Mon, 17 Sep 2012 
Subject: Last week of the Cycle!!

Dear Family, 

This week was a great week to end off the cycle, a lot happened and the work went great. So first of all on Tuesday we had district meeting then after that Elder Needs and I went on splits together in Jones, he is one of the Zone Leaders in the Alicia Zone. He is awesome, a really really good missionary I learned a ton from him, he played lacrosse for byu before his mission so he is a pretty big boy. He is a big sports fan, so in between appointements and stuff we talked a lot about sports and stuff it was kinda fun, since there are very few people in the mission who are big sports fans... which is probably a good thing, less distractions from the work. Then on Wednesday we got a txt from the APs that I needed to come to Cauayan on Thursday, with two other missionaries in the district, it was for Trainers Training, it looks like I am gonna be training for the next two cycles, that means I am gonna be a Tatay(father) in the mission. Thats gonna be a challenge. I would be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't a little nervous, I need to teach a brand new missionary, how to be a missionary. I am sure I will learn a ton these next two cycles. So anyway we go to Cauayan on Thursday and learn how to train, then we eat lunch there, it was great, it was Chili Dogs! Brother and Sister Carlos get a ton of food always sent to them, they had some real American hotdogs and some real American chili and... it was great, I had to eat the first one really fast to make sure that I could get seconds, she also made brownies!!! Oh yeah the Carlos's are great cooks, Sister Carlos wrote a book about cooking before the mission I guess. Anyway then on Saturday the Gottfredsons came to Jones and worked with us, so I got to be a translator, that is always fun. Then on Sunday we finally got a Gospel Essentials class going in Jones, that way our investigators aren't sitting confused in the normal Sunday School class. 

This next week should be really busy as well, on Tuesday is district meeting, then Elder Lasay is for sure getting transferred, so he has to pack, then go to peoples houses and say goodbye, then on Wednesday we are going to the Farewell Fireside for the missionaries going home, then on Thursday there is transfer day and I am getting my new missionary. 

On Thursday the training was really helpful, President Carlos just said, Focus on always working to have the Spirit, that is the most important thing. Also service to him, and lots of confidence building confidence and you have to let him have to trust him with some responsibilities it cant always be you or he wont learn... Friday is I already have a lesson planned where he can give the baptismal challenge. The Mallabou family has a referral for us that has come to church the past two weeks, and as missionaries we have been challenged to give baptismal challenges the very first lesson, so on Friday we have a lesson planned with this family, and my new kid is gonna have the opportunity to give the challenge. 

This week we were able to teach sister Letlet the 3 times that we needed to, we were able to finish up the lessons with her, then on Saturday she had her interview, and she passed it! So next week on the 22nd she is going to get baptized, that should be exciting, the bad news for elder Lasay is he is gonna be baptized just before her baptism. 

We were able to teach Sister Villiaflor this week, we taught her about Faith and we used some of the Scripts in Alma 32, its a great chapter, you guys should read it. It was a good lesson, she said that she was going to try her best to come to church... she didn't! Oh well, she I think is the strongest less actives I have taught, she is just to afraid to come back, it is just that first step that is hard. I was thinking one day though and I realized that her husband wasn't a member, he is dead now, maybe we can share with her about temples and Eternal Families, and that she can be sealed with her husband and family. There is a Branch Temple trip in December, maybe if she can get active she can go to that. That would be exciting. That is the temple trip that the Cristobal family is planning on going to, to get sealed.

Speaking of the Cristobal family, they are doing good, Sister and Brother finally got contact with each other, Brother went to Manilia to pick up sister, they should be back on Tuesday. Brother still hasn't drunk in like 1 1/2 months. 

Sister Telma on of our less actives that we are teaching continues to be kinda frustrating, she is great in lessons and always says she is gonna do her best to come to church, but she just hasn't done it yet... she kinda had one of the funnier excuses that I have heard on my mission, she said that she wasn't able to find her bra... that was kinda awkward, I had no clue what to say... just like, ya.. you better find that... haha what is a missionary supposed to say to that? It was funny though on Sunday we visited her and gave a scriptural thought, and when we were done she asked us to share another verse because she enjoyed feeling the Holy Ghost, so we shared so verse in Alma 32... I forget the exact verse but we connected it to the Spirit and if she likes that feeling if she always prays and reads the scriptures and comes to church, then she doesn't need us to come and visit her for her to feel that Spirit but she can feel it herself. 

We still didn't get in contact with Myra this week, I have no idea what to do that we aren't doing. We will keep trying to visit her until she is available... 

We were able to teach sister Vera Cruz, she is super friendly, I think that she will come back, we a little bit of work and help from the branch. 

Well things in Jones keep on going good, I am a little nervous about the my new companion, but I think that things should probably go good, I am looking forward to the opportunity, it will just be a little hard... 

Well love you guys thanks for everything, 
Elder James