Confederate Keylock, Milagros en Plenitud, e Que Abençoado Que Sou

 Elder Newman loves his churasco

 District Activity

Quite the crazy week! But truly a week full of miracles. So good to be talking with y'all once again!

Pap, the last time I saw the lawn so dirty was when we moved there and there wasn't any grass! Sorry to hear the recovery from surgery has been going a little slowly, but it is truly in our trials that we are strengthened! (D&C 121:7-8 and 122:5, 7-8) Great to see that everything is going so well at home! Scriptures that I challenge you to read: Proverbs 9:9-10 and Moses 6:27-34, 7:13.

Mom, great to see all the miracles here in Uruguay and back home!  The Book of Mormon is perfect to help us combat pride, because it helps us 1) identify Christ and follow him, and 2) expose and avoid his enemies. Scriptures for you: 2 Nephi 32:3->Jeremiah 15:16, and 1 Nephi 1:1->Proverbs 22:1,6

Hey buddy! You're learning a great lesson already that I learned here in the field; sometimes our plans are not exactly what the Lord wants, and we just have to be patient. Thanks for sharing your amazing experience with the work! DUDE! You weigh 210! Haha, you finally got me, and with good weight too. Glad to see that you've been busy and happy. Love you Christian! Your scriptures: Alma 18:2-3,8-10, 14-41; and Jacob 5:70 (visit all the footnotes).

¡Hola hermana mía! ¡Tan feliz estoy para oír de su campamiento buenazo! (Hello sister of mine So happy I am to hear of your camp buenazo!) Haha the Copper Hills part especially made me laugh. You'll have to send me some pics of the new wood you stained on the porch! Tus escrituras (Your scriptures) : 2 Nefi 4:15-16, 20-23, 26-35 ¡Te quiero (I love you), Emma!

Hey Bear, way to be tough and play even with a black eye! That is true toughness! Looked like a fun tournament! The tougher competition always makes for the most games. Love you! Scriptures for YOU: 1 Nephi 8:2-12, 11-8-25

Callerist! Elder Mereles' favorite colors are negro (black) and rojo (red). Yes, I know how to count in Spanish! It's quite fun! Yes, I do miss Great Grandma Ione, but I know that her spirit is alive and happy. I love you! Please read these scriptures!: 2 Nephi 2:22-27

Confederate Keylock: We came home on Friday to prepare for the branch activity, and somehow, our key got stuck in the lock after we entered. We literally had to take the doorknob and lock out of the door, cut the key, and open up to the gears to get the key out. Then we had the brilliant idea to try our spare, and it also got stuck! 2 hours until we finally got the lock working again. aka We didn't make it to the activity.

Milagros en plenitud: First and foremost: Victor and Patricia are finally getting married! They are getting their exact date today, and we will finally be able to set a baptismal date for Victor! He has progressed so much and has become a big example for his friends who always come over to the charlas. The contact that we made on the past P-Day, Leonardo, is reading the Book of Mormon! Also, we found one of our old investigators, Nele. She read her assignment in the BoM and a little from the beginning, and her pareja, who hid in the last charla, read even more than her! And I had the blessed opportunity to be able to do the baptismal interview for the Bella Italia Elders for Antonella, a 10 year old girl with a solid testimony. The Spirit was so strong in the interview and she passed marvelously. Elders Belnap and Larsen seemed VERY happy that day.

Que Abençoado Que Sou: I was recently studying in the house Sunday morning when this thought came across my mind: "Man, how blessed I am. I'm not even done with 2 decades of my life, and I already know my purpose here. I know where I came from and am certain of where I'm going after this life. I know not only that God lives, but that He is my Eternal and Perfect Father who has given me this glorious Plan to become a god like Him and live forever with Him and my family." Then, I looked out the window and began to notice more fully the people, and I realized, "Man, these, my brothers and sisters, don't remember ANYTHING about the Plan we accepted and cheered for back home. Look at them; they're completely lost! My heart aches for them... I gotta go out and help them." Sometimes we don't realize how much we've been blessed. Quick activity: You cannot read anymore of this letter until you try to imagine erasing, for 1 minute, EVERYTHING you know about the Book of Mormon or thanks to it. Starting now (don't peek early)!

