Round Two in Geronimo!

Elder Schwartz is staying in his area for another six weeks with Elder Garcia.  Below is his email for this week:

 

Dear Mom, Dad, and the Fam,

 

I apologize that this email is going to be short and full of typos, because I am using a keyboard from the 1400's and it has all sorts of problems.

 

I literally just got back from the changes meeting, and I am staying in Geronimo for at least 6 more weeks!  We all are!  Me and Elder Garcia, and Elder Miller and Elder Clyde, which I am really excited for because all four of us are getting really close.  It was so funny, the assistants called us and we put the phone on speaker and they said, "Elder Clyde - Se queda, Elder Miller - Se queda, Elder Schwartz - Se queda, Elder Garcia - Se va! .......a quidar."(You´re going! ....... to stay).  Really nerve-racking, but very funny.  What will probably happen is that next change, Elders Clyde and Garcia will go and they will bring in new senior comps for Elder Miller and me.  This is elder Garcias 6th month in Geronimo and Elder Clyde´s 7th or 8th.

 

 

Walter is a priest in our ward that we teach with sometimes.  It was his birthday last week.

 

All of the food has been relatively normal, delicious 3 or 4 course lunches every day.  My waistline is furious.

 

This week was a rather slow week in Geronimo.  We had a lot of cancelled citas and a lot of walking and knocking.  Hands down, the highlight of the week was on Tuesday when we had a zone conference with President Wright and Hma. Wright, about the importance of Christ and his atonement and its role in our task as missionaries.  He is an amazing speaker and knows an amazing amount about this true Gospel.  Since it was in Spanish, I didn't pick up everything he said but the language barrier did not hold back the Spirit from being so obviously present in the room. 

 

This week I taught my first English class to an inactive family and wow was that hard!  It was really difficult for me to explain that each vowel has different sounds and how to identify those sounds while reading.  Starting Wednesday we are going to be teaching an English class at the chapel.  That'll be a very interesting experience.

 

Yesterday Elder Miller and I taught the gospel essentials class (in Sunday School) and that was a really good time.  Only two investigators came to church, but there were a couple recent converts and some other members in the class, and they helped out a ton.  The Spanish is definitely coming along.  I can understand a ton, but I still have a long way to go when it comes to speaking.  I am practicing by reading conference talks out loud.

 

On Tuesday we had a service project at a less active member family's house and we helped them remodel a room and then afterwards we made cookies for them.  It was a good time and they were really happy that we did it for them.

 

Last night we had our weekly meeting with our ward mission leader, and he cut my hair for me.  The guy is a stud, with a really kind spirit, a ton of talents, and a good head on his shoulders.  He's been an awesome example for me so far on my mission.  

 

Oh! and Mama Kim Fischer and Alex Manuli sent me a really nice card without a return address, so if you see them sooner or later, tell them thank you for me!

 

Anyways, my fingers are starting to hurt from this dang keyboard.  I love you all so much.  Keep busy, stay safe, and remember I'm praying for you.  I know that this church is true, that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us, and that through this Gospel we cn return to live with Him and each other for eternity.  I love that I´ve had this blessing my whole life.  Other people need to know about it too.  Cant wait to hear from you all next week!

 

Love,

 

Elder Schwartz