My last cambio!!!!! (Transfers!!!)

Hello family and friends outside of Bolivia!

Well, this week has been an interesting week. Totally full of surprises for me.

I'm going to start my letter this week with a surprise service project this week. My companion and I were walking down an avenue in our area when we stumbled upon a less active member, who just happens to be the son of the Stake Relief Society President. Well, we talked to him and he said that his mom was freaking out because we were in the middle of a wind storm, and she was afraid that the roof of her house was going to be blown off. So we ran (literally) to her house and ran upstairs (oh by the way, her house is under construction, which means lots of windows without glass.) and started to cover up windows and put heavy pieces of wood on the roof so that the wind didn't carry the roof off. That was a awesome, but unexpected service.

I am sorry to report that Gabriel wasn't baptized this past week. It was for reason that I really can't discuss with you, but don't worry, he still wants to be baptized, and he still has a baptismal date. We were able to go to a "White night" this past  Friday, and Gabriel came with us and he absolutely loved it. We were also picking up some investigators for church who live by the church and he goes running past us going "Hey Elders! I'm headed to the church, so I'll see you there!" He is such a great investigator. I know he'll be ready in a couple of weeks for baptism.

Ok, so to be honest, this is a totally weird week for me. There have been missionaries going home this past week, and it's just weird for me to think that I am now next in line for the airport. But, I will be finishing my mission here in Sucre, with Elder Tuesta as my companion. No idea who he is, so I will let you all know next week....in OCTOBER!!!!!!!! The mission really has been the fastest two years of my life. But, I still have six weeks to tear it up, so I'm taking advantage of my time left.

Dad- You know exactly how I feel. But I am holding in here, so thanks for the advice.

Mom- Thanks for the pics! Have an amazing time, but just remember that the "happiest place on earth" isn't the happeist without me!

Aly- Gosh, that picture of the mountain looks pretty! Have fun in Disneyland, and DRINK WATER! I love you!

Emi- Jealous....nah. You just wait for how much you'll have with me when I get home. I'll teach you true fun! But, enjoy it while it lasts!

Til October!!!!

-- 

AEA

Elder Craig

Chubby bunny!!!!! 9-17-12

Hello everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well this week was a big improvement for me and my companion. We worked more efficiently and we began to work with members in ways that will really help our investigators.

Well one of the big highlights for me this week was the Leadership training that we had on Tuesday. It was an awesome experience for me. One thing that the President taught is that we don't just need to work our best, but in the Lord's way. That impacted me a lot, because sometimes as missionaries we work hard, but the way in that we work isn't necessarily the best or the most efficient way to work. It has to be His way, and that's what brings the most results. Also, one awesome thing was that we were taught about working with the Ward Council through playing chubby bunny, by teaching that we need the help of of everyone to help us get the success that this work needs. It was a truly spiritual experience.

So, my companion and I started implementing that in our work. We started by looking for friends for our investigators. We took a member named Belen to visit the Callahuara sisters, and things looked very good at first. She offered to pick them up to come to activities and to take them to church. But, the thing that happened is that people fall through at times. Belen got up late on Sunday and wasn't able to pick the sisters. But she's  learning just like the rest of us, so we're going to keep working with her and the Callahuara sisters.

Also things are looking very up with our investigator Gabriel. We re-extended the baptismal committment this past week, and he is so excited to be baptized! He continues to progress very well. He's keeping his committments and just coming through with everything. I am so happy for him. We are having growing success in our area here in Sucre. It's honestly been rough for us these past two months, but I'm grateful for a good companion who keeps motivating me to work hard(in the Lord's way).

This is a totally weird time of my mission. I'm loving the work, but honestly, sort of dreading the coming end of my mission. These past two years have honestly been the fastest two years of my life so far, and now that it's ending, I don't want it to.

I hope you all have a great week!

Dad- I miss Texas too. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you have a great week!

Mom- Glad you're having a good time in Texas. As to a release date, nothing yet. I was supposed to know about 6 weeks ago, but for some reason they're wayyyyy behind. Have a great week!

Aly- I think I got about 32 credit hours at Blinn....about that I think. My transcript will tell you more. Don't stress at work, good luck on your test, and smile!

