Happy Holidays

Jaydan's comp climbing the wall.

right after we talked to Jaydan on Christmas he killed this mouse...the rat got away. (puke)

Jaydan's Christmas package made it on Tuesday, December 28th (Larry's Birthday)

Jaydan said that the drawing of the girl on the wall was done by the dad of the mission. He drew it and sent it to Jaydan and kept one for himself. It is a picture of the girlfriend of the cockiest missionary.

The work is getting super hard. The branch is ridiculous and not in the best way. They don't seem to love each other like they should..especially the inactive members. It is really hard to reactivate people because of it and also for those investigating the Church. There are only a few members that really love others like they should. Jaydan said he could count them on one hand. When inactives do start coming the members will criticize them and put them down and then they don't want to come back. (ya think?)

Jaydan said they need to fix the members first so that they can do their work. This work is impossible without the help and love and support of members. All of Jaydan's baptisms have been from the help of members and are still active because of the members so he knows it is really important. Jaydan has a hard time having patience when he sees things like this. Jaydan didn't really think this would happen to him and can even see how it affects his own obedience. He said he is having a hard time being completely obedient and feels like he is in a bit of a rut. This last week was just harder than normal.

Since the new year is coming Jaydan wants to recommit and do things right and to work hard.

Happy Christmas & Merry New Years

This week Jaydan had interviews with the President and also a little Christmas party. The Christmas party was pretty good. They exchanged gifts and Jaydan bought a little puffy potty seat (the kind you put on a regular seat). Jaydan received a laser pointer, a sucker, and a pen that lit up when you wrote with it. The pen also had a little stress ball on top that you could shoot off with a little button.

Jaydan and the missionaries set up for the party on Saturday and did a great job but since Jaydan didn't have his camera we will just have to take his word. Jaydan and another guy also made a bouquet for the chapel and he said it turned out "purty good" for two guys.

The members are really taking to Jaydan and like him a lot. (what's not to like?) They tell him often and sometimes even say that they like him better than his comp. The people aren't afraid to say anything. They say what they think....like if they think you're fat they say so or if you're ugly they will let you know so Jaydan believes them when they say they like him.

One lady thought that Jaydan's mom (me) was his girlfriend when she saw a picture of us together. When Jaydan said that it was his MOM she couldn't believe it. Jaydan says a lot of people think I look too young (right on). They also think that I am really pretty (oh ya...I like people from other countries!)

The lady that had the dream about Jaydan has two really cute little grand daughters. (4 & 6) They really love Jaydan but are quite abusive with him....like hitting and kicking. The night of the party they started hitting & punching and so Jaydan got up and they just played around the room. He was trying to keep away from them. The 4 year old likes to bite and she came up from behind and bit his "butt". (ouch!) Jaydan thinks she had better watch out before he pulls a Justin and passes a little gas to her face. (he said he was just kidding...but I bet if she keeps it up he won't just be kidding)

The branch presidents wife and other lady members always say "que divino" which is how divine. (pretty much) They love Jaydan's eyes and love how they change colors. They really like it when they are blue. (which I bet is most of the time)

The area is hard since there are so many girls that flirt (snakes). The numbers are never high in this area but Jaydan likes the competition. Jaydan loves his comp and says they get a long "grrrrrrreat"!!! His comp is a bit trunky for his Christmas call so that makes things a bit hard right now. Even though it's tough Jaydan likes it. Jaydan likes the challenges and know he will just learn from them....he says it doesn't bother him much.

Jaydan dove for a ball today while they were playing volleyball on the cement and cut his elbow pretty good...it bled pretty good too.

Since it is the week of Christmas you should go do something for someone else or give something to someone and not worry about receiving anything. The spirit of giving and the feeling you get are indescribable. So go do something for someone else...the blessings will be phenomenal. Like it says in Mosiah 2:16ish when you are in the service of your fellow men you are in the service of your God.

What ever the weather is at home it is the opposite here!

