2-6-12

sixteen months. still feel young. hey family, how is everyone doing? this week has been great, i sent photos (:i hope you like them!first things first.

we had a great noche de hogar with the family snachez. they are inactive but there kid is not baptized, so we are working with them. they are super nice...but they have some crazy stuff going on in the life, so we are trying to help them. the relief society is amazing here, so we got them in on it too. it is doing good. for the family home evening, we had tons of fun. it was super super normal, but it was worht it. the kid shared a scripture 1 Nephi 3:7 and then we played tic tac toe. that game is super simple, but with the family it was the funnest ever (: idk why, but i just had tons of fun playing tic tac toe with them. we then made them american pancakes and maple syrup. they loved it! they wanted all the recipies. hahaha. but it was definitly a succesfell FHE. pray for them (: if you want. we also had the oppurtiunty to go to a different church sunday in the afternoon. our mission presdient encouraged missionaries to attend to other services to see how other people feel when they go to other churches and how to help them recognize the correct things in the true church. it was super interesting. me and three other missionaries, we went last evening to a church called "Jesucristo es El Señor". It was...weird. I wont´criticize but i will describe. it was like a stadium and the preacher dude was shouting in the microhphone and everyone had their hands up. they "letting go" of their marriage problems...or something. Then they sold roses to everyone....it´s apparently a way to recieve help from Jesus. Then they try to get people to dedicate their possesions. Its called the Iglesia Universal. Anyways....we were there for like ten mintues just watching and we weren´t participating obviously...so the security gaurds (yes, in the church) came and took us out because we weren´t participating we tried to stay for a little longer but they said we made the people and the pastor uncomfortable....interesting. So we left. The spirit wasn´t their, but i for sure recieved a huge testimony the Jesus Christ directs our church through modern revelation. My testimony grew in one way and realized how blessed i was to be where i am (:

angelita is doing great. we watch the restoration movie with her and she loved it. it was good (: she is progressing but she still isn´t sure about baptism. her whole life has been catholic, so it will be a big change. she knows she needs to get baptized...so we are good. my area is a big focus on the mission because there are two areas for this ward...but they are trying to split the ward. in my area we are already ready to be our own ward. but, in the other area they are not. it´s a pretty hot topic in the mission, but i can´t do anything, because the other area is not mine! you know what i mean? someties president asks me how the seperation is coming along...but, it is really out of my hands. so...yeah (: hahaha. anyways. that´s a funky situation.

there is a lot of change going on in the mission. all the zone leaders are super old and all the people training are old too. and know we must have 20 charlas with menos activos. HUGE change. before it was six. we are working super hard...and trying our best to establish the church and baptize(: i hope you all enjoyed the pictures! (: tell the whitings thanks for the package....great people. (:

love,
elder valle