Emi- I hope you have a great week!

Oh, just fyi, next week I will be telling all of you where I FINISH my mission! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!(that's a scream.)

Keep it easy!

-- 

AEA

Elder Craig

A week for learning

Hey family!

 

 

I hope that everyone had a great week!

 

This past week wasn't the greatest week for me as far as the work goes, but it was a great week for learning, which I think is much more important.

 

Well, the weather is changing more often than a teenager's mood here. It gets really hot, then at night it's chilly, then there's today where the weather is overcast and looking like it's wanting to rain. Winter here was a HUGE disappointment here personally, so it'll be nice to have a real winter this year....even if it means shoveling snow.

 

My companion and I really took the time to reevaluate how we were working and looking on how to improve(Thank you weekly planning and companionship inventory!), because this week started off really roughly for us. But after we took the time to set new goals, we really changed the manner in which we were doing things, and I really think that we will see some great results this week. Something I've really learned about the mission is that it's more for us as missionaries to grow than anything else. That's something that's made a huge impact on my mission. I try to see what kind of lesson I should be learning in a certain challenge in my mission, and I try to learn it so that I don't have to go through something harder later on. I know that's a huge reason that we're here in the mission- to become our best selves. But for me to even reach this point in my personal development, I've been through a lot, and made many sacrifices, but it's all been totally worth it.

 

So, about my investigators. I have an investigator named Gabriel who is THE BOMB! For the past two weeks in a row, he's come to church on his own. Yesterday he went to Sunday school and he absolutely loved it. He is one of the first "golden" investigators that I've had in a while, so we're working really hard to help him gain that testimony so he can get baptized on the 22nd of this month. He's accepting and living the teachings really well, so I am super excited for him.

 

Also, our convert, Alina(she got baptized a few weeks ago), is already an amazing member missionary. We went two weeks ago and taught her about missionary work, and she immediately took it to heart. We gave her 9 pamphlets on the Restoration, and she gave them all out to her friends, and they all now want copies of the Book of Mormon and want the missionaries to visit them! She is being such a great example to all of the ward, and to me as well. I wish that all members had that same energy and excitement to share the Gospel.

 

Well, that's it for now!

 

Dad- Yeah, this final stretch sucks, but I'm gonna work until the last day. House things sound....fun..... Have fun in Dallas(eat some Whataburger!) and be safe!

 

Mom- I'm not that jealous. Disneyworld is SOOO much better, but I know you'll enjoy it, so have fun. Thanks for the pics!

 

Aly- You're the best big sister ever! Thanks for your help!

 

Emi- I said the guys at your school have crappy hair, not you. Way to go on bearing your testimony! I'm really proud of you!

 

That's all for now!
--
AEA


Elder Craig

Jisk'un!!!!! Kan Septembreri!!!!

Hey everyone!

I hope that everyone had an amazing week!!

This week was a better week for me and my companion as far as the work goes. We got a bunch of work done, and we even found some really cool investigators this week.

So, first cool thing is about our service project this week. I made speed bumps. Yup, you all read correctly, speed bumps. The reason is that the family that we live with just started building apartments for us in their back yard, which means that they have to dig a foundation, which means that there's a lot of dirt left over. So, the father of the family asked us for help, and 8 of us spent the entire morning on Saturday digging from a giant dirt pile into wheelbarrows and going and dumping them into huge long piles in the middle of the road(I know, you're wondering "Is that even legal?" I have no idea, but we did it anyways.) It actually takes a long time to do it. We ended up making 5 roadbumps in an about 150 yard area, which is a lot if you ask me. It was fun though, because we were able to include other elders from the zone in the project. And as of this morning the speed bumps still exist, they've just been compressed by cars and trucks going over the top.

My companion and I have done some great work this week. This week we were walking, proseliting like we do, and we found a couple trying to start their car by pushing it down a hill....and they were still a ways from the hill. So, we took advantage to help them push the car down the hill, then we contacted the wife. We had a good conversation, but we weren't able to take out an appointment. But, a few days later we were able to talk with her husband through a member who's friends with them. We were able to teach him and get permission from him to teach his family(he's headed out to Cochabamba to work, and won't be back for a few weeks.), so we're really excited to go and teach the rest of his family.

