March 17, 2008

Dear Irvine Family:

That's so sweet! The Duffins are serving the Lord...that's so cool! By the time that Amber goes into the MTC, I'll have less than a year to go...that's utterly ridiculous! And I'll be close to hit my year mark when Avery goes in. I found his mission on a map in the mission office- it's northern California sorta close to the Bay area...but not really. But that sorta part of California.

Haha, the pics are great! So I'm not the only one gaining weight and trying to put it off! Apparently the weight gain is 20 pounds here (all the Spanish food). I want to go English so bad now...I'm really tired working hard day in and day out...among the success we're having.

Yeah, I've really thought about what President is trying to do with me. Leadership, I realized, doesn't make a difference in the end. It's if you did your best, if you served him faithfully. I finally realized that and I'm going to live it better. If it comes, it comes. As the AP's said, they'd rather be missionaries like us, instead of running a gazillion errands each week. I'm basically training my comp Elder Lynn, he's way awesome by the way. He's been out as long as I have, and so his Spanish needs help. I'm very humbled to know that President trusts me so much to basically instruct a fellow missionary to learn Spanish...and I've learned so much of not being a pushy senior comp and being too overbearing. He's way chill, so it's not very hard to just sit back and relax a bit. He's really humble, and right now I'm doing my best to be even-keel and let him learn on his own. He's going to be amazing by the end of the transfer. So let me get to my summary on this past week.

So I was with the Koreans for week one on Tuesday. Galbraith from Rexburg and Schinn from Boston. Galbraith and Schinn- probably the funniest and yet coolest companionship yet. Galbraith is Spanish/English, but is on an emergency assignment to Korean work in Stevenson Ranch because we lost 2 Korean elders to sickness. We'll have to wait until June to get replacements. So we did some tracting and stuff, and had a good time. English work is pretty hard, but I need a break....oh well whatever the Lord wants right? So we went to two of my Spanish appointments and I felt weird. Not my usual comp, but Galbraith did a good job, considering he spent only 3 transfers in Spanish (he has about 5 in English) so his Spanish is a bit rusty but good enough. Poor Schinn just sat there and wondered about what we were talking. Repeated some words that our investigators asked him. Really good kid. The despedida of my comp Hansen was a bit weird. I felt strange...was he really going home? Then it hit me...don't waste your time and don't be trunky. Wow. I was so happy to have had an American comp after two natives...it got frustrating sometimes with the language barrier. It was strange spending a night with the Koreans...but it was a learning experience for me.

Wednesday, I got my comp! Good times...a good lesson with the Jaimes and we taught them to importance of going to church, because they were slacking a little bit. But they came this past Sunday, so it's all good. Baptismal interview is going to be set for this week or for the next...just to see if they're really ready for baptism. I'm feeling in 3 weeks, but we'll see. The issue: church attendance and sabbath day observance (the father works Sundays- he details cars and it's not a set job so he gets what he gets). We'll work on it. And Lesley, our recent convert, really asked some deep doctrinal questions. 'Does Satan earn a glory?' and I always assumed it was outer darkness, but technically the church doesn't really endorse outer darkness because it's not in the scriptures...as far as I know. So we'll get back to her. Really smart girl. And so we learned to be more careful with what we said. More specific this time...

Thursday...a crazy hectic day. Contacted some referrals and had some great lessons with Rolando and Alex and especially the Cardenas. I basically teach everything because Lynn is deathly afraid of teaching in Spanish, but he's learning and progressing slowly. Rolando, we'll have to commit him to church. Alex, it'll be a longer process to baptism for him, but he knows it's necessary. The Cardenas basically testified to us during the lesson about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith...they are so strong right now. I know they have great things in store for them...I love them so much!

Friday was great! We ate dinner with the sister missionaries' soon-to-be baptized investigators Ingrid. She's been living with her boyfriend Jose Ceja, who is a son of a local member family. He's been stubborn, but finally agreed to marry her (yeah, after having two kids in 4 years with her...a family right?). She was really excited and really ready to be married then baptized. We taught Alberto Cardenas' brother Gustavo and his girlfriend Berenice (not married but have a little boy), and they will take a little longer than Alberto and Yadira to be baptized. But, Alberto basically taught the lesson for us and testified with power. I am so blessed to have taught them...and to have seen their progress. The Lord really watches out for us. He blessed me with a golden family to raise me up. Wow. I can't be grateful enough!

Saturday. Busy day! Helped set up for the wedding of Jose and Ingrid. It was a beautiful service, and I was very surprised to see Jose nervous. He didn't want to commit before, and here he was. Afterwards, he had the hugest smile on his face. He's really changed. And Ingrid was so happy! I was so happy to see her take this step, which led to baptism the next day. We had some sweet lessons, one with a local member Hna. Carrillo, the pioneer of the ward, then with a less active, then with a referral. They felt the Spirit, the referred family, but they're Catholic. I taught all the lessons (again, and my voice is really getting tired for talking to much), but Lynn is improving slowly. Taught two instead of one principle in the lessons we had that day. But, they rejected us, but we'll visit them again in the weeks to come. One more chance. They felt the Spirit...and yet were like that's beautiful but another time. We had a sweet dinner with Hno. Umana, my fave member by far, and he told us how he met his wife. He basically traveled across all the SoCal stakes to find a member to marry. He gave up, then found his wife. Dated her, she put dating rules, he was like nah boring too strict so he stopped dating her. Met her again a few months later at a dance, did the same. The last time he went to help a member down at Deseret Books, and she was working there. Then it hit him, she is The One. A few dates later, he proposed and here they are. It was so cool just to get to know that story (the sister missionaries have been pestering him for some time...like a month!). I admit it was a bit weird with the sisters there, but whatever. I'll do anything for three people on the earth: Pres. Goodrich, Hno. Umana, Cardenas. We had correlation, finally, and it went well. Good day...can be rough sometimes on the weekends but it went well, 'gracias a Dios'.

The day of judgment! 6 investigators to church (Jaimes, Gustavo y Berenice). Good day, but priesthood class...argh. Member went off on random tangents bad-mouthing Islam and stuff. I don't like wandering topics and stuff like that. Just testify of the Book of Mormon like that manual says! Oh well. So we prepped the font for the baptism of Ingrid Ceja (I never knew her actual last name until this weekend...a period of 5 months...I always called her a Ceja- it was Enriquez). It was a beautiful service. We presented the missionary message, the restoration message we teach, and I basically taught it. The Spirit used me to touch the hearts of the members there, as well as the ZL's investigator. Humbling experience to testify of the Restoration, of Joseph Smith, of the Book of Mormon. I wasn't alone, because the Spirit testified to me it was true. Ingrid bore her testimony, and she nearly aborted her first baby! I was OH MY GOSH! But she didn't, thanks to Hna. Ceja, and now she's here. Baptized, next, a true member of the church. It's been over a year in the waiting, she's known it's been true all this time, but she had to get married...trials differ for all of God's children.

I want to bear my testimony that the Lord watches over all his children. He guides his servants to the elect, and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing then helping people take the first step to salvation, then exaltation. I love this work!

I don't have much time, but I want to let you know I love you all, and I wish you all well!

Love,
Elder Spencer Irvine