Birfday week! (received 5/14/12)

Hey everyone! 


Well, happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! I hope you had a great day yesterday! This week was a TON better than the past week. It was more successful and rewarding than the last week.

So, my companion and I did a lot of work this week. We focused time into working mainly in Yacanahuyo and with the Crespo Family. Lately it has been rough for us to have investigators come to church, and now we are having our investigators come to church, but now the problem is that they come late to church. And the Area Presidency has declared that for the asistence to church to count towards the baptismal date, the investigators must participate in the Sacrament.....that means that even that we've had 5 or 6 investigators show up to church, we've had to report 0 investigators at church for two weeks in a row. That's been really frustrating for us, but we're really happy that they're even coming to church, which was a huge problem before. But, our investigators are progressing well now.

Ok, so you all probably wanna know what happened on my birthday. Well, it was a Tuesday, which for us here means that we travel to Cochabamba to go  to our District Meeting. So, we were in meetings all morning, and we got back to Cochabamba in the mid afternoon, so we had to go and start to work, because we had several investigators to go visit. So, at dinner that night we got to dinner, and there was a cake box on the table. Well, I thought it was a cake, so I gave everyone a hug and everything, and opened the box, which was full of corn and had a sign that said "The Cake is A Lie!" (it's a video game joke- Google it.), and we had a very good laugh about that. Then they brought out the cake and we sang Happy Birthday and then they wanted me to bite the cake, which is also a tradition here. And normally they smash your face into the cake, so I told everyone to get away from behind me and went in to bite the cake. Well, Elder Martinez flipped the table up and my face got completely enveloped in the cake. So it was a good night after all. Then the next day, a member family invited me over and they had another cake for me. AND that night at our Missionary Fellowship night, the ward had bought me ANOTHER cake. So, I got three cakes for my birthday! I don't feel like I'm 21, but here I am, 21 years old.

We also had our Zone Conference this past week. It was a good conference and all, but the weird thing was to see the sisters from my group go up and give their final testimonies. They're going home next week. Weird. I also had my bi-transfer interview with President Dyer, and we spent some time talking about how I'm going to finish my mission. Soooo.......You'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Family- It was great to see you yesterday and to be able to talk to you! I hope that you have a great week!

That's all for now! ¡Hasta luego!


-- 
AEA


Elder Craig

A TRYING WEEK (received 5/7/12)

Hello everyone!

Well, this was a pretty rough week for me to be completely honest with you all.

We started off the week doing even more service! Service is something that we've been doing a lot of lately because the mission president recieved revelation that that's what the mission needs to be doing right now to help boost the numbers of the mission. So, the first project of the week we went to a small town called Nasacara to help out the 2nd counselor of the ward harvest corn. Here, to do that they cut the stalks of corn down and put them into huge groups to take the corn off and then BURN the stalks. Soooo, we got to work cutting down the stalks. I don't know how the traditional american style is to cut down corn, but because this country is behind by several years, we used machetes! I had sooo much fun cutting the stalks down. We had contests to see who could cut down the most stalks in one slash, and I got second place with 4 in one awesome slash. It was a lot of fun and we're talking to the family to try and go help them again, because we cut a ton in a space of a couple of hours.

The second project was for a less active member. We went to another pueblito called Pampa Grande to help him cut alfalfa. Well, that wasn't as fun or easy as corn, but we still had fun. We got to feed these three massive milk cows  and two little bulls. It was cool, and we were able to help a lot, because this member has been less active for years now, and he's thinking of returning back to the Church, so we're really excited. And we also have plans for helping him out again on Wednesday, with the other two elders in our house, and we're going to learn to make artisan Bolivian bread, so this will be a fun day.

Ok, so on Friday, I was SICK SICK SICK all day long out of no where. I was, unfortunately,  in bed all day with diarrea and vomiting. That absolutely killed us this week for our work, because ALL of our lessons were for Friday, so missing that really destroyed us for the week.

But, on Saturday ( I was feeling MUCH better...power of the priesthood.) we spent all day helping the other missionaries prepare for a baptism they had that day of one of their investigators. The thing was that we had to get the water heated from this thing that heats the water up by gas.....that hasn't been used in about 10 months. So, I spent literally all that morning getting the heater to work, while the other pair went to Cochabamba to go pick up the clothing for the baptism. THEN, the jacuzzi that rotated the water and kept it warm BROKE and actually make the font overflow, which meant all of the warm water was gone. Plus the gas tank ran out of gas, so the option of re-heating the water was out. So we as missionaries said a prayer that all would go well with the baptism, and you know what? It did.