We also had a great lesson last night with the Callahuara sisters. We went over to teach them and they had invited a friend over and she just began to ask us all of these good questions, like " So, how do I join your church?"(I especially liked that one!) and we were able to teach them all about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how its something not only to join His church, but to influence our way of life. It was a great lesson for us to teach them, and their friend is SUPER excited to continue to hear about the Restored Gospel.

We also had a movie night this week at my ward building, and they showed "The RM". To be honest, that made me a bit trunky, but it was fun to watch at this stage in my mission.....I just don't want the same things to happen to me when I get home, hahaha!

I hope you all have an amazing week! Thanks for all of your letters and support!

Dad- Well, tell Brother Witbeck that I say hi back. And I wanna see those skis! Have a fun Labor day, and a great week!

Mom-Thanks for the house pics! It's a really gorgeous backyard and deck.And I cannot wait to shovel snow(sarcasm.....)! Have a great week!

Aly-PT, huh? Well, maybe you could work for USU basketball, and get your brother free tickets.....jk! I know things are going to be stressful, but it'll all be worth it! Have a great week!

Emmmmmiiiii- I'm sorry that you're stuck with bad hair-do's and such, but I'm glad you survived your first week of your SENIOR year. By the way, your new calling sounds awesome. Enjoy every chance to serve. You'll grow so much. Have a great week!

'Til next week!

-- 

AEA

Elder Craig

I survived the week!

Hey everyone back home!

So this week was a good week for me here in the land of cholitas. My companion and I tried to implement working with members this week, and it brought somewhat results. It's always a little rough at first, but we got some good results this week. One good thing is that we have a new young ward mission leader(the other one went to his mission in Venezuela) and he's always ready to go work with us. That's because he's finishing his mission papers to go on the mission himself, so he's not studying, and just working at his dad's woodshop, so he's getting really bored(I know how he feels....it was a bit like that for me before the mission), so he's always wanting to go out on splits with any of the four of us in the ward.

So, the other elders in the ward had a baptism this weekend, and like always, there's no such thing as an easy baptism! So, my companion and I went to go help the other companionship clean up the ward building before the baptism(which, by the way was a pig stye(?) ) and things were going pretty well. We got the chappel sparkling clean(thanks mom and dad for teaching me how!) and waited for the kid to get there. And waited, and waited. So, the other elders called the house and the mom answered(oh and she got baptized about two months ago) and said that it was too cold outside(oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Winter showed up again and it's been here for a few days now! Yay!) so they wanted to wait on the baptism. But the other two elders went with our cook to go get them, and they came! So, the baptism went really well, and everything turned out alright.

My companion and I also exercized our gardening skills this week doing service for a member in our ward. We spent a couple of hours cutting down trees, trimming grape vines, and just getting dirty! It was fun. We also built a wooden frame for the grape and tumbo plants to grow onto. So, I have successfully constructed something! And it's still standing!

We also have a great investigator named Ariel. he's a great kid who's part of a part-member family. He's reading the Book of Mormon on his own, and he really wants to be baptized, but we still need to talk to his parents so that we can have the green light for the baptismal date in a few weeks. Keep your fingers crossed!

Well, not much else happened this week, but this week will be a great week, so it'll be a longer letter next week, I promise!

Dad- I'll keep my fingers crossed ...for the house, not the bunk bed. And I remember when I saw Matthew in the MTC....two years ago! You better show me your new skis!

Mom-House sounds pretty awesome!  Have a happy last week of August!

Aly- Sounds like work is a blast.....but don't worry, things will slow down now that school's started! Have a great week!

Emi- Hey, have a good first week at school! I know that things are rough right now, but it'll all turn out alright. Remember your big brother in Bolivia loves you!

Have a great week! These pics are to show how much of a dork I am! ;)

-- 

AEA

Elder Craig

My week at the airport!

Hi everyone!

 

It's me again, that one missionary that sends you all letters once a week.

