I Ended Up Dropping Some Cane

Christmas jammies!  Thanks Mom!

Hey Crazies!

Wow it was so awesome to talk to you guys on Christmas! Sounds like it was super fun in Hawaii! But I can't talk about Hawaii cause then I start thinking about the beach and hiking and golfing and food and you guys and see what I mean my mind just wonders! haha Bo, Soph and Mags look so old already, it's crazy!!!! Mace, Kenna and Dalt look the same... ugly ;) Wow I felt kind of weird after talking to you guys, but I actually felt more excited to be here. It really helps and motivates me so much to know that Macy is out doing the same things and having the same difficulties as me. It's awesome, she's awesome!!!

Someone is playing that one song from pitch perfect, You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone, right now!!! wow I miss music, but holy cow I can't believe that in a couple of days I will have been gone for 6 months!!!!! I can't believe how fast it has gone! It makes me kind of scared, I don't want to reach the end of my mission and look back and regret not working hard enough. I really just want to put it all out there, so that's what I'm going to do! This is going to be an awesome year!!!!!

So Alejandra was baptized after 4 months of teaching her and she is still doing great! We are trying to help her kids get excited about the church too. Washington on the other hand is not doing so great. We went by yesterday and didn't even really want to talk to us, and told us that he was done with the church and didn't really want anything to do with it. Well I then asked him if we could come in and share one more charla or lesson. I had actually been reading in a conference talk, (darn I can't remember who it was) it was from this last conference and there was a story about a less active lady who told her visiting teachers when they came to her house that she didn't want them to come back ever again, and the visiting teachers asked if they could sing one last hymn and when they sang the lady totally changed and returned to the church. So I was thinking about that, but with Washington it wasn't as pretty. We started the charla and he was really angry and was angry at God because he said he had been praying and reading every day and had been asking for things that hadn't happened. Well we started explaining more about how if we are obedient God has to bless us, and that we need to ask in faith and even then we need to respect the Lord's will and accept it. Well he was still angry and it was getting kind of heated as we were talking about every subject that he had doubts about or didn't agree with. But Elder Cruz and I ended up dropping some cane, or crackin down and just telling him straight up here is what you need to do if you want help... The lesson actually ended really well, and I have hope that he is going to return to come to church and quite smoking and continue strong. 

Mirtha came to the first hour of church yesterday but then bolted out, and we actually saw her leaving and ran up to her and asked why and explained that she could stay more if she wanted, but she did not want to. We have been having some problems with Mirtha. We have had some great lessons and she is always willing to talk with us, or I should say was willing to talk to us. But she hasn't been doing any of the things that we have been inviting her to do. Like I don't think that she has read one of the reading assignments that we have given her and they are only like one or two verses. I am just really hoping and praying that we can help her to read and pray cause I know that it will help her so much. Her husband died like a year ago or so and I can tell that she is still having a lot of trouble with that, so we just really want to help her but we can't do it all ourselves. She has to put in her part and show her desire. Anyways we are going to pass by this week, I'll let you know how she is doing.

Dang I loved Macys invitation to do missionary work! I think it is an awesome idea. I have learned so much about how to share the gospel since I've been here, and it doesn't have to be scary at all! Sharing the gospel can be so easy! Please pray and search for moments and experiences to share the gospel and I know that you will feel a different spirit in your life, because I definitley have!!!!

Well have an awesome week, and a Happy New Year!!!

I love you all more than you will ever know!

Elder Inglatera

Merry Christmas!!! It looks like it's snowing!

Alejandras baptism