Email November 11, 2013

Hello Everyone! This week has been pretty good, we're getting referrals and hopefully from those referrals we'll be able to get more investigators! We tried to contact one of the referrals, but she wasn't home. We left a pass-along card in her door and put our cell number on it and later that day, she contacted us through text and said she wanted to meet with us, so we have an appointment this coming Wednesday. Hopefully she'll be interested and want to keep taking the lessons! Everything has been really slow since we got here because we have no investigators. Another thing that's bothering me is that it gets dark at 5:30-6 pm. We're not supposed to be in until 9 pm, but they don't want us knocking doors and contacting after dark, so we have NOTHING to do except go to our dinner appointments and visit members. So basically we go back home a little early after dinner and visiting other members. We generally get home around 8-8:30 pm, which is good, but sometimes we get home right after dinner and have nothing to do all night. So we sit around for a few hours. And that is not good. It's not good because we don't have any investigators. Since there are no investigators, we have nothing to study and no needs to try to meet. Since we don't have anything to study and no needs to meet, we have almost nothing to do that is related to missionary work besides studying. I'm not saying studying is bad by any means, but since we have no one to study for, it becomes personal study. Which we do every morning already. So (and I'm working on getting better at this) I get bored after studying for more than an hour. So I started writing letters and whatnot. So yeah, I need to get more focused. I'm not very homesick, but it's needless to say that I'm glad we have referrals to contact. :) But one really cool experience I had was going on splits with the Spanish speaking missionaries. Woo. It was great, actually! I kinda wish I had learned a language because I love speaking what little I can of Spanish. But I know I'm here for a reason speaking English for a reason and that's all I need. :) Anyway, so I went on splits with the Spanish missionary and we went to a lesson with a lady named Tammy. She speaks both Spanish and English so the lesson was in English, thank goodness! It was great, she is a golden investigator. We taught about the Restoration and tried to help her overcome any issues she might be having. She has some problems with grudges. She has what she calls a "soap opera life," which is understandable because she's been through some REALLY rough stuff. We shared Ether 12:27 (weak things become strong unto us) and it seemed like she got some pretty good vibes from that. We also talked about how Christ helps us become strong and overcome our weaknesses and she seemed to grab onto that. It was great to see her faith and hope and she is such a good investigator! The Spirit was felt really strongly and she is amazing. It was fantastic. Also on splits, we had FHE with the Pendrosa's and I LOVE that family. They are hilarious and awesome. The kids all speak English and Spanish and the parents speak Spanish with a little bit of English. They were so cool haha I love them. I wish they were in my teaching pool! They are members not investigators, and they were awesome. One of the investigators we have picked up is kind of hard. Her name is Jasmine and she's solid, but her family is the issue. Her older sister, Maria, is a member but the rest of the family is all having trouble with Jasmine. We've only met with Jasmine once and it was on exchanges, so I haven't even met her! But we're doing what we can to meet with her again because she wants to take the lessons, but her Mom and Brother are holding her back. It's really sad! On Saturday we went up to Redding because one of Hazleton's former investigators up in that area was getting baptized and she wanted him to perform the baptism. So we went, and it was great! I saw Sister Kimura who was in my zone at the MTC! It was awesome because I've been missing my MTC zone like crazy. We got to talk a little bit and she was going to see Sister Jackson, who was also is my MTC zone, later that day at another baptism. I told Sister Kimura to tell Sister Jackson hello for me, so that's always fun. Everything is going pretty well. Slow...but well! With the referrals coming up and the investigator(s) we are trying to work with, hopefully things will pick up! As for time markers: This Wednesday I will have been out for 1 month entirely, with only 23 months left. ;) Since I will have been out for 1 month, I will have been out for 4 weeks which means there are only 100 weeks left. ;) And since there are 7 days in a week, and there are only 100 weeks left, I have about 700 days left! ;) HAHAHA. I'm not counting down, I just know those numbers haha. Promise. :) Glad to hear you went to and liked West Side Story! I got to see the (unfinished) stage before I left, but what I saw was awesome. I wish so bad I could have been there for one night! But it's okay. :) I love the work and I love the people. I love the gospel and I'm working more towards a deeper personal testimony and conversion to it so that my teaching will be more powerful. I love all of you and hope and pray for the best for all of you as well! God speed! Love, Elder Cevering #2