October 19, 2009

10-19-09 Hola familia,This past week was awesome. IT is FREEZING Here! Winter has come my friends. The temp is cold but the wind in the city is what kills me. It gets so cold and is getting colder. I’m gonna die this winter! I need you to send me some money so I can buy some winter clothes please. Send small 50/50 garments not medium, but if you already did oh well.I forgot to tell you last week, well I did but it was on the email the got erased but I spoke to Daniel 2 weeks ago. I talked to president at zone conference 2 weeks ago because Daniel got midnight to another area, so he wasn’t in our zone anymore. I called him 2 nights later just to see how he was doing. He told me whats been going on and how he doesn’t want to be on a mission. He got accepted to a school and wants to leave and go there. He got pressured into the Mormon thinking that everyone needed to go on a mission. I just bore him my testimony of how important the mission is and how I don’t know where I would be later in life if I didn’t serve a mission. It will change my life forever. It’s not easy, but we learn by the challenges that face us in life. I told him I know he knows this work is what he needs to do and kept talking for 15 or so minutes. I told him to pray and ask god if he wants him on the mission and if he gets an answer then stay, if not, go home. He then said, "Derek, why did you just call?" I told him I felt the need to call him and see how he was doing. He said he had just got done praying and asking that exact thing. Does god want me here? He then fell asleep and I woke him up by calling. He said he doesn’t think it was any coincidence that I called. It was pretty cool, and I hope he turns his attitude around and stays. I wanted to go home when everything happened with Tay, but I’m sure glad I didn’t. I would have regretted it forever. It still is hard at times but I definitely will be blessed.It is a little more difficult to do missionary work when it’s so cold outside, especially with Hispanics. They do not like the cold, that's for sure. Anyways, earlier in the week, Elder Einerson and I prepared the plan of salvation for our investigator Angel, and practiced the commit for baptism. We went to teach him Tuesday and then member that was supposed to let us into the building to teach and he ditched us so we wasted 1 1/2 hrs. We went back on Thursday and had an awesome lesson. The spirit was so strong and told me commit him, so I did. I testified, promised blessings, and invited him to be baptized the 25th. Right away he says, why not. I feel really good right now and that this is good. I want to go to church so why not? It was an awesome answer. He couldn’t come to church yesterday cuz his family was all sick but we're gonna meet with him this week a couple times and praying he goes down on Sunday. Its last week of the transfer, I think my companion is leaving. He’s been here for 4 transfers but I don’t want him to go. I'm staying in this area for a while I think. President is changing some things around and has put a big load on the district leaders. We have longer district meetings and more to do, but its ok, it’ll be good. He did make a rule that we can do baptisms for the dead with our recent converts.This past Saturday morning we went with a couple members and a recent convert to the Manhattan temple! It was sooo sick! Manhattan is so much cooler than Brooklyn and queens ha-ha. I always wondered why people would want to live in New York, but after going there I know why. I would live in Manhattan. We only walked from the subway and few blocks to the temple, but it was awesome. We were witnesses in the temple for a while. My companion got baptized a few times. I went and did confirmations and then I baptized the recent convert 10 times and then a couple other people. It was all in Spanish which was pretty cool. It was such a good experience. We are allowed to go with recent converts once a transfer so its gonna help people gain that desire to baptize more. Last week before sacrament one of the counselors of the bishopric came up to me and asked if I could give a talk. It was 30 min. before sacrament started. I told him sure I can, on what subject? He told me on the pre-mortal life. Ha-ha kinda a weak subject right? It’s hard to give a talk on the pre earth life, but I got up there and did it. I don’t know how long it was, ten minutes or a little more but it was good Spanish practice.We also got a new bishop yesterday which was good. The ward here is good but needs a lot of help, just as all Spanish wards or branches. Always just a bunch of drama and crap, it will be nice to go back to Gilbert someday. Everything is going great. All the days are just starting to blend together. I’m just hoping and praying angel gets baptized this week and maybe after that his family will follow. He's awesome and prepared, so I’m not too worried. We still don’t have too many investigators but we are literally talking to every Hispanic person that walks by on the streets. The work is always good. It’s a little more difficult to get lessons here than in Ridgewood but we're doing the best we can. I love you all and thanks for your support, love Elder Breinholt