Austin: 11/9/2014 - Killed one and gave birth to another

Hola Fam!

How are you all? I hope you`re all good.

This week was SUPER different. Like, SUPER different. Like I said last week, my comp, Elder Ruiz finished his mission on Tueday. We went to the change meeting Tuesday morning so I could get my new companion. As I`ve said, I REALLY wanted to train. And everyone knew it. Everyone in my zone, everyone is the mission. Missionaries that I don`t even know well came up to me and said "so are you going to train?" Everybody knew it. When I got to the meeting, an elder from my zone came up to me and said "there are only two new latinos" I heard that and said "ya fui" or I don`t have a chance. President started to read off the changes, and he called one gringo to train (no gringo ever trains another gringo). So I thought, well, I`m dead. There`s only one left. There is no chance. Then they called another gringo to train. Yep. I`m done for. But then, he called on a third, so I was confused. Maybe there were three knew latinos. So I didn`t know what was gunna happen. Then I heard that there were five new latinos. President called 4 gringos to train, and when he got to my name he said "In Retablo 1, Elder Schouten is going to the district leader and will work with....PIZZA!" (That`s what he always says, because the trainers eat pizza with the new missionaries) So...I trained! Or i`m training. I`m a dad. I`m a murderer and a father. Interesting right? My new companion is Elder Mayta. He`s from Oroya Peru. I have no idea what in the world Oroya is. I`ve never heard of it. But he told me it`s in the mountains of peru, and it`s really cold. I don`t know anything else about his city, I had never heard of it. He is a REALLY shy guy. Like, super shy. He talks to me alright, but he`s still pretty scared to do things like contact, teach, and all that. But, he`s got a good reason, he`s got a week in the mission. I`m super excited to teach him all that I know so that he becomes an awesome missionary/teacher/person. I`m gunna teach him all I know so that he is better that me. That`s the goal.

This week, was different. We worked super hard. I think I almost killed Elder Mayta, because it was so much walking. We taught some people, we contacted some people, and it was fun! I haven`t contacted as much as I should in the past. It`s something that I didn`t really do, but this week, we really pushed ourselves to contact. In district meeting, I trained about contacts and why they`re important. It really helped me and my district out. When we contact, we are more focused in the work. If we always try to contact, we will always remember that we`re missionaries, we`ll always have people to teach, we`ll be more happy. That`s something that I really felt this week. We didn`t teach as many lessons as we wanted to, but we felt good, because we were always trying to work, we were always working.

One guy that we met is named Antonio Blas. We contacted him in the street, and he invited us to his house. We taught him the restoration, and he accepted baptism! In the first lesson. We went back the next day and taught him the book of Mormon. He was going to go to church, but something happened and he couldn`t go, but he`s really happy and told us about how good he feels when he talks to us. So we`re super excited to teach him this week, so that he can go to church and get baptized!

I`m just really happy and I know that the Lord answers our prayers. I`ve been asking for something to keep me motivated lately, and I know my companion is going to do that because he has the desire and the drive to do missionary work. He`s nervous, and that will help me to keep going and keep working. I`m so happy and know that the Lord loves us and that this is his church. It is true, i do not doubt it.

Mom - thanks for everything. I`ll probably get something, and even if I don`t, I won`t feel bad. It just makes me trunky anyways. jajaja. Joke. I`m not trunky. But don`t make trunky remarks family! You all did this week, and I don`t like trunky remarks. I`ve been with a trunky companion for 3 and a half months, I don`t need my family to be trunky too.

Dad - you`re in san diego? sweet. I don`t even remember where san diego is or why it`s cool or anything. All I know that it is california.

John - I loved that moon analogy. Thanks. Don`t make any more trunky comments. i don`t like it.

Jordan - ya dead?

Tashita - thanks for the joke, the birthday wishes, everything. Have fun, live life, smile, read the scriptures, love god, and be happy.

Shaylee - ya dead sis?

Love
Elder Schouten