Aug 8,2009

Well.....Hope that you all had a good week this week. I am sorry that I wasn’t able to write a good letter to you guys last week. But I was in a hurry and I really didn’t have time to write a letter. We actually almost missed the boat so if I would have sent you a letter I wouldn’t have made it back to my area on time. But I am now here and things are going pretty good. But quite a few things have gone on since that last good letter you all received. But things have cooled down and are a lot better. Zone conference was really good. We received a few trainings from President and the Assistants and it was really good. We learned about how we need to find more new investigators through the members and our own efforts. They talked a lot about doing contacts in the streets and President has now made a new goal for all of the missionaries. He wants us to do at least 25 contacts every week. Which probably doesn’t seem like that much, but for our mission it is. So I now have to try and accomplish this every week as well and I am not very good at that, because we have a ton of people to teach. And tons of things to do and now president is asking for more. But I will have to see I am not able to do so. But the best part about the Conference was the last talk that one of the assistants gave. He talked about the value of time. And it really got me to thinking….I only have eight months left. It seems like yesterday I arrived on the mission and all this time has already passed by. I felt like I am running out of time and really need to do the best that I can to be able to finish off with my head held high knowing that I did all that I could. But yeah….the conference was great!After the conference Elder Milkanin, Elder Teixeira, Elder Oxborrow (my son), and I snuck off and we took the bus to my last area where Elder Milkanin and I served together and we went to visit some of the people that we met there and everything. And it was awesome. We visited a few members that we learned to love in the area and we also went to visit João and Franciane, the amazing family that I was able to teach and baptized. And when I knocked on the door he came to the door all surprised and let me in and I was able to chat with them and take some pictures. It was really good, I really enjoyed be able to see them. And they are doing really good, they are firm in the church still and João got his first calling in the church the Sunday before I passed by. He is going to be the first or second counselor in the Sunday school. But I can’t remember exactly which one it is. But I really enjoyed visiting our last area. We should up at one ladies house and we scared her and she started crying because she was so happy to see us and I couldn’t help it. She had done so much to help us so we both gave her a hug. I know that it was breaking rules, but she deserved the hug for all the she does for the missionaries. We also tried going to the center of the city to buy some things that they don’t have here but I weren’t able to because of the traffic, which is why we almost lost the boat. So we went but to the mission office and we packed up and we left. But it was a good trip and I really enjoyed it. The only part that sucked was the boat ride, because it is a 25 hour trip. It was rough and you know that I am not exactly a real patient person so I didn’t really love the boat ride. But the moon was gorgeous and so were the stars, so we stayed on top story on the boat the entire night. And the boat was packed so I ended up practically sleeping in the same hammock as an old lady because she decided to put her hammock so close to mine. I got a little upset with that and thought about talking one side of her hammock of and letting her fall on the floor while she was sleeping. But I thought that might be a little rude, so I didn’t. But yeah after a huge trip on the boat we made it back into the city.And that is when the work started again and everything was awesome until we started finding out that some of the members starting talking bad a bout us and saying that we are in love with Carla and her sisters and planning on returning to marry them. This really pissed me off. They have a little problem in the branch with gossip and well somebody started this rumor up and so we passed a good week trying to fix that problem and on Sunday we were able to, but we lost a couple of investigators because of it. Carla´s parents no longer want to go to church because all the young women are saying all the things. And Carla’s mom told me it would be better if I don’t pass by her house anymore. So I can’t even teach her daughters anymore at their house, I have to teach them at their grandma´s house. It just caused a ton of problems. But yeah……it sucked and I was super pissed off at the branch for a few days before I was able to talk with the branch president and it seems like we are going to be able to get it under control. But we are looking to have a baptism next week if everything goes the way it is planned. We have been teaching a family for a while and they have been progressing but they just have a problem with going to church so if they go to church on Sunday we are going to baptize them but if they don’t then I won´t baptize them. Because I didn’t come on the mission to baptize people that are not doing to stay strong. We also have a couple of other people that are progressing and I am hoping to be able to mark their baptismal dates here pretty soon. But we will have to see how their progress goes.We saw a dead monkey yesterday and training is still the hardest thing that I have done on the mission. He struggles a lot with the language and I have to teach everything and do everything. I have been hoping that this is the first and last time that I train someone because I have no idea how to train and I feel like a chicken trying to swim. I have no idea how to do it and I wasn’t made to do it. So I am trying to do the best that I can, but I think that I am going to drown here pretty soon. But with the help of the Lord I just hope that my son can at least learn something from me. So pray for him if you can. But that is about all that as been going on; I hope that this letter makes up for last weeks. But I love you all and I hope that everyone has a great week. But I as able to have a little bit of a cool experience this past week. My companion and I gave a blessing to a really sick lady and after two days she said that she is feeling ton better. She had a huge pain in her stomach for the longest time, but said that she is finally starting to feel better after the blessing that we gave her and we are now teaching her and it is going pretty good with her.And mom…….as for the day that I am set to go home……..let my call the secretary and I will tell here in a second…………..I called the secretary and he isn’t a hundred percent sure yet because it hasn’t been planned yet, but I did the math and looked at the calendar and it looks like my last day on the mission will be the 23rd of March. So you could plan on arriving one day before or on the same day. It is up to you or sometime around there. And I loved the idea of Camille coming too. That would be awesome and what about Juston, how are things looking for him to be able to come as well. And I will be waiting your package with my glasses and the ensign and the goodies. And I never got that package yet, I think that it must be a different one, but I have no idea who it is from. Because I did receive one from you with my shorts and the jump rope and guess what? I am starting to lose a ton of weight last night I was looking to in the mirror and I saw my six pack for the first time in two years. Which is awesome! But I love you and I hope that Steven can get better, he is in my prayers and I tell him that I love him and have Camille give him a hug and a kiss on the forehead for me. I love you him and I hope that he can start feeling better soon. Give Kaya a hug for me and tell her that I love her and I miss you as well. And say hi to the ward for me, I love you and I miss you tons. Sorry I didn’t have any cool stories, but we are kinda low on those right now. But I love you and I will talk to you next week. LOVE YA!!!!With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts