5-2-11

This week in Mexico Oaxaca Mission was pretty good but also pretty busy! I now have been gone from home for a year, I feel like it has gone by so fast! And its true It really has gone by fast, it feels like ever since I got to mexico things just started flying by! Then once I started speaking spanish fluently It started going by even faster, I think because I am able to express myself alot better now and able to have fun in the work! This week we also were able to have one baptism, her name is Belem and missionaries have been trying to get her baptized for a long time haha, but we were finally able to make it happen, with the help from the lord!! Also this week Isabel one of my converts had her baby! And we also had a mission conference this week! Well there was a basic summary of my week now let me give you the day by day,

Tuesday- left early for my piano lesson that my comp gives me, then after that we had a few lessons then went to our lunch appointment, after that we went and taught a few more lessons then we went and visited belem to finalize the baptismal date because we really weren't sure what day it was going to be or if it would have even been this week, because their grandma just found out she has cancer and they have all been pretty sad, but we talked to them and we set the date to be friday! After that lesson we went and taught Gabriel, he is a 35 yr old guy who has some pretty crazy beliefs but we are making some progress with him! Then we went and taught Julios family, that went well, then we went and visited yen and her family!

Wed- was a pretty boring day but pretty successful we found a few more people to teach and we put a few more baptismal dates for this month! Then in the night time we had to go to the ward council meeting!

Thursday- My one year mark! Started out pretty slow because we had to go clean the baptismal font and get it ready for the baptism that we were going to have the next day, then we went and had a few lessons then in the evening we had to take the district leader to do the baptismal interview for belem! then after that we had a Little party planned for me, because it was my one year mark, a sister made us tlyudas, which are like giant quesadillas! Then we were going to burn one of my shirts but right when we were about to do it we got a call from isabel, my convert that is pregnant and really doesnt have any family, she said that she was in a lot of pain and needed to go to the hospital, so the sister took us over to get her and we got her in the car and we drove to the hospital, the sister that was there with us said it looked like I was the father of the baby because I looked nervous and worried haha, I guess I just have grown close to my converts, and we were there until like 1 am, because they said we couldnt leave because we were the ones responsible for her and that someone had to be there to make decisions for her if she wasnt able to talk, so we had to call our relief society president, and she came and stayed with her so that we could go home!

Friday- We had to wake up early because we had a mission conference at 7 and it was like an hour away by bus, so we had teh conference it was really good but we were both kinda tired because we had just had a long night! After the conference we had to go get everything ready for the baptism, then we had the baptismal service it was really good, my companion played the violin and teh spirit was very strong!

Saturday- we finally had time to go see Isabel and her new baby girl! I was able to hold that baby and it was amazing to hold a baby that was so young! It was weird because it really made me want to have a kid of my own, and when ever she will start crying, they hand her to me and she stops crying and goes right to sleep, everyone thinks that funny, and they always say the baby loves me the most! After we went and visited them for a little while and helped them get their little room that they live in cleaned up we headed to a few other appointments and we taught a less active family!

Sunday- Was a good day as well! Belem who we baptized got confirmed, and also we gave their baby a blessing! It was really cool! then later I was able to ordain the arronic priesthood to one of my converts, his name is julio and is 16 years old! It was the first setting apart ordnance that I have ever done is spanish, and in fact I didnt even notice but when I set him apart as a priest, I actually said the word priest in enlgish, but the rest was in spanish, Im not sure how I squeezed an english word in there but oh well haha! After church we went and ate and then went and visted Isabel and her new baby again! I was able to hold the baby for awhile again! I really love holding her! It just gives me a really special feeling that I havent really felt before in my whole life! Then when ever my companion holds her, he gets all scared and says that he isnt ready to have a kid!

Well that was pretty much my whole week! Not too bad!

Thanks again for your email and I hope that you have a great week!

I will send you an email later this week with information about the Mothers day call! Just make sure you change your plan so that your able to call mexico! Because if not I wont be able to talk to you! So I am not sure who you need to ask, just make sure that you do it before sunday!! Have the girls do it as well, I am not sure if you will still be with them for mothers day or not!

Love,

Elder Stradling