Success!!!

12 de Noviembre, 2012

I'm still in Jardines, but we split the area in 2, and we took
Jardines 1. And well, I've got a new companion! His name is Elder
Mullenbach, and he's the new District Leader here. He's awesome and we
have been working crazy hard here. He's from Texas, and he's also
white.... we are one of the only two companionships of two white
americans in the entire mission. It's actually a pretty rare thing to
happen. He's got 13 months in the mission and just left the mission
offices as Financial Secretary. Despite the challenges we are having
with the ward and the members, we have had a ton of success this past
week. We got 19 new investigators in a single week! That's crazy! So
yeah, we've been working hard. Honestly, I've never been so tired in
my life.

A little background info, just so you, the way we work here in the
mission has changed. We can't go tracting, knocking on doors anymore.
So meanwhile, the ward here hasn't been giving us referals, and we
didn't have any investigators whatsoever. So we couldn't do anything
other than search for all the inactive members in the ward directory.
So we were looking for this one guy, and his address must have been
wrong. We knocked on the door, the family said they were busy, we
asked them when we could come back, and we set an appointment. Before
leaving, I asked them how long it had been since they had gone to
church, and the response was "what church?". So a few days later we
went to their house with one of the priests (name's Angel) and we
taught them the restoration. And then they came to church yesterday!
Basically, we accidentally knocked on their door and accidentally
contacted them, and they ended up being golden investigators! Pretty
crazy. They're the Moreno family, and they're making a ton of
progress.

Other than them, we have a family of 7 investigators that we're
teaching, the Portillo family. One of the daughters is a recent
convert, and she recently moved back in with her family because her
husband comitted suicide. So it's been hard for them, but they're
really interested and are progressing a ton. They are happier and
happier every time we see them.

Also, we got a less-active member (named Arturo) to go to church on
Sunday! He arrived there himself, and left by himself. So that was
good.

I heard about Clara (my second cousin once removed). That's sad that
she passed away, but I find comfort in the fact that we'll see her in
the next life, thanks to God's Plan of Happines.

I also hear Elder Alan Hawkins is doing awesome and having tons of
success in his mission! That's awesome. And also that Elder Kraymer
Eppich too! Momma Eppich sends me his letters through DearElder and
every few weeks I receive them all and get some good reading material
and inspiration that helps me keep going. It's gonna be pretty awesome
when all of us get back home as returned missionaries and can share
our experiences united like Alma and the sons of Mosiah!

Well I gotta go, but pray for me and write me!
Elder Riggs