Excited for General Conference

Dear family and friends,

 

We still have nobody to teach. We actually got a member referral for a change but when we had the lesson the lady got scared when we extended the baptismal date. According to the member who referred her to us she probably won't invite us back to teach her again. Eltoniesha showed up for sacrament meeting then left. President Taylor's been pushing the idea of extending baptismal dates and he's created a list of two people per companionship that we're going to baptize in October. We're trying to avoid tracting all the time so we visit members. This upcoming week is going to be crazy! General Conference is this weekend (I'M SO EXCITED!) Elder Ware and I will be going to the temple on Thursday, interviews with President Taylor are on Wednesday. CRAZY! Anyway that's all I've got for now.

 

Love,

 

Elder Boothe

A Downer Week

Dear family and friends,

 

           This week's been a bit of a downer week for me. Eltoniesha decided she wasn't interested in getting baptized AFTER SHE PASSED HER BAPTISMAL INTERVIEW! She could be baptized any day of the week but no, she just decided that she didn't want to be baptized. She won't even tell us why. There's a lot more to the story than that but suffice it to say I don't think Eltoniesha's getting baptized. That's the fifth investigator with a baptismal date that we've had to drop since I've been here. That's depressing. The referral from the MTC also texted us 10 minutes before her appointment and said that he didn't want to be baptized anymore after we tried to contact her throughout the entire week. What on earth is wrong with these people? Why can't they ever get baptized? It seems like no matter how golden they start out they somehow change their minds once the baptism comes up. We have nobody to teach right now, although Brother Maznio (Eltoniesha's fellowshipper) actually gave us a referral! Oh my goodness do you all know how long I've been waiting for a referral from a member? It could not have come at a better time! According to Brother Maznio she says that she's been "feeling a void in her life". She sounds golden but time, and actions, will tell how sincere she truly is. I believe that this experience is showing me how I need to stop relying on other people for my happiness and how I need to take charge and become more emotionally stable.

 

                  I think I've also learned a valuable lesson on loving people (even if they make really big mistakes). This experience is also showing me a thing or two about patience (my mission has been really good at that). Faith, and guarded hope as Elder Bell called it, is another valuable lesson I'm learning. 

 

         Stake conference was this week. The stake presidency got released and now the Glendale North stake has a new stake presidency. There were two members of the Seventy there, Elder Villareal and Elder Malm. Elder Malm's a really good speaker. President and Sister Taylor were also at Stake Conference. Brother Wright (one of the members I'm living with) suggested to President Taylor that I'd go well with Elder Adona, another missionary who's been in their home. President Taylor actually liked the idea, according to Brother Wright. I wonder if I'm going to be transferred on October 19th (that's when the transfer ends). The Wright's kept making jokes on Sunday.

 

Love,

 

Elder Boothe

Four-Square, Adoption Papers and Indecision

Dear family and friends,

 

        A lot's happened since the last e-mail and I am a tired missionary so I'll try to do my best to explain everything. The first thing that happened is that the post office is suffering from "operational and financial cutbacks" so if you write to the mission office it will take longer to get to me. I still like letters and will try my best to write back to every one. Unfortunately today we had a zone activity so my p-day's been eaten up. I'll still try my best to get back to every one.

 

       Okay so as far as transfer news goes Elder Ware and I are staying for an extra transfer. This will be my fourth transfer (soon to be fifth month) here in the Glendale North zone in the Mountain Ridge/Sierra Verde wards. Eltoniesha passed her baptismal interview on Saturday but we've heard some scary stories of how Eltoniesha still doesn't feel like she's ready! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! That girl is so darn frustrating! We found another lady via MTC referral and set a baptismal date with her but she didn't come to church this last Sunday and she's not answering her phone. I seriously need prayers that these people will get a massive knock on the head that will wake them up! The Carpio family is also very frustrating right now! We need some solid investigators who want to jump in the font immediately or else this transfer will stink! At least I'm grateful to be Elder Ware's companion for yet another transfer. Sister Wright said "I already got the adoption papers filled out". Uh-oh! I may never leave Arizona! 

 

       Today during the zone activity we mixed ice cream salts together and ice and put them in a zip-lock bag and then threw the bag back and forth. It was supposed to make ice cream but I got milk shakes. We played A LOT of foursquare which is a really fun game. I have not played foursquare since the MTC. Sister Crabtree randomly showed up to church. I'm praying that this upcoming week will turn out much better than the last one. We need to get Eltoniesha dunked! She already passed the interview so what should be holding her back? I've gotten all your letters recently which has been an amazing refresher lately.

 

                                               Love,

 

                                         Elder Boothe

Carpio Family, Dog and a Possible Transfer,

Dear family and friends,

 

           The other missionary companionship in our district (the one with the car) decided to pick us up early today before we get transfer news so I cannot tell any of you whether I'm leaving or staying. I'm crossing my fingers that I'm staying since the work is going great! This week we had an appointment with Eltoniesha and we sat down and gave her the baptismal interview questions. If that were a real baptism interview she would've passed! She's still good for her baptism for September 17th. The funny thing is that it's during Stake Conference. Our stake presidency is getting released this upcoming stake conference, which starts on the 17th. Elder Ware and I were unaware of this when we set the baptismal date with her. We'll probably have to do it during the morning and we'll have to do the confirmation at the baptism too. Our stake is pretty big so they have to coordinate who's viewing stake conference in what building. There's going to be a broadcast of it in the other building. Most of the stake will be jam packed into the stake center. It should be a great opportunity for our investigators. There will be two members of the Seventy there which will be a neat experience! 

 

          I finally had to retire my shoes! After ten months of service (plus some time before I came out) I finally had to throw them away. I was hoping they'd last all the way toward October but they didn't. I had to bust out the other pair, which I'm breaking in right now. Also got a new bike lock and a new Camelbak bladder. I've been needing those for a while. 

 

          Here's a random story that happened this week. Elder Ware and I were on our way to our tracting location and we come across this random guy on the street. Well we contacted him and he said that he goes by the name of "Dog". We talked with him a while and he said that his truck ran out of gas and that he was looking for a gas station. There wasn't one close by and we offered to help so he gave us money for gas and we biked over to the nearest gas station, bought a gas container and filled up about a gallon of gas for him. It was a cool act of service that normally doesn't happen very often and it was a neat story. 

 

            The Carpio family's going through a rough time right now so they're going to be needing prayers. They're not going to be baptized on the 24th. They're not ready. They also don't feel comfortable going to Mountain Ridge so we're trying to work on getting them to go. 

 

Love,

 

Elder Boothe