Working Helps Me Stay Focused

Hey fam!

Haha I love the dog stories that Mace has. There are quite a few dogs down here so I've got a couple stories. I don't remember if I told you guys or not but in Florida a dog bit a hole in my suit jacket... yeah it's still there :) I'ts not that big, and at least the dog bit my jacket and not me. I'll send some pics of my shoes, and I like that picture you sent me... Round toe thumbs up. 

Mom thanks for the encouragement... to be honest I've been missing you guys a lot. Last P-Day I was missing you guys a lot after I wrote you guys. I think it is sinking in that I haven't actually seen you guys in over a year. But after getting out to work everything got better. Just getting out and working helps me to stay focused on the work and not so focused on you guys. But things are going great here! 

It has been actually quite warm this week. The weather is kind of bipolar. Anyways we took advantage of the good weather and did some service projects. As a zone we made it a focus to look for service activities, and I ended up doing 3 service projects this week, and we already have like three more set up for this week. By the end of the week I was kind of dead. Especially because on Saturday we were helping to build a house and Elder Lizaraso and I were hauling sand and gravel in a wheel barrow for a good 2-3 hours. Okay funny story, I found it was easier to run with the wheel barrow to gain momentum and get over the bumpy ground. Well after I dumped a load of gravel I was running back to the pile where my comp was and the wheel barrow had a bar in front like on the axle of the wheel and as I was running I lifted the handles too high and that bar in front hit a bump in the ground and dug into the ground, and therefore throwing me into the wheel barrow and over the front of it. Luckily no one saw except for my companion that was laughing for quite a while after. Anyways got a good bruise on my left leg. But I took some good pictures of the projects. 

On Wednesday we had an intercambio and I went to work with Elder Ochoa! It was super fun to work with him again. It seriously feels like it was yesterday that we arrived in Carrasco together, but that was about 7 MONTHS AGO!! The time is seriously flying by. But it was super fun to think back on all the fun times with Lucas and just all the funny stuff that happened. 

In our area it has been kind of rough. We were really trying to help the investigators that we have to progress so we focused on two investigators and tried to make specific plans for those two. Well we chose Carol and Carlos. the goal was that we could have a family home evening and another lesson with a member and have that member invite the investigator to come to church. Well we made some pretty good plans and had several lessons and family home evenings set up. But they all fell through! Either the member couldn't or the investigator couldn't make it. Well with Carol we really couldn't have much contact with her until like Friday. We talked to her and she expressed her desire to get baptized, but then told us that her family is all Evangilicos and that one of her sisters is a pastor in Montevideo. Anyways she told us that they were talking bad about her getting baptized and that they don't support her. So she said that yesterday she was going to go to Montevideo and talk to her family and express to them that they need to respect her decisions and support her because that is what she feels. Yeah she is super awesome. SO we called her yesterday to see how it went and she said that she was driving and couldn't talk so we have to call her today and find out.  And Carlos - I dont know if I told you guys about him but he is a friend of a member in our ward. He is 15 years old I think and we were going to have a family home evening with his friend and his family but it never happened hopefully this week.

The problem is that we are finding people but these people are not progressing. I just really hope that this week we can see some progression.

Darn it I can't figure out how to send pictures on this computer, but don't worry I am taking pictures and I will get them to you soon.

I love you all more than you will ever know!

Thanks for all the emails I love reading them all. Kenna I loved the description of all the family members, it was hilarious. Dad I think howdy is pretty cool. and Mags I'm going to print your talk and read it.

Love you guys 

Elder England