Dear Everyone,
Ok. We have only 30 minutes a week to email so if I miss anything, I apologize.
This week has been great! This morning we went to the temple for the first time. It turns out the greatest blessing of going to the temple here is being able to eat the temple food. I think it was the greatest thing I have ever eaten. We were all so happy.
This week we have been progressing a lot with Erika. In our second lesson, we committed her to baptism with no date and then set a date for June 4th for her baptism. Also, we got a new investigator last night named Graciela. We only got to teach her for ten minutes since the other missionaries took too long, but we will get to teach her more later on.
The Spanish has been going great! I can pretty much pray without pausing now, at all, which is awesome, and I can understand almost everything fluent speakers say. I have a ton more words memorized than when I started, especially with church words. The Lord has really blessed me a lot. I still can't roll my r's, but I think I just need to be patient.
That's another thing, I have realized a lot this week I need to work on patience. So that's been the project of the week is trying to be more patient; especially with the missionaries in my district. My companion has been great. We get along well and his Spanish is coming along, too.
I really enjoy getting mail. I have gotten a lot since I have been here, and I would love for it to keep coming! Also, the cookies in the cafeteria here are so good, I couldn't believe it. In the cannon center, they were always stale, but here they are fresh. That's good and bad since I have like two cookies at every meal.
We had President Rasband come for the devotional. He talked about feeling the spirit. It was a great talk. We were all very happy. My favorite Spanish hymn, I decided is Hope of Israel. The Spanish missionaries in my zone walk around singing a lot. The coolest thing ever was when all the new missionaries got together (a few hundred) and sang 'To Bring the World His Truth.' We sang, 'We are now the Lord's missionaries' instead of 'we will be...' It was really cool to say that out loud. I'm so glad I get to be a missionary.
For gym, me and Elder Greer work out three days a week, and the other three days I play basketball, which has actually been pretty fun. Every week we have to write a talk in Spanish. Then they randomly select two people right after the Sacrament to speak; so we get to write a talk every week. I was off the hook last week; though, because instead, I played the piano.
The missionary I am probably the most close to here is Elder Hunt. He is a huge half Chilean-half Samoan guy who turned down a professional rugby career to go on a mission. He is friends with everyone. And actually it turns out he is a cousin of one of my friends, Dallin Hunt, from BYU on the rugby team. So, those connections are always cool. He is in a threesome with our zone leaders so we see them a lot, and we eat all our meals with them.
The best part about being a Spanish missionary, is that all the missionaries quote Nacho Libre all the time. Unfortunately we can't figure out how to upload pictures, but I do have a lot. Maybe I will have to end up sending you the memory card after I have a few more, and you can just send it back.
I'm not sure if you got my letter but I do need some small English scriptures because they are out of stock here and will be for a few more months. Also mom could you send my protein mixer cup and the container of muscle milk in the food storage room?
I saw Gustavo Barrios the other day and also see Elder Sanft a lot and ran into Sheldon Larsen and D-rock Christensen a couple times.
I really appreciate all the packages so far they have been great. Well I think that's about it. Send me an email with some questions for next Friday so I know what you guys want to hear about.
I love you all and hope all is well.
The best part about being a Spanish missionary, is that all the missionaries quote Nacho Libre all the time. Unfortunately we can't figure out how to upload pictures, but I do have a lot. Maybe I will have to end up sending you the memory card after I have a few more, and you can just send it back.
I'm not sure if you got my letter but I do need some small English scriptures because they are out of stock here and will be for a few more months. Also mom could you send my protein mixer cup and the container of muscle milk in the food storage room?
I saw Gustavo Barrios the other day and also see Elder Sanft a lot and ran into Sheldon Larsen and D-rock Christensen a couple times.
I really appreciate all the packages so far they have been great. Well I think that's about it. Send me an email with some questions for next Friday so I know what you guys want to hear about.
I love you all and hope all is well.
Elder Bassett
