September 9, 2010

WOW.....this is quite possibly Elder Aaron Ellis' last email home before he arrives in person!!! We are so excited!!!!

Well, here's the letter:

So this week was another good one like all the weeks of being a missionary. We had the Baptism of Francisco Garrastegui.

He is a member that was baptized many many years ago but all of his information is missing. The missionaries have been working on finding it or figuring out what to do for the last year. and Nothing. so i was tired of it and we made the arrangements and did everything to get him baptized and we did it. My clothes finally came out of the bag. Because he's about my size and he needed clothes. =) They got wet.

Then the next day we had a talk with the mom of our investigator Francisco. He is a great guy that we are teaching. Four years ago he lost his son and job and many other things all at the same time and from that time forward he has been kind of crazy. He understands well and is a great guy just has some nervous ticks. Their are some members that think he doesn't need baptism but we went through the Church handbook with the branch president and he said that he feels we should baptize him he has been coming for the last few months. I was tired of waiting on others to do their job so we scheduled everything and set his baptism up for this Saturday. He is pretty funny and i will tell you more about him when i get home. But he asked that i baptize him. So i will be performing the first baptism outside of the temple in my mission. Woohoo! Cool experience. I am very grateful for my companion. I would have been completely fine with someone else baptizing him. We sat down with him and asked who he wanted to baptize him and he said that he wanted it to be one of us two. my companion then said. Elder Ellis deserves to have this experience because he is going home next week. My companion is a good kid. He's got his quirks but he is a good Elder. We have the interview for tomorrow and then at three the last baptism of my mission. on my last Saturday of the mission! Awesome! so this transfer we doubled my baptisms that i have up to now received. That's hoping that everything goes well.

Shoes.... So my Hush puppies have lasted the whole mission. but this last week. the side just blew out. so i went and bought some 10 dollar shoes. The shoes lasted for a week and then blew out even worse than my others. I had some super glue and tried it on my hush puppies. WORKED! Whoohoo! so I'm still going in my hush puppies. They have lasted almost every day of my mission. Very few times did i wear the others i sent home. I didn't like the style and weren't as comfortable to walk in as the hush puppies.

I was able to buy two hammocks yesterday for the price of one. the man saying i was getting a good deal but i got it about normal pricing. and bought some other little puerto Rico memorabilia (sp?) and will buy some more this next week. i don't know how much time i will have next week because they haven't giving me any information. I did hear that we will receive the opportunity to go to El Morro. So i will have some good meditation time there.

I haven't been able to sleep very well lately due to anxiety and my face is breaking out a little. i am mostly nervous about work when i get back. I don't know what to do. But i am working hard and not "slackening my hand."

I have actually made a goal to read the book of Mormon again before i finish. WHOOOOOO Hard. I am finishing Jacob right now. that so much reading for me. I read so slow. but i am doing it. I need to read to Alma 30 by the end of the week. and then before next Thursday somehow read all the way to the end. I will do it. I am learning a lot.

But also we had a conversation with a member and he said that we had mentioned something that wasn't doctrine. We looked it up and studied it and in 15 minutes found the answer and learned so much more as a companionship. It was a great learning opportunity.

Well see you soon. if i don't write next week i will see you and tell you many more adventures. =)


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