Hey all!
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all are doing fantastic! Here in CALI, everything is pretty much great! I am enjoying the season! Pretty much all the Hispanic members love missionaries, and so we get tons of food, candies, and little homemade presents, like scarves, and hats, and gloves, and other stuff. I even got a bottle of this Adidas body spray. Cool right? The members here rock! I love them all, especially since there is not a language barrier any more. Wait, what? Yeah that is right. I understand now. Boom. Not a hundred percent let's be honest, but I can hold a conversation with almost every member, unless they are Salvadorian. They use so much slang, it blows. I got some great news this week though! I told you all it is going to be a white Christmas right? Yeah well it is true! I had my first Baptism yesterday the 22nd of December. His name is Ef..... , he is from Honduras. He speaks Spanish so incredibly well, because his people speak straight Spanish, they apparently don't use any slang! I understand him perfectly. He has been taught for over a year and a half. He had been dropped 3 times before I arrived here in the field. Three weeks before I arrived, Elder Vincent made contact again, but he still was not interested. When I arrived, we went and visited him. Like my third day I think it was. We taught him about the plan of Salvation (or the Restoration, I cant remember) But as we were teaching him, I noticed something, He was a lot more receptive and willing to learn based off the facts that I got from my comp. Anyways, I had him read 2 Nephi 31:20, and I asked him what he thinks about the scripture. What does he need to do. He flat out said, well, I got to get baptized brother. It was so awesome! (Now this was all done is Spanish......... Yep) It was so incredible. We taught him at least every week, and yesterday after Church I got the opportunity to baptize him. I love this guy so much! He literally says "amen brother" to every thing that we teach. Golden!
Tomorrow night, Christmas Eve, we have another Baptism for I..... , our 12 year old investigator. He is so ready, but the ward is a little reluctant about the whole thing, because they feel that he could be a burden on the ward, because his mom is less active, and he does not have rides. We wanted to read Alma 5 with the ward hahaha. But we didn't. I get to confirm him next Sunday in front of the whole ward in Spanish, whew, I am a little nervous but I think I will do just fine. Next Sunday we have another Baptism as well! Al... . He might have to get pushed back another Sunday, but it is so exciting to see him grow in the gospel and develop his testimony. He loves the Atonement. He spoke to me a little at the Christmas activity last Friday, and told me, "Elder Scott, (actually he said Big Dog, that is my nickname from him) I finally felt the spirit last night. Like you said I would. I have been praying and reading almost every night." I love this kid so much. He is 17 and is so ready to be baptized. My area is booming right now!
Now let me break down the week. Sound good? Aight.
Wednesday - P-day, and we went Christmas shopping. Stressful day, I played some basketball, and had to guard a fellow missionary named Elder Sorenson. He is 6'8". He also plays water polo. Yeah that's right. Then we just hung out and passed a ball back in forth pretending we were playing water polo. I miss it to be honest, it was good to do that, especially because he had been playing for 10 years, and I was better haha! He is not coordinated that well, Kind of awkwardly tall ya know? But anyways, it was good to talk about stuff!
Thursday - Zone conference! We watched Despicable me with President Bowen and then had a killer lunch! We also got a present from the President as well! Oh yeah! I.... had his baptismal interview as well.
Friday - We tried to set up facebook again. It still is not working. It kind of sucks, the whole thing is frustrating right now. I just want to use it now. Everyone that is on it now says it is way helpful! But it will eventually work I hope. We taught a less active member named V..... . He is amazing. He has 2 kids and is not married, but they are trying to get married with in the next 2 weeks. His 'wife' L...... is not a member, but wants to get baptized. Oh yeah! But her family members and brothers are shooting her down pretty much, creating a lot of doubts for her. It is hard for her right now. She loves coming to church. V...... flat our told me the other night that his ultimate goal is to enter the temple with L...... . So amazing! I know that they will do it! Hopefully in a year, because then I can go! Same with Ef...... ! We also had a Christmas activity. It was posole night. Pot after pot after pot of posole . It was good, but I get so much of that from the members. Yeah.....
Satuday - Ef... had his baptismal interview, which was great. Elder Ollerton one of my zone leaders interviewed him, and said that he was the easiest one he had ever done. Elder Ollerton has only six weeks left on his mission. Which is sad, because I wish I was companions with him, he is so great. Still not trunky. I hope that I can be just like him later in my mission, and I just how to do it. Obedience! Oh yeah, we also had breakfast this morning with the Sa..... family. They are so bomb. They made pancakes, eggs, bacon, Mexican hot chocolate, homemade milk chocolate, strawberries, and other stuff. It was so good. Mom, it still didn't top your pancakes, but it was good to not have cereal or just an egg burrito for a morning finally. We had dinner that night with Edwin, another investigator. He is Ian's step-dad. He was supposed to make papusas, but he forgot. He made us tacos, and homemade Salvadorian salsas, guacamole, and other stuff. He is great, we taught him about the BOM, and about prayer. He has never been so open to us before. He is changing. I know what he wants to change. He has a problem with drinking, like a serious problem, but I know that as we keep teaching him, and being his friend, he will stop his bad habits. I know it!
Sunday - Church, and Baptism! Ef.... was baptized but there is a long stressful story with that too haha. He couldn't get a ride to church, so we left after sacrament with a ward member and picked him up. He was at church for only 30 minutes, when we realized, shoot he didn't bring his towel of a pair of white underwear. Shoot! So with another ward member, we drove him back, and he said that he would ride with his wife back to the church just before the baptism, because she wanted to go. He shows up like 10 minutes before the baptism. It was stressful to say the least. But he was baptized! We had a lesson planned with the stake president to come with us, it was a referral from the stake president, and I was a little nervous because, he is the stake president coming to a lesson with us, what if we mess up? Then I realized, I am still in training, I am expected to mess up, so then I made Elder Vincent self-conscious about it haha. The lesson didn't happen, the guy was not home. Oh well, next week probably.
Anyways this week was pretty cool! Some great experiences happened. I think my English vocabulary and grammar are diminishing. Sorry for bad the grammar. I cant exactly help it. Spanish is backwards from English! I figured out this week, that if you compliment someone here on something they have, they will just give it to you. Which then makes you feel awkward. I complimented a kids watch at the Christmas program this week, and he is like, it yours! Now I have a super cool watch, and feel bad about it??????
My companion and are I are doing great at teaching. He gets mad at me because now I am understanding and speaking more in lessons, like equal amounts now, and he just want to talk more. We are supposed to take equal chances so.....Coach? What shall I do? I don't know what to do anymore with him but I am trying to be patient and learn from him. It is interesting living with some one else. I will tell you right now, I would never choose my current companion as a room mate in college, I miss you Brothers and Parents, I will do anything. Please give me someone that is organized (or somewhat) knows how to clean, and how to be sanitary! But if that is not the plan, Give me some ideas on how to get past those things that he does that bother me!
Well I want to thank all of you for your support and love! First Christmas away from home! It is going to be great! We are making ginger bread houses in the morning! And I get to call home/ Skype! Thanks for everything! Please send emails and letters! (preferably letters). I love you all!
Merry Christmas!
Elder Weston Scott
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