Now: what did you lose? To me, I've lost absolutely everything. Can you even imagine living without the things you know now? Well, many of our brothers and sisters are living that right now, so hopefully we can understand why we do what we do as missionaries and members. It's all about love and sharing! So don't have fear to share what you love and know; if they don't accept in the moment, you've planted the seed to give them the Tree of Life and Knowledge.

Well, I love you all so much, and can't wait to tell you next week about my final full week with E' Mereles. ¡Os quiero muchísimo! (I love you so much!)

Con amor,

Elder Newman

Mom’s Questions:

1. How is your teaching going with your new outlook you explained in your last letter?

Miles better. The teaching has become much more comfortable and interactive; it's turned from a lesson into a discussion. :)

2. Do you feel you have enough pday clothes? I’m wondering if I should send Christian with more workout clothes since you work out 6 days a week in the MTC and only get to wash your clothes once a week.

Maybe so with him, because I didn't sweat much in the MTC due to the foot. But here in the field, I'm good.

3. Did Victor come to church again? How is Raul coming along? Any other nuevos to report on?

Nobody came to church, but we found one of our old investigators, Nele. She read her assignment in the BoM and a little from the beginning, and her pareja, who hid in the last charla, read even more than her! Potential!

Flip the Switch!; y Super Asado

Hey peoples! I'm gonna be quick because the Cibercafes gave us fits today, and I left my camera at home, but this was a critical week that I believe will set the tone for the rest of my mission! (Yep, that big)

Flip the Switch!: We had been having troubles with our investigators up until now to progress, and I was confused and frustrated, but a marvelous experience happened to change all that. Elder Mereles and I were studying "Adapting Teaching to Needs" in PmG, and I asked Elder Mereles how he was able to adapt the teaching so quickly and easily, without sweating bullets (this has been a true challenge for me). The answer was not what I had expected: that he focused more on the people than the lessons/charlas and that I needed to do that, stop being a robot, and worrying less, because the Spirit was NOT with me. Although that truth cut to the heart of this sinner here, and I felt very humbled, overwhelmed, and inadequate, I decided to humble myself and put into practice: ask more inspired questions, connect more with people, not letting an investigator dominate the charla, use scriptures in more opportunities, etc. And what results! Raúl listened to us more intently, stopped making weird comments to dominate the lesson, and revealed the true reason he had not been coming to Church: "puntadas en el estómago del frío," (Stitches in the stomach of the cold) and he committed to come to church this Sunday! Also, Ignacio and Estefani finally hard-committed to read the Book of Mormon, Agustína finally read and understood, and I even was able to do my first contact on a P Day! But most importantly: I constantly feel the Spirit, I never feel fear or nerves in a charla or contact, and I am truly HAPPY! THIS is the mission. THIS is loving and serving others. I'm honestly so grateful that Elder Mereles had the courage and love to speak up and challenge me to do better like Jesus did to the rich man, that I listened, and sooo glad I figured it out before halfway point of my mission.

Super Asado: We had a great district activity today (6 Elders including me and Mereles, and 5 more CAPO members) with our own cooked asado y churizos, mashed potatoes, rice, and a delicious marshmallow/banana/chocolate/dulce de leche dessert. In between lunch and dessert, we had a great game of fútbol, and I had 2 goals, 2 assists from a corner kick, and only let in 2 goals in a high scoring game! (We switched off goalies) Pictures will come next week, but it was LOTS of fun!

Christian, glad you could enjoy your last high adventure for now, and that it ended on such a spiritual high note. Excited for the temple for you! It is such an amazing experience; opens your mind and fills you with the Spirit like nothing else. To answer your question, the MTC provides pretty much everything concerning books (Spanish learning, scriptures, PmE, etc., but the PmE is big there, and I like the small version better. Love you buddy!

