My new area is good. It's hot here. I'll probably say that in every email until I leave here because it's an undeniable truth. It's pretty big, but you can get around easy. You can walk to most places pretty easy here, so at the same time, it's kind of small.

We go to a laundromat to do the clothes. I didn't really remember how to wash clothes, but the machines have instructions...haha so we get it done. It's pretty nice actually. You get everything washed and dry in a few hours. Normally you have to wait a couple days for the laundry ladies to wash it and dry it. It is a little cheaper too...somehow...

Elder Tuesta is actually from Lima as well...but apparently Lima is a huge city. He speaks very little English, but he understands it pretty well. He has picked up a little on his mission. He only has been out 9 months so he has a lot of time still to learn. It was a little weird going back to Spanish full time but it's good for the Spanish.

The Branch is pretty interesting. We had 51 yesterday and that was actually an improvement from my first Sunday. The primary kids..idk how many there are--maybe about 10--maybe more...idk My first Sunday only 1 Primary kid stayed after the first hour but yesterday a bunch stuck around. The weakness here is with the youth. There are 3 young women...maybe...and 1 young man. There are more youth but they are 18 or 19. The branch has a little of everything. The building here is small and older. It's of the older design. It's a nice little building but it will be way nicer when they have to make the building bigger. I'm hoping they have to start making plans for that in a few months...haha... :) but we'll see what happens.

Sounds like the Stake conference was good. That was a big stake conference. We will have the same thing in March--a satellite broadcast so we'll see who we get. And then it will be General Conference as will. Time is going by fast.

George finishes like this next week. It's crazy. Is Will the only one in front of me? That's crazy. It's been a long time since I saw Will--in the MTC. Fun fact--tomorrow I have 19 months. I have almost made it to the final 4...

This week: nothing super exciting happened. We just visited with a bunch of members. That's the plan: get to know them good--doesn't matter if they come to church a lot, a little, or not at all. We have been able to get to know a lot of members. They are all very nice people.

Fun story--yesterday when I walked into the cook's house she was watching a tv show on TLC. Any guesses as to the show....

It was Cake Boss!!

haha...oh man. That was so funny to me that she was watching Cake Boss. Super crazy to me.

Well, that's about it. Later. Love you.

So....I'm in Santa Rose de Lima. In Zone Rio Grande again and my comp is Elder Tuesta from Peru. We are opening the area. Its a nice area but it will be freaking hot here in like a month, so we'll see what happens. We have a specific mission here. When we got here, the ZLs pulled us aside and said, "alright, so your area has been a branch for 30 years and it doesn't really grow. They baptize but they don't retain. You are here to change that." Basically that's what they told us. We have to stop an age old trend here in Santa Rosa de Lima. Sounds fun, huh?

It's crazy that Josh is already coming home. And George is super close to coming home too. It's weird.

This week--or half week--since we got here, we have focused a lot on getting to know the members--active and inactive--whatever type of member. We have found some people just through these visits. And we have found people that we can work and try and reactivate them. We had 3 investigators in Church. We were only planning on 1. Members brought the other 2. I think we have a good shot at baptizing all 3, but we haven't been able to visit with all of them. I guess time will tell.

We wash our clothes here, but we go to a place with a washer and dryer. it's like being at home...kind of...

sorry if this is short. I want to put up pics from Zaragoza.

later

Monday, February 13

Life is good. Things are going good in Zaragoza. The branch is getting better--for the last 3 or 4 Sundays, the attendance has been higher than my first few months here, so something is going right. And the number of priesthood is up. We have been averaging about 12 I think. When I first got there, there was like 4...or something,so like I said things are getting better. We have another baptism set for this weekend. Relief Society this time so the area is changing. I'd like to say it was us but I don't think I can say it...we just worked.

and I don't know if I'm leaving or not. After 4 changes, you'd think so but Pres. Glazier says that missionaries shouldn't change often, that they should be in their areas for long periods of time--as long as 9 months. So its not a sure thing that I am leaving. I wouldn't mind staying but its kind of hard to work here now. I can walk by doors and remember that the person goes to what ever church and that they had 0 interest. It makes things interesting, but I also know where a lot of ex-investigators are that we could try with again. It works both ways...

fun stuff. We made chocolate chip cookies last Thursday after district meeting. It was fun. They were good. It was a taste of America...hot and delicious.

I really don't have anything to say. It was a boring normal week. We played some bball today...more HORSE than anything. I got 2nd. I hit some super weird shots....like sitting in a chair from the free throw line and 3 point line and shot it over my head backwards from the free throw line. But the elder who won started hitting the crazy shots he had tried all day right when it got down to me and him...like from behind the backboard and stuff like that. Oh well, such is life...

I was a little sick this week, but I'm good now. It was like...idk...i had a sore throat and a stuffy nose. But i think I got it all out...haha... I'm feeling good. I went and bought OJ with 100% Vitamin C and I actually will eat yogurt now, if you wanted to know. It's not bad, still not my favorite thing in the world but it's alright.Strawberry is the best--another thing I will have more of in the States.

How is Kota? grande?

Well, it's time to go. Thanks for the updates and the news and everything. Miss you

How many times did you have to check today before I finally wrote?

This time around it's hot but not like in San Miguel or Usulutan. It cools down more at night than it ever did out in Oriente. In the morning I wake up and it just feels so good. It's not hot and it's not cold. It's just perfect. It's a little hard to get out of bed haha... It's not like in San Miguel or Usu where it was always hot and it felt good to get off your bed and walk around. But don't worry, I get out of bed on time. I just don't want to....

Zaragoza has been pretty normal food wise. I haven't eaten anything super weird--or weird really--it's all been normal stuff here.

As for the beach, I don't really care. No matter where we go, my amazing tan will stun everyone...

Kota...i miss him. Will I be able to pick him up when I come home? Haha...he sounds pretty big now...

so....fun story...Saturday we got a ride in the back of a pick up to a part of our area. Elder Martin had his glasses in his front pocket and somehow lost his glasses, but he didn't realize until we got off and had walked around a little bit. So we had to retrace all of our steps and then we thought--could they be in the truck? They have to be...let's go find the truck. We only knew that the truck was in the same area, but it was a kind of big area. So we are walking, praying in our hearts and we see a truck that looks like the one that gave us a ride. Nope. Another. Nope. We got to a place where we can go left, right, or straight. I look to the left and see a truck. Alright, cool. So we go to that truck. 3rd times a charm--it was the truck. But the glasses weren't in the back. We knock the house in front of the truck and a kid answers and we ask for the owner of the truck. He comes and the moment he sees us, he says..Oh..the glasses! Sure enough he had found them and put them in the cab. What can we learn from that? Glasses are to be on your face...and...God answers prayers. He works miracles.

Warning...kind of gross...if you picture it right and I explain it good, you might want to skip it

you've been warned...

On the bus, there was a guy selling stuff with a super messed up arm. He had a brace on it and he took it off to show the people what happened. So gross. It was like Harry Potter 2 when he loses his bones and his arm is all rubbery. About halfway down the forearm, it was like the whole bone broke off and he could just wave the hand and part of the arm all around. Super crazy...

alright....we're good. Hope you have a good week and give me good news next week. Love you and miss you.

Elder Gilreath