This week was dificult for me because we taught very few lessons this week, but all in all it was a good week because there was a successful baptism for the ward. And that's what really matters.

Dad- Guess there's lots of work for both of us, huh? I can't wait to talk to you on Sunday!

Mom- Nope. No Mexican food(or beans) here. Weird, I know, but that's how it is. Sunday!!!!!!!!

Aly- Bear Lake sounds amazing! I hope you have a great time! I can't wait for Sunday!

Emi- Just tell me about your week on Sunday!

Have a great week everyone!

--
AEA


Elder Craig(Now 21 years old!)

Destroying to build the kingdom! ;)

Hello everyone!

I hope you had a good week! This was a good week for me here in

Punata. It was with plenty of service again(said service was probably

the most fun that I've had in my mish, but more of that later.)

So, this week my companion and I have been working on our

investigators that are progressing more. One awesome thing was that we

got a reference from a member kind of by accident. He was talking to

us casually about a family that he knew that were listening to the

missionaries about a year ago, and we just asked casually where they

lived. Well, technically that counts as a reference from a member. So,

we went and contacted this family and taught two members. It turns out

that the youngest son has come to church almost every Sunday for

almost the past year because of friends that he likes to go to church

with. So, we've already put a baptismal date on him, and it seems like

things are looking really good for them.

Our investigator Pablo is doing REALLY well. He's been here every

Sunday for the past month, and he's getting ready to be baptized on

the 19th of May, so we're really happy on how he's progressing. Things

are going well with him.

Ok, so we had an amazing service project this week- WE GOT TO DEMOLISH

A HOUSE! IT was AWESOME! It was this really old adobe house that was

falling apart, so these members asked the ward to come help them out.

Well, the only members of the ward who came where the bishop and a few

other random members and the six elders from the ward. So, we took

pickaxes to the walls, and it all came tumblin' down! It was fun, but

we were FILTHY by the time it was all over.

Dad- Glad work's going well! Work hard, and have fun!

Mom- Sunday school, huh? Well, glad you got good kids to

teach..Blessings I guess. Have a great week!

Aly- Just have fun this week! No angry parents this week!(I hope) Kuv ya!

Emi- Bummer that you didn't make it to state...But you got one more

shot(next year!), so don't get bummed. And I like reading Isaiah too,

it's fun.

That's all for now!

--

AEA

Elder Craig

A long week, but very satisfying

Hey everyone at home!

I hope you all had a great week! This week has been a good week for

me. There has been lots of stuff going on here for me.

Ok, so the first thing that happened this week was that we finally

got to go to the temple again! It’s been such a long time since we’ve

been, so it was amazing to get inside and feel the Spirit of the Lord

that strongly again. I love going to the temple, but the worst part is

the distance for us. We had to get up at 4am to be able to get there

at 6:30am. That means that it was hard to stay awake inside, but I did

do it! Then, afterwards, I had leadership training for about seven and

a half hours. That just made a long day longer, but we had the visit

of a local Seventy (an area authority), so that made things better.

We also spent time this week doing lots of service. The first project

included the four of us here in Punata. We spent the morning building

a stone wall, and then we spent time building duck houses for a

member. That was a lot of fun, but those ducks smelled horrible!

Hahaha!

The second project was for our investigator Mario. He’s living along

right now, and because of his bad knee, he hasn’t been able to clean

his house and workshop, so we came over (just my companion and me),

and we spent time sweeping, moving stuff, and getting rid of nasty

pictures on the walls. It was awesome, and we were able to help him

get ready for church on Sunday (and he came!).

I also had my first exchange in a while with my District Leader,

Elder Blackwelder. He’s a cool guy from Florida, and he is such an

amazing Gospel scholar! I have learned so much stuff from him, and he

has taught me really how to study the Gospel. It was a good

intercambio, and we had a lot of fun at the same time.

Dad-I am so happy for you! Congrats! Have a great week at WORK! :D

Mom-Glad you had a great week! I can’t wait for more Hawai’i pics!