Oh and the best thing that happened this whole week was when we went to the rest home to sing and share scriptures with a member that isn't able to attend church. Jaydan said he could feel the spirit really strong and the lady even put her hand up in front of her face like she was blocking out the "light". She even got a little teary. Jaydan said the feeling was so strong and wonderful that he is certain there were "Angels" in the room and that maybe this little lady was even seeing them. He loved this experience so much and said it was probably the best experience of his life. Awesome spiritual experience. He is looking forward to going back on Christmas.

Love you all tons...THEE Elder Ropelato

Dreams & Snakes

Jaydan and his comp with some girls they are teaching. (one of the girls mom is a member)

Busy week with changes. Jaydan is now comps with Elder Pardo from Uruguay. Elder Pardo is super cool. Jaydan says that they get along really well and that he is learning the language quickly from him. That's because he has....or gets to speak it all day.....he really likes it though. Jaydan is hoping right now that they will get more time together....stay comps for a change or so.

The new area is super hard...not the hardest in the mission but still hard. The Church is kind of weak there. One of the first days that Jaydan was there they went to a members house to visit her and when she saw Jaydan for the first time her eyes got really big and she said she had a dream about him. She had told Jaydan's comp before changes that when his comp leaves he was going to get a Yankee comp. (that'd be Jaydan) One that is short (Jaydan), has glasses (Jaydan) and was skinny(Jaydan if he lost the weight he had put on). She described Jaydan to the "T". Every bit was exactly right. So Jaydan knows that he is there for a reason and that he is suppose to be there. It was a good start for Jaydan in his new area!

Jaydan is already getting comfortable with these people in this area. He was at one house and two really cute grand daughters of the lady kept biting him before he left. (I hope they were little like Zaden)

In this area they don't find very many people that want to listen to their message. So when they do find people they will have quality lessons at least.. This area reminds Jaydan of what he would imagine Italy being. There is a Big Catholic Church and most the people are Catholic. The numbers aren't real big in this area and so Jaydan thinks it is probably similar to what a mission in Italy would be like.

On Sunday instead of having the regular 40 people at church they only had 19. Two of those 19 were from the Stake and two were the missionaries. (Jaydan was the youngest even) So yes, there is a lot of work to be done. They aren't a ward yet....just a rama or branch. Jaydan had to lead the music, pass the sacrament and even speak for just a few minutes. So he was busy his first Sunday.

After lunch they went to an old folks home to visit a member that isn't able to go anymore. They sang for her and talked with her a little and the spirit was so strong. Jaydan loves going there and he loves feeling the spirit! Even though they aren't suppose to accept kisses (not chocolate) from others they couldn't refuse this little lady. It's their custom to kiss like it is a lot of places in Europe. Jaydan said they are going to go back for Christmas and sing to everyone.

One bad thing about this area is there are a lot of "snakes". (girls that are really flirty with the missionaries) Jaydan said there are tons and it is bad. Even the wife of the Branch President is a snake. (says Jaydan) She was talking to Jaydan in a tone that he wasn't comfortable with. It's a hard area and the "snakes" just make it even harder.

Thee Elder Ropelato

Getting a New Area and a New Comp

These are flowers that you will see during this time of year. Complete opposite of home. It's very hot and humid. The trees are full of blooming flowers. (the girls would love it)There were changes this week and Jaydan is leaving. He is headed for a place called Colonia and his new area is Carmelo. Colonia is one of the most expensive places in Uruguay. The Wards don't have a reputation for being very strong so it will be keep Jaydan busy. He is looking forward to working hard though. Jaydan's new comp is Elder Pardo from Uruguay. Jaydan is excited to have a native comp and knows that he will be forced to learn the language better now. He had been asking for a native comp and his prayers were answered. He is really looking forward to this change.

Jaydan bought the things he needed in Rivera since the prices there are really good and the quality is good too. Jaydan is starting already to get a Christmas package ready for our family for next year. (Yay...keeping the season going)

This week the missionaries were trying to get ready for a White Christmas with the mission work. They have been really busy and have had some great days and some hard days. One lady that they contacted didn't want to listen to the missionaries because she believed if she did she would go to Hell! So she walked away from them and went into her house. It kind of stunned the Elders but gave them something to laugh at.

