Hola todos! Todavia vivo! Orale. Ha sido una semana muy, muy buena. Jorge y su hija, Andrea, desafortunadamente no asistieron a la iglesia ayer, pero están haciendo un poco progreso. Estoy animado para ver a dónde van con todo. Ellos tienen mucho potencial. Enseñamos a ellos dos veces; la primera fue una lección muy buena, pero la segunda no tanto. Pues, mira: el cuñado de Jorge nos hizo tantas preguntas, y no pudimos contestar todos. La cosa es que tenia preguntas que no tenían ninguna relación con lo que estábamos hablando. Estaba preguntándonos sobre las noticias de hoy, y si vivimos en los últimos tiempos, y si las profecias de Isaias estan cumpleado, y que pensemos de las personas que adoren a Dios y también, al mismo tiempo, la Santa Muerte. Fue una lección muy distraída. Veremos esta semana que podemos hacer para ayudar a Jorge y Andrea mejor.
Hello everyone! I'm still alive! Yeah. It has been a very, very good week. Jorge and his daughter, Andrea, unfortunately did not attend church yesterday, but they are making a little bit of progress. I'm excited to see where they go with everything. They have a lot of potential. We taught them two times; The first was a very good lesson, but the second not so much. Well, look: Jorge's brother-in-law asked us so many questions, and we could not answer all of them. The thing is, he had questions that had didn't have anything to do with what we were talking about. He was asking us about today's news, and if we are living in the last days, and if Isaiah's prophecies have been fulfilled, and what we think of people who worship God and also, at the same time, the Saint of Death. It was a very distracted lesson. We will see what we can do this week to help Jorge and Andrea better.
Here's an excerpt from my email to President to explain a little better where we are:
Jorge and his daughter Andrea show a lot of potential. We are trying to find new angles to help him know how to do better. We helped him to realize that he already has, in fact, a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Now, the main two challenges are to help him quit smoking and get an answer about whether he should be baptized. He told us that he has felt like he is getting closer and closer to that point. He feels as if God is preparing him and guiding him towards being baptized and being ready. It's really exciting.
We have been striving to find more people, as well, and have a new teenage investigator named Brian. He really wants to understand the truth, and wants to read the Book of Mormon and learn from it. It's really exciting. We also started teaching a wonderful lady named Lourdes. She's really Catholic, and also really open.
We're super excited for the coming week!
Jorge also makes some really awesome Mexican food. I really like his quesadillas. My favorite type of meat with his quesadillas is alpastor. When I first met him in his little shop, La Michoacana, I made a joke: "Pues, quiero alpastor con mi torta porque somos pastores, no?" or in other words, "Well, I want alpastor meat with my sandwich because we're pastors, right?" He's so awesome! We all laughed.
Jorge was studying with the missionaries for a while back, but he never really got an answer if it was true. He also struggled with smoking. However, we have a program that can help him quit! It's called the 15-step program, and it's a really spiritual thing to go through. Statistic-wise, 85% of people who follow it to the letter (it's really hard) quit smoking after finishing the week-long program. A week! Also, 1/3 of those people who quite are baptized because they recognize the hand of God so strongly in that period of time. It takes a lot of determination, though. Two missionaries came up with the program after fervently praying and fasting to know how to help some of the people they were working with to quit smoking.
We're really excited for the next week, because we're going to see how we can help Jorge and Andrea the best. Some exciting things are happening!
Love,
Elder Adams
Questions from Editor Mom:
Hi Elder Jedi Master Old Ben Kenobi! - Hello, oh Queen of the House of Adams!
What did you do for Easter? - We ate chocolate. We also did normal missionary stuff. I also played in a special musical number at church.
How are you and Elder Tapia getting along? - We are getting along really awesome super well! He's the coolest guy ever, and a pretty bomb missionary to boot.
[Editor's note: Tammy & Jeff are planning to visit Disney World in the next few weeks.]
Do you want anything from Disney? - Well, I can't think of anything right now. I think I'm good for now.
Are you allowed to come up with creative door approaches in your mission? How do you try to grab peoples' attention? - We are allowed to come up with creative door approaches, for sure! We just try to mix it up. Sometimes we talk about prophets, sometimes about the Book of Mormon.
How is The Dalles? Are you learning to love it as much as you loved Othello? - I love The Dalles! I'm not sure I can love it in the same way I loved Othello, but I certainly love it in a different way. It's kind of like Wenatchee in some respects.
How are your shoes and clothes holding up? - My clothes are doing alright, but both my pairs of black shoes are on the way out.
Are you taking lots of pictures? (I loved the pictures you sent of the Portland temple!) - Not as many as I should, but I'm trying to remember.
Love you. I'm looking forward to hearing from you tomorrow! - Love you too!
Mom - Elder Adams
More questions from Editor Mom:
Happy Patriot's Day! Did you remember that today is Patriot's Day? - Um, actually, no. I just thought it was the day after Easter. Funny that. Happy Patriot's Day, I guess!
What is your favorite Easter treat? - Chocolate. Also deviled eggs. But mainly chocolate of any kind.
What are you doing for service these days? - We occasionally help the Food Bank to unload stuff from their incoming shipments and put it in storage. It's a very different kind of help than last time.
Have you given up on playing cello in your mission? - Not at all! I always try to find a cello in each new area. There are several I've already found here in The Dalles, and I just played a special musical number yesterday.
How warm is it in The Dalles? - Uh, warm. It's getting there.
Love,
Elder Adams (a possible palindrome is Mad Leaders)
Questions from Editor Dad:
Is your iPod still working? Do you still have all of the music we put on that?
I totally have the iPod, yes! I love listening to it. It doesn't work great for the car, though.
I copied a handful of pieces onto a thumb drive and will stick it in the mail with a letter in a day or two. - Great, thanks!
It's great to see you happy. - It's great to be happy!
Here's a question I don't think Mom has asked: Your Hump Day [half way mark] is only a few weeks away. Do you have any special traditions in WYM around Hump Day? Do you plan to mark it in any way? - No.
And one more: How long has Elder Tapia been in The Dalles? Do you have any guesses about whether your companionship might be affected by the upcoming transfer? - This is his 4th transfer, so he's probably gone. It's really sad; he's such an awesome missionary and companion!
OK, have a great week! - Igualmente! [Likewise]
Elder Bird and I doing service on exchanges with a member. We were throwing stuff into the landfill while simultaneously helping someone move. #skill #doubletasking
From Editor Mom:
I hope you didn't get mixed up with the moving and the landfill stuff going on at the same time!
I didn't. We were throwing out some old stuff she didn't need any more. :-)
#interviews
#PLew
[Photos snagged from the Mission President's wife's Blog this week, from the Mission President's visit to The Dalles for interviews]
Ben's district
Ben and his companion, Elder Tapia
Sister Lewis, the mission president's wife, served her mission in South Africa. She wrote on her blog, "Elder Adams wore his South African tie for me today!"
Ben is writing a "photo note" to his mom.
This is the note Tammy received in a text message from Sis. Lewis.
Ben and Elder Tapia pose with President Lewis.
Ben and Elder Tapia say farewell to the Lewises.
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