9-12-11
Mom,
As always my week is productive with doing a lot of things, but I have had better weeks before. So this weekend was a kick back day. I was wondering what you all might have been doing. For me this weekend wasn’t a holiday weekend at all. There was a lot of talk though this past week about the United Sates and the world trade center. What is a HC Sunday?? This upcoming week we have two baptisms. Well I hope! We didn’t receive our notice that we are being transferred or not, but in our area next week there should be two baptisms. One is a little girl named Ana de la Rosa. My companion and I didn’t know why she hadn’t gotten baptized when she was eight because her family is members. We found out that the bishop didn’t give her permission to get baptized and that she needed preparation!!!! So, this past we have passed by to teach her everyday to help her get ready for this Saturday. The other baptism is one of our investigators named Enaisa Diaz. Remember me mentioning her? Well my companion and I have been praying and talking about her situation, all that she has going on and what has taken place in her life. Her son got shot/died and her mom has Alzheimer’s and now her brother has cancer. All this has taken place in her life and she has done a lot to push through all of it up to now. So, we invited her to receive the blessing of baptism and the gospel in her life for this coming up Saturday with the little girl Ana. She told us she would pray about it and when she told us that I knew she was ready because she understood how important it is to receive the confirmation in all our decisions. The reason we didn’t do this earlier was because my companion and I were thinking about the future and thinking ahead of what we thought might happen. Would she be able to endure what is taking place and complete the gospel. The thing is, this whole transfer, Elder Lopez and I have been passing by trying to strengthen her and we ourselves finally felt that she is ready after about three months of teaching her. I feel this is the first time that I have actually had to do a lot of praying and pondering over one of our investigators. I am excited for this coming up weekend! :) Sister Diaz is going to have all her family in town too, so I get to meet them all. She knows all about you and all of the family because I showed her the photos that you send me :) So that’s what I look forward to this coming up week with me.
In response to your question about speaking and teaching to the people, I am finding it a lot easier these days to be a missionary in general. I still have questions in Spanish everyday of how should I say this or that, but I understand completely and simply talk when it’s needed or when I feel prompted to say something. A lot of the people here don’t think I speak that much because at times I don’t say much. I don’t know if I am shy or if I have changed to not talk a lot. Or, simply understand that words are special. I have come to understand how the words we use affect a lot of things. I use my voice when is necessary. I know I f haven’t spoken a lot about the elders that I live with, in fact, I haven’t taken all that much photos with them either. I will start today to take pictures of where I live and such, so I can share with all you what my life here is like. You can say I feel a little Mexican at times haha. It’s practically the same style. The Elders I live with live a lot differently then I would and that’s all I will say.
I like your spiritual thought you share with me mom because that’s just what I was wanting to share with you a little bit. Every day it is blistering hot here and we walk all day in the sun and at times have lessons outside in the sun. When I am walking a never look up and I notice that. I try to see what I can do on this street or with the people I see. The thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is that I always pictured my mission to be something perfect. I feel like Christ was the perfect missionary and that I can’t reach to that point at times and feel I need to be there by the end of my mission. I have come to the conclusion that I’ll come back with two or three new talents or abilities or overcome two or three things I struggled with in my life prior to the mission. If that only, than I would be satisfied. At times I push too hard and don’t complete anything or think too much and don’t complete anything. I want to say that I won’t be perfect when I returned, but I will have changed habits. Any ways thanks or the e-mail today and will let you know how the transfers go and the baptism go this week.
Elder Ridley
PS- my seminary recordes are in Cartagena.
Also I have fungus/hongo on my hands or on my fingers and I don’t know how I got it, but ya--- hahaha.
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