Lately they have had to do a bunch of "this is your last chance" kind of lessons because the people that they do it to know the things that they are told are true. They even say they know that they are true but they just won't go to Church. Like Franci who can't walk very far and who's only about 30, he doesn't like others to help him. He always has tears in his eyes when we leave so we know he knows its true and so does he. But even knowing he will still not go to church. Jaydan and members are going to his house every week to pick him and his family up for Church but they always have a reason or excuse not to go. It's hard on Jaydan when he knows they know and just won't finish things out. He has a strong Love for them.

Jaydan had a feeling he would be leaving this area and so on Sunday he bore his testimony to the ward. He told them thanks and also how important each of them were in this work.

Jaydan went to the family that they have been teaching. The one with the genius kid, Bruno. And the one where the mom was smoking 40 + cigarettes a day and then went to church 3 weeks ago and hasn't smoked since. She quit in one day which is amazing and proves that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it and want to bad enough.

Jaydan is thankful for his latino companion and excited to learn the language better. He is excited for the challenge of his new area and plans on working really hard.

Hey Ya Tards (that's how he addressed us)

So when I first saw these pictures of Jaydan I thought......sweet my son has learned to "pole dance". It's becoming quite popular here you know and maybe in Uruguay too.

This might be the result of some hard work.....or then again from the "pole dancing".(when Larry saw this picture he thought Jaydan looked an awful lot like himself)

Jaydan had divisions and was with Elder Robledo from Argentina. Jaydan really like him and thinks he's cool. He said they "tore it up". Everything that was planned for the division fell through but these guys were still able to teach and bunch of lessons and find some good people and got more contacts. They had really good numbers. Jaydan said that he and Elder Robledo just mixed together good...good work...unity (which is crucial in the mission and what Jaydan and his comp struggle with~Jaydan said that)

There are 2 soccer teams in Uruguay that seem to win the cup every year. They are Nacional "Bolso"and Penarol "Manya". They found a family that had like 1000 things of Nacional. (no joke) So Jaydan started asking questions about that to get them talking. When him and Elder Robledo first got to the door the wife had told them that her husband, Pablo, didn't really like the missionaries and Jaydan said that's okay a lot of people don't. Then he invited themselves in to visit. She let them in after Jaydan asked her a second time. Pablo acted kind of bitter at first until Jaydan brought up the Nacional and then he got super excited. They talked about soccer for awhile and then they taught him about the plan of salvation. The wife had recently lost her mother and also some siblings and was hurting of course. When the missionaries were leaving Pablo said: "I honestly don't know how you did it but you two are the first people to ever enter my house. Others like you always come by and I never let them in but I don't know how you guys did it." Jaydan plans on going back soon and visiting Pablo again. He said it was a huge lift for him since the other things they had planned had fallen through. Jaydan also said: "that's what happens when you buckle down and are diligent."

The family that Jaydan talked about last week is coming right along. The dad is working hard so that he can baptize his son Bruno. Bruno is only 9 but reads everything all the time. He understands it too maybe even better than most investigators. Jaydan is already thinking what a great future missionary Bruno will be. Bruno would read everything the missionaries asked his parents to read. He reads the Bible and the Book of Mormon outside and his friends would see him and make fun of him but he didn't care and just kept on reading. This was happening before the missionaries were even teaching him and before he ever went to Church....back when his parents were having problems. Just an awesome kid!

Then another guy named Darci, can't go to Church anymore because his wife thinks that he is going just to see another woman because he wanted to buy a new white shirt and tie to wear so he could look nicer. The missionaries talked to him and told him to just keep doing the good things that he has been doing. Jaydan said he is so ready. His wife works at the Hospital and isn't able to go to Church. The missionaries challenged him to start from the beginning of the Book of Mormon and just read every day. Darci said he would and that he would be done with it next Sunday when Jaydan and his comp come back. "WWWOOOO!!!!! this guy is super sick"(I think that means awesome) Jaydan just hopes that his wife will trust him and let him go to Church.