Aly-Well, I have a HUGE farmers tan from being a missionary, so I know

how it is. Looks cool until your shirt sleeve rides up, lol. Have a

good week!

Emi- Well then, sounds like new challenges with music. And with your

running, just do your best to work your speed back up!

That’s all for now!

--

AEA

Elder Craig

Gettin' lost in Punata.....in the work and in the fields. (4-16-2012)

Hello!

I hope that all of you had a fantastic week this past week! This week

was a good week for us here in Punata.

So, first bit of good news is that we got in contact with one of our

old investigators again! Our investigator Pablo had literally

disappeared for 2 and a half weeks. But on Wednesday we got a call

from the hermana who gave us the reference for Pablo to go teach him.

She was freaking out, saying "Pablo's here, Pablo's here! You two

better get over here as soon as you can!" Well, needless to say, we

hurried over there as quick as we could. Unfortunately, that means 25

minutes of walking. So, by the time we had got there, Pablo had gone,

and we couldn't find him. But on Friday, we were just happening to

pass by this hermana's house, when we heard talking going on- and one

of the voices was Pablo's! Well, we didn't miss a moment, and we

knocked on the door and got in the house. It turns out that Pablo had

been in the hospital for two weeks with the flu(He got his niece to

pay for the bill). But, he was super excited to see us again and to

start listening to us again. He also finally made it to church on

Sunday! So, things with him are looking very up.

Also, another investigator, Mario, is progressing ridiculously well.

He is developing a strong testimony of the gospel. Yesterday(sunday)

we went to visit him because he's been having a rough time with his

knee and so we wanted to know how he was doing. And while we were

talking, he said "Once my knee gets better, I'll go out with you guys,

because that's what you should do once you know that these things are

true." Wow! I know members that are less animated than him. So, things

look good for him.

And.....now about the title. My companion and I were in a neighborhood

called Santa Ana and we wanted to try to contact some of the farmers

out there, cause it's pure farm land. Well, we got very lost and

actually followed a water canal until we reached a road that took us

back to Punata. Funny story of the week.

Parentals(Mom and Dad)- Have an amazing finale in Maui! I can't wait

to hear from you this next week! Luv ya!

Aly- Sorry about the rough week. This one will be better! I know it.

Emi- Hope you're studying hard and having fun! I want lots of pics next week!

That's all for now folks!

--

AEA

Elder Craig

Finally a baptism!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!

I hope that everyone had a great week! My week was pretty good out here in Punata.

So, the first thing is....I finally had a baptism! Our investigator Alex Guzman was baptized on Saturday, and I was given the privilege to perform the ordinance(If that's how you spell that word....my spelling is getting worse and worse.) It was a very special moment for me. We had spent the day preparing for the baptism, with the usual of filling up the font and cleaning and such. Well, the bishop did not give us the keys for the water heater(here there is no hot water valve, just cold mountain water.), so I had to baptize in freeeeeezing cold water. Luckily, we had the only baptism of the day, so I spent maybe two minutes max in that water. A tough thing for Alex was that his mom decided last minute that she wasn't going to come to the baptism, which was something that he was really hoping for. But, his youngest sister came, plus the family who lives next door to him(who were the ones that passed the reference to us a few months ago.), so he had some great support. Plus my District Leader and I played and sung a spanish version of "Come thou fount", which really brought the Spirit into the service. While we were changing in the bathroom, I asked him(across stalls) how he felt, and he said that he felt really clean, like he had been born again. The Spirit in that moment testified to me that he had really repented and that that baptism was valid in our Father's eyes. It was a great experience.

On Sunday we finally had an investigator come to church that we've been really working hard to have come to church, Mario! He literally hobbled into the church on a cane, and was immediately greeted by the Bishop and his wife, who are his friends. He had the priviledge to help him around the church all morning. He really enjoyed the meetings, so we are really hoping that he keeps coming on Sundays.

Well, the exchanges have come again, and I am staying in Punata for another month and a half. That will mean that I have been in every area of my mission a total of six months each! Which means when I leave here next month, I will almost have five months until I come home...Time really flies, doesn't it?

Dad- Congrats on Trainer of the Year! I think I can give you that too, because you've totally helped me out out here. Hey, have fun in Hawai'i, relax, and I really hope you get that job. I wanna see lots of pics! Have a very amazing birthday! I love you!

