We've got a crazy p day planned today, so this is being written in the
interim time as we go through the activities - bus time Nd such.
As for the transfers, here's the story. They happen this coming
Saturday. I THOUGHT I was going to stay, because I had some residency
issues to work out and those take time. But now, after too many
useless government meetings, I learned that the only way to fix my
problem is in Madrid. So I called the secretary and made it his
problem, cause he's in Madrid, and then he said that he couldn't fix
it either. So now I have no residency issues and am free to do
whatever the Lord wants.... Except I'm illegally in the country and
best case scenario is just not getting caught by the police the whole
mission. Worst case scenario is getting stopped by a grumpy policeman,
arrested, deported, and I humbly requested that I finish my mission in
either Fort Worth Texas or Cincinnati Ohio. But that probably won't
happen I've been told. Thanks to that craziness,we're pretty certain
I'll leave.
We just finished part 1, where we went to gijon and hung around this
cool peninsula. We played soccer, are donuts and had a good time.
Pictures on Dropbox.
I'm really excited this week because our district is going to have a
baptism! His name is Angel, and I think I've mentioned him before. He
is a Spanish schoolteacher, which is not a demographic with which
missionaries usually have success. (Usually almost all latins, cause
there's an unhealthy superstition that spaniards are too set in their
ways.) anyways, when we first met him, he started off by ranting about
how the world is going crazy and the family is being destroyed etc.
etc. So we gave him a family proclamation, and he loved it!! Most
people are really outwardly ok with what that proclamation says, but
on the inside they think other things. They also throw the whole thing
away when you start up with the story of a 14 year old boy and gold
plates and angels.
Meanwhile - back to Angel. He read that, he's at alma 20ish in the
Book of Mormon, and he's really ready for baptism! We had some doubts,
and there's no need to detail why, but I was really unsure what the
Lord wanted from us - is he ready, is he not.... So we taught him what
he needed, had a couple firm lessons, and then came the interview.
He's my investigator, so I didn't do the interview, the zone leader
did. And we had a short chat and then I offered a prayer and left. I
sat down at the church computer with a mind to do some family history
or look up conference talks or something. But before I could, I had a
powerful impression to pray that elder Saltzman could discern angel's
issues and carry out the interview. So I prayed, and I got up to get a
drink, and I felt another strong impression to kneel down there in the
office and pray. When I was finished, I got up and got my drink of
water. And when I came back, I felt a THIRD strong impression to get
on my knees and pray. When I was finished, the interview was over.
Ángel is quitE a chatterbox when it comes to this sorta thing (the
first interview took 1 hour and 45 minutes) so I was surprised. And
everything went great! I am confident that elder Saltzman had the
spirit of discernment and so now we have no doubts about his
worthiness.
More to come! The church is true, the book is blue, and Moroni stands
on a ball - Mateo
Love, Elder Stew.
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