Jaydan said that they have a lot of good people that just need to step over one little thing to make it. So there's a lot of good potential investigators.

Thanksgiving doesn't exist over there. Just Christmas and maybe Valentines (Jaydan's birthday) and so those are Jaydans 2 favorite holidays.

Thee Elder Ropelato

Serving Others

Jaydan helped tear down a members fence. He loves doing service for others.

This week Jaydan shared two cool stories. Jaydan and his comp found some people to teach. The dad has a hard time walking because of his back. After they talked they asked the dad to pray. The prayer was really good and the "spirit" was really strong. The dad was crying after and the missionaries asked him how he felt. His reply was that he felt so great. He said that he never cries but he was letting it happen. The next time they talked with them the dad, Franci, was tearing up off and on throughout the discussion. His wife was tearing up too. The Bishop was there with the missionaries this time too and the home was filled with the "Spirit." Jaydan loves going to that house because they have had some great spiritual experiences. The missionaries asked Franci to pray to know if the Church and the Book of Mormon were true and he said that he already knew they were. "Holy Cow such a great family of 5 and 4 can be baptized." (Jaydan's exact words)

Jaydan went over to an inactive members house and the dad was out working in the yard. Jaydan and his comp started helping him pull weeds. They asked the guy, Morcelo how he was doing. Marcelo told them that he wasn't doing good. Him and his wife had seperated again and he had been in a car accident where his friend was thrown 10 or more meters from the car. Marcelo only had a few scratches and wasn't hurt that bad. While the missionaries were there talking to him his wife, Ana, showed up. Marcelo felt like the missionaries were a sign from God. That God had something more for him in this life since he wasn't even hurt and the missionaries were there testifying to him. Him and Ana promised to go to Church and get back on track. They said when they were going to Church that they felt closer to each other and their jobs were going good too but when they stopped things weren't so good. Jaydan said they are working with Marcelo to help him prepare himself so that he can baptize his son. His son is 9 years old and awesome. He would read the scriptures that the missionaries had asked the parents to read. He would do that on his own. Jaydan is excited to see the change in this family.

Jaydan said that they have found about three great families to teach and he gets excited when that happens. He mentioned that changes are coming up and wonders what will happen to him.

He loves us all SOOOOOOOOO much!

THEE Elder Ropelato

Gringo's win One!

This week was pretty good as far as the work went. Jaydan and his comp have been working hard and getting tons of lessons and finding lots of people to talk to. Jaydan said "we are on a pretty good streak right now." No one new showed up for church on Sunday and that is always disappointing for the missionaries. Jaydan is concerned with what to do with some of them. He is afraid that the missionaries will have to drop them because some might just be wasting their time. There are some investigators that promise every week to come to Church and then they just don't go. But they will turn around and promise again....kind of ticks Jaydan off. Jaydan and his comp even tried to take a lady named Elida over to the church during the week just to help her get more comfortable and she didn't show for that either. Jaydan knows there must be some explanation since she does everything else they ask of her. It's just a bit frustrating for the missionaries to work hard and expect to see the people they are working with at church and then to have no one come......kind of a bummer!

Jaydan is bugged with his comp. Anything Jaydan suggests kind of gets over looked until one of the other missionaries suggest the same thing and then it's a good idea. Jaydan is trying hard not to let that bug him but it does.

They are having Zone Conferences in T-bo that Jaydan is looking forward to and knows will be interesting.

On p-days they are starting to play soccer. They had their teams be the gringo's (Americans) against the Latino's. The Latino's are just better and usually win but the Gringo's finally won a game and that made Jaydan very Happy!

Love you all! THEE Elder Ropelato

Serving Others

"Hey you bunch of fart buckets, how are ya?" (oh...makes me miss my silly boy)

The weeks are starting to blurr to Jaydan. They go by quick with lots happening. This week they had a meeting with their recent convert, Clair. She is seriously one of the best converts that you could have. Jaydan was having a hard time talking to her and kept wondering what he was doing wrong not to be blessed with the ability to communicate. (remember his deal with the Lord) It really made him stop and reflect but isn't quite sure. It still is just frustrating when he doesn't get it.

