Trinidad Week 2 Change 2 (11/16/09)

No email from my parents this week, I guess both of them writing last week wore them out. :P

We had an OK week. Our district is struggling, but that's because Hermana Alejo and I are both sick, so we are in and out of the house.

But we did good, and we're excited to work this week. Elder Fajardo and I didn't hit a lot of the weekly goals that we had put, so we have taken the difference and added it to this week's goals, and we are ready to work to achieve the heightened goals. We have put a plan to be 100% obedient... we have really been slacking. We are going to wake up on time and do exercises, hold a faithful study session, including companionship study, and return to home on time (9:00) to be able to have a good planning session. Then in bed at 10:30. We're excited (well I am, I know he isn't) and I can't wait to see the miracles as a result.

As Elder Bowen taught us a few months ago, Faith + Work + Obedience = Miracles.

Not too many updates this week, we are excited to head to Montevideo this Friday and be taught by Elder Bednar. Or, rather, learn from him through the Spirit (that's one of the things he asked us to study before the mission conference.

http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,5344-1-2783-5,00.html is the link to one of his CES addresses "Seek Learning by Faith" and it is incredible. Hence, we are excited to learn from him by faith. That's also why we're being totally obedient this week - to be worthy of the Spirit on Friday. As Elder Lawrence Corbridge taught in the 2008 October General Conference, everything depends on that. (Listen to his talk "The Way", it is also incredible.)

I am sending a package of letters, waiting to hear if you got the alfajores OK. Some of the letters are from Elder Belleau to forward - he sends his love and his thanks. We figured we'd save on postage.

Still waiting for reimbursements to get here... ever since dad dropped the cane on me for using too much money, I have been avoiding the ATM, almost to the point of hiding my personal debit card from myself. This Friday I have to do some traveling to conduct some baptismal interviews- I should have money by then. Oh - my watch band also broke, so I have to buy a new strap that doesn't go right with the watch (because it was like a contoured band, but this is just a normal flat band. Yuck. Pero es lo que hay.) And one of my glasses pads like disintegrated so I have to buy new pads.

Well I'll tell you guys that we are working pretty hard with a less active couple who are having some problems. They were baptized about two years ago, and in order to do so they stopped smoking. About 6 months after baptism, the husband took a bad fall (he's about 60) and fractured his neck as it hit one of his bed posts. After all of the medical stuff and his now invalidity (the state of being invalid?) they have stopped coming to church. We have found them again, and they want to stop smoking. The husband smokes a little, but the wife smokes a pack a day.

So we have put very specific goals for her, and she is going to be clean from smoking by Christmas. We're as excited as she is. We are also working out transportation so they can come to church (because he can't really walk). Vamos arriba.

Monday we have a FHE with a part member family - the husband (aka boyfriend) is from Cuba and has some serious trouble getting his immigration papers done, so he can't legally get married here. But we are reactivating the family and helping him get a good testimony so they can start seeing miracles, get married, and get sealed in the temple.

Eugenia is still doing great... we had a great discussion yesterday during Sacrament Meeting. She was like "Do you think that I have changed since getting baptized?" I answered in the affirmative, and she told me that she realized that she has changed, and that she wants to keep changing. Today in the sacrament meeting, she was taking notes and looking up all the scriptures and marking them - which is usually something I only do for General and Stake Conferences! lol out loud.

She's awesome and I look forward to seeing her progress.

Well I hope you liked the lengthy email - I had lots of time to write it since I didn't have to read anything. ;-) But I still love you all! :D

Saludos a Matt Long for me! Also to Weenie and Corry - I hope they like their alfajores. GET GOOD GRADES!