Que le cumple feliz!

19 Oct 2009

Dear Family,

Happy Birthday Jonathan! I can´t relieve that tomorrow you´ll be 16 already. While I was preparing Rocío, Gastón, and Romina for their baptisms, Rocío said that she was born in 1993. That made me think, “My brother already is nearly as old as she is!?!” I feel like I´ve missed out a lot in your life the past two years. I feel like I remember you as a 14 yr old. But, you´ll already start to drive and to date. From what I´ve heard, you are much more excited to do those two things than I was when I turned 16. You are already a fairly responsible young man, so I doubt you´ll have problems living up to the new responsibilities that you´ll be taking upon yourself. I wish you luck and I hope you enjoy your teenage years while you have them. I´m realizing now that I´m no longer a kid anymore. I´ll miss those days as I have to face the world. I love you and have a lot of respect for who you´ve become. Continue forth on good paths, avoid temptation, and you´ll become the grand man that God is planning for you to become.

Dad, to let you know, I took out 200 pesos out of the bank. This area is a bit more expensive than the last areas and we don´t receive as much help from the members for our food, so I have to buy much more. On tuesday, we passed by the family with whom we have lunch on wednesdays and she said that she was doing a little job and we needed to call the next day to see if she got paid in order to cook for us. They are the most faithful family in the ward, so I knew they were having serious financial difficulties. If they had, they would give, even if it wasn´t enough left over for themselves. So, we decided to have her teach us how to make a good sauce, we bought lunch for ourselves and the family and learned to cook it together. It was a good experience, but our budget is a bit short. (But don´t worry mom, we´re eating well).

This past week has been a fairly good week. E´Runolfson is a good elder and knows how to teach well. I´m very grateful to have him as a companion. I think we´ll work well together. Right now, I feel like our only success is coming out of children. I counted on Sunday and there were 75 members there, 40 of which are under the age of 18. This is a very young ward with a large group of youth, who are helping with the missionary program. On Sunday we had two neighbors of one member come, two neighbors of Alvaro, and two neighbors of Rocío, Gastón, and Romina. It´s great that all the kids want to come, but we want to help the whole family. We want to help the parents come. But the majority of the time, they aren´t married and don´t have much interest at all in religion. It worries me a bit because the bishop says that this ward is notorious for baptizing kids without their parents and without much of their support, the kids slowly go inactive. But, I can´t deny a kid, who at least has the permission of his parents, his salvation on account of his parents who are dull to the Spirit because of sin. So, we will continue to teach them and do our best to include their parents in the conversion process.

I know that this work is true and that there are thousands who are ready to hear and accept the message that Christ wishes to give us. I know that faithful prayer, scripture study, and church attendence gives us that ability to overcome the problems that are in this torrential world and find the peace and tranquility that so many look for. I know that it is only through and in our Lord Jesus Christ that such blessings come from. And that through our obedience to Him, we will be able to reunite with our loving and merciful Father. I know this to be true and I share it with my love to you.

-Elder Drake Ranquist