We had another great week last week. Despite the strong rain that started last Sunday morning most of our investigators were still able to attend church.This is the third consecutive week that it is has rained on Sunday, and once again our investigators showed their faith by traveling to the church in the rain.Though their church clothes got wet, their faith did not get wet. We are very excited about the progress our investigators have made. We can see their desire to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. We are now trying to find the replacements for all of these investigators who are going to be baptized. Every time one of our investigators gets baptized we want to replace their spot with a new investigator that will also be baptized so we can keep a constant flow in teaching and finding, and have convert baptisms weekly.
In order to do this we want to start focusing a little bit more on our less actives and part-members in our ward.The Elders that have served here in the past have really focused on working with members and receiving member referrals.There are a many part-member families in this area that we can teach.
We have also planned to bring our CMIS with us to church this Sunday.We want to ask the members in the ward to help us identify all the part-members in our area so that we can find them and teach them.
The area is doing swell and so is my Companion. We are doing are best to try to keep our area like a "model area". With all the new changes in missionary work, the focus and roles of the Assistants has also changed. No longer are the Assistants just holding the bags of their president or running around doing errands, but they are out working and going on exchanges. So we are trying to balance the busy schedule with all the meetings and keeping our area in tip top shape, with our investigators still progressing. We also have to do exchanges with all the zone leaders every transfer. There 11 zones, and 6 weeks in a transfer so typically we are going on exchanges about two times a week. It is a little hectic. But the reason for all of this is to show all the zone leaders what a "model area" looks like. Progressing investigators, returning less actives, finding ect. We are pretty much President's 'show horses'.But it is a lot of fun, I learn a lot from exchanges. The only down side to all of this, the studies are taking their toll. Since there is only limited time on some days, we usually have to chose, "Do we want to do our studies or go proselyte?" And we usually have to pick proselyting, in order to keep our area at tip top shape. So that is a lit bit of a bummer. I love Tagalog study and my Person study.
I also had the opportunity this week to go on exchanges with Elder Narciso. Elder Narciso is a very mature elder. I was impressed by his focus, and his desire to serve the Lord. He is also a great teacher. He knows all the understand the scriptures and the doctrine, and he teaches the doctrine very clearly and simply. He also did well in finding. Many occasions throughout the day he would stop and OYM someone we met or saw on the road. The advice I gave to Elder Narciso was to be a little more bold while teaching and extending commitments. I told him that it is sometimes a good thing to be bold with investigators and less actives so that they will see our love for them and so that they will recognize the importance and seriousness of our message. I also advised him to not play with his watch while teaching because sometimes while he is teaching his hands would start nervously moving around and he would start playing with his watch. But overall, Elder Narciso is a solid missionary, with a solid understanding of the scriptures and his purpose as a representative of Jesus Christ.
Another focus right now in the mission is finding. We are trying to get the missionaries to find more and be better finders. The mission and leaders of the mission are really struggling right now. We do not really understand why they are nit finding. Finding is a lot of fun, and it is they only way to get a lot of investigators and in the end lots of baptisms. So that is a problem we are trying fix right now in the mission.
I also lost (kinda stolen) my cool coin pouch with my money in it this week.. It did not have anything that in important in it, some money, a pin to pump up basketballs, buttons, small keys to locks I bought ( I have a spare), and my little container of concentrated oil. But I am pretty sure we know who has it, we did a little detective work, but I do not thing I will get it back. Pastilan! I will tell you the story next week.
Take care! Get good grades in school! I love all of you and I love this opportunity I have to be a missionary. Mahal ko kayo.
Sumasaiyo,
Elder Nielsen
ps. The San Juan mission is a mission that is really close to our mission.
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