September 26, 2011

This week I´ve noticed that the district is beginning to get more references now which is good and there are a few baptismal dates coming up too.


I did divisions this week with Elder Cifuentes in his area. It was a really good experience. We set a baptismal date with one of their investigators and had an unplanned finding experience which could very quickly lead to another baptism. I enjoyed the experience a lot. While I was there, Elder Cifuentes complained a little bit more about Elder Lopez. Elder Cifuentes is a hard worker but he very frequently has negative things to say about other people so I always have to take that into account when he tells me things. He told me that Elder Lopez has a worldly movie, Prince of Persia, but I looked through Elder Lopez´s movies and didn´t find it so he could have taken it with him on the divisions. I don´t have any evidence right now that he has anything, only Elder Cifuentes´s word, so I´m not doing anything about it right now until Elder Cifuentes gets some evidence.

This next District meeting my goal is to help the district understand more fully the gospel and to recognize how well they are using it in their lives. I´ve chosen to talk about this because I´ve learned in my studies a lot about Faith and how to really use it and to confide in God more. In reality, what I want to teach touches a lot of different topics: Faith, Dignity, Repentance, Grace: the enabling power of God and how to qualify for it to take effect in our lives and how to use it to help us meet our goals. The problem is that we make goals but then we doubt. We are constantly saying things like, "The members in this ward don´t want to help at all." or "These people are pure Catholic and don´t want anything to do with us." and we begin to doubt and deny ourselves the blessings and help we could receive through exercising faith. This is what I´ve learned in my studies this week and I want to communicate this concept to my district.

I have a request for a return home present. I´ve been thinking about it a lot for the past couple of months but I never remembered to put it in my letter until today. I would like and urge Nick to begin his mission papers now so that the week before I come home he can turn them in. That way, soon after I get home, he can receive his call. I want to be able to teach him some vital things I´ve learned on the mission and also, if he ends up going Spanish speaking, I can begin to teach him Spanish. It´s something I want to do so that he can have better success in his mission than I have had so far in mine.

For conference we´re just going to stay in our zone to watch it. I really love Conference and am excited to listen for my last time in the mission.

Already beginning to plan my first few weeks home huh? Well, I don´t know what day exactly. The 14th is the Tuesday but that´s the day of changes. From what I understand I may not get home until the 15th or even the 16th depending on how the flight plans go. But I´m almost positive I won´t be getting home on the 14th exactly, unless I specifically ask that they find a way for me to be home before the 14th or on the 14th.

Love,

Elder Landon James Crapo