Emma! Fa, ¡como extraño Días de la Fresa! (o frutilla también) (Fa, how strange Days of the Strawberry! (Or strawberry too). Glad to hear you had such a fun time and killed it in your dances! I will definitely read that part, thank you for sharing it with me! ¡Te quiero!

Sarah! Wow that is so amazing; I know Jodi pretty well! So awesome for her! Man I miss Lagoon; stoked for the little ones and their first-time experiences! Good luck with the Jam basketball tournament! Lemme know how it goes! Love ya!

Callie, no worries, I sometimes didn't move up a level in swim lessons when I wanted to. Just keep working hard, keep smiling, and you'll move on soon! And I have been on the Bat ride at Lagoon many times! (And the other ones too) I absolutely LOVE the song, “Nephi’s Courage” too! It helps me do what Jesus wants me to do in missionary work. I love you! Have a great week!

Mom, we experienced a similar weather craze this weekend. Saturday, after a torrential downpour, it was fairly warm and humid, and I was sweating a bit! Then on Sunday... POW! Bitter, humid, freezing windy cold. Haha I took quite a hit from it. Love you!

Pap, that will sure be nice to be able to hear even more clearly; I can't even imagine blowing out my eardrum. Haha but dizziness is not the greatest Father's Day gift. Oh well, I send my love to you as a gift; HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Can't wait to use the smoker grill in just 13.5 months! (Yup, you read that right)  And speaking of growth, I would honestly say I had a growth spurt this week; AMAZING the difference! GAME ON!

Mom’s Questions:

1. What new things have you learned about Elder Mereles this week?

He is 20 years old, loves spicy stuff, and cooks AMAZING brownies! :)

2. What miracles have you experienced in your mission this week?

See "Flip the Switch!"; one great miracle!

3. Did your investigators come to church this week?

Victor did. :)

4. What was your favorite thing that happened this week?

See "Flip the Switch!"

5. How far away from the mission home are you right now? How often do you go in for meetings now that you are in a leadership position?

About an hour (2 buses), and I only went in once for district leader training.

Misioneros contra Bichos; Vivo Livro da Historia e Diccionário; and the Greatest District I Could've Asked For

 Elder Newman's desk (check out his shelves he made out of cardboard boxes)

 Service Project at a member's house

Hello my peoples! This was a crazy up and down week, filled with miracles and challenges ¡a la vez!

My dear brother, so glad you got the experience already to use your priesthood to bless the lives of those around you. That honestly just made my day. It's truly amazing how the Spirit sustains us in such important moments; if we have prepared ourselves and listen closely, He will NOT let us fail. Haha, I remember my interviews with Pres. Gleason; did he tell you the parable of the youth that didn't have his recommend and missed the experience of a lifetime? That one hit me pretty hard.  Hope high adventure is a blast for you! If you could read D&C 88:72-73, 67-69, and 118-119, that would be awesome. Love you Christian!

Hey, I remember when you were trying relentlessly to get down your aerial, and now to teaching others how to do their aerial! ¡Estoy tan feliz que pudieras disfrutar tu primera *despedida! (I'm so happy that you could enjoy your first mission farewell.) Haha with our garbage experience, we had to bring 8 black garbage bags, all filled, to a dumpster one block away. My shoulders and arms were shot. Te quiero muchísimo, Emma! (I love you a lot, Emma!)

Bear, nice trapping at Clearcreak Camp! And track would be awesome for you; it is so much fun! Best of luck with all your sports! They sure do go by fast... Love ya!

Dear Callie Anna Newman,

Wow, gymnastics seems like so much fun! I was always too clumsy to do that. Moving on to the deep end of the pool was also so much fun for me! Did you know that I could never float on my back? You look sooo pretty in your dance dress! To answer your questions: I love tug of war; my favorite sport is still football, but I'm coming to love soccer! (even though I'm terrible haha). And I sure do miss Sodalicious... Love you!

