Elder Lancaster Mission El Salvador San Salvador East July 2016 to July 2018: October 30, 2016 Happy Halloween!!

How was your week? Any fun experiences you want to share? You need to share some experiences. I know you are having them but for whatever reason you don't tell us. I will say you aren't as short as Taylor's, but close. You don't need to protect my feelings or whatever. You can tell us what is going on. I don't know, Maybe you are telling us what's going on and how things are going.
We sent you a Yellowstone shirt and some postcards last week. No idea when they will get there.
I've been trying to figure out what to send for Christmas since you really don't need a lot but I kind of want to send you something fun. This sucks -since it's so expensive to mail anything. It is ridiculous!!
This week was pretty low key. Carson has been sick all week. He has bronchitis and I think I'm coming down with it now too and he doesn't seem to be getting any better. I think if he's still coughing tomorrow I'm going to take him back to the dr. For an antibiotic shot before he has full blown pneumonia.
We went to the wrestling parent meeting and I don't think Riley was too impressed with me. I told everyone that fundraisers suck and that if we were going to do one we need to have a purpose. What are we fundraising for? I'm not going to ask for money if I don't have something in mind. - I was kind of ornery about it but I didn't say anything everyone else was thinking just too afraid to say out loud 😬. I guess in getting old and mean.
We really didn't do anything this week. Just laid around and tried to get everyone healthy. Even Saturday was a super lazy day. Carson and I read and watched Netflix. Dad went to work and did some stuff but we were pretty much worthless. 😕
Carson and I stayed home from church today and pretty much the same as yesterday. Hopefully we can all get feeling better soon.
We did listen to pres. Nelson's conference talk on having joy again. It just reaffirms and we are here to have joy. Not just be happy or float or even be sad. We will experience all of those things. But we can be joyful ALL the time.

Well. Have a great week! We love you. Work hard.
Love
Mom

Well this week I cant say much about it. It was just a week of work. I am sorry that I don't have much to say. It is hard to always have experiences. I am trying my best but it just isn't happening right away. Anyways this week really was boring. But I did learn about many things. One in the Bible in Ecles. 12:13 It says that the will of man is to fear God and to keep his commandments. I read that and was like what the heck... When people down here are always like oh God first and never go to church and they all say that they pray but when we ask them to pray they are in like shock. I get frustrated really easy with them. But Maybe that is why I am here. To learn patience because I know that I don't have any. I also read Alma 5:62. It says that baptism is the First step in partaking the tree of life. I just want to ask hey would you like to partake of the tree of life? Then be baptized!!! Haha anyways I just read those two things and wanted to share them with you. Also I was talking to the zone leader and told him I was a little scared to talk to the people. I know really weird huh.... Haha laugh all you want. No but he told me that he had the same problem when he came to the mission. Then one day he thought this and he told me, "I am a member of the true church. I have the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have the Priesthood. I have an endowment. I have a tag that shows people I am a representative of Jesus Christ. What do I have to be afraid of? So I am going to live by that. Well that is my experience. I love you!!!!I hope you and Carson get better.

Mom: I don't mean all spiritual experiences. Like what happened at your zone meetings or district meetings or who you met. What do you talk about at dinner with your host family. Do you eat with them. What do you and your comp talk about. Do you have anything in common. It sounds like you get along with the zone leaders. What do you talk about. Where are they from???? Details of what you are doing, what you see?

Jackson: Well first lets get this package thing down. I want that journal with the Elephant and socks. Some ties. Some candy. And whatever you think will be something that I would like. Is that okay?

Mom: Yes. I've got most of that done. I was thinking more Christmassy stuff😊. I will still need to get the journal because I wasn't sure if you were still wanting that. But we got it. I just wish it wasn't so expensive so I could send you stuff more often.

Jackson: Ya me too. What do you guys want for Christmas. I'll send a package. I have something for dad and Carson I just want to know if you want anything.

Mom: I'm good. I don't need anything. Just a super detailed letter of everything you have been doing the last by then 5 months. 😊. If you're sending stuff You should send something for Taylor and Kayla. That would mean a lot to them.

Jackson: What the freak should I get?!! Haha I don't know. Mom why am I so worried right now? It isn't about you or anyone at home. It is about everyone here. In El Salvador. I want all of them to come to church and I am heart broken when they don't. I want them to keep the Word of Wisdom and when they say I'm sorry I drank coffee today I want to cry.. Why...?

Mom: It's not a bad thing. It's because you want the best for them. But it's like we have always said. You can't make people do what you want. All you can do is be their friend and example and love them. They have to make the choice because it's something that they want.

You can't worry. But you can care about them.

I'm guessing you are probably out of time. DON'T WORRY. We love you. Work hard. Til next week😊

Love

Mom

Voice Transcription: This week was a good week. We had some success in finding new people, but not very many people came to church We are having a struggle with people coming to church, but we had a district meeting this week and it was about the Holy Ghost. I learned some good stuff that if we teach with the Holy ghost. it can be pretty good. One of the Zone leaders taught me a pretty good lesson and I'll never forget it. I told him that I was kind of scared to talk to people. I know weird huh, you think that's pretty funny, but he told me yeah, me too, but then I thought, I have the priesthood, I have the Holy Ghost, I'm a member of the church, I have an endowment, and I have a tag that has the Church name and Jesus Christ's name on it. What is there to be afraid of? I've got everything. I was like wow! Alright! So I'm not going to be afraid ever again.
Then, the next day the Zone Leaders came to our house and started checking our clothes and I was like what the heck! But it's alright. They took some of my ties away, well they didn't take them away but they told me to put them away because they were too skinny. They were all gifts, so I wasn't mad. What else, well, we went to work. ya ...we did some tracting the next day. Contacting we got like 20 contacts, it was pretty cool. I'm being a missionary, that's why. The next day we had a struggle inviting people to come to church because people just don't want to come. And then Sunday came and we only got 2 people to church. That kind of sucks but you know, I don't have much to say about this week. That was my week. I Love you!