April 18, 2011

Hola Familia! Wow sounds like you guys are having a great time. It looks like you are in a hotter climate.
We thought that we were slowly entering into winter but this week was pretty hot.

We had a good week, figuring that on Wednesday Elder Meneses called me telling me that we got a special change and now I am with Elder Salvatierra, which if you know Spanish is kind of a funny name: Salvar = Save, Tierra = Earth. So everyone is laughing and saying that we are going to save the earth! So I hope we can. He is from Chile (so you are going to have to let Elder Bishop's parents know so they can tell him) from a city called Arika, and he knows HOW TO COOK delicious food!!!!!!!! and is a great teacher of the gospel.

I had to travel to Asuncion Thursday night alone to take Elder Meneses' stuff to him and to meet my new companion. So that was interesting. I will send pictures of when I had to say good bye to Elder Meneses. The funny thing is that his new companion is his trainer, that’s as if I went back to Elder Hanchett, but he went with Elder Villalon (who also is from Chile).

So to start this week I had been working with the elders from rama 3 and the other elders from rama 2. Elder Walker (ZL) had to go to Asuncion last Monday night to go to a meeting. Elder Bradley R. Foster came and had a meeting with all the mission leaders, the district leaders and the zone leaders, I couldn't go just because they didn't want all the far-away district Elders to have to travel in to Asuncion so I was a little disappointed in not having that opportunity. But it was okay. I am not the biggest fan of traveling in buses like that.
Well we have been working really hard and sometimes it is hard to see the results. Our main investigator, Sara Pintos, left to go to the Chaco with her husband and so we lost her. We have been out in the heat all day long and trying to keep on going. There are people who use their agency to reject this message, a message that brings happiness and joy. I don't know of any other thing that could be more important. We have been having trouble with members who have been members for such a long time and they don't want their children to be baptized!!!!! That is something I don't understand. If Jesus said everyone has to be baptized why wouldn't they want that for their very own children? Everyone is different, and others see different things as important. I have probably mentioned this too much and you guys already know, but President Madariaga wants Concepción to be a stake so we have been trying to focus on the families and on completing families. We have a Family Home Evening tonight with a family. President is always talking about 3 things - reactivation, retention, baptizing.
We are going to be having success here. We have been praying for it. I love Concepción and know there are people here ready to hear about the message of the restored gospel. Thank you for everything. I will be sending out some cards this week. I love you guys and have a safe trip. You guys are probably going to be paying for your time in the cruise to be using Internet, so thanks for taking the time to write! :)
Yo sé que la iglesia de Jesucristo es verdadera, y que las familias pueden ser eternas. Its a truth hold on to.
Love Elder Lucas Rodgers

P.S. We totally have to go on a cruise after, in a couple of years, and we can communicate with the people in Spanish :-)