Week 40

Booth at the Spanish Fair

  Wow this week really was a pretty awesome week, and a lot of stuff happened!  Towards the beginning of the week  Elder Ludwig while on exchanges with Elder Heaton were able to set a baptismal date with Alejandrina!  I think I've mentioned her before, but she is way nice but just a little caught up in her work right now.  So we are really looking forward to keep teaching her, and get her progressing towards her baptism.  Her Grandkids as well live with here and they want to get baptized, If it all works out we will try and get them baptized together!  As well as one our families la Familia Hernandez told us that they knew that they needed to start going back to church, and return to all the good things that they had been doing.  They also said that we just needed to surprise them when we come, because they said almost every time we have an appointment the devil tempts them and something comes up y they never make it.  This shows us their desire to continue to change and now we are trying to get them back to where they are progressing before.  They are super good friends with a family in the ward which makes it really nice, I always say this but when their is fellowshipping the mission work is way easier.

  Then this week we went up to this huge trailer park in our area that we had never been to before.  The Sisters who used to be in this area used to have some investigators up there so we decided we would go and try it.  We met some way cool people on the first day we went up there, and the whole trailer park is mainly Hispanics.  But as we were trying to get into the gate, we saw two older ladies going for a walk on the other side of the gate.  It was nothing exciting just 2 ladies walking, but when we went back a couple days later we ended up knocking on this door and it was a really nice lady name Lola.  We shared a little with her, and then she gave us a reference for a friend of hers who lived just a few streets over.  Then we end up knocking on that lady's door, her name was Lupita.  She was super nice and loved that we came to visit her.  She told us she saw us a few days earlier talking to someone else and was hoping we would go talk to her.  It was me, Elder Ludwig, y Hernandez that day. 

 The quote of the week comes from Lupita as she was talking to us and Hernandez she tells him "los blancos son los mas bonitos de todos races"  Which means white people are the prettiest of all the races haha!  She was just loving that we were speaking Spanish as well.  We are looking forward to teach her more, and bring her this happiness that she really needs in her life right now.  But as we were talking she said she was walking the other day and I made the connection it was her and Lola that we saw walking through the gate just a few days earlier.  It was pretty crazy that we ended up knocking on their two doors out of the tons of trailers that our in that trailer park!   

                                    

      Us and the East missionaries                                                Mexican Corn on the cob,
   Ludwig, Geddes,Heaton,Henderson                                       mayo.cheese, and chili spice                                                                                                                                                      
     On Saturday as a district we were able to go to a Spanish fair hosted by Latino Memphis.  We were able to have a booth in the fair, and explain to people our message and try and get appointments with them.  It went really well and we were able to talk with a lot of cool people!  The whole district was able to go. It was a great opportunity getting our name out to the Hispanic community.  Then later on in the day we had a Branch Mission activity at the church that was really well attended.  As well as the East Elders (Heaton/ Henderson) had the Baptism of Jesus Lara who was baptized by his dad Juan Lara.  Entonces to translate that Jesus was baptized by John, it was a reanactment of when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, but this time in Spanish!  The baptism was really great though, y Jesus was really happy after his baptism.  It's always amazing seeing the happiness that the gospel brings to someones life. 

Our District

  Then on Sunday to just top off a really awesome week, we had a break the fast after church.  During that Brianda who is a member came up to us and was getting really emotional, so we weren't sure what was going to happen.  Her boyfriend is a non-member, and he comes to church almost every week. That day after church, he told her that he wanted to be baptized.  She said she has been waiting this day for about 3 years now!  What an amazing experience, and we are so grateful that we are going to be able to teach him and review all the lessons with him preparing him for his baptism.  Me and Elder Ludwig had both been fasting to improve our area, and to find someone that was ready to be baptized.  The power of fasting and prayer is so powerful.  What a perfect way to end a week that was already awesome! 

   Also there is another Elder Geddes that is coming out to the mission.  His first name is Kaneen or Robert or something.  He is from Ogden, but I'm pretty sure that we are not related to those Geddes' up there.  Other than that it sounds like you had a great week!  Thank you tons for the email, I hope you have another great week!  I love you tons!

Love,

Elder Geddes