Well everyone this week was a pretty good week, lots to talk about. First off, we had the baptism of the R family, it was super sweet, they got married friday morning and then were baptized that night. I didn't see it but the husband lost almost everything they had due to an alcohol problem, but now turned his life around. It was a pretty special moment. President Hintze and his wife even came to see it! We were super happy that day. They had to get married in this place called Cuatepeque which is actually outside of our mission limits, but President gave us permission to go. While we were waiting for the lawyer we got to walk around a little bit. When I come back to El Salvador I want to pass through that town. It has a world class lake, and has all kinds of colonial era adobe houses and Catholic churches way cool place. I have a picture or two from there that I´m going to send. I really want to focus on helping them stay active in the church, there are so many people that get baptized and then go inactive several weeks later, I would rather have baptized five people and have them stay, than baptize five hundred and have them all go inactive. We are going to have to work more with the members to make sure they get home taught, and visited every once in a while. It is something that doesn´t quite function here in El Salvador. So please DO YOUR VISITS!
For February we are going to work with C and his dad. His dad isn´t a member, but his mom is, but she needs to get divorced and remarried before he can get baptized. So for now C is the only one who can get baptized. we are going to start working more in this colonia called Las Cruces, it is quite the walk to get there, but there are tons of less active members, and the missionaries haven´t really worked there before. We are going to focus on finding more people. We are going to try working by sectores, staying in one colonia all day, so that we save walking time. We will see how that goes. It should also help save me from walking all over the place, I have started to lose some weight from all of these hills,(which isn´t necessarily a bad thing) but it does waste a lot of time.
In other news the V family is getting sealed on Saturday!!!! They called me yesterday and let me know. I already asked president for permission to go and he gave it to me! So I get to go to the temple at 4pm on Saturday and watch them get endowed and sealed. I am so excited for that I can´t even explain it. It will be the first sealing I will ever have gone to. I am going to confirm that I will be able to go but its pretty much set in stone. Can´t wait for that.
Yesterday was the Presidential elections, so basically no one was home, and we had a rule that we could only visit members that day, so as far as missionary work goes that was pretty bad. There were just people everywhere and we weren´t allowed to contact any of them. But most people were somewhat frustrated and really loud, maybe it was a good thing we couldn´t talk to them. I am not sure who won but I think it was FMLN which is the communist party. Interesting... this next week we are planning on going to some ruins finally.... a place called San Andres that is inside the zone limits, it is closed on Mondays so we will have to change our Pday to Tuesday, so if you don´t get an email from me on monday its not because I died or anything its just because I´m going to write on Tuesday. The ruins here aren´t huge but they are pyramids and from what I have heard they are pretty cool. They will really be the first thing like that that I have ever been to, so I´m pretty psyched. Also a member here is going to show us how to sew our own ties. I am pretty excited for that I will be able to make the most ghetto looking ties of all time! I am thinking some really old looking paisly ties or something like that. I guess we will see.
Other than that things are pretty normal here, just walking around, talking to people and preaching about Christ. I finished reading exodus in the old testament, and am now trying to work my way through leviticus its rough but I have started to see Christ more in the old testament than I could before. But my favorite part that I read today was in Mosiah 15, and 16 where it talks about who will be redeemed through the atonement of Christ. It is a good chapter to make one think about how you are living your life and then change. Well my times basically up love you all and hope you are doing well!
Elder Schriever
