Week 50

Hello Everyone!

So another super successful week here in Manoling! I am so excited with how well things went this week. We were scared for a bit that we weren't going to hit our goals... But we relied on the Lord to help us out and it went really well. We only came short on the number of new investigators. But two of our new investigators that we got this week both have baptismal dates for September and they both went to church. Speaking of going to church we set a record for my mission this weekend... we had 9 investigators come to church! We were way busy, but it was so nice to see our investigators at church. They all said they had a great time and they would definitely come back next weekend. I am excited for all of them and hopefully we can get some more people a baptismal date over this next weekend. It was good though because every single investigator that has a goal to be baptized went to church. And all the people that I have baptized here are all going to church every week. I am so happy for them.

Elder and I have been doing really well getting the ward's participation in the work. We didn't teach a single lesson to an investigator without a member present. That is also a record for my mission. We really are doing alot of good work out here. We are really doing quality work here too. Like the ward is getting stronger and the new members are all doing really well. We have a solid four baptisms in September... so this whole next month we can focus on just finding investigators who can also be baptized the next month. We already have one couple lined up to probably be baptized in October. So the work is just progressing so fast here right now. I am going to be really sad to leave this area. I am thinking this is my last full week here. I won't be able to tell you all anything though until Sept 12 (whatever that Monday is) as we find out our transfer status on Wednesdays now. So I will already be in my new area before I can even tell you I'm going to leave. If I leave that is.

I am doing really well right now. I love serving here and all of the little kids here just get cuter and cuter every week. I just can't even get over how lucky I am to get to know them. I have learned a ton from them... I have learned how to play the COOLEST game ever! I have seen them playing it before but I never could figure out the rules just by watching. It is called sodsod. Literally all you need is a patch of dirt and a couple rocks. But the rules are really quite intricate and it is easy to make stupid mistakes. You just draw a big rectangle longways into the dirt and divide it into six blocks inside of it. Then at all intersections down the middle line inside of the rectangle you draw circles. Then you have to kick your rock from square to square with out the rock landing on any of the lines or your feet ever touching the lines... oh and you can only use one foot (so you are hopping one one foot the whole time.) This game is way more intricate than I can try to explain right now. There are a ton more things you have to do after you get through all the squares without hitting any lines. I will have to write it down sometime this week and take some pictures to send to help illustrate it better. I will definitely have a sodsod party with everyone when I get home though. It is so much fun. We play a short game with Eriel and her siblings every time we teach her.

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW TANNER! You old man. Hope everything was good and just don't wish for GT to win this November. It would be such a waste of a good birthday wish.

Other than that I don't really have much to report. I just have more pictures... (i bought an sd card reader... yes it took me a year on my mission to realize it would be more efficient to just buy one here) So I hope you enjoy the pics!

1. Monkey friend in Manoling!

2. Working in Manoling... an everyday occurrence almost. This was the group I was on splits with yesterday.

3.The boy is RJ (bishops son) who will be leaving on his mission soon. The two girls are both from the family we live with. Mary Grace is the older one and Chloebelle is the younger one.
4. Me with two of my pimary kids. Jovilyn and Janiza (sisters) Then the one in the very back is their cousin or something. I forget her name. I just met her yesterday.