3/18/2013 7:35 AM

Lol. I have actually had dates before (to everyone - the kind you eat!) and they are pretty good.

I will send the misson schedule to you next pday, but yes, this is still the email you write to and send everything else to my mission  office and then they send it to me. It is easier this way because then I dont have to worry about it. It jsut takes a little longer to get to me. And next pday I will send pics to you through email.

Could you let Nate and Paige know I can listen to music and everything out here. We are allowed to listend to Lord of the Rings stuff!  lol.....Really, just anything not too crazy, but I just want music to turn my thoughts to my Savior. Tell the Hainsworths and Anna I said CONGRATS!   Thanks for doing that on Facebook for me and I am proud of you to figure it out! lol

Ok, so for the good stuff.......I am serving in  Bridgeport, Conneticut, the very bottom of our mission area and everyone in the mission says it is the most ghetto of it all, but I love it!

I am in a full time spanish speaking area and I'm in a spanish branch.  They meet in a very different kind of building.  I will take a pic of it for you.

Anyway there are currently 14 Priesthood Holders who pay tithing and we need 1 more to pay tithing in order to become a ward.

As far as investigators, when I arrived it was halted a bit.  Now we have a lady named Maria ready to get baptized which will be very soon.  My companion is Elder Hawks and has been out for 21 months, so in missionary language I am his last son and am going to kill him.  He is a good Elder and speaks really good espanol.  Anyway we have been working as hard as possible and have been having a lot of pretty good success in finding people since we have been relying on the Lord and talking to EVERYONE we see!  However, there are a good number of those we have found that speak English.  When they are interested we have to pass them along to the English Elders.  But, anyway, it is amazing out here, so that is the background.

My Mission President, President Packard and his family are AMAZING. There are really no words to describe them.  They have been out for 8 months and have changed this mission so much for the better.  We have become a really successful mission under their guidance.  All we do here is focus on the members because it is through members that the work is really most successful.   President and his wife are both lawyers and very intelligent.  His counselors are very intelligent as well.  His counselor wrote a book about how to become successful ward missionaries ( members) and did it because M. Russell Ballard told him to write it because of his success in it. So we are using that as a tool to our advantage.

Cool experiences.......

The day after arriving to Boston we were staying at the mission home and they took us to Boston Commons ( a park ) to go contact people.  I was companioned with Elder Treseder who was in my District at the MTC.  Well, let's just say the people out here are different, they never even really talk to each other or say hello.  It is just different.  So anyway, before we started we prayed and asked God to help us find those whom he has been preparing for us (field is white) and after moving forward opening our mouths and getting completely ignored (which was not bad at all, but fun) we finally came to a guy who was pulling out his guitar and we started talking to him. Shortly after, he opened up to us and talked about how the people here aren't very welcoming and open and then he started telling us about his life.  He has had a hard life and addicted to many things. Because of his background he was praying to God for help and then we walked up, so he thought that maybe this was the help.  I know that as we move forward, not judging others, seeing them rather as they can become, the Lord will help us find those whom he has been preparing for us.

I arrived on Wed. to my mission area and my companion showed me where we go to church which is right across the street ( which is nice) and as we were walking around getting to work I was just filled with a great love and vision for this area, those in it and what we could do here.  Our mission theme is to Build Zion.  I know we can as we just give the Lord our all, relying on him, recognizing He is the one that makes all things possible. I can't explain fully how I felt, but I just got a vision of what this area could turn into and it is amazing!  We have a lot of work to do, but the success we have already had is because we are giving the Lord our all and constantly looking for ways to give even more and the Lord has blessed us.

As for the language...... Let's just say I have a lot of improvement. There are so many different forms of spanish here.   I pick up words, but for the most part I'm lost, but it's ok.  I love every second of it. I love the people and the Spirit guides me.  I don't know what I say half the time.  I just open my mouth and it is wonderful.  It is, however, a little harder to open my mouth when I have no idea what is going on, but I love it anyway.

I have to go replensih my computer time......I will continue in another message.


Mon 3/18/2013 8:05 AM

 

So, as I have mentioned, we have been busy.  We share a van with the other missionaries in our apartment. There is one other companionship.  What we have been doing is instead of riding bikes when we dont have the van or for the days we don't need it, we just walk. That way we can contact every single person we see on our way to places.  It is going very well.

Since we went right to work when I first got here, I haven't gotten groceries at all, so I have been living off of rice and really just the snacks I had from the MTC and what the other missionaries have been letting me eat.  I don't eat much cuz I don't want to eat all their food.  But, it will all change today lol!

The weahter has been below 30 the past few days and its really the wind chill that gets you more than anything.

On Sunday I met the members of the Branch.  I was, for the most part, lost during the whole thing, but they called me up to introduce myself and bear my testimony. It seemed like I was up there for only a second and it was really cool. That was probably one of the times that I did pretty good at speaking it.

So, since I have been out here, with everything going on, Wed. I had no language study.  Thursday no language study because we had an appointment in the morning, and then the same with Friday. Saturday I didn't either because M. Russell Ballard came to speak to our mission and since we were too far away it was broadcast to us, but it was really good (Sorry I'm all over the place and my grammar and everything is not good. Just too much to say.)

To say in simplified terms. This place is amazing!  I love everything about it.  I love the area, people, and the buildings.

I am able to go forth and share this message to ALL people no matter the circumstance because I know that this church is true.  I know that because it is true, if the individuals that we share it with will accept the challenge to put our testimonies to the test along with the words of the Book of Mormon they WILL receive a witness that it is true.  That God loves them, knows them, and has restored his church in its fullness yet again on the earth.  With this knowledge and by following this they will then come to know who they are, what the purpose of life is and be able to obtain a level of peace, joy and happiness that they would not otherwise be able to obtain. I know this will happen because I put it to the test.  I have experienced this for myself and know from God that this is true.

This is a promise for all. Those of you reading this, please put my words to the test.  What do you have to lose?  If anything at all you have so much more to gain than you can yet comprehend at this time.  I leave you with my testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's church fully restored on earth again.  That we have a living prophet today as in times of old who receives guidance from Jesus Christ himself because this is Christ's church.  I know with all my heart that this is true and that Jesus Christ lives. I leave this testimony and invitation to you in his sacred name, even the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Salerno