Zarahemla Week 13

First week with my new companion, Elder Durgante. Things are going well so far, and it's been fun to get to know him!

Last P-day, Elder Colunga and I spent some time getting him ready to leave. We also went to the store to get a birthday present for Nicole, whose birthday was on Wednesday. We saw her that night, and when Elder Colunga said that he was leaving, she cried! It was super sad; Elder Colunga and I were trying not to cry! She loved the present we gave her, and gave us tons of candy that she had from her birthday. She's so sweet, and we love her so much!

Me, Nicole, Elder Colunga, and Nicole's Grandmother

Wednesday was my last full day with Elder Colunga. We did SO MUCH that day, since there were a ton of people that he wanted to say goodbye to. We saw Mauricio, Raf, Fransisco, Eddy, Jesus and Yeni (who gave us fish AGAIN—they're amazing. I have a picture of it this time!), Luis, the Lemus family, and Hermano Mendoza. It was such a busy day; we were dying by the end! It was especially hard, since we basically went all over the entire island, and Elder Colunga still got in a good hour and a half of packing that night. It was fun to see everyone, but it was sad that it was the last time for Elder Colunga! He and I got along super well; it was a great two transfers.

The Last Supper

On Thursday, we woke up and I studied while he continued packing. Then my new companion Elder Durgante came, and Elder Colunga left. Right away, we started weekly planning, so that I could fill in Elder Durgante on all of our investigators. He's been out only one transfer more than me, so this will be interesting! I've been doing mostly everything since I've been in the area, and I'm actually surprised at how much Spanish I know, and how well I can do missionary work independently of my trainer. I was definitely using him as crutches, but it turns out I could walk the whole time! It was hard at first, since Elder Durgante is from Brazil and doesn't speak much English at all, but he can understand Spanish perfectly so it hasn't been as hard as I thought. We then did some logistical stuff, got him a library card and a few other things, and we got to know each other a bit. He's pretty quiet, but as the time has gone on, we've opened up more to each other. He's really cool!

With Elder Durgante walking in a Winter Wonderland

Friday was nice. We had district meeting with our new district, and now there are three teams out of five that are in training. Super crazy! Elder Drysdale is the new district leader, and he's been getting used to it little by little. Lots of changes happened for our district this transfer, and it's was hard at first, but it's been getting better! All of the original missionaries that were in the Zarahemla ward when I came in have now gone, and it's harder to work with the members without that base, but luckily my Spanish is a lot better, so it's much easier to connect with them on personal levels.

My last few days with Elder Colunga

On Friday, we were able to see Fransisco, then we did some contacting and went home a little early to do calls and find a ride to church for Nicole. We had Ward Council this Sunday, and for some reason the Bishop wanted all of the presidencies there, not just the presidents, so EVERYONE who usually would be able to give rides to Nicole couldn't (very few members have cars so it makes it difficult). So, I got an idea to ask if Jesus and Yeni (our investigators) could do it. They said they could, and they did! It was so cool, especially since they haven't gone to church in my entire time here, so it was a crazy miracle! Three birds with one stone! 

Saturday was decent, and not super busy. I'm still getting used to daily planning, and it's been difficult at times, but it's getting better and better. We were able to see Hermano Mendoza and introduce him to Elder Durgante, and that was great. He's super awesome, and he continues to improve, but the doctors still aren't sure if he will be able to walk again, which is sad. But he has a great attitude and lots of faith! We were also able to pass by a lot of referrals, and had a large amount of time contacting. We ended up finding a couple of new investigators though, so it was perfect!

Sunday was pretty awesome! We had a few of our investigators come to church, which was great. We left early to go to ward council, and we were able to talk about Nicole and get everything in the works for her baptism on the 23rd. We're getting everything ready for it, and it's SO exciting! We also had a few investigators come to Church, which was amazing, and I got to talk to Nicole about the baptismal program and what kind of things she wants. I got a few Young Women to give talks, and Elder Colunga is going to be there to baptize her which will be awesome!

Monday was a bit slow. We had a couple of appointments set up, but all of them fell through. So, we had a LOT of contacting time, which is always good. We also got to work on the baptismal program for Nicole, and it's looking good!

Elder Durgante and I are now really getting along; it's been fun to work with him. Everything is going well!

Anyway, it's been a different but fun week. Lots of changes, but it's always good to keep things fresh. I love you all so much, and I hope you have a good week!

Elder James