HECTIC WEEK: MOVIE NIGHT, BAPTISM AND A CHAPEL OPEN HOUSE

June 6, 2018

So, this week was super hectic!

First off, Friday one of the ZLs was being picked up by his parents so that meant we had to be in a trio with the other ZL until Tuesday. We decided to take some supplies and camp out at his pension for the trio because his house is a 2 min walk from our area and ours is a 25 minute from our area.

My comp and I both packed a small suitcase and walked to our rendezvous with the ZL. On the way, my comp says, "Wow, this is my first vacation in the mission!" 

This week, the ward held a movie night on Friday, a baptism from the Hermanas' area on Saturday and an open house chapel on Sunday. So it was quite hectic. 

So some updates with the investigators:

Ramses and Watson were both able to go to church this Sunday! It was their first time and they liked it quite a bit. We just need to get them going to mutual. It's kinda tough because this ward is basically devoid of youth but we'll figure something out. 

Rene and Mikaela went to the sisters' baptism on Saturday and liked it. They also went to church! They seem to finally have finally established more of a habit of going. 

Also something really exciting happened! During the movie night a Haitian we hadn't met before walks in. We start to talk to him and it turns out he's an RM! He served in Haiti and has been back for only 10 months. He's way cool and wants to help us teach our Haitian investigators! 

Anyway, that's mostly everything. I'm in the last transfer of my mission now so it's just time to empty the tank, now that I'm on the last stretch!

Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Sierra

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AND THE WORK MOVES FORWARD

May 30, 2018

This week things have finally seemed to pick up after our hard work! The ward mission leader's wife's birthday was on Monday and, since mine was on Thursday, they invited me over to have some food and cake. After my birthday on Thursday, we started finding some great investigators one right after the other!

Solomon is a Haitian who went to a chapel open house close by. We received the reference for him and have been able to teach him a couple of times. He's really cool and we're going to invite him to a baptismal date this week. He already accepted a baptismal invitation. 

We were able to get back in contact with and thus start teaching another Haitian we had contacted. His name is Jofhner and he actually almost got baptized in a different stake! Instead, he went to take a job out of town. Well, it turns out that job was garbage and now he wants to do things right! He told us he wants to get baptized and that he knows the Book of Mormon is true and he talked about how he felt something different when he read the Book of Mormon. He hasn't committed to a date yet, though we were only able teach him once. 

Our other good new investigator is Onial! We've gotten to teach him twice since last Friday and he's really interesting! He asked all kinds of really good questions and when we gave answers he really seemed to stop and think. He was already baptized in an Evangelical church, which is usually a problem for Haitians, that is, getting baptized "a 2nd time." He really understood the principles of authority, though, and he accepted a baptismal date for the 1st of July. The only tough thing is that he works two Sundays out of the month, but we'll see. 

For my b-day, my comp made me some gluten-free cake from a mix President sent us and we had sushi the night before. 

Sunday, Mikaela came to church! Rene couldn't because he was sick. Then, at 3rd hour, she went to the Relief Society and I went over to Hermana Brown (sister missionary) and said, "Hey, I'll accompany your Haitian investigator to Priesthood if you accompany ours to Relief Society." And then she said, "Don't worry, I got your black" 

Anyway, things are getting better here. We'll see if I stay here to hopefully see some baptisms of our Haitian investigators.  That's how things are, hope you all are well!

-Elder Sierra