Collin Russell: A Missionary: Fearless

Dearest Family,

Well it looks like Elder Plata and I have found a faster internet site here in Tambo Grande!! So good news, you will be getting more photos Mom! At least I think so. haha the bad part is this space bar is killing me. If I start typing without space bars, it is because this one doesn't move too easy... haha

But this week has been good!! The bummer deal is we only got 3 full days in the area. With Lima, Interviews, and New Missionary Conference, it was a little busy! But still we are seeing progress!

First off, we now have an investigator with a date for the 28th of June. We've just got to get him to church and he will be golden. The problem is he works in Paita Sundays recently, so the plan is to teach the Sabbath Day real solid this week so we can get that settled and help him work on that. We also invited his oldest daughter and wife to be baptized. We learned that his wife was baptized around 20 years ago in the church "Dios es Amor" and she doesn't want the same experience. With that, her parents and siblings were pressured into it, went to a river and got baptized and really didn't understand what it was all about or really anything about the church. So now she isn't accepting because she wants to understand. So I am really glad she understands the importance, honestly we shouldn't baptize people who don't understand! So we are going to work with her answering all of her questions. So she is really starting to open up, which is great! She knows the date is still open for her too to be baptized the 28th. We also need to keep her motivated to read, for now she isn't reading too effectively. But she finally prayed for the lesson and that was AWESOME!! So step by step. :)

Their daughter also said not yet, she isn't fully "convinced", but she said she believes she will later on! So there is a growing seed we can see. We will be working for a later date with her. But she is growing a testimony!

This week we got lots of new investigators planned to visit!! And FAMILIES! So in order to get our goal of 6 baptisms, we've got to find them this week so they can attend church enough beforehand. So pray for us, we are going to work real hard! :) I am loving how we are working! I have honestly been missing investigators progressing for baptism, it has been a while.

During our weekly planning we have companionship inventories. This week my companion's point of strength for me was that I am fearless. HAHA! Here is the story: I had been thinking this week, man, we really got to work hard in these few days if we want to get those baptisms! And since I got out on the mission I have been thinking about proselyting on a bus. So Thursday coming home we are on the bus and the classic guy selling his chocolates walking down the aisle does his performance, and I was there thinking, we should do it today. So he gets off the bus, and I look over to my companion, "you have pamphlets?" He had 1. I was like "All right, we are up! Come on!" And I found myself getting up and walking to the front of the bus! And my companion is a shy kid and he didn't believe what I had just said! We get up front and I introduced who we were and a little about our purpose. I explained we would be passing around pamphlets and for people who were interested or had questions, I explained the direction and time of our church services. Then we handed out the pamphlets and we ran flat out! haha Sadly none of them have come to church yet, but it was a good practice and now we are planning on how to do it better and be better prepared. It was a fun experience!!

Well, I hope all is well back home!

I love you all!! Keep up the good work!

Con amor y felicidad,

Elder Collin Russell