Mom, the busiest weeks are always the funnest and most fulfilling. And yes, I absolutely LOVE the priesthood; it has blessed my life and allowed me to bless others, which ends up blessing my life again.  I'm sure you did great as Sariah at the youth conference kickoff!

Digging that beard, Pap! ¡Que anciano que eres, Lehi! (How old you are, Lehi!) But seriously, that is a great talk you delivered and it applies so much to us in our day; as the mists of darkness grow ever thicker, we need to hold on tighter and tighter to the rod to triumph. Love you Pap.

This week we didn't have any investigators come to church, and our divisions on Saturday got canceled - with lots of charlas in opposite sides of the area - so we were flying all over the place that day. But definitely saw some miracles! Victor and Patricia had gone through some trials and fights, but found their peace and strength as they started again to read the Book of Mormon! Raul's brother improved in health and was able to come home from the hospital; our prayers were answered, and this and reading a Tithing folleto that we gave him helped him receive his answer that the Church is true!

Misioneros contra Bichos: The Toledo house is known as one of the biggest, best, and cleanest houses in the mission, but out back there was a pile of garbage that consisted of blankets, sheets, lawn chairs, plastic guitars, etc. This had accumulated from the other Elders and Hermanas that came before us. Well, we hadn't given it much thought, but Elder Wainker called us on Friday saying that our landlord had screamed at him over the phone about the mess and that we needed to clean it up, or she was going to hire somebody to do it and charge us. Thus, we immediately set to work, and as we uncovered the floor underneath... OH MY GOODNESS. The biggest, fattest potato bugs I have ever seen in my life! Worms! Centipedes! 2 giant, hairy spiders! And all those who know how much I hate bugs can imagine how unhappy I was. However, long story short, we cleaned up the mess, exterminated the pests, and now Elder Wainker is going to bring us a treat because we "paid the price for somebody else's sins." So that was quite the adventure! Missionaires 1 - Bugs 0

Vivo Livro da Historia e Diccionário: I recently met a recent convert named Antonio Guerra (Anthony War), who is probably in his 50's, and is such an intelligent guy! He was talking about a war that had happened between then-empire Paraguay and the rebellious union of Uruguay, Brasil, and one other country who defected from Paraguay, World Wars, true Jews in the East, etc. Incredible! But the best part: He considers the scriptures his greatest treasure and the best and 1st source of knowledge. ¡CAPO!

The Greatest District I Could've Asked For: Had our first district meeting this week, and it was amazing! We were able to talk about the "next lines of revelation" that we had received from Elder Packer of the Area Presidency, and they all participated really well and said I did great! All are hard workers, all are great and friendly guys; in short, all are capos. So blessed!

Mom’s questions:

1. Christian wants to know, did you take basketball shoes with you on your mission?

I did, but since the MTC up until now I have not used them.

2. Christian is also wondering, which style of journal do you like? Do you like a bigger one or a more pocket size one that you carry with you?

I love the red one you gave me; that size has been my preference.

3. Christian asked do any Elders still use the side messenger bag? We noticed your backpack in some of the pictures. What is your reasoning behind that?

My mission allows it and it allows me to walk easier without lilting to the side. However, I am back to the side bag because my backpack broke.

4. Christian also wants to know, it looks like you wear your boots a ton in some of the pictures. How much are you wearing the boots vs. dress shoes?

Here, boots are permitted, and my boots are WAY comfier than my dress shoes, so I only use the dress shoes for church and mission conferences.

5. How are Victor and Raul? Did you get them to come to church this week?

Victor has gone through some trials recently bot has gotten back on track with his reading; Raul read a tithing pamphlet, his brother left the hospital, and he says that he's received his answer that the Church is true. :) Yet neither came to church yesterday.

6. What have you learned this week from the AP’s and zone leaders in your district?

I've learned in even greater degree that leadership is an opportunity to serve and love each other. Technically, we are all each others' leaders (in a complex yet amazing way) and we all take counsel from and love each other.

