Hello once again to all of my family and friends out there! A very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you’re getting all of your New Year’s resolutions ready for this weekend, and that you can all have safe travels to wherever you are going to go. I am almost prepared with my New Year’s resolution, which will for sure help me to be a better missionary next year! It’s kind of crazy to think that I have spent the entire year of 2010 serving the Lord, since the time has gone by so fast. But anyways! Down to the weekly breakdown.
This week has been quite the weird one for me. For Elder Sinclair and I, it has been a little bit difficult to adjust to the whole English thing. I think we’re finally about used to being companions by now, but earlier in the week...whew was it weird let me tell you. We have been trying as hard as we can to speak Spanish at all times. It’s pretty much impossible within the house with us 4, but outside the house we’re always speaking Spanish. It’s a good way to keep both languages fresh in our minds, because we have figured out that our English is absolutely TERRIBLE! We can still communicate because we understand our Spanglish, but the grammar...yikes, but we do get a good laugh about it.
Christmas was just dandy! On the 24th, we participated in a service project in one of the areas in our zone where we helped a member clear out a whole ton of dirt from a spot of land so he could expand his house. I have quite a few blisters and a back ache, but we did some serious hard work! The best part was, on the buses to and from the area, my companions and I stood up in front of the bus and sang Christmas hymns and shared a super short message of Feliz Navidad with everyone, and then we passed around the Joy to the World cards that you guys gave me for Thanksgiving (it turned out to be a great success). That night, we entered the house a little bit early to avoid the danger, because around here Christmas is a mixture of New Year’s Eve and the 4th of July. Everyone stays up until midnight and lights off a ton of fireworks once the clock strikes midnight. We basically went to bed at 10:30 knowing that we would be woken up within an hour and a half...and we were haha. But, the good news is that I opened the package from you guys and just loved it! Best Christmas ever! We danced around in the house to Christmas music that night...and kindly went to bed so that Santa could come to our house too (and oh did he come). We woke up the next morning and danced around to a couple more of the Christmas songs, then we studied, and then I talked to you guys! Obviously it was a great spirit uplifter for me, and hearing from all of you guys was the best present. After the phone call, Elder Sinclair and I spent the rest of the day looking for families to teach, since Christmas day is the absolute best day to be able to find complete families in their houses. We have been trying new contacting ways now, and we are really trying to let ourselves be guided by the Spirit to the people that are prepared to find us. We did as best as we can to “feel,” and we actually found a whole ton of people that were willing to listen. We put a ton of appointments for this week, and one family we actually taught that same night. It was an amazing Christmas that I will never forget!
Elder Sinclair and I have a whole lot of goals of what we’re going to do in our area, as well as the zone, to have success. We’ve already hit one breakthrough. The fam. Cerrato is still doing pretty good, and we have been making progress with one of the other kids in the family, Michael. We didn’t even put a baptismal date for him...he put one for himself. Yesterday in church he asked ME if he could be baptized. I was like...hmmm...I’ll see if I can squeeze you in on my schedule..uh YES! He should be baptized on the 8th.
I love you so much family! I’m sorry I didn’t write too much today but I’m out of time! Take care all of you, and have a great weekend!
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
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