 

Well, this week was the week of transfers, and let me tell you, when your area is the one right next to the airport, it is not fun. I had to pick up all of the new missionaries and make sure all of the things went well until the zone leaders were able to show up. Then I had to take an elder's luggage to my house, because his stuff showed up, but not him. Then the next day when I went to the airport, I had to take a pair of missionaries to my house, because one of their luggages never showed up, so they stayed the night at my house. Then the next day I took them to the zone leader's house to drop them off. So, the first few days this week I didn't get a whole ton of work done, but then my companion and I busted our butts off to make up for the time lost.

 

We had some great lessons this week! My companion and I got back into contact with some of our old investigators:Jesus Porcel and Dorian Duran! To reminds you who they are, they are college students that live in to farthest neighborhood in my area named la Belen(means Bethlehem). They are great kids that we lost contact with when winter break came, and they went off traveling as college students do, so we couldn't contact them. When we had our lesson on Saturday, Dorian also told us that she lost her phone as well, so that answered my doubt about why she never answered my phone calls when I called to try to get appointments with them. But it was great to get back in contact with them. We also went to visit a less active member, and her nephew answered the door, and so we contacted him and ended up teaching him. Then, to top it all off, we went to a lesson last night that was also supposed to be a lesson with a couple less actives, and it turned into a lesson with member and a new investigator who wants to be baptized! Things are looking up for the area.

 

Other than that, there's not a whole ton of stuff going on in my life. Thanks for all of your letters!

 

Dad- I want some pics from that photo shoot! Hope all of the things in about the house goes well!

 

Mom- Sounds hectic back home....just like my life here! Have a good week!

 

Aly- Hope you feel better! Have a great week!

 

Emi- Don't stress! Just enjoy your last week of summer!

 

There's photos this week! Hope you enjoy them!

 

Til next week!

--
AEA


Elder Craig

No such thing as an easy baptism!

Hello everyone!!!

I hope that you all had a good week! This week was a great week for me and my companion.

So, this week was full of service projects for me and my companion, and we finally had a baptism!!!! Actually, we had two baptisms, but it's practically the same.

So, this week we had a service project helping a member pack a truck because he moved to La Paz this past week. So, first thing we did was the usual pack a bunch of cardboard boxes into the truck. And we loaded about 40 into the truck when they said "ok, let's go pack the car!" Yup. We packed a car into the truck. Now, we were all worried that we would have to actually pick up the car (we are in Bolivia...crazier things have happened.). But we just headed to a spot where there was a ridge of dirt and we made a make shift ramp make of wood and tires(which almost fell apart under the weight of the car) and the hermano just revved his car are put it on the truck. Then we returned to his house and we helped pack a bunch of heavy stuff (Fridge, etc, etc.).

We also helped a member clean their super super messy house this week. I washed windows! We spent about 3 hours doing that, helping them out.

Now, about the baptisms. We got to the chapel at 6pm, and that's when everything went downhill. The ward mission leader was supposed to be in the chapel at 4pm to fill the font up, and he got there at 6:15pm. Then, there was NO water in the chapel, so we were filling it up by hand and running the water through the heating system to heat what little water there was up. After about two hours of that, out of the nothing, water from the main system just started gushing out water, which was super cold, so we heated the water in vain. But we were able to have the baptisms still, we just started at 8:15pm. It was super cool, because right before I baptized Alina, she ran outside and just started praying like crazy. I've never seen such a sincere prayer out of someone so young. And when she got up, she was crying. I performed the ordinance, and it was a super spiritual experience. Also, when she gave her testimony, she just ended up crying again. It was a really great experience.

Dad- Release date is Nov. 7. Thanks for telling me about Jodi....I'll really be praying for her. Also, can I see pics of the house?

Mom- Yes, I know Elder Abad....what connection do you have? I'm glad the wedding went well. I WANT PICS!

Aly-Wow. work sounds fun......Just don't get sick!!!!

Emi- Yes, I respond to practically everyone who writes me. Awesome that your friend got called to Austrailia. Enjoy your second to last week of summer!

Hey, I will have pictures next week, don't worry! Oh, and I'm here in Sucre for the next six weeks(I only have 12 weeks left!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!)

-- 

AEA

Elder Craig