A importancia do Livro de Mórmon, I Hate Buses Now, y la Pierna de Cañon

 Pictures of the house in Toledo

Met up with Elder Manzaneras at a multi-zone conference this week

Hello my peoples! So great to be talking with y'all once again; this has been a solid week! We lost a little proselyting time because 1) we had a multi-zone conference in Carrasco Thursday and a new District Leader Training on Friday, and 2) Elder Mereles was down with the flu. But the time that we did have, we were able to see great things happening!

Hey dude, I'm so glad you had such an epic trip to Powell with your friends and the fam; the pics are epic haha. I heard about the crazy incident with Isaiah; glad to hear he's okay. So proud of you being able to receive the Melchezidek Priesthood; such a marvelous opportunity to be able to access God's very power to bless the lives of others. Love you Christian, and I can't wait to hear how goes the endowment!

Emma! So glad you were able to enjoy Lake Powell even if it was for a short time because of drill. Haha the intense workouts remind me of good ol' wrestling days.  I will need a video of the hip hop routine! ¡Trataré de continuar de tener fe! (Faith) ;) ¡Te quiero hermana! (I will try to continue to have faith! (Faith);) I love you sister!)

Bear, I honestly don't even know why I didn't go to Clear Creek when I was your age! HEY! YOU SLALOMED! AND SURFED! ON YOUR OWN! WOOOT!!! That's my sister right there! And you're right, I'll be sure to give some good lessons on these when I get back. Love you sis!

Callerist! I heard you got into the water more! SO SO PROUD OF YOU!  Did you know that I used to be scared of the water too? Just ask Dad. Love you sooo much!

Mom, so glad to see all the great stuff happening at Powell! I sure missed being there but trust you all had a blast. And hey, worth it to sacrifice one trip of many I'll have in my life, to bring true happiness (the Gospel) to my brothers and sisters across the world. You're right; time has now being going at double or triple the rate, and it was flying before! 2 changes and I'll already be at halfway! Thanks for the family history dates; I'll be sure to use them when we have our family history activity soon in the ward. Love you Mom!

Crazy how the time flies, huh? I was just thinking: our next Google call will be from 3 different locations, and Christian will be experiencing the miracles and joys of the mish! Love you so much Pap; let me know if there's anything I can do for you.

Victor is amazing: even though he's been going through some tough trials and couldn't attend church due to sickness, he has been constantly praying, reading the BoM, and strengthening his faith. He has the determined desire to be baptized! Raúl wants to be baptized as well, but with a hospitalized brother, and without job, he's been very worried for the future, which is understandable. He wants to go to church after the members provided him a job, and we had to explain that the miracles come AFTER faith and works. But he has committed to come to church this coming Sunday! We also found an amazing young mother, Nele, who accepted easily the Plan of Salvation, promised to read and pray about the BoM, and accepted a baptismal date for July 1st! She wasn't able to attend church this week, but we have great faith and hope that she will progress as she reads and prays.

It has been an amazing opportunity to serve as district leader; I have a district of all great Elders, including the Zone Leaders and the Asisstants to the Pres! #opaa! They are all hard workers with great hearts, and I already feel a deep love for them even though we haven't yet had a district meeting (we will tomorrow). The people who are called to lead are there to serve, love, and learn, just as much as they are called to lead and teach, maybe even more. That has been the case with me, and I feel so blessed to serve and learn from these great men.

A Importancia do Livro de Mórmon: In our multi-zone conference, we took a moment to think of if we had never had the Book of Mormon in our lives. Erase everything we know thanks to the Book of Mormon. What do we lose? I thought of: clarity in all scriptures, the why of Christ being baptized, the Plan of Salvationa and eternal families, prophets and revelation, happiness. In short, for me, EVERYTHING! I absolutely love the Book of Mormon and its powerful testimony of Christ; it has over 4000 references to Him, over 100 different titles for Him are mentioned, and His holy name is mentioned once every 2.8 verses. We learned new ways to help people read the Book and gain a testimony of it, including using personal examples from our lives from every scripture we read. In fact, the Book of Mormon is the only book that Jesus himself has personally testified to be true (D&C 17:6).

