June 17, 2013

Alright, new week. This week has been a little rough because the District has been struggling with the new no door knocking things. The members keep asking us, "Then Hermanos, how are you ever going to find people to teach?" *Face Palm* We have a ton of work to do with the members especially Elder Casteel y yo porque most of nuestro miembros son recent converts, entonces todavia no entienden real well the importance of sharing the Gospel con los demas. The ZL's have been on me a bit for not being able to hit our goals but this week is a new week and this is the week that we show the zone that Mercedes may be small but we mean business. I just have to work on getting my District Pumped.

This last week we had among all the rough stuff some really awesome miracles, first of all Elder Casteel and I were going by some formers and some potentials and ran out of stuff to do. The spirit prompted me to stop and see if one of our formers JT was home and lo and behold he was. As we were having a good lesson with him we received a phone call from this unknown number and turns out it was Melissa. Now, Melissa is Mayra's friend and we have been trying super hard to teach her for the past 6 months but her husband didn't ever allow it and so to be honest we had kind of given up on the idea. Well she called and told us that she had finally escaped her husband and that she wanted us to come by and talk with her and so we did. We set a BD for the 14th of July which is the last Sunday of the Transfer and will continue to work with her until she gets baptized on that date.

We just got Maria Lopez interviewed for next Sunday and I am super stoked to get to baptize with mijito lindo. I remember baptizing with my Dad was awesome so I am glad I get to do the same with my son. I got a Fathers Day cookie too yesterday it was funny. Maria is awesome, she talks a ton though so her interview took like an hour or so. That's a long time. The ZL's came and did the interview and were excited to see that she was as ready as she is. She is going to be the key to many more baptisms because she is super stoked and set on getting her family to join her. Now, we just have to teach her how to share it without being overbearing or freaky weird like some people. I love it.

As for her Daughter in Law Quetzali, she is aprehensive for some interesting reasons that are new to me, I thought I had seen everything but we are working super hard on getting her solid and sitting with us consitently. We will get her. Just like we will get Karina, Mayra's step niece (sp?). There is just a ton of potential in this area right now I just need to get back to the drawing board because I am running out of Ideas. We are working on an area fast and getting our few members involved in the fast and breaking the fast together in a giant Mercedes Family home evening, it'll be something of a "Nacho de Hogar" Should be great.

My son doesn't speak the best Spanish but I love him he is doing great. He had his first really bad door contact yesterday and I laughed at him just like my Dad did me. Training is fun, sometimes you have to really fly almost solo but I have been learning a ton from my son.

This week I just want all of you to do your best to think back on the day you were baptized. A member shared a very speacial experience with us about symbols and how he remembers his baptism and it made me realize that I don't think about mine. It shouldn't be that way, we made those covenants for life and we should cherish that memory as we would a "Pearl of Great Price". That ordinance is a beautiful thing and we should do our best to help others take that step as well but I think that would be easier once we realize for ourselves what it means in our lives. I love you all so much. Keep up the Good work and keep learning Gospel stuff.

Dale

Elder Bassett