January 18th, 2010

¡¡Hola!!
Ok I think I had the coolest experiences of my life this week! It has really been awesome, I don´t know where to start.
Tuesday we got to hear from president Bowen of the seventy for zone conference! He talked to us for like 2 or 3 hours (I dont really know) straight and I was just soaking it up (it was in spanish too!) as a mission there is usually about 40-60 baptisms per transfer, this next transfer the goal is 100! The goal for contacts has been 22 contacts per day and now its 50 per day. Yes I know it sounded impossible to all of us too but then he made it very clear to us that any doubt and fear is from satan. He also told us we have made "artiflicle limitations" from this doubt and fear, where we have certain numbers like only 22 contacts per day stuck in our head and think that is the maximum. I really don´t know how it worked but it has! We have done over 60 contacts every full day we have had! He also talked about covenants with us, the great blessings and also the consequences. Both very very extreme.
We also did divisions twice this week but this time I was with first Elder Peterson who only has been out 4 weeks and then Elder Woodbrey who has only been out 10 weeks. It was definetly a good experience for me because I had to do most of the talking and teaching and explaining. There were definetly some times that neither of us knew what was being said but all was well and I learned alot.
The coolest experience this week happened with our investigator Rubén. We have been trying to put a baptismal date with him for a while, we had already gone over the baptisimal interview questions and everything but he was determined to wait till he had read the whole book of mormon and knew much more. He has had many witnesses and answers to prayers already but still wanted to wait. But Saturday that all changed. Rubén has always liked the stake center (not our building) because he says he has always felt something going by there. He was there when it was built and he said he has always had a feeling that he should go in but was always too scared to. Saturday the Sister missionaries were going to have a baptism there in the stake center so we invited Rubén to go see. He said he was getting nervous just going there but as he entered he couldn´t describe how he felt. We were a little early so me and him went and sat in the chapel before anyone else got there. The stake center chapel is a ton nicer there our building and even I felt in the presence of the Lords house while we sat in there. Rubén was in ahh. But then it only got better when he watched the baptism! He kept telling me after "me encantó, me encantó" or I loved it. Then after the baptism everyone left except us and the Zone leaders. We talked to him for quite a while and then kneeled down and said a prayer with him. After that my companion told him he could have his interview because the zone leaders were already there and then he could decide when he wanted to get baptized. The interview took at least 30 minutes and after he came out he told us he wants to be baptized the next week (the same date we had been trying to get him to take but had been refusing). It was amazing! We walked home with him and after we got there he just kept saying thank you to us, and that he could never thank us enough. He told us he never wanted to miss a single day of church and wanted to continue learning for the rest of his life. Thats when it really hit me. It is something I will always remember and really I cant thank him enough. I love being a missionary and only want to work harder now! I got to go now, Love ya!!
-Elder Tryon