Well so we had Mission Leadership Council to start off the week! It was really good. I really liked it this transfer. The trainings from the assistents and President Castro were a lot more organized and focused. And it didnt go way over time again! I was super happy about that!
The training I liked best was on helping us firm up our baptismal dates, so that they actually happen. This is a problem that our zone is seeing. We mark lots of dates, but for one reason or another they dont end up happening or just get pushed back and back and back! So it was really good! I am excited to really apply this especially with the family we found that I mentioned last week....I will get to them.
And after the training we got to go to the temple....but the bus broke down on our way there and so we missed the only session that we could go to before our flight that night. But my comp and I did some initiatories in the little time we still had. And I was so glad we did! Those promises are so wonderful to remember! Its funny because they always give us Americans the american names to do because they dont know how to pronounce them. haha
But we got back on Wednesday at 8 in the morning. We had the bus ride form Porto Velho to our area during the night so we were super tired, but we got some sleep on the bus so we got to work. During the week we tried to visit all our recent converts and investigators to follow up with everything as we hadnt had a lot of contact over our trip. But the high light was meeting with this awesome family again that came to church last week.
So the Mom's name is Sherly, and is divorced, and living with a guy, Joel, for about a year and a half. They have one little bady together, and then Sherly has 2 other kids, Alan-14, and Greysla-16, and then Joel has a son, Victor-13. They are a great family. They were the first house we stopped at to "clap" at. And they welcomed us right in. They loved church and everyone at church loved them! It was so great, the YM president came up to us and wanted to go out teaching with us to visit the YM we brought to church, and Brother Neno (our BML) talked to them a bunch and made them feel really welcome and wanted to teach with us the next time we went over there. So Wednesday he taught with us and we marked a FHE in there house for Saturday. Saturday rolled around and Neno, his wife Regina, their 2 little kids, and 2 other members met us at Sherly's house. And it was soooo great! We watched the Restoration with them and all the members bore their testimony, and then Neno planned some great games too play! He is super good at planning fun little games and gets super excited about it too! Like REALLY excited! haha It was perfect though! And then at snacks. They really loved it especially the Mom. She thought it was so amazing what we do!
They came to church again! It was fantastic! We are so happy about this family. The kids are really great too! They are reading and practicing saying their prayers. Tomorrow we will get them to commit to marriage and then mark baptismal dates with them all. We want them all to be baptized together! I think it will be for the week after general conference.
But yeah, we dont have a bunch more poeple progressing a lot, but this week we will be marking lot of dates and try to clean up our investigator pool, and continue to work close to the chaple looking for more families that are clearly out there waiting for us to find them!
Well I think thats all Ive got for this week! I am so thankful for each one of you and the support yall show me! Im looking forward to the reunions I will have with yall here in 3 1/2 months! :D
Love,
-Elder Swalberg
Sorry my battery on my camera was super low this week so I didnt get to take many pictures but I managed to take this quick pic at the temple...I will try to get the pics my comp took from this last trip and send them next week.
