Another Week Gone By! More Golden (maybe silver) Investigators!

(Emailed to Friends)
It's been a solid week - we've worked hard.  I'll go through it day by day.

Monday - lessons fell through, but contacted some more.  Contacted another less active which happens WAY too much. She left the church because of something a member said.  Is assisting another church, but still loves the true church.  We taught Juan Carlos again too.  After explaining what a prophet is he just kept asking and asking if there's one now.  We taught the apostasy and left him there to read the pamphlet to find his answer.  He loves to learn and to know, so that's awesome.

Tuesday - Morning was normal, nothing special.  More contacting.  We had intercambios in the afternoon.  I was with Elder Mokofisi.  Huge Tongan guy from Cali.  It was OK.  Lots of walking because lessons were falling through.  It was good though.  It was quiet.  He didn't talk much which surprised me.

Wednesday - finished up intercambios with a few more lessons.  It was good.  Not a huge deal.  Then we ate lunch as a district which was fun, and came back and went to work.  The day went well.  We taught Eliecer and his "wife" and realized he's gotten an answer to his prayers!  Really awesome and really great feeling.  We also taught Diorca and she shut us down.  Not completely.  She said she needs some time to read and pray to figure out if the BOFM is true.  A good reason.  We'll see how she is later this week.

Thursday - Zone meeting.  President Corbitt came and talked to us how the members can be another source of finding investigators.  Something I think just about nobody really uses completely.  It was really good.  He also talked about how we need to work toward having 15 to 20 progressing investigators.  We have around 6 - 8 now.  He talked about how in a year that's going to be nothing in this mission.  And I believe it.  The lesson numbers have increased and I know the progressing investigators and next baptisms will start increasing.  I look forward to that time.  Then we taught Wendy, a contact who's very open to learning, and did a little more contacting.  It went OK.  Normal.

Friday - Normal morning, with a little contacting.  In the night, normal lessons.  We taught Viviana who is another contact.  The missionaries taught her before years ago, but then just stopped.  Not sure why.  She could be a baptism though because she's really open to learning.  Then we visited Yulissa and she basically told us she was done taking the lessons.  She told us if we were a little smarter we would've given her money to help her problems and then she would've been baptized.  It clicked that she just wanted the church's money the whole time.  That one hurt a bit.

Saturday - Normal morning once again.  Not much seems to happen in the mornings.  More contacting.  In the evening we had the priesthood session of conference.  It was really good.  A seventy, Elder Dominquez, and President Corbitt both talked.  They both did awesome.  Then some citas fell through and we contacted more.

Sunday - Stake Conference.  Only had one investigator there since it was so far away.  Lots of lessons fell through again which means more contacting.  It was good though.  Nothing too special.

Today - Cleaning, haircut later, buying food, normal pday.  Fun day.

Few other thoughts for the week.
Strangest, and potentially the most amazing contact.  We started talking to this kid, probably 15 years old.  Tells us he's a member.  We start talking to him, and realize HE WAS NEVER BAPTIZED.  He's been going to another ward because he doesn't know the hours of our ward.  Told us he had a baptism date but couldn't make it and something about a river.  Thought he confused his churches.  But he has the pamphlets and a BOFM.  And knows the story of Joseph Smith.  His Mom (who doesn’t' know much Spanish.  She's Haitian) told us she'd explain things on Sunday, but the lessons fell through.  We're visiting them tomorrow.  Wish us luck!  Haha.

Also yesterday, the Family Brito are having marriage (but they aren’t' married yet...) problems.  She wasn't home so we gave him a bunch of advice.  Haha it was kind of weird.  Really weird actually.

We had 40 lessons this week.  Just not very many with members, so that's what we're going to work on this week.

Wow.  Transfers are already halfway over.  Time really flies.

I believe that's about all for this week!  Sorry it's a long one, I went a little more into detail with the investigators.

Love you all!
Elder Easton Potokar.

Elder Martinez & Elder Potokar

(Emailed to Family)
I got your package this week!  It rocked.  Way awesome.  The hole punch and the speaker and the belt are awesome!  Work perfectly.  The drive too once I can get it to work.  It really was one of my favorite packages that I've gotten. Wow! Tons of pictures.  Thank you for that.  Way awesome.

Sounds like this week was all about Ash!  Fun fun fun!  I'm glad she enjoyed her sweet sixteen. Haha Ash had a lot funner sweet sixteen than I did.  I couldn't even tell you what I did.  It wasn't as big of a deal for me.  She's all over it though. Sheesh! I feel like Garrett is going to be that way too.

Well done on the dishwasher buying.  I'm sure the kids are just as happy about that as you are!  No more having to wash dishes.

We didn't have interviews or inspections yet.   I believe they'll both probably be this week.

Pday is kind a lame. Cleaned.  Haircuts.  Shopped.  Emailed you guys.  Just about it.  Not too exciting.  Did a little laundry too to spice things up haha (Do you meet with your district on pdays like you used to?) No.  That is actually not supposed to happen much.  President said we could only do that occasionally, and that pday is for companionships.  Kind of a bummer.  We only did that a few times before.  Hopefully one of these days we'll be able to play soccer or basketball or something. Time flies way way too fast on pday. I've managed to find all the Liahonas from general conference dating all the way back to 2011, and it's nuts how much of the conference talks I remember watching at home.  Certain stories or things like that.

Also there's a picture of Christ I uploaded.  We found it in our apartment while we were cleaning.  It's pretty great.

The area is really cool.  I just about have it down.  Really close now.  I could probably lead the area if I needed to.  It's really calm though, and there's some good people here.

Favorite investigator is Juan Carlos right now.  He's really into the lessons.  There to learn.  You can show him a scripture and he'll think through the whole thing and you don’t have to explain it at all.  He gets me excited about the gospel.

Really really really awesome news.  I called Elder Romero this week.  He said Carolina and Rochelli are still active.  That they read their scriptures together every night.  That her husband is going to come back to church soon. (Her husband said that) Also Lisa is still active.  Mon is going to get baptized soon.

PAULA AND VICTOR have been coming back to church! Ahhh!  I didn’t have time to ask if he found a job or anything, but they’re coming back again!  And Elder Romero said they're prepping to enter the temple.  It'll be like a year from now, but I might be able to go inside with them!  Ahhh!  That made me so happy.  I could barely sleep that night.

Also Freisy, from the Dilone family, I believe has a baptismal date as well.  Really really really awesome.

It was a fantastic feeling.  Rather overwhelming.  A few times I've taken a step back and really seen how happy I am.  It's finally come.  I'm legitly happy a lot of the time here.

Love you tons!  Miss you tons!  Have a great week! Tell everyone there that I love them tons too!
Love, Elder Easton Potokar.