New Comp!

Hey guys!

Ok well first of all I just want to say What the heck?? You didn't tell me Camille was going to be coming this week. I guess it doesn't really matter all that much though since it's not like I could have been there anyways haha but still it was surprising. Well the point is that I'm jealous that you guys are all playing with the Xbox dance game without me. But things are going GREAT here for me too. (Other than the fact that I'm kind of sick with a cold. It's not too bad though. I'm also sunburned because we ended up playing bball outside and I forgot sunscreen...) 

This week was pretty good. First good thing of the week: I found in a paca (think DI or Goodwill but on the level of Guatemala...and in someone's house..) a brand spanking new, classic, wooden box set Monopoly for Q50. That's approximately $6.25. So I bought it with a little bit of the money Grandma sent. (Thanks Grandma!) While we were waiting for the changes on Wednesday we played a few times with  other elders in my zone that were also waiting for new comps. Let's just say I pretty much dominated the board after the first game. So that's pretty cool and will be fun for disctrict activities and stuff. And it's a nice box so it won't get ruined. 

Then came changes and I figured out that my new comp would be Elder LEMUS! It's really funny because they did the same thing that they did to me with him. When I left Tactic he took my place and trained twice there. He was just senior companion and trainer but they made him my comp. He's a really cool guy. He's from El Salvador.  He's a convert since 2005 and his whole family got baptized I think. He has  older brothers and a younger one too. It's great because he's in the same group as me: in other words, we both go home at the same time. He's really great and I'm excited for the work we're going to do together. At the same time it's kind of weird having a different companion after having been with Elder Contreras for almost 5 months straight 24/7. But we are already seeing a lot of blessings and miralces from the Lord. This week we had 10 investigators at church! It was so amazing. We have been teaching a family, familia Polanco for EVER and they never came to church all of the 5 months that I've been here. We always invited them and the mom would say "we'll see if God wants us to go." Then we decided Saturday to teach them about agency and about how they can take control of their own lives and that the Lord expects them to make these kinds of decisions on their own. Sunday the whole family came with her nephew and his wife as well. So we're hoping this week to work really hard with them so they will come again next week. We also had a good lesson with Familia de la Cruz. They are the most humble people on the face of the whole PLANET! I just love that family so much and I'm already decided that I will NOT leave Salama without baptizing them. They are both reading the Book of Mormon and they really like it. Saturday night we had an appointment with them. Their daughter got sick and they had to take her to the doctor but they made sure that someone would be home to be there for our appointment. It was really touching. This week we are going to teach them in the church on Saturday and we are really hoping that they will come to church this week. PLEASE remember all of them in your prayers: Familia Polanco, and Familia de la Cruz. Hopefully this next week we will have even more investigators in church.

This Church is true. I know it with all of my heart. There's no other like it in the whole world. There can't be. God himself has formed this Church with His own hands. Who could ever compare any other church established by men with the workmanship of God's hands? I know that the work that I'm doing here is God's work and that no power on earth will or could ever stop it. I'm so blessed to be a part of this great work, but you all should know that God's work is not limited to missionaries. Keep your eye out for people that need this gospel and then boldly open your mouths to just talk to them. Someone will listen and their lives will be changed. Love you guys tons!!

Ok here's some quick personal comments-

Mom- Elmer Catalan is a member here in Salama! He's a really fun guy. So yes you should be his friend. And don't worry he only looked for you because one night he looked to see if he could find my facebook and he couldn't but then I told him to look for yours and he found it. No worries. He's from Tactic originally and I got to know his family really well. His brother, Edílsar and his wife Milvia, were investigators of mine there as well. Glad that you guys had fun with Camille and Carson! Don't have much time left! Love you mom!

Dad- thanks for the advice. I think my feelings are pretty much summed up in the words of George Albert Smith when he told Lucy Woodruff "If you're looking for someone with money, that someone is not me. I've already decided that I will not dedicate my life to making money, but rather to serving the Lord." So yeah I know I need to have sufficient money to support my family which I plan on doing. But I'm not looking to get rich. Thanks for the advice about Samson too. Love you!

OK, sorry guys times up and I have to go catch a bus to Coban and then to the capital for concilio tomorrow. Write you all again next week!

Love,

Elder Norton