2013-12-2 a country made for short people

Hey Everyone,

Well, we had our cambio call yesterday and I finally get to stay with a companion.  I’m staying in Los Alamos to finish training Elder Contreras, the only change is that I’m the new district leader. I’m very content with that.  I didn’t want to leave Cochabamba before Christmas.

Picture--the Flores family has very baby cats. 

Today at 3 we are going to the Flores´ because Saturday was Anghy’s birthday and they are going to make anticucho.  That will be fun.  

Thinking about Christmas usually makes me sad.  I’ll probably spend time with the Flores´and Gerardo´s family (they both already invited us). The Flores family said they’ll come to my area if we aren’t allowed to leave our area on Christmas.  We were by the temple and they have a nativity set up and a big Christmas tree but it’s weird because it’s so sunny and hot and it just doesn’t feel the same.

This week we started teaching a recent convert’s mom.  We gave her a blessing a couple of weeks ago because she had some kind of surgery and she healed really well and quickly so that was a good way to start things off.  I think she´ll get baptized in the next month or two.  She already says she believes what we taught about Joseph Smith is true.

Hermana Mercedes made us some delicious fried balls that I think you would love, mom.  They are called fritos and are flour, egg, and cheese and very crispy.

I love studying my patriarchal blessing.  

The Flores family tells me every single week to tell you guys hi and that they love you but I usually forget.

We are doing really well working with less active families.  We mainly find families that have young men because the young men are the only people in the ward who go out and visit with us.  Right now we have 3 who have come back with their families for 3 weeks in a row.

We talked to Jeampierre this week and he actually talked to us.  Wed had several visits where he’d hardly said a word.  He still doesn’t want to pray, we still can’t figure out why.

Javier has made it to the attendance requirement for baptism and believes it’s true.  He’ll be baptized on the 14th unless he decides to wait for his wife to decide to be baptized too.  I don’t remember if I told you how we found him but it’s pretty cool.  Several weeks ago, as sacrament meeting was starting, a member told us a woman was looking for us outside the church.  We went out to find her but there wasn’t anyone in the street except Javier. We asked if he’d seen where the woman went but he hadn’t.  He pulled an English Book of Mormon out of his bag though, and told me I looked like the person who gave it to him years ago.  I told him that I was a missionary too and that our church was starting and he agreed to come in.  Since then he’s just come on his own and loves it. His wife is Catholic though and isn’t too interested.

We are going to do a training for the 3rd hour of church next week about how missionaries and members can work together.  I’m excited for that.

Bolivians are very short.  I hit my head on something every day because it’s a country made for short people.

I was chosen to sing in the missionary choir for the Christmas conference and we are singing “What Child is This” arranged by Lindy Kerby.

I ate cow hoof gelatin and actually thought it was pretty good.

Our zone will be the youngest zone in the mission this cambio.  There are 10 companionships and they are all training except for the zone leaders.  

I love being in the mission a lot.  I can’t believe that I hit 8 months this week.  Time is flying.  

Love,

Elder Howlett
                                                                  

P.S.  Doctrine & Covenants 130:18-19