January 18‏

Good Morning and hello out there to all of my family and friends. This week has been an interesting one, and I hope it also has been for all of you. How is the snow treating you? I think I can point out a few vultures that are waiting to pick at me about now because of the weather here.

Anyways, well...you know how I was talking about last week how in a branch like this a missionary gets discouraged really easy and I was going through that? Well, this week I have been convinced that the Lord has a sense of humor. This transfer will be finishing up on Wednesday, and we found out that Elder Lopez will be leaving, and I have been called to train a new missionary. I don't know anything about him or even who he is, but I'll find out when I go to pick him up on Wednesday.

I was thinking a lot about the assignments the Lord gives to his people, and how they often come when the person does not feel prepared. I am definitely one of those people at this moment, who knows what will happen with me being the senior companion and trainer, but all I can say is, this is going to be quite the humbling experience.

Anyways, this week we had a small missionary activity to increase the investigators in my area. All of us 6 missionaries walked in splits in our area and contacted different barrios (neighborhoods I think). We got a whole bunch of referrals out of it, and have started to contact a few of them to see how it turns out. We will see if we can find anyone who wants to listen to us out of that group, so that we can have some investigators who want to progress and come to church. Our 2 major investigators have been gone this week. Yuliza left with her family to visit her grandma in a tiny village and will be gone 2 weeks, and Josè Martinez (part of the giant family of 20) has been impossible to find. So we have been starting anew this week. We decided as a companionship to branch out a little bit further and try contacting in the areas that are a little bit more out there. Since our area is so big, we have normally been sticking to the areas a little closer to the church, because since no one has a car, this is a big bonus for them to come. So we have been walking a whole bunch this week, really getting our exercise haha, to contact. It turned out that we had some success because we found a family that before had listened to the missionaries, and were about to get married so that they could be baptized, but it didn't work out because at the time she was about to have a baby and was always in the hospital. Later the 2 missionaries got transferred, and she was forgotten. Interestingly enough, we are now in the same situation. She is pregnant and about to have another baby, but we have started teaching the lessons to her and her husband, and they are quite positive. We are helping the husband Ramon quit smoking and he is taking it really well, he has got a strong will to stop, since he has already quit drinking, and quit doing a lot of other things.

This last Sunday we had a District Conference where my companion and I were in the choir. President and Hna. Flores came and gave small talks, and we also got to listen to Elder Don R. Clark, a member of the 70 who is in charge of Central America. It was really, really awesome. I learned a whole lot from that meeting because Elder Clark has a way with teaching the Latin people. He's the direct kind of speaker, kinda like Richard G. Scott, finger pointing direct "change your ways" type of speaker, but also finds a way to throw in a mountain of love as well. I hope to apply all of what he taught to my work here.

Anyways, that's about all I have for you guys this week, The work is moving. Maybe like a snail but hey it is moving, and I have the hope that one day it will flourish. I thank you all for your prayers, I feel them so warmly especially in this time when I will be training. I love you all and pray that you're doing well.

Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham