Hello family and friends! This week has been a very interesting one. Before I get into this week, thank you to Mom, Dad, Jakins and Aaron W for the letters! I'm starting to find out it's really hard to find free time on PDays, so if in any case I don't write a reply, I'm so sorry, but I still love you!
So on Tuesday, I had a really good talk with President Becerra. We talked about all the headaches and sleeping issues I've been having. He has allowed me to start taking an hour nap every day until I can start getting all the way back into the groove of things. He is so nice, and very supportive. He also suggested Melatonin to calm my mind down before going to sleep, and that has been helping a lot. So I felt like I was starting to get back into the groove of everything yesterday, and now I have a cold coming on. It just never ends. Ha ha. You just have to be able to laugh about it.
Investigator updates: Raul and Rosa are still awesome, but we have a few problems we need to resolve. We brought up the Law of Chastity and the problem that it is that they are living together. They talked it over and said they don't want to get separated and they want to go through this whole process together. So that's the good news. Raul needs to stop drinking coffee and smoking and he's working at it bit by bit. Now the bad news. Rosa works on Sundays and her supervisor won't let her have Sundays off. We are going to try to get help from the ward to find her a different job. Elder Flores and I both feel like the solution for her specifically is to change jobs. We asked them to fast about everything and we haven't had a chance to follow up with them, but they sounded like they were on board.
Armando has said that he will get baptized and married, but he's just waiting for the "right time". I think he's expecting some kind of Joseph Smith experience or something. We're trying to help him realize that now is the time and that there is no reason to wait. Cool story: he brought a friend to church on Sunday, and we have an appointment with the friend tomorrow. Also, he said that of the 10 missionaries Armando has had (he's been investigating for over a year) Elder Flores has been the most helpful. That brought Elder Flores to tears. I think it all ties to his patience and the fact that he got him to start listening to the Book of Mormon. Funny thing about that appointment is that Armando was getting after me because I wasn't crying with him. He asked for President Monson's phone number so he could report me. We had a good laugh.
While we're on the topic of Elder Flores, I don't think I've said anything about him. He is from Virginia. His parents are from El Salvador, so he's fluent in English and Spanish. He has been in the mission a little bit over a year. He is our district leader. He doesn't learn things super quick as we're studying, but his desire to learn and understand is like nothing I've ever seen. He's a really good example of hard work and patience. We have transfers coming up this next Monday, and I would be beyond happy if I got to stay with him in our area. We laugh a lot...A LOT. That helps keep everything flowing really well. His sense of humor is pretty similar to mine.
Oh, and Casandra, the inactive pregnant teenager in our ward that we just met, came to church yesterday! YA! When we asked her what it was feeling like, and she said "Honestly, I'm feeling pretty aweful right now. I just feel like everybody is staring at me." If there is one thing that I have learned, it is this (and it comes with an invitation): When there is somebody that comes to church for the first time in forever, make them feel welcome! Don't be thinking, "oh what are they doing here. Did you hear what she did?" NO! That is in direct oppostion of what Christ would do. They are trying to get back on the right path. Don't push them away! If they are a few feet from the strait and narrow path, grab their hand and put that hand on the iron rod! I kinda feel strongly about this if you couldn't tell :)
I would love to hear from anybody that is currently reading this. I love you all and hope that all is well. The scripture I want to share this week is Mosiah 10:10,11,19. When we are going into battle, we have to go with the Lord on our side and we can't just rely on our own strength. So if you are approaching a new battle this week, this month, or this year, make sure you are going forward with the Lord at your side. Prayer, scripture study, church attendance. It's that easy. If there is one thing that I want to accomplish before the end of my mission, it is to be able to trust in the Lord 100%. I've definitely been improving on that. Poco a poco, paso a paso.
Vayan con dios,
Elder Tanner Christensen
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