August 26, 2013

Hey everyone!

This week was great! We had a Zone conference, where the mission president and some of the office missionaries come down and give us trainings! It was great to see President Patrick, but pfhew things are going to change around here! In a good way, don't worry!

First off, he want's us to have 20 lessons a week. Thats huge! Its going to be a big change, but really, it will be for the better. I mean, how many missionaries want to sit around and teach less than 4 or 5 lessons a week? Man, that would be brutal... Haha, actually, now that  Ithink about it, we were teaching about that many up in Alma. Good weeks we would have 6 or 8, but still... President Patrick wants us to work with the less active members a bunch. Rathar than knocking doors, we are going to talk to all of the members! Revolutional!! Who woulda Thunk? Nah, it should be great, there was a team that was regularily getting 10-12 lessons a week, and they followed our mission presidents advice, and the next week got 19 lessons, but that was only because they had a lesson fall through Sunday evening. It was cool! There are a few other changes, but really not anything huge. Just, everything is by the White Handbook exactly, nothing big, just things like we can play sports, if we have everything else done on MOndays, and we aren't going to do something that will hinder our working ability during the week. 

Also, we were teaching our Friend Pascal again, and we taught about Jospeh Smith, and he said that he did know that Joseph's name is actually Joseph, but just that after so many years of studying about Adam Smith and other economists, he accidently mixed up the names. Which, I mean, makes complete sense. After all, Mom and Dad, you had kids for the past... 40ish years, and you mix up their names all the time, even though its just the same 9 the whole time. ;)

We had a member of the Spanish ward call us up and tell us that he had a "prospective" for us. So we headed over to his house, and he walked us to his neighbors, who were Haitian, and proceeded to say "Hello, you remember that I promised you a book in French. Here it is. Also, these are my two friends, they have left their houses for TWO YEARS to come here and to talk about god and to do service. They are missionaries. Also, they have a quick message to share with you right now if you have 5 minutes, is that OK?" And then they said Yes and the member left and we walked into the house, talked to the couple and their friends, and got a return apointment with them for Tuesday, Invited them to our English Class, gave them two copies of the Book of Mormon, and met four super cool new friends! Thanks crazy member from Victoria (he is kind of crazy, but in a good way, not a bad way)!!

But in a nut shell, that was our week! We have transfer calls THIS Saturday, and we have no idea what is going to happen!! AHhh!! Have fun, stay safe, remember who you are, don't do anything I wouldn't do, And, last but not least, as our sunday school teacher said yesterday, If you spit straight up, its going to come straight down!!

Elder Oviatt