Aug. 16, 2011

As far as the work goes things are going pretty good. We have a baptism happening tomorrow of this girl named Michelle who has been taught by missionaries for a while, at least 6 years on and off and she is pretty much just a dry mormon. The reason why she hasn't been baptized is because her parents wouldn't let her get baptized until she is 18. so she is going to be baptized tomorrow. but the sucky thing about it is that usually when we do convert baptisms we have them confirmed in sacrament meeting that sunday. but since this upcoming sunday is stake conference she won't be confirmed until the 27th....which kind of sucks and the solution to that is to just have her confirmed right after she is baptized, but in the handbook it says for convert baptisms that you must have them confirmed in sacrament meeting but the bishop can approve a change that to have them confirmed right after they are baptized, but the bishop of the ward, bishop brown(hole) won't let that happen because he says that we have to do it by the "book". when he can easily just let her be confirmed right after she is baptized, instead he insists that she has to wait a week and half to receive the holy ghost....which is really lame. my companion right now has had some problems with that bishop in the past, he was teaching this kid who had only been to church 3 times and the requirement to be baptized is to go to 3 weeks of church and to pass a baptismal interview, but the bishop wanted that kid to go to church for 2 months straight to be baptized, but since the kid had done the 2 previous things my companion just baptized him. but that has probably been the most frustrating thing this week. but oh well.

but other than that things are going pretty good, i will actually be going to a baptism later tonight of a lady who i taught back in farr west. her husband was baptized when i was there and now she is finally making the commitment to be baptized, so that is awesome! we have also picked up 2 new investigators this week and also we have been teaching this kid named aaron, who is pretty awesome and he is planning on being baptized on the 27th! but if things go as planned we might even have 5 baptisms this transfer, which is pretty awesome. i love serving with Elder Ortiz, we have been out pretty much the same time and we get along, we communicate well with each other and also we both like to get work done. so i feel that we have been really inspired to be put together.