September 6th, 2010

HAHAHA, OK, I get it, thanks Mom and Dad. Just for good measure, I never missed a meal, you don´t have to worry about that ever. Even if we don´t have food in the house, Mexican people are so generous with what they have it´s ridiculous. If we really needed to, we could go knocking doors and we would find food in like 5 minutes. BUT DONT WORRY THAT WILL NEVER HAVE TO HAPPEN.

AH! I just noticed this computer is really bad, and doesn´t let me upload photos...I´ll try and slip them in today, but if not, expect a LOT next week!
Hah, sounds like everyone is doing really well back home. Socializing, graudating, campaigning, truthinesizing, everything sounds like it´s good. I´m super jealous of those pictures of the back yard. Grass doesn´t really exist here, and it is raining like crazy.

This week has been awesome. We had 3, count ´em, three baptisms. The mom of those kids that got married (sorry, I forgot the next part of the story last week, ahorita viene), and Rogelio and his nephew Jorge.

I don´t know if I´ve mentioned Rogelio and Jorge or not...we found them knocking doors, and started talking to Rogelio that explained he had had a lot of problems with drugs and everything, and that he is searching God. Later his nephew came into the lesson, but sat a far ways away. At the end of the lesson he came a little closer. The next lesson we gave them each a copy of the Book of Mormon, and Jorge stole it out of my hands, and imediately started reading it. After that, Jorge always had questions of what he had read of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. We found out about a week ago that before that, he had never read the scriptures. We were absolutely dumbfounded, this kid was pulling stuff that we hadn´t even heard of! In his baptismal interview he taught about idolatry to Elder Barnes, and he requested the scriptures he used in the Bible so he could teach others. We had a scary moment with them though, when Jorge told us he talked with his mom, but she said he couldn´t get baptized. We said we would talk with her and help her see that this is a good thing, not bad, that we don´t sacrifice goats, etc. We came by the next day, and she was very kind with us and gave permission rather freely. This last fast and testimony meeting, Jorge got up to give his testimony, this guy has 16 years and is super nervous, and stood up in front of everyone, and said, "I know this church is true. After my mom told me no, I told God, Lord, if this is thine true church, let me be baptized. And it happened." Afterwards, Rogelio gave his testimony, and it was so super special. Rogelio brought his family that I talked about, and they looooved the church and his baptism. We think they will get baptized this next sunday. If that happens, we will have 4 more baptisms this next sunday!

The Lord is blessing us so amazingly. Truly, this is his work, the gospel that Jesus Christ himself has placed in the Earth. I am so privileged to be here in Uruapan and see miracles happen.

Oh! I have another kid! Elder Briceño, an Elder from Peru is now with me and Elder Rojas. So now I have two sons in the mission. That is what it is called when a new missionary arrives, kid and dad. The leaders told me that in 5 weeks I´m going to leave to open up a new area...in Uruapan. I´m also going to be training an American. So if that happens, I will probably have something like a year here in Uruapan, and have 3 kids. Yikes. But at this point in the transfer it is nothing more than rumors.

Alright, so, part 2 of THE MARRIAGE!!!!!
So, Mauricio arrived to the presidencia, and we got their papers all ready. The next day, we went to their house to get the papers they needed and deliver them to the judge. They went into their house, and came out about 5 minutes later...emptyhanded. Apparently the papers had been left in the presidencia, BUT IT DOESN¨T OPEN ON SATURDAYS!!!!! They just had the birth certificate of Mauricio, and some other miscellanious papers. All the day we were calling the Judge´s secretary, the Judge, the hermano that has these connections, trying to work something out while praying our hearts out and serarching the home of this couple. It got to be at about 5, and we couldn´t do anything more, since the judge never answered our calls. The baptisms were at 7, but we needed to be there at 6:30, and start traveling at 6. We said, well, you´re going to go to the capilla, the Lord can still work a miracle. Have faith, everything will work out, we have seen too many miracles to say that this is NOT the will of the Lord that you are not married today! We then left to bring some investigators to the baptisms. We arrived and...and...AAAAND! YOULL HAVE TO FIND OUT NEXT WEEK!
Yep, time´s up, but know that I love you all, I miss you, and I will see you in a year and 4 months! BYYYYEEEE!!!!!

Elder Joseph Neil Newell