Weekly Ramblings # 90
Howdy all!
How's it goin? everything here is doin' pretty good. we had zone conferance this past week for 2 days, it was pretty sweet. thursday night and friday morning I had the opportunity to translate for the president. it was cool. there was only one native there, so instead of me standing by the president, him talking, then pausing so I can translate, I sat right next to the elder and had to do a running translation. it was rather challenging, but I think I did rather well. president hutchison is basically amazing, deffinately gonna become a general authority someday. he's pleased with our work in federal. we havent been baptizing a lot necesarily, but weve never let the area go completely dead since Ive been here. I quote from the email President sent me this past week:
"It was great to see you. You are doing a great job -- live branch,
district leader and trainer all the same time. Boy, I am getting my
money's worth out of you. You're doing great."
I chuckled at the getting his money's worth comment. I just found out that I am in fact staying here for my last transfer of the mission, we talked about it in the interview. had I told him I wanted out for my last transfer, he most likely would have done it, but I had mixed feelings and we decided, like usual, to leave it completely up to the Lord. Im gonna miss that man a lot.
this past week was pretty good work-wise, as well. we had one 9 or 10 year old programmed for baptism before zone conferance, but when we went by saturday she came out and told us her dad doesnt want her to get baptized. it's a shame because the girl is a really intelligent 9 or 10 year old and wants to get baptized...not only that, but her family are all, in fact, members...albeit(sp?) all inactive. we are gonna try to talk to the dad this saturday to see what we can accomplish.
we do currently, still, have another 9 year old set for baptism. the daughter of another inactive family. weve been goin' by their house a lot lately but they're just never home. we happened to stop by on monday and they were all home. they had told us they had a daughter that had to be baptized. I got all excited and asked how old she was and they said 8. I got a bit disanimated because, as much as salvation is salvation, if their parents are members (even inactives), and they are 8, it isnt considered a convert baptism...but then the parents realized and said she was actually 9. if they are 9 or older, as in this case, it is, in fact, our baptism. we're gonna teach her all the lessons and my greenie will get his first baptism of the mission. for her to get baptized in 2 weeks, her parents do have to go to church with her, and such being the case, it would obviously be better that the dad does the actual baptizing...but it will still be my nuevito's first convert. this girl is more of one of the quiet-shy-type 9 year olds, so basically the parents and the primary are going to be the main teachers in all of this, WE're just teaching the missionary lessons for formality sake.
we've got some other pretty cool investigators we're working with. we've actually had another week full of some good first lessons, it is getting past those first lessons that is usually the trick. there were one or two, though, that were way good, and we'll see what happens with them this week.
my comp brought up a good point to my attention last night. if at all possible, you guys should try and figure out when Im speaking in church and what my topic will be so I can start preparing for that...even though...if there's anything ive learned in the mission as far as talks go...it's how to prepare them in the last minute and still make them use the time and actually be really good. no, but, really...ive actually prepared really well and given one or two pretty amazing talks...anyone ever imagine id give a 20-25 minute talk, even if it is on missionary work? anyway, also see when bishop wheatly wants me to go up there to speak and what he wants me to speak on. we all know I am all geared up to go to franklin ward, whether or not it be the ward I am actually released from, and Bishop Wheatly did want me to talk there as well.
Im not really in any position to complain about not going to SVU right when I get back. I mean, between you guys paying for it and everything going on...I cant be so selfish as to think I deserve to go right when I get back. (though, if something were to happen and it is easy to get me back there with time for me to sign up for classes, dont hesitate to tell me...:-P) but anyway. whatever the case, be looking for jobs that I can get so I can start working right when I get back. keep in mind, I am fluent in spanish...or maybe (and I only say this because I know (I think) I could do it without them feeling imposed upon) maybe I could live with the Gibbs in NoVA and not only work rec-pac during the summer as a director (getting somewhere over $10 an hour), but find some other good job incorporating my mad spanish skills...apparently a bunch of the kids my age up there from the wards are working in the court house...maybe they need a spanish speaker there? anyway, as soon as I can start working when I get back, the better, so I can actually make some kind of meaningful contribution to my schooling, and pay you guys back for paying off that loan for me, etc.
alright, well, I think that that's about it for this week. 6 more weeks from tomorrow. I burn a suit in a month from yesterday. any green stuff coming from anyone in this last month and a half would be cool, and much appreciated. ;-P. I love you all and thank you all for all the support Ive gotten in the past 23 months. until next week!
