May 19th

Thank you for all your letters. So like I've said, right now I am in Lowell, Mass. The Spanish Group in this area was just announced yesterday so everything is a go! The differences between this one and the Group that we started in Nashua is that we are working completely from scratch... and I mean completely. We do have two investigators right now though, but our primary focus is reactivation and inviting ALL to come unto Christ. With that being said, there are a total of 58 people in the ward who speak Spanish but are no where to be found in the area. That is where we come in, to find and invite. And there are also 27 people who are Brazileros in the ward... This means that our other assignment is to reach out to all the Portugese speaking members in the area as well and to also invite them to the Spanish Group, where they can understand the majority of what is being said. 

 

Lowell is filled with a ton of Brazilians and Cambodians, its pretty crazy! When we spoke with our Bishop yesterday, he discussed some of the issues that this ward has and one of the biggest problems was the amount of less-actives that don't speak English; hence one of the reasons we are starting this group. So yeah, he has also asked us to reach out to all people, no matter their race or language they speak. Elder Johnston and I are now learning Portugese and a little Cambodian... its pretty wild! Portugese is basically a totally different language! I'm excited to be learning different languages and cultures. I never thought I'd ever have to speak those languages. The Lord is definitely making my mission pretty interesting for sure!

 

One of the things I am grateful for is the great relationships I am making with some of the members here in the Lowell Ward. There is this family (the G_____ family) who are our only Spanish active members and are doing all that they can to help us in the work. They are super nice and want to do everything to help. This family consists of an older couple and a son who is our Group Leader (R__ G___). This guy is awesome! He hooked Elder Johnston and I up at a really nice gym for a 30 free pass and is just all around way cool. I'm excited to be working with him to say the least!  

 

Dad and K- That is awesome you were able to make it to the Grand Canyon! I can't wait to hike it when I get back. That is definitely one of the first things I want to do is to hike the whole rim, North and South. I'm sure that grandpa and grandma had just as great of a time as well! That's fun that the Rackham's were able to come to AZ for a visit too. It sounds like everything is going well back home, keep it up!

 

Jazz- Como vai? Eu nao falar muieto portugese mas eu estou tretando aprender.... jaja. Lo que dije es que estoy tratando aprender portugese pero es tan dificil. Basicamente un otro idioma por los menos. Te images tratando hablar en espanol mientras te pillas tu nariz, es lo que como sona el portugese jaja. De todos modos, sigues trabajando. Te quiero mucho hermana!

 

I recieved a package today, which I will open up later this afternoon. Thank you guys for that.

 

I know that this work is tough. I never felt like I have had to work harder in my life... Football is hard but it doesn't even compare as far as the amount of mental and spiritual exhaustion I feel everyday. I just know that the Lord expects a lot out of me and He knows that I can rise up to these types of challenges. Like I said, I am basically starting from nothing; with the people I'm working with, the language, the area... everything. But I'm blessed to know that I can always fall back on my Savior and trust in Him for everything as well.  love you guys. I pray for you often.