They stopped by Daniels house. Jaydan really likes Daniel and thinks he is awesome. Daniel moved back home with his mom though in Montevideo and is in the other mission now. Jaydan feels good about giving the other missionaries a great guy to teach. He is sure that Daniel will be baptized. Jaydan and his comp gave Daniel a Book of Mormon to read on the was ride home. (to Montevideo). They exchanged addresses so they could keep in touch. They really like each other. (It is Daniel in the picture)

Saturday the missionaries played football and Jaydan was quite proud of the way he played. He was doing stuff that even surprised himself. He had a great time and left feeling pretty good about himself.

Sunday was quite a day...but good. The missionaries tried picking people up for church but didn't have much success. Elida, a super good investigator does everything but attend church. She quit all her bad habits and does everything the missionaries ask except attend church. She keeps promising that she will come but she never shows up and it bugs Jaydan that she out right lies to them. They want to find out what the real reason is and work with her.

They found a lady out pulling her weeds. The missionaries stopped to see if they could help her but the lady told them No. They started talking about Eternal Families and the lady started tearing up but also saying that was impossible. She told them all about the people in her life that had passed away. Then Jaydan's comp bore his testimony as families being together forever. She must have listened because Jaydan said they got her respect. She finally agreed to let the missionaries help her weed and they are even going to help her paint her house. Jaydan loves serving other people and feels like that's what a mission is all about.

Go Italians!!!

Jaydan had a big sliver in his thumb. The spider was as big as his thumb.

Jaydan was in Montevideo for meetings on Monday and Tuesday. He is starting to write using Spanish words and not remembering the English word. (good sign) He enjoyed the meetings a lot and learned so much at them. He thought it was nice that he was able to understand just about everything that was said. He always loves when he can understand! He said the meeting was just about the basics and working together as missionaries. He really liked the message the President's Wife spoke of. She talked about staying on your knees after you are through praying and just listening. They gave an example of the Mission President having a Missionary contact him and as soon as he did the Mission President just left. We need to take a moment to just ponder and meditate and listen for the voice of the Lord.

Jaydan also liked hearing that the missionaries need to listen with their hearts and not just their ears when they are teaching. He said if they do that they won't have to fear or worry about anything and that the spirit will guide them in what to say and do. Jaydan know that is the only way they will really be able to teach or help others is through the spirit. Without it they are nothing and aren't able to do anything. Jaydan feels his job is to help others "feel" the spirit. (I think he is right)

Jaydan has an Italian Missionary living with him and thinks it is really cool that the only two Italians are living in the same house. (or part Italians...meaning himself) Then he wrote.....sono anziano liccioli ei spero che voi vi ricordiate italiano perche io sto servendo las missione da capoooooo ciaooooo. (whatever that means....I think you have to know Italian) Every night at 10:00 they have a bowl of fruit loops together since they bought a huge bag of it. The Italian Elder is learning English really well and speaking it well too. They give cheers to each other with their bowls of fruit loops. (like people do with champagne) Jaydan said they just have "good chemistry" together and a lot of fun.

On the way home from Rivera, Jaydan and Elder Tippets were sitting together quoting funny movies. Jaydan thought it was hilarious and so much fun. They played 20 questions with just movies. That was a great way to pass the time on a long bus ride back home.

Jaydan is still trying to obey all the rules even the little ones.

He ended this week with "GO ITALIANS!!!! and mucho freakin amor"

Jaydan and Elder Bolanos on the border of Uruguay and Brazil.

This week there were changes but Jaydan and his comp are staying put. They also have an Italian Missionary living with, Elder Liccoli. So I guess that makes 1 1/2 Italians (the 1/2 is Jaydan) in their house. Jaydan really likes him and thinks he is super cool. They are already great friends. Jaydan had met him in Paysandu (his first zone).

They had Stake Conference that was broad casted. Jaydan said it was pretty different and he still didn't understand much. He is still struggling with the language. He does have faith however that he really will learn it or why would God send him to a place he would need to know Spanish. He works hard and tries not to worry but admitted to getting impatient at times.