I Hate Buses Now: In order to get to our conference and training this week, we had to take: 1) a bus of 40 minutes, 46 pesos ($1.64), and crammed like sardines, all standing, and then 2) another bus of 30 minutes, 33 pesos ($1.18) and even more crammed. That just to get there, and then vice versa to return. And this two days in a row. The result: 2.5 hours of total travel, all standing, 316 pesos ($11.29), and feeling sick like a dog. Officially decided that I will never take bus travel after my mission.

La Pierna de Cañon: We were in a branch missionary activity this Friday, playing fútbol and getting to know some non-members. I had been playing goalie (0 goals allowed) and trying a little of field play (not so stellar). One time I went for a ball in the air to stop the advance of the other team, and I connected! ...so hard that I kicked the brand new ball over the fence. They have been teasing me for that ever since.

Love you all; looking forward to a miraculous week to come! ¡Os quiero muchísimo! ¡Que tengáis una semana increíble de verano (mientras que yo sufra de frío ;) xD)! ¡Vamo arriba! (I love you very much! Have an incredible week of summer (as long as I suffer from cold)! Let's go upward!)

Con amor,

Elder Newman :)

Mom’s Questions:

1. How are things going with Elder Mereles? How long has he been in the mission? How long has he been in Toledo? What interests do you share with him? Is he a convert or a lifelong member? Is his family supportive?

Very good; I have learned a lot from him, and him from me, and we are finding our groove of unity in our teaching. He's from my group and has only 3 weeks less because he was less time in the CTM. He will complete 6 months in Toledo at the end of this change and is already anxious to move on! We both like doing exercises in the morning and love to order pizza. Our personalities are quite different, but we know that we have the same goals, so we are able to get along despite our differences! He was baptized at 8 years old but truly learned about and understood the gospel at 17; he considers himself a convert. His family is very supportive; almost all are members (dad no).

2. How is the weather? Is it different than being on the coast like you were in El Pinar and Chuy?

It is SOOO COLD HERE! There is neblina (fog) almost every morning and night, and we are constantly freezing! However, we have a gas heater AND a fireplace in our house, so that surely helps!

3. How is Toledo different than El Pinar? Is the geographical area the same size? Still walking a lot or do you take buses more?

Normally we walk everywhere, but need to take a bus to get to an area called 33 every now and then. We divide every odd day to go to Benso and every even day for the rest of Toledo. It's pretty sizeable!

4. What ended up happening with the two Sofias? Were you able to get them book of Mormons and a second charla?

Sofia L. wasn't in the charla, and Sofia B. was sick when we visited her, but we were able to get her a BOM! Planning to visit her and teach her and her mom the Restoration. :)

Converso Capito, Power Branch, e O Futebol e A Pizza

 Elder Newman and his new companion Elder Mereles from Paraguay

 Mozzarella Pizza at Zone Activity

Marona's Zone Activity

Hey everybody! So great to be talking to you all this week; I had a great first half-week in Toledo! Such a killer district; I figured out that I am actually district leader of two studs in Bella Italia, as well as the Zone Leaders and the Assistants! That will be fun, because every single one of those guys is a ¡CAPO!

Christian, interesting that graduation was earlier in the day! Glad to see that you enjoyed it, I'm so proud of you for finishing strong. Now you get to play a little before you work for 2 years!  (P.S. that's exactly what Pap said to me after I graduated.) I didn't know you guys were using jet skis at Lake Powell! Little jealous, not gonna lie. Oh well, have a blast! Love you Christian.

¡Hola Emma! No, soy un líder de distrito, y un líder de zona es un líder de los líderes de distrito. ¡Las fotos salieron muy buenas! (No, I am a district leader, and a zone leader is a leader of district leaders. The photos came out very good!) I did not know you were also an officer for dance company! As a junior, that is really impressive; Way to go! Well, I don't remember ever being given the responsibility to Powell grocery shop, so that speaks a lot of the trust Mom and Dad have in you. ¡Te quiero mucho! (I love you very much!)

