Hi family!
This week was good! We had a few really interesting things happen, and one was meeting a man named Sergio. We had out lots of cards that have Jesus on one side, and a number you can call on the other side to get a free DVD. Well, we get a text message from Salt Lake with the name and address of someone who wants the DVD. So we went and tried to deliver it. He wasn't home. We went the next day and he was there! He let us in and we talked for a long time about the church and the stuff we believe. Well, he's actually a pretty sharp Bible guy himself, and was super open to everything we had to say. We made an appointment to see him a few days later. When we showed up we talked about Priesthood authority, which is almost always something super key in helping people understand the true need for a restoration. He soaked it all up, and ultimately accepted a baptismal date for Feb 21st! Which, actually will have to get moved back because that is a Tuesday, which we didn't realize, but that's okay, because he wants to learn and hear our message! Yay! He works nights, and works every single day. No weekend. No breaks. So getting him to church is going to be rough, but we'll find a way. And his roommate, Rufino, wants to learn too, so we have an appointment with him this week too.
We also met two guys named Angel and Manuel. Anyway, they were really cool the first time we saw them. They told us to come back Saturday night. So we did. And they had just bought an 18 pack of Bud Light. But that's not all. I counted 17 empty Bud Light cans that were on the coffee table. There were 5 guys there total that night, and despite how many beer cans there were already empty they all seemed pretty normal -- not tipsy or anything. I guess that's why they bought another 18 pack. But they all had tons and tons of questions, which was kind of cool. Elder S told me the only reason we went inside is because we had already met Angel and Manuel, and that we would normally never enter a home of guys that had a bunch of beer. So don't freak out. Also, I didn't have a bad feeling or anything about going in, which either makes me naive, or shows that it was okay to talk to them.
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| We had a few minutes to kill before an appointment, so we played on the railroad tracks right next to the apartment complex. |
We had Zone Conference on Friday, so we drove into Lexington to meet up with everyone. We watched some safety videos about cars, because apparently we have had an unusually high number of car accidents in the last couple of transfers. Oops. Anyway, we had some great speakers, including President and Sister Woodbury, had a delicious lunch, roll-played and had a great time being around other missionaries. It was a lot of fun, and it perked us all up and got us excited to work hard.
Church was good yesterday, and Spanish Gospel Principles is still my favorite. We didn't have any investigators there, but Irma is still rocking it all, and had lots of questions about eternal marriage and things. Her boyfriend wants to get married, but she said she wants to be sealed in a temple. You go, Irma! Also, before church we had a big meeting with Bishop S, our ward mission leader, a Hispanic couple (who totally rock!), and a few other Priesthood leaders in our ward. We talked for a long time about what we can do to help the Hispanics in our ward. We're going to start having a separate testimony meeting in Spanish each month, and we're going to rotate saying the sacrament prayers in Spanish every other week. It is amazing how accepting and excited this ward is for the Spanish speaking people! We're so excited to have a Spanish meeting in a couple of weeks!
Yesterday evening we had a meeting with our Stake President in Lexington. Our Bishop, the Bishop of a Lexington ward, and all the Spanish missionaries (3 companionship's) met with him and one of his counselors. We talked for about an hour about the ways that we can strengthen and grow the Spanish speaking membership here. Because transportation is a continual issue and our stake boundaries are really really big, we can't really create a branch any time soon, but that is ultimately the long-term goal. For now though, each ward is starting to do it's own thing to see what works best, and I feel like we are totally prepared to really ramp up helping the Spanish speakers.
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| It was cold! Haha. I hope I'm not in a bike area next winter. |
Both of these meetings made me think a lot about my call to speak Spanish in this part of the country. We already have a temple here, so I'll never come back for a temple dedication and feel like my work was part of what paved the way for that. And it's not like I need to feel that, because I am really glad there is a temple nearby that already has a session or two each month in Spanish. But I did feel pretty strongly that I was called here to help pave the way for future Spanish members in the church here. I don't know how long it will take for a Spanish branch to take hold here. Probably a long time. But knowing that I'm going to be a part of this new program for Spanish speakers, and to specifically help build Priesthood leadership (because that's what we lack the most) in the Frankfort ward sort of validated my calling here in Spanish. And I know that God sent me here to teach in this language, but thinking about that was pretty cool.
Quick notes about the weather. It was kinda cold this week, and we're running out of miles. We decided to bike on Thursday because we had some appointments in Versailles, and Versailles is tiny, so biking is pretty easy. But when it's 32 degrees outside, it isn't super fun. Even with thermals and your coat and scarf and gloves and earmuffs. Hahaha. But it was kind of a fun adventure. Also, I appreciate our car more than ever. Haha. Yesterday it warmed up (into the upper 40s and eventually the upper 50s) and apparently the rapid temperature change could have caused some tornadoes. Kinda crazy huh? Also, it rained like crazy, and it was nuts because one minute it wasn't raining, and the next it was pouring. It is kind of an all-or-nothing thing apparently. And we had lots of thunder and lightning, and it reminded me of the desert. :)
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| Starting our biking adventure. |
I guess that's all. It was just a good week. I look forward to more like this. We get transfer calls on Saturday, so we're kinda nervous for that. We'll see what happens! If Elder S or I get moved far away, we'll go to Louisville for the transfer meeting. If we get moved, but not far, we just have to arrange for a ride to get there. Transfer meetings are super fun, so I'd love a reason to go all the way to Louisville, although I don't know that I really want a new companion just yet since I'm getting used the one I have! haha.
I hope y'all are doing good!
Love,
Zac
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