Preaching in Puerto Rico: Pedro got baptized! And I'm gonna be a dad! (going to train a new missionary/greenie)

What a week...

This week went by sooooo fast! It really felt like I only went out to work like 3 times.

But so this week we focused a ton on Pedro, because he had the baptismal date for the 28th. So we really focused on him and preparing him to be baptized. It was super scary Friday when the Zone Leaders came to do his interview that he wasn't in his house and we couldn't find him. Sometimes he just leaves even though we tell him that we'll pass by. But so we couldn't find him Friday night and I was super bummed thinking that we wouldn't be able to baptize him on Saturday. But then at like 8:30 at night we found him in his house. So we made a ton of phone calls and got it all worked out so that we could do his interview Saturday morning and baptize him Saturday afternoon. It was all really crazy. But on Saturday he got baptized!!

Wednesday I had an exchange in Aguas Buenas with Elder Hanna and honestly it was super fun. We made giant cookies and found some cool people. Aguas Buenas is a really hard area, obviously that's why the Zone Leaders are there. And usually each week they find like 3 new investigators but Wednesday with Elder Hanna we found 3 new investigators in one day! We ended up contacting the whole entire day which was exhausting but it was fun. Sometimes it's fun to get away and talk in English with someone who understands you, hahahaha. At the end of the exchange Elder Hanna bought us a giant pizza and let me eat like all of it! haha.

Thursday and Friday were crazy. We spent a lot of time reviewing everything with Pedro so that he would be ready for baptism and his interview. And Friday we had a zone meeting with President Boucher about the pants and mosquitos and stuff like that. So they came and told us that the Elders can wear big floppy hats now, and sunglasses! It'll be so weird to see missionaries now with these changes.

Then Saturday we ended up doing service in the morning with a less active and one of their neighbors. The less active is Willie Berrios. He's actually a famous Puerto Rican singer and I know him, I think that basically makes me famous too. He's super cool and insanely funny. I don't think I've ever laughed while doing service like I did with him. Look up his name, he sang for us and has some cool songs. But he has one of the coolest houses with the coolest views in all of Puerto Rico. And he has a super cool truck and he took us out to lunch. The dude is awesome. In the afternoon Pedro got baptized, Elder Paniagua did the baptism. It was cool but because we weren't sure that we would have the baptism, not many members showed up, but the important part is that now he's made the covenant!

Yesterday we found out the changes! Elder Paniagua is going to Guayanilla and will be the District Leader there, and I'm going to train here in Caguas! Tomorrow I get to pick up my little greeenie! This transfer will be kinda weird because like halfway through, the Zone Leaders that are in Aguas Buenas right now, are going to move down to Caguas and live here and work here. I think they're slowly working to shut down the branch in Aguas Buenas... So then there will be 4 elders in the house!

There's not much more new here, we're working to baptize the good people, or as we say here "la gente buena".

But I'm sure next week will be full of stories and new information!

The church is true and changes lives. I love the way Pedro said after being baptized that he feels "restored". Really, baptism restores us to the way our Heavenly Father made us, the way we were when he sent us here to earth. Clean. What a blessing baptism can be if we truly work to keep ourselves clean, as our Heavenly Father wants us to be. Not to say that we won't get dirty, but he's always there to help us return to how we can be.

I love you all! Be good and share the gospel!

Elder Nelson/ Zack to the "gente buena" ;)