Continuing Challenges in Trenta Y Tres

March 28, 2011

Dear Dad and Mom,

Well I am super tired!!!! We had a wonderful week here in 33 and were able to work very hard. It rained for several days, but that didn't slow us down very much. My new companion, Elder Powell is amazing!!! It’s like being companions with one of my best friends. I love it!!!

We have now officially gone an entire month without one baptism in zone 33. It sure worries me. Our missionaries are obedient and we know they are working extremely hard to baptize, but the baptisms seem to slip right through our fingers. We are trying to figure out what the problem is, but it has been quite difficult to really identify the problem to just one thing. The assistants called me this morning and we talked about why the disobedient companionships seemed to have always baptized a lot in 33 and the Elders who obey the rules never do. I will be heading to Montevideo again tomorrow for zone leader council for the month of April. We plan to sit down and try to figure out what is going on and come up with some solutions. We shall see.

With this last change and the departure of Elder Roisum, it was left me to be the senior missionary of the zone and the one who is really in charge. This is Elder Powell’s first change as a zone leader, so it’s really been fun this week showing him all the stuff we have to do as zone leaders. We also received a 7th new companionship in the zone. There used to be just one companionship for two branches. Now we have split them up and so that makes a total of 14 missionaries in the department of 33 and 10 missionaries in the city of 33 itself. The truth is that I have been thinking…. there really are a lot of members of the church here. This city is a whole lot smaller than Barstow. We have 5 branches with an average of 70 active members in each, meeting in 3 church buildings. It really is a miracle. I am slowly beginning to feel that in the long run we are winning.

So far my relationship with everyone here has been good. There are some members here that I have become very good friends with. We will come and visit them when you guys get here. The whole leadership of the district is coming around. We have been able to gain back much confidence and the ones who continue to complain have all been ignored away. The branch president that I had a hard time getting along with was put in the hospital last week. Things were looking pretty bad and we all were kind of just waiting to hear if he had passed away or not. To be honest, I really was kinda concerned for him, but we heard last night that he had gotten better and is back at home once again.

I’m glad to hear that everything back at home is well. I look very much so forward to General Conference this week. It makes for the best weekend on the mission!!!!!

I hear that the U.S. went to war with Libya. I don’t really hear too much so next week please fill me in. Who knows, I might come home just in time to be shipped right off again to war. HA HA HA just kidding. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Well I love you guys so much. I’m doing well and I feel good, so what more could I ask?

LOVE YOU AND SEE YOU SOON…

LOVER ELDER SLUDER