Monday, April 27, 2009

This is one of the cooler parts of the mission. It has been nice this week-- about 80s. Except for Tuesday, the car thermometer said 110. While tracting we got offered water so many times. We always accept the water bottles because if you recycle two, that's 10 cents. My companion also passes the time tracting by picking up coins. In the last month he has made almost 4 dollars in change. Good work Elder Thatcher. The desert is way hotter than here, so it's nice.

On May 10 (Mother's day) the Covarrubias are going to get baptized. The two of them are so nice and have accepted everything. I think the past couple months they have not had work so that they would be more able to accept the gospel. I am confident that shortly after their baptism they'll find work. The Branch is small so they basically know everybody now.They've only been a few times, but they fit in perfectly.

They have 16-year old twin boys that we haven't yet started teaching. After we get the parents baptized hopefully we will be able to start working on the kids.

Happy 25th Anniversary

The Elder James Meiners

April 20, 2009

Only English Elders have to ride bikes. Our areas are bigger, so in the mission there is only like two sets of Spanish missionaries on bike. So right now I am in a car. But the mission is doing an interesting thing, they are raising the amount of missionaries in the mission to about 200, while in the meantime reducing the number of cars. But I don't have to worry about that-- our area is too big.
The Covarubias are doing really good. They don't have work right now so they spend a lot of time reading.
　
I haven't got a new pair of shoes yet because the ones I have are still OK.

Not too much other than that
Elder Meiners

Monday, April 14, 2009

The Branch hadn't seen new investigators for so long, they practically attacked the Covarubia's when they came in. I think they met every single person in the branch. The members that live on their street are going to have an FHE (Family Home Evening) with them tonight. It's so nice when members do missionary work for us. There were also a few others there. We really used the "You have to come, It's Easter. That's like the two days everybody has to go to church Christmas and Easter."

This week I went on exchanges with an English Elder. We were talking with this lady and she let us come in and teach her a lesson. There are certain key phrases we use as transitions like asking them what is a prophet, or saying the name Joseph Smith. And a few times I would do it, look at my companion, remember he didn't speak Spanish, then keep on going. But I wanted to take a break somehow, so I had him read one of the scriptures.

Then later in the day we visited another person, and when we first got there I asked to use the bathroom, and the English missionary was left with only people that spoke Spanish. He tried talking to them by repeating what he heard me say which was "puedo ir al bano" Which means 'Can I use the bathroom?" Then they told him I was already in there, and asked him if he wanted to go in with me. Then he just stood there kind of confused and got a little red, and then they started laughing. Afterwards when I told him what everything meant he thought it was funny.

The Elder James Meiners