Eric's baptism!

April 30, 2012

Hello everyone,

This week was great. Eric got baptized on Sunday and his WHOLE family was there. It was sweet. Hopefully, we can start working with the rest of the family to get them all to take that step of baptism and receive that happiness in their lives. Elder McGill got transferred out to the desert for his last four weeks and will be serving in English as well. sucks. But my new comp is Elder Forster. He is from Colorado and I've heard a lot of good things about him. He's been out for like 20 months so I got another viejito. I'm excited for what’s happening in our area. we're starting to see more and more golden investigators coming out of the woodwork, and hopefully we'll start to see some success out of all of the work we're doing. Well my new comp is going to arrive at the apartment soon, so we have to go. I'll send a better email next week with photos! SORRY!!!

-Matt

Hey ya a book that would be super sweet to have would be Mormon doctrine by Bruce r. :) I've always wanted that.

Hello Everyone,

This week was a good one. We didn't really teach the amount of lessons we wanted to, but it was still good. Eric, is still progressing on his way to baptism. He was at the beach Friday, Saturday, and we texted him Saturday night, asking if we were going to see him, he was like, “ I'll try, but I can't promise” ....usually that means nope. He showed up! He told his dad (less active) he needed to go to church on Sunday and they left their cousins house where they were staying and the whole family came home so Eric could go to church. I love this work. It's the best. We talked to a lot of people this week and are in the process of refreshing everything. Eric is basically the only one who is progressing so....time to go out and knock doors, and get sweaty in this early summer weather. I HATE THE HEAT. I kinda just want it to be snowing....about five minutes from walking to from the apartment, I looked over to Elder McGill (who is an islander mind you and is accustomed to the heat) "I'm already sweating. This is going to be a long summer." The high was like 102 this week. AWFUL. I'll never live in a hot place. (Speaking of hot places, Elder Long (one of Matt’s friends…also w/diabetes is in an adjoining mission) we met a pastor for an SDA church who used to pastor in San Ysidro. Must be fetchin hot over there bro. Actually my greenie area bordered what I think is your area. Are you at all close to the Salton Sea? that was my first area. ya WAAAY HOT. )

Anyways, we’ve got Eric's baptism next week, all we have to do is teach the rest of the commandments then we're done. This week will probably be all finding. I'm excited. I love going up to random people and them just being able to open up to me and express their life story like its nothing. This is the best work and I'm almost half-way out of time....not cool. Love you all and pray for you daily!

-Elder Dial

April 16, 2012

Hello everyone,

This week was a good one. Our number don't reflect all the good, but it was good and progressive. As I was looking at the dinner calendar to call the family we were going to eat with the next night, I saw that youth conference was the next week (this is last week). I was like, "We should get Eric to YC and get his fetchin mind BLOWN with the Spirit!" So we did, and he loved it. He came to church and everything.....then he missed the YC testimony meeting Sunday night, but, that's ok because the member of the bishopric of the ward use their soul and listened to the Spirit and for Sacrament meeting program, invited the youth who went to YC to bear a testimony and talk about the experiencia they had. Julio, who was Eric's friend from football and school got up last and bore one of the sweetest testimonies I've heard from a youth. Everyone was in tears and the Spirit was like the carving of the Jaguar in The Testaments that falls on Kohor.....few people will get that. So he went to YC and church, and felt the Spirit. I'm happy. Also in the week we put him and his brother Julio (lots of Julios and Jesus's and Jose's and Maria's) on date for the 29th. He's progressing more and more to the soultry sound of the water hitting the tile in the baptismal font.

Another miracle, there's a family named the Campos family, who are more or less, less active. Apparently, recently, one of their tio's (uncles) came to the US from Mexico and is living with them. I saw him the first time in the Chapel. He seems like he's got a lot of promise as well. We've got the first lesson lined up with him this week.

My BG (blood glucose) numbers are going down. I really hate texting Sister Crippen every BG and I hope that when we take the A1C, we can stop doing that. Would you could send me the red running shoes in the next package, that would be great. As much as I love lifting every day, I need to get some cardio besides basketball once a week. Simply walking all day doesn't burn all those calories from the arroz frijoles and pollo we eat every day.

Also Dad, please find me a SWEET piano arrangement to There Is a Green Hill Far Away. I'm finding time at meetings to play more and more, also, one last request…. a sweet 4 part harmony one too. Love you all and Hope you have a great week!

Love,

-Elder Dial

Interviews w/ President Smart