Love,
Elder Casey Adams
"Smile, the Gospel is true"
"Sonriensen, el Evangelio es verdadero"
-Me
~edited and posted by Anne :o)
How's it goin? everything here is doin' pretty good. we had zone conferance this past week for 2 days, it was pretty sweet. thursday night and friday morning I had the opportunity to translate for the president. it was cool. there was only one native there, so instead of me standing by the president, him talking, then pausing so I can translate, I sat right next to the elder and had to do a running translation. it was rather challenging, but I think I did rather well. president hutchison is basically amazing, deffinately gonna become a general authority someday. he's pleased with our work in federal. we havent been baptizing a lot necesarily, but weve never let the area go completely dead since Ive been here. I quote from the email President sent me this past week:
"It was great to see you. You are doing a great job -- live branch,
district leader and trainer all the same time. Boy, I am getting my
money's worth out of you. You're doing great."
I chuckled at the getting his money's worth comment. I just found out that I am in fact staying here for my last transfer of the mission, we talked about it in the interview. had I told him I wanted out for my last transfer, he most likely would have done it, but I had mixed feelings and we decided, like usual, to leave it completely up to the Lord. Im gonna miss that man a lot.
this past week was pretty good work-wise, as well. we had one 9 or 10 year old programmed for baptism before zone conferance, but when we went by saturday she came out and told us her dad doesnt want her to get baptized. it's a shame because the girl is a really intelligent 9 or 10 year old and wants to get baptized...not only that, but her family are all, in fact, members...albeit(sp?) all inactive. we are gonna try to talk to the dad this saturday to see what we can accomplish.
we do currently, still, have another 9 year old set for baptism. the daughter of another inactive family. weve been goin' by their house a lot lately but they're just never home. we happened to stop by on monday and they were all home. they had told us they had a daughter that had to be baptized. I got all excited and asked how old she was and they said 8. I got a bit disanimated because, as much as salvation is salvation, if their parents are members (even inactives), and they are 8, it isnt considered a convert baptism...but then the parents realized and said she was actually 9. if they are 9 or older, as in this case, it is, in fact, our baptism. we're gonna teach her all the lessons and my greenie will get his first baptism of the mission. for her to get baptized in 2 weeks, her parents do have to go to church with her, and such being the case, it would obviously be better that the dad does the actual baptizing...but it will still be my nuevito's first convert. this girl is more of one of the quiet-shy-type 9 year olds, so basically the parents and the primary are going to be the main teachers in all of this, WE're just teaching the missionary lessons for formality sake.
we've got some other pretty cool investigators we're working with. we've actually had another week full of some good first lessons, it is getting past those first lessons that is usually the trick. there were one or two, though, that were way good, and we'll see what happens with them this week.
my comp brought up a good point to my attention last night. if at all possible, you guys should try and figure out when Im speaking in church and what my topic will be so I can start preparing for that...even though...if there's anything ive learned in the mission as far as talks go...it's how to prepare them in the last minute and still make them use the time and actually be really good. no, but, really...ive actually prepared really well and given one or two pretty amazing talks...anyone ever imagine id give a 20-25 minute talk, even if it is on missionary work? anyway, also see when bishop wheatly wants me to go up there to speak and what he wants me to speak on. we all know I am all geared up to go to franklin ward, whether or not it be the ward I am actually released from, and Bishop Wheatly did want me to talk there as well.
Im not really in any position to complain about not going to SVU right when I get back. I mean, between you guys paying for it and everything going on...I cant be so selfish as to think I deserve to go right when I get back. (though, if something were to happen and it is easy to get me back there with time for me to sign up for classes, dont hesitate to tell me...:-P) but anyway. whatever the case, be looking for jobs that I can get so I can start working right when I get back. keep in mind, I am fluent in spanish...or maybe (and I only say this because I know (I think) I could do it without them feeling imposed upon) maybe I could live with the Gibbs in NoVA and not only work rec-pac during the summer as a director (getting somewhere over $10 an hour), but find some other good job incorporating my mad spanish skills...apparently a bunch of the kids my age up there from the wards are working in the court house...maybe they need a spanish speaker there? anyway, as soon as I can start working when I get back, the better, so I can actually make some kind of meaningful contribution to my schooling, and pay you guys back for paying off that loan for me, etc.
alright, well, I think that that's about it for this week. 6 more weeks from tomorrow. I burn a suit in a month from yesterday. any green stuff coming from anyone in this last month and a half would be cool, and much appreciated. ;-P. I love you all and thank you all for all the support Ive gotten in the past 23 months. until next week!
Love,
Elder Casey Adams
"Smile, the Gospel is true"
"Sonriensen, el Evangelio es verdadero"
-Me
~edited and posted by Anne :o)