Dear Family,
I probably should not be complaining about the rain yesterday. It really was not that bad. Just a little sprinkle, and I had my umbrella handy. It has served me well for a price equivalent to five dollars.
We taught eighteen lessons last week, the most I have taught since I was in Fuenlabrada seven months ago. Many missionaries got at least twenty, including Elder Ford and Elder Hutchings in Badajoz, an area known for its difficulty. It was difficult for me to accept that we, with our proximity to the Temple and the biggest ward in the mission, could not get the goal with so many missionaries around us achieving it. But I have accepted it now and we are working towards establishing patterns that will make it possible in the future.
We still have not seen our investigator who accepted a baptismal date two Fridays ago. He has not come to church or any ward activities since that Saturday. I am thinking that the only way to get investigators here is through the members, since the traditional method of contacting has not yielded any results. We do not have investigators at this point, so we are working on helping the members help their loved ones to receive the Gospel. Thank you very much for your prayers.
I will make sure to tell people about the blog you have made. I am excited to see it when I can. The Blanco family from Caceres will be at General Conference, and I will make sure to tell them so that they can keep up with the happenings on the other side of the pond. I would be worried about the missionaries who live in our cul de sac if I had unmarried sisters living at home, but as that is not the case all I will hope for is that Elder Padrones is assigned to our area so I can say hi to him when he goes out in the morning. Did I mention that we checked his mission map and Orem is included in the Provo mission? I am quite excited for you. Make sure to find people for them to teach, as many as you can. The member to missionary ratio there is a lot bigger than it is here, and it is pretty big here. I wish you the best in your efforts. The next time you see the missionaries, could you ask them how many stakes their area covers? The elders here would love to know.
The conference buzz is in the air. The office has made some invitations we can give to people to come and hear a living Prophet speak. I am incredibly excited to hear what the Lord has to say to us. Unfortunately, my location does not give me any more ability to see all of the sessions of Conference. They just do not show the last session here. Anyone who wants to see it has to go on the internet, and the missionaries cannot do that. I am just glad this is the last Sunday afternoon session I will have to miss, as a missionary at least. As in previous conferences, I would love to hear your favorite parts of the talks, especially from the last session.
The Church has come out with its own version of the Bible in Spanish, and I think I am going to buy one today. The cheapest one costs as much as my umbrella did. I think I will get one of those and still use my other Bible for proselyting. People talk enough about how each Church preaches with their own version of the Bible, and I do not want to prove them right about our Church, even if our version is truer than the rest. I am really grateful for the Book of Mormon.
Today we are having a pizza cookoff for a zone activity. I am excited to put Mom's recipe up against whatever the other missionaries can concoct. It is already mission-famous.
I love you all very much and wish you the best in your respective challenges and opportunities. I know that the Church is true and that the word of God is the surest support we can have in this troubled world. Thank you for your prayers and letters.
Love,
Elder Jonathan David Ogden
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