October 15, 2012

Hello Family,

So this week has been pretty good.  We first went to President Barry's house and had dinner and some training.  We were all super tired from flying and lack of sleep so we all slept during it.  But that night we slept in a hotel so it was alright.  When we woke up, the Assistants to the President came in and knocked on our door and said, "Elders in this mission we all wear a part!"  So I now have a part in my hair for the rest of the mission, but it isn't that bad and yall know I can make anything look good :).  The next day, so Wednesday, we went to the Church building and got a lot more training and met our companions.  My companion is Elder Lisonbee from Santaquin, Ut.  I am so glad I prayed for a good trainer cause he is one of the elect.  He leaves in July so he doesn't have too much longer left.  At the transfer meeting I saw Elder Erickson and got a picture with him and I also saw Sister Knickerbocker.  So I am in the Gainesville, 3rd ward and it is just like a Utah ward cause all the members are pretty much students getting residency out of the way.  Like all of them are Dentists or Anesthesiologist, so I fit right in.  Oh I also found out that my area is 1 out 6 for biking areas in the WHOLE MISSION.  So I guess I'm blessed haha.  ohh and every companionship in my mission has a cell phone.  It makes everything a lot easier.  So for the rest of Wednesday, we left transfer meeting around 3 and takes like a long time to get to my area, so we were late for dinner at the Carver's house.  They live in a trailer, and everyone serves you Gourmet home cooked macaroni haha.  It wasn't too bad.  But then we went and gave a sister in the ward a blessing.  This whole time I was borrowing an elders bike cause I didn't have one.  Then We road back to the hood, cause that is where our house is :/ (Look for it on Google Maps)

Thursday

Everyday we work out from 6:30 to 7 so we run for like 10 min and then while my comp is stretching and showering I usually lift the 25lb. dumb bells and do about 100 push ups and like 600 crunches every morning.  Then we eat and at 8 we have personal study.  9 we do comp study and then at 11 we have lunch and then go ride around.  I got a bike,  Cheapest one i could find.  I’s’ a Trek 820 single track series and I got it for like 430 or something like that.  after I got a bike we road over to a recent converts house and taught him about trials, cause he is facing some at the moment, and we got a referral to his next door neighbor Vincent.  We stopped by there and he let us in and we set up another appointment and left him with a Book of Mormon.  After that we had dinner with the Cochrans. They are really nice.  Young family like the whole ward.  but that was pretty much that day.

Friday

Friday we didn’t do a lot because it was Weekly Planning which takes up like your whole day.  But we did go and give a girl in our ward a blessing, she is the only young woman in the ward so she goes to 2nd ward, she is also the only member in her family.

Saturday

Saturday we went and ate lunch with Sister ****l and her husband *********.  This is an interesting case.  Sister **** was a relief Society pres. like  6 years ago and when she got released she went inactive.  She then married ****.  He is exactly half her age.  She is 62 and he is 31... kind of like Elder Salas huh Taylor.  Well he goes to the Catholic Church next to our building and he is kind of slow so he doesn't understand much but he is coming along.  He just is used to his old ways and since he is slow it is hard for him to change.  But on the bright side we went and taught Vincent again and found out his dad is a member and he said that when he came to find that the church is true he would be baptized.  So we are excited for that and are hoping for the 13th.  He actually owns a business with his buddy and they make some dirt biking gear.  So I want some money in my account so I can buy a hat from him please :)  we also have been talking to everyone we see on the streets and stuff and ask everyone we talk to for referrals, so we have a lot of referrals and potentials that we are going to follow up with this week .

Sunday

I was in meetings from 10-1 and then church from 1-4 but it all went by really fast.  The ward is small but I guess it is like the biggest one in Florida.  Most of them are all children.   So it is an extremely loud ward.  I gave a prayer in every meeting expect sacrament just because i was new, so I took it as a sign that I need to pray a lot more, so I am working on that this week.  We got a couple more contacts as well.  I also rearranged the apartment because it is really dirty and unorganized so that is my project I have taken upon myself.  Well this is just about everything that has happened I love my companion he knows so much and can quote a lot so I am learning from him. I will tell yall more information as i get it.  I am not allowed to write letters on any other day than Pday so let everyone know that they will come slowly haha.

Some Things I Need

So most importantly I need a letter sent here like ASAP so that i can get a proof of residence for a library card so i can go there on Pdays and write.

if you could send me some snacks sometime for my backpack cause i am never home to eat and I need some stuff that is small and I can snack on while riding. 

I kind of need some more envelopes too :)

I need a thumb drive because all the apartments, well mostly all have a sound system that i can plug a USB drive in and listen to music on it.  also an SD card for my camera so i can send mine home for you :)

and finally I have something I really need (want) for Christmas. :)  I know it’s like 2 months away, but my companion has a GPS and I thought it was the apartments, but he said it is his, so maybe for Christmas if I could get just a GPS like a cheap one.  His is a Garmin Nuvi and it works really well.  All we do is put the whole ward address book in the GPS and all our formers, less actives and investigators and we know where everyone is.  So just a thought.  I love yall!  Let me know if you need anything or if I can do anything for yall.  ohh help out the missionaries as much as you can.  We need the Ward.  The ward is established to help missionaries find people to teach.  This is why we ask everyone for contacts.  So always have a list of people you can give to the missionaries to teach.  And now that Taylor and I are gone, you can probably feed the missionaries more, please do it, cause it is the best way for them to get to know that ward, and to find people to teach.  We love the ward members. Keep this in mind.

I love you all so much and I am proud to be a part of the family.

God Speed, and Hoorah for Israel!

Love, 

Elder Salinas