A lot of times when the missionaries go to a house the parents will tell the kids to tell the Elders that the parents aren't home. The Elders are aware of that and so they tell the kids to ask the parents when it would be a good time to come back. They did this to one little girl and pretty soon the dad came out and they were able to have a good lesson with him. It was about the plan of salvation which needed to be heard and turned out really good. The spirit was strong and Jaydan did alright with the language.

Elida, the really good lady that they have been teaching, had another appointment with the Elders. They planned on teaching about the 10 commandments but since she asked them why they didn't drink coffee they had a discussion on the Word of Wisdom instead. Jaydan said he did okay but had a few struggles getting through the lesson. He reminded himself that it is through our trials that we learn. (trying to stay positive and real)

Jaydan mentioned that his comp has been getting discouraged a little lately and so Jaydan said he was trying to pull off a "Dr Phil". He tried to help his comp look at the bright side of things. Even though things are hard they should be happy since the Lord is on their side and as they push through their trial and difficulties they will be blessed for their faith and diligence. Jaydan mentioned he tries to remember that himself since he is has a lot of trials and challenges. He knows he will be blessed if he keeps working hard and enduring to the end and not giving up. Having that attitude has helped him to be happy. His attitude has also helped his comp because Jaydan just won't let things that are not in his control get him down. (like people not wanting to listen) Jaydan just tells his comp that if people don't want to listen it isn't the missionaries fault...they simply aren't ready. Then instead of being down he is just excited to go find someone that they can teach. Jaydan loves helping others out and knows that him and his comp are in their companionship to help each other.

Love to all family and friends (including Hollie)

PS A really good talk to look up about "Becoming a Missionary" is by Elder Bednar. It is found in the November 2005 Ensign. Not just good for those preparing for missions but for everyone!

all mixed up

Jaydan is staying where he is for awhile. There were changes but Jaydan and his comp, Elder Bates, are staying put. Jaydan is happy about that since he loves the people and the area a lot. Jaydan is still getting bugged by his comp....and thinks that maybe that is why they are still together. (they need to learn to get along)

Jaydan wants really bad to keep the rules so that they can be blessed. However when things don't go exactly as planned he gets frustrated. (that's life...you have to be flexible) He is really trying though and praying a lot for help. Jaydan really does want to do what is right.

Last week they had divisions and Jaydan went out teaching with Elder Acosta, the one who kissed him after general conference from Paraguay. They did pretty good for only having half a day. Since Elder Acosta is the Zone Leader they had other things that they needed to do too. They worked in Jaydan's area and where able to find their way around pretty good.

They did a service project for a lady. They were able to help her paint her house. Jaydan said the wall he painted was cement and in really bad shape but ended up looking pretty good. The lady really complimented him and made him feel good.

There were a few people that showed up for church. Some investigators and some in actives. Jaydan thought it was awesome. He loves seeing people follow through on their commitments. One of the investigators thinks that Jaydan is cute and flirts with him a bit. The missionaries try to take a young women from the ward with them now so that she will have friends. Jaydan and his comp are finding so many good people to teach. They are hoping for some great baptisms this change.

Jaydan is needing some recipes since all the houses have ovens and the missionaries are able to cook. So if anyone has any recipes that you would like to share feel free to do so.

Jaydan loves everyone so freaking much....in fact more than watermelon and he really loves watermelon.

The weather is hot there so opposite of what we are experiencing!

Harry Potter must be True!

Jaydan and Elder Bolanos. Jaydan doing his fat neck trick! (can you say chubby bunny?)

A treat from home! Jaydan loves waffle crisp cereal. Yummy!

