Las Misiones

I got transfered.   :(

I am now in Santa Cruz again.  May ward is calles las Misiones.  My companion is Elder Laura and he has 21 months in the mission.  The ward seems really strong, partially because my last 2 areas have been wimpy little small-town branches.  There are more active priesthood holders in my ward than in the last 2 branches combined.  Among those members are the 2nd counselor of the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission and the former president of the Bolivia La Paz Mission.

Despite the strength of the members, the area is pretty weak.  There have not been any baptims in my area for the last 5 months, and we currently have next to nothing as far as investigators.  The only investigators that we do have is a young couple, the Hinojosa family.  They are from a tiny, rural town, and speak very little Spanish.  They mostly speak quechua, a common native language here.  A member who also speaks quechua accompanies us in the lessons to help translate.  They understand about 75% of what we say in Spanish and we understand about 50% of what they are saying when they speak Quechua, and the member tries to make up for the rest.  They came to church Sunday and really enjoyed it (or what they could understand of it).  Thay are progressing slowly, but surely, and if we can help them to get married, they will be getting baptized in mid-March.

Elder Casdorph