A new week begins...

Hello one and all!

Guess what?? We had a baptism this weekend! Huzzah!!!! I was so happy to finally have a baptism that was one of my investigators. I went for two changes before that happened. That is way, way too much time, but that has changed! The streak has been broken, and I don't intend on setting a longer one ever. Agustín was baptized Sunday morning, and then confirmed in church directly afterwards. It was really very nice, and I'm so glad that he made that decision.

Oh hey! We found a family that I'm really really excited about! They're Sandra and Gabriela (Gabriela is Sandra's nine-year-old daughter). Gabriela is so cool. The first lesson we had with them I felt impressed to give them a copy of the Book of Mormon, and that night Gabriela read some of it and prayed about it, and when we came back she told us that she knew the Book of Mormon is true. She said she sleeps with it, and she absolutely loves it. Also, she's always really ridiculously excited when we pass by. Her mom told us that she's been looking for something to fill the emptiness that she's felt in her life, and that she feels that the message that we share is doing the job. They both have baptismal dates for the 11th of February, and I am super super super excited about that. Huzzah! New family! Oh, and the really cool thing is that this is the first family that I've found with my new son!

My new son isn't a gringo! But he still looks like a gringo. His name is Elder Miranda and he's from Santiago, Chile. He's actually a bit older than I am, but not too much. OH! And he looks exactly like the main villan from James Bond: Casino Royal. When I first saw him I immediately liked him just because he looked like that guy, but now I like him because he's a good guy. He's a bit strange at times, but aren't we all? Also, being from Chile gives him a different accent and a different vocabulary too, so sometimes it's hard to understand him, but that's okay, because I have no shame at all in asking, "What? I didn't understand." And he doesn't seem to mind too much when he has to repeat himself, which is good. He's a really smart guy too, and he has a lot of experiences to share with the investigators. All in all I really am super excited to be training again. The only difficulty that seems to be presenting itself is that he speaks Spanish, so sometimes I forget that I still need to teach him, but then he does something and I say to myself, "Oh yes, that's right, I'm training him," and the training continues. I'm so glad to be a dad again. OH! And I'm also a grandpa too! Yep, Elder Papworth, my first son, is training this change! How crazy is that! I'm starting to feel old, but at the same time I keep seeing just how much I have to learn still.

Speaking of being old, happy birthday (again) to Elizabeth, who is now officially 16! Crazy!

Also, on the old track, I complete one year this Thursday. How amazing is that? I'm halfway through my mission. It's all downhill from here, and the time is sure to absolutely fly by. I've always heard that the second year is faster than the first, but let's put that to the test, shall we? Hey!! That means that I'll be able to see all of you in a year! WHOA. And I'll especially get to see you, you, you, you, you, you, and you (which you is whom?)! Huzzah! I am looking forward to that, but don't be deceived, because I'm not trunky at all. Nope. There's too much work to be done to be trunky.

Huzzah for mi Madre! 81 pounds have melted away, and she's doing great! That's so amazing! Incredible really. I'm hardly going to recognize her when I see her again. Good job Madre!

Also, I always knew that Robby was (literally) too smart for school. He's always been fairly brilliant, and he definitely deserves to be taught to his level of intelligence. Home school may be a rather good idea for him. I guess we'll see. ....I just read that paragraph again and it says that Robby's in third grade. I think that's a typo. It's gotta be a typo. My little brother can't be in third grade. I still remember fairly clearly third grade! Aaaaaahhh!! The weirdest thing about the mission is that the world back home doesn't stop. There could be some of you in my friend group that are all engaged and stuff! Weird.

Well, my time is running out, so I'll start signing off now. I love all of you, and I'm so grateful for all that you do for me, especially for the prayers. I definitely need the prayers, and I know that they work.

Hopefully I'll hear from more of you guys in pouch this week (last week I only got one letter, but it was almost a month old; darn the holiday season and backing up my mail!). I heard that I have packages in the offices, but I have to pay to get them out, and the package rumour may be just that, and there might be nothing. We will see though. I love you! Have a wonderful week, and always endure to the end, no matter what's happening in your life; it will all be for your good (Doctrine and Covenants 122). Until next week! ¡Chao!

Love,
Elder Schomburg