3rd in the fun run! Way to go Bear, that is fantastic! You will need to send me a pic of your matching tank tops you bought for Lake Powell. Love you!

Callie! I'm so happy that you get your neighbor as your 1st Grade Teacher! That is a lot like my mission president; he is the dad of Jess Eddy, one of my choir friends. Did you know that? Love you!

Mom, best of luck with houseboat spot searching at Powell! I have faith in you. Toledo is an amazing branch; there is such a strong missionary spirit here, and I was warmly welcomed. Exciting week! Love you mom.

Pap, I still have the letter you gave me before my mission and will most definitely read it.  And Elder Mereles is from Emboscada, Paraguay. It sure was fun to drive the boat; now it's Christian's turn to master it at Lake Powell! Yes, I still remember vividly the Europe trip. Have fun in Powell! Love you!

Power Branch: Toledo is a branch of about 80 active members, but the members here are so humble and SOO involved in the work! Their goal is to make our burden as light as possible: they always have missionary activities in the capilla, divisions with us, and do everything in their power to help and retain our converts. The ward mission leader, Adolfo Campo, is especially capo; he always makes sure that we have every division, lunch, etc. taken care of, and you can sense that he truly cares for and loves us. This will be amazing!

Converso Capito: Leonardo Rodriguez is a recent convert here of 2 months that already has the Aaronic Priesthood. He is so humble; his testimony is basic yet unshakeable; we had an amazing L2: Plan of Salvation, and then he went with us to some charlas! He has truly found the Pearl of Great Price in his life; even though he has very little and is currently w/o job, he said, "With the gospel, I have everything." It reminded me of the story in Our Search For Happiness with Elder M. Russell Ballard, two millionaires, and one billionaire and how he felt he was the true richest of all. (Read it, it's truly amazing.)

O Futebol e A Pizza: We had our first Maroñas Zone Activity today with fútbol, mozzarella pizza, and were about to play basketball until it started raining. How much fun was that! We have a gigantic zone of about 20 missionaries, and all of them are ¡capos! Truly great getting to know my new friends!

We also currently have 2 stick-out investigators!

1) Victor is the novio (boyfriend) of a re-activating member, Patricia who is currently reading the Book of Mormon and progressing very well. I was teaching the Gospel Principles class chapter 20 Baptism (yep, on the first Sunday), and he was making great comments and even slipped in, "Cuando me bautice..." (When you baptize me…) And in the first charla, they pranked me pretty good; Victor sat down and immediately started asking hard, fast questions like: Who is God? Is Christ the Eternal Father? What is God expecting of me? During all this, Patricia went outside, shot the shotgun, came back into cook, and said, "I don't wanna listen, I'm athiest." (Elder Mereles had told me that she was less active). I was honestly soo confused, and Elder Mereles left me to answer everything. Then they finally smiled, congratulated me for my satisfactory answers, and we had an amazing L1 charla.

2) Raúl is an older gentleman who is reading the Book of Mormon and understanding perfectly what he reads; when we came for L3, he had read 2 Nephi 31 and basically taught L3 for us. What a fast learner! We now have a baptismal date set for 17/6/17.

Quick experience: when I was doing splits with our capo DOM (ward mission leader), and all our charlas had fallen through, he asked me where we wanted to go (and admitted later that he was expecting that I would visit a MA (less active member) or miembro). I said, "déjeme escuchar y sentir," (“Let me hear and feel”) and we continued onward and were able to find Sofia and Sofia and teach about God's love for them, introduce the Book of Mormon, and set another charla to bring them each a Book of Mormon (we were out). From small acts of faith, we can see miracles!

Well, what a great week, and I'm excited for the rest of this new change! I hope you all have a great week, ¡os quiero muchísimo! ¡Vamo arriba! (I love you very much! Let's go upward!)

Con amor,

Elder Newman :)