Mauricio entered the baptismal waters!

Heyyyyyyy, yo!!!!!!

Well . . . I’m all good from a tough last week . . . LOL! No! I’m just playin’! I really think it was good for me not to receive e-mails for one week. I think it better helped me understand how Elders feel when they don’t ever receive e-mails. I think it was good for me ‘cause I have to know how to relate to my missionaries as a leader. Anyway, though . . . Thank you for all of your updates yet again!

Let’s see here . . . I can’t really give you Christmas calling information just yet ‘cause Chagnes come before Christmas and I don’t know what phone I will be using if I have a change. I’m sooooo excited to be able to talk to you all, though! And, wow! I’m sooooooo excited about Zo maybe going to Gav! That would be waaaaaay, wayyyy, wayyyyy too cool if I could play with him again! Do you think you would have his e-mail by chance? Or could you find a way for me to get in touch with him?

I’m very thankful for Sister Smith’s Mom who got the gifts to you all! I sure hope you like ‘em! Also, I just sent a li’l envelope with a tie for Dad, some pictures and a recording of me talking . . . LOL . . . I hope you get that soon!

And I’m very happy to know that things are going better for Dylan in ball! Keep it up, big guy! Stay strong! If you remember anything I told you on your bed the night before I left on the mission, apply it! I love you, bro!!!!
As for some of my updates now . . .

Well, Mauricio successfully entered the baptismal waters on Saturday and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday! He didn’t lack the second part this time! Man . . . He is a special kid. Just a perfect example of how missionaries only have to be obedient and the Lord will guide people to us and put us in their paths. We really didn’t have to do much with him. He already knew everything . . . All we had to do was invite him again to keep the Word of Wisdom and he did it easily! Yes . . . It was easy! He would never have been baptized if we hadn’t been there helping him. The Lord did all the work He could in spirit and we just had to come in body to get it done. It was pretty cool . . .

As for Karina, we are gonna go talk to her mom a li’l more today. We shall see what she says . . . We just keep prayin’ for her . . .

Oh! Sorry I’m writing on Tuesday, by the way . . . We have P-Day today ‘cause we went to the Temple this morning. I was very, very tired . . . LOL . . . But, like always, the peace of the Temple is untouchable. Good, good morning . . .

Oh, this week, I think it was Saturday, actually . . . I finished the Book of Mormon again. It was my seventh time in life already . . . LOL! Weird, huh? And the fifth time in the mission! Then I was like . . . Dang! I’ve read it seven times! I dunno how much I can still learn from reading it an eighth time! LOL! Well, God made me repent of that thought as I started the Book of Mormon again and learned something cool and new in just the first chapter! LOL!

Ummmm . . . What else from this week? Day of the Devil was this week . . . LOL . . . Only in Guatemala would the devil have his own day. Anyway, they burned a bunch of li’l devil piñatas in the streets. It is supposed to represent the victory of Mary over the devil when she gave birth to Jesus. Who really knows, though . . . Besides the person who invented the day . . . Oh, Guats and their unique traditions . . .

Oh! Guess what?!?! We had a quadruple double this week! LOL! Holler! Ten with a member, ten others, thirteen news, and fifteen less active or recent convert! Ballin’! LOL!

Aaaaaand . . . This week, we had a Christmas Conference with all the missionaries in the Capital (like 115 missionaries) and President and Hermana Torres. The Assistants gave talks as well as President and his wife. Of course, they were all very powerful and inspired. It was held in our Stake Center so I had the keys to everything and knew how to work all the equipment, soooo . . . I was running around the whole conference . . . Backstage, I guess you could say . . . LOL . . . That sounds cool. Oh! And President called me up in one part (and I was the only one that was called up during the whole Conference . . . Pretty cool!) and gave me like ten minutes to talk about the success I’ve had in baptizing and how I’ve done it. It was pretty cool of him and it felt good to know that he trust me ‘cause that means the Lord probably does, too!

Well . . . I don’t have much more to say! Hopefully I’m still here in Sion with Elder Peterson next time I write you! I love you all!