Mom-Thanks for the pic! I used a hand scythe to cut the alfafa. And the bull was huge, calm, and very hungry. I'm glad you had fun on Easter. And about the letter...don't worry, I'll be ready this time. ;) Have a fun, safe time in Maui, and I wanna see lots of pics when you get back! I love you!

Aly-Thanks for the pictures! Yes, I will Skype call again, don't worry. Don't worry about mean people, we can't help them (I deal with a TON of them out here.), just smile, and they can't do anything about the problem. I'm proud of your weight loss! Have a great amazing week!

Emi- I'm sorry that you' had a bad meet....things'll get better. Just think, the next missionary homecoming will be MINE. Just saying.....Hey, and I want lots of pictures of you and the Picketts this week, ok?

That's all for now!

--

AEA

Elder Craig

Conference weekend- A week of miracles- Happy April! (sent April 2)

Why hello!

Well, I hope you all back home had a great week! Mine was sort of tough(we didn't teach a lot of lessons this week), but it was amazing. I also hope that you all enjoyed General Conference! It was awesome (as usual).

Ok, so for the first time in Bolivian history, we were able to watch Conference in our own chapel. That means that we didn't have to make the hour long trip to the Stake Center to go watch...we just had to walk ten minutes on foot to get there. But, it started out really rough. We got to the church to set everything up and there was no electricity. Apparently the electric company thought that it was a fantastic idea to cut the electricity so that they could do maintenance work. So, we set everything up just hoping that the power would come on sometime before the conference started. Well, it didn't. It finally came on at the end of the first session during President Eyring's talk, which means that we lost the entire first session thanks to the power company. But from then on we were able to enjoy the talks and the amazing music. If you didn't get to watch Conference, just click here to read the talks.

So, on Friday, the four of us in Punata headed to Nasacara (which is waaaaaayyyyyyyyyy in the heck out in the country side)(another side note: I have some awesome pics, but this dumb computer isn't reading my memory reader....you'll have to wait until next week.) to do some service for an investigator. Well, that project fell through, so we ended up cutting alfalfa to feed a massive bull. Then we went to go visit this investigator's mother(who lives even farther out there.) who has terrible arthritis, and so we were asked to give a blessing of health. Well, for those of you who don't know, when we bless someone with a blessing of health, we first anoint them with olive oil that has been consecrated( or made holy). Well, I had used all of my oil a couple of weeks ago, and nobody else had their oil vials. So, Elder Blackwelder told me to go get my vial out of my backpack. When I brought it out, I opened it and tilted the vial just barely, and a clear big drop of oil came out. Mind you, I had run out two weeks before and had not refilled it. I am totally convinced that the Lord sent us there just for that. I can't explain how there was oil in my vial, but there was!

The next miracle that happened to us happened during General Conference. We have this investigator Alex Gúzman who has a baptismal date for this coming saturday, and he need to attend church just one more time to complete the mission's rule about investigators attending church(they need 3). Well, he didn't make it to the first three sessions, so inbetween sessions, we ran to his house to see if he was there. So, his mom answered and said that he was not home, that he had gone to his grandmother's home in Yacanahuyo. I about freaked, so we got his number and tried calling him, but he didn't answer. So, we just went to the session, usinga member's cellphone to try and get in contact with him. When we did finally get in contact, we said that he might or might not come, so I about freaked again. But, during Elder Perry's talk, my companion and I got the strong impression that we needed to pray. So, we got up and left and found a small classroom that was open. I offered a prayer asking God to help Alex come to church that day if it was His will, and we just left it all to him. So we re-entered the Conference, and about ten minutes later, the member whose phone we had used told us that Alex had just called her and said that he was outside. We ran outside and saw him still about a block and a half away running to get to the Church. I just about cried my face off. I know that God really answers out prayers and that miracles come from being obediant to Him and having faith.

Dad- Have a good week. I hope you're ready for that break that you need!

Mom- Yes, I will get a pill called "The Bomb" right before I come home which cleans the system out. And about quechua, I now have a Book of Mormon in Quechua, and we are trying to use more and more  phrases in our conversations. Conference rocked, ¿NO? Have a great week!

Aly- Hope work is going well for you and that you're having lots of fun!

Emi- Hey, hope you're doing great, and I can't wait to hear from you next week!

Until next week!

Happy April!

-- 

AEA

Elder Craig