Dear Family,
So this week has been a good week. We had three English investigators in church, and we taught 17 lessons. This week's focus will be on Tammy.
I just love Tammy. I have had quite the time with her. This week Tammy had a really hard week. I'm kinda bothered by the ward members trying to sign her into their multilevel businesses. Tammy got all stressed out by that bogus. She tried to drop us. I talked her out of it and told here that the business is a bunch of crap and that she wouldn't hear of it anymore. (I need to have a chat with some members.) She told us that she just wants to be "saved" so she will be able to see her dad again. We explained the need for Christ, and she told us that she wanted to follow Christ and be baptized...not sign up for the ludicrousness business products. We then read the peaceful chapter of 3 Nephi 11. She was fine. We built some goals for her and why she wanted to reach those goals. You have to love goals. They can change you really fast. I fear getting transferred, I don't know if Tammy would like that. So pray that I stay.
Next is Veronica. We had a church tour with her, and she felt the spirit. We showed her the font. She says that she has her concerns, but that she will keep reading and praying. I really hope that she is able to make it to baptism. I would love it if she would marry Jorge Batista. He is a RM, and he is just great.
With Gabriel, we read Alma 20. He was like, "OK Elder Pinegar, you're Ammon and I'm the king."
I thought this was perfect, because I really want him to take me to his dad. (This is the chapter where I like smite his dad and say let him be baptized.) His dad won't sign the baptismal papers so that his son can get baptized, and Gabriel is afraid to have his dad meet with us. I just want to go to his dad, but I know that it won't work without Gabriel in on it too.
Issias is a young man who wants to change his life. We taught the plan of salvation. I love it when people have questions about ghosts. When you tell them about the plan of salvation, their face is like Wow! and you can tell that their mind is getting blown. When we taught him that he lived with God before this life, he almost fell over. When I thought that was funny, you should have seen his face in church.
This week we taught the plan of salvation a whole bunch. It was great. In church, in a class with three of our investigators, there the teacher goes off on the following subjects (with 14-20 in the room)
that we believe that we can become gods, our heavenly mother, other planets, us having spirit children in the next life, sons of perdition and the list goes on. If you think it's funny to see some one die in their seat, you should have seen me. I was about dead. I was like, "Noooo shut your mouth! Anything but this. Teach chastity of something! Can't you see the new people here--3/11 of people here are first timers. You're killing me."
This was yelling through my head... my face no!! It was like I was being repeatedly hit in the face, "No no no noooo!" . At the end of class, my investigator was like, "So your church is full of crazy people."
We tried to repair it. We will see what happens. I think the Issias just got a whole lot more than he was thinking he would get. I think he might come back. Well, every missionary has a story like this one. At least Tammy wasn't there for that one :) That's the week.
This week I have been studying and memorizing scriptures. My mother sent me one I memorized the other day. I really love it. It is Mathew 11:28-30. Look it up. You will like it. The Sunday before, I had the chance to teach gospel doctrine class in the Spanish branch with no warning. I was so glad that the Lord was able to help me teach a class in Spanish with no warning. I would not have been able to to do that without the Lord's help. I think of Tammy and how she is trying to quit smoking and how she really is praying hourly for the help of the Lord. I know that he does lift our burdens and our hearts. I love him and am so grateful for what he did and is doing for me. I know that Christ allows us to repent and change. I have changed. I am changing, and it because of the love of my Savior. Turn to him that your burdens may be light. Learn of him, and he will give you rest. For his yoke is easy and his burden is light
Love God.
Elder Pinegar