Elder Ryan Skalla: Exciting week and PICS!!!

Hey!

So this week was pretty awesome! Lots of great stuff happening in the ward, the area and the zone....

So on Wednesday we had our Zone class, which is like a monthly training the ZLs give to the zone based on the zones needs and stuff. Everyone usually expects a lot out of it. So being home all week we had plenty of time to plan and prepare so it turned out super fun haha. We are trying to help the missionaries be more self-reliant in identifying problems in their area and coming up with solutions and fixing their own problems before the DL or ZL even gets involved. That involves better planning and better goal setting and several other things that we wanted to teach them. We came up with the idea of inventing a fake area and giving the missionaries the opportunity to walk through week by week and day by day how they would plan, set goals, and help the area progress. We put kind of like a 007/FBI/Mission Impossible twist on it and made goofy videos of my companion and I acting like secret agents and made the capilla look like a (sort of) FBI headquarters and it was fun haha. Like in Trek there were different surprises that happened along the way (like the Indians coming and the women's pull, stuff like that) and the decisions they made effected the outcome of the next week. It was fun and everybody enjoyed themselves while learning some often boring and not so fun lessons. So that was fun!

Also, we visited Bricio (just a note: its B-R-I-C-I-O, said like Bree-See-Oh) and got everything planned out for his baptismal interview and his baptism. Elder Tipton is going to baptize him and I will confirm him. We are excited because We were both in the office when the rule changed that we can baptize now if they choose us so we have both never done it. Hopefully I get that opportunity as well but if not... I will always have my children to baptize haha.

So crazy story... Remember a year ago when I was in Miramar? Ok so we were opening up half the area because they closed Miramar 2, and they only had a few investigators but the one that was most progressing we looked for a lot. We unfortunately never found her and eventually we were able to call her and find out she had moved but no longer had time to receive the missionaries or go to church. Oh well, bummer. I had forgotten completely about that. Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago and we were in a micro bus and a young man dressed in a white shirt comes and sits by us and starts talking about how hes a member from Independencia and that he is going on a mission in a few weeks and that his mom isn't a member and wants us to teach her. Cool, a golden reference! We wrote it down and a few days later called her to put an appointment. She said she was busy and had to take care of her mom who is old and needs help but when she had time she would call us. Okay... A few days later we were walking home at night and we walked past a hot dog cart and there was that kid we saw in the bus with his mom! We met her and again she said that when she had time, she would call us. A few days later she called and this week on Friday we went and taught her. She told us about her story with the church and the missionaries and that recently she has felt a need to take the discussions again. She talked about how she used to live in Altamira and that the elders pressured her to be baptized so she stopped going. Long story short I eventually made the connection that SHE was the investigator I was looking for a year ago! Crazy! Its such a small world. Sure enough I went and checked my agenda from that change and her name is on several pages haha. I no longer believe in coincidences... We will see how she progresses. Her name is Ester and her son leaves for the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

On Saturday Bricio had his baptismal interview and passed :) He is so excited its like a little boy on Christmas haha. He loves the fact that his sister and wife and parents have no idea. They have been waiting for years and have almost given up hope. On Wednesday we eat with them and will make the big announcement. Baptism is Saturday at 6:00. He is a great guy and a lifelong friend. Cant wait to come to their sealing in a year! His younger brother Quintin is now the only one who isn't a member. He is in Wyoming right now working on a ranch. Maybe when I get home I´ll drive up and look for him haha.

Saturday there was 1 baptism in the zone and 4 baptismal interviews! We are hoping to have around 10 this month! The most the zone has ever baptized in the last 2 years is 7, so if there are 10 we will be super excited! We have been really blessed and are seeing tons of miracles. Yesterday we met with President Flores, the Stake President for a few minutes and he told us that a few weeks ago he was in Mexico City with the Mexico area presidency and Elder Oaks and Elder Clayton. He casually mentioned the stuff we are doing in the Stake to help the members and get them excited to work together in the work and to read preach my gospel and be member missionaries. Since then, Elder De Hoyos, the area president, has been asking President Flores more details and to explain exactly what we are doing and how its going and everything. CRAZY, RIGHT!

On Sunday we got permission to go to the hospital to see Bricio and his wife and his new baby, Luz Dania. She is so tiny and so adorable. His other baby, Azul, who is 2 and a half, is so cute with her and says tat its hers haha. She cried when they took her away to be fed. They invited us to come over which was really special. We are excited for Wednesday and for Saturday! Yay!