose of medication, but I am going to call Sister Barry to see if she thinks I should call the Mayo Clinic to get it put back to normal or something.  I haven't talked to a Doctor in almost a month...  Don't worry about me though.  In my setting apart blessing I was told that I would not ever be sick enough to impede the work.  So all you have to worry about is if I am qualifying for the blessings of the Lord :) haha which, of course I better be!

Love,

Eric