Jaydan was feeling good this week. He addressed us as "fart buckets". (but then reassured us that he liked us) This week went pretty good. The biggest change for Jaydan was that he made a huge promise with God that he would try really hard to be obedient to everything and get out of the house on time and get to appointments on time too. He knows that appointments are made for a reason and it is important to keep them. Since he has made this promise and worked hard at keeping it he is much happier with a better attitude and the days go by so much quicker. Also his Spanish is tons better. It still isn't super great but he does have his moments. He can tell that his Spanish or attitude aren't as good when he isn't trying his hardest to keep all the rules. It's also when he doesn't have as much patience for his companion. So he does realize it is important to keep his promise always. (he thinks he is pathetic for taking so long to realize that)

Another "big" thing right now is.....Jaydan. When he left for the mission he weighed 135 and now he is 160!!! Twenty five pounds in five months......uh oh!!! (I (mom) think he was just wanting to be best at something and eating seemed to be that something) Jaydan has now limited himself to only two plates at most and no more trans fat. He said that is what kills ya here and every meal has tons of grease or oil, mostly oil. Jaydan doesn't think he really looks fat except for maybe his neck.

They had divisions again and Jaydan was with the District Leader, Elder Cespedas, from Paraguay. Jaydan thinks he is way cool. (Elder Cespedas...probably himself too) Jaydan said they walked and they walked. They walked and walked some more. In fact they walked all day. (sounds like the pioneer song) They contacted a few people but really only talked to maybe three. One of which was already set up. The Elder liked the girl where they had the appointment set up for. Jaydan could tell because he kept bringing her up in their conversations throughout the day. Instead of teaching her the other Elder pretty much flirted with her and so after trying a few times to get on track Jaydan gave up. After that they walked some more. Jaydan kept expecting another appointment but there weren't any more set up. It made for a long day and a lot of walking. Jaydan said they kept going from one corner of the mission to the next for like 6 hours. They finally found a lady they could talk with. She only believed in the Bible and so Jaydan asked her how she knew that it was true. When she answered Jaydan would repeat her and then she got to the point where she said "because I read it". Jaydan asked the lady if she believed in Harry Potter and of course she said "no, it is just for entertainment." Jaydan told her that he read Harry Potter books and so they must be true too if you could tell just by reading them. At that point he got her attention and they were able to talk to her. They talked about prayer and how it is through prayer that we can find out if things are true or not. Jaydan felt like the Lord had blessed him in that situation!

There is another guy that lives in Jaydan's area who is a "heavy Evangelist" and knows tons about the Bible. He is a bit like the other lady and doesn't want to accept another book for being true. He already has the truth in his hands so isn't interested in anything else. Jaydan asked him "how do you know? Have you asked God?" The guy said "no....I asked myself". Jaydan used Harry Potter with him too except in a different way. Jaydan asked the guy if he followed what the Bible said and he replied "ya, of course." Jaydan then brought out the point that the Bible says there are to be two books testifying of Christ. The guy thought about it and said "yes". Jaydan then asked the guy if he was going to follow the Bible and believe what it said. That there is another book....another testament of Jesus Christ. (just like it says on the cover of the Book of Mormon) That at least got him thinking.

The worst thing Jaydan did this week was to walk past a drunk guy that had fallen. Jaydan's comp had walked past him and so Jaydan did too and it has been bugging him since. He wishes he would have at least stopped and sat him up against the wall. Jaydan wants to help everyone and feels terrible that he just left the guy on the ground. He's even thinking that people will probably judge the Mormon's and think that we don't help others in need. Lesson learned and he will stop if there is a next time.

Mucho amor de

Thee Elder Ropelato

This week went super quick!
Monday: they cleaned all day long because they were going to have interviews with the President. (told us that last week)

Tuesday: Had there district meeting and got his PACKAGE!!! It was perfect timing for Jaydan since it was the week of conference. He loved his new slippers, cereal and treats. It was just nice to get some "love" from home. Jaydan ran into some Elders from Brazil but they didn't know Elder Arrant. Jaydan would have loved running into someone he knew...but it didn't happen.

Wednesday: They had interviews with the President and Jaydan was the last out of the four in his house. By the time it was his turn the President was in a hurry and this is how Jaydan's interview went: Hey Elder how is your ward? Jaydan: "Oh, it's good the members are way strong and helpful....at that point he is stopped so the President could tell him a story. Then the President asks: how Rivera is and before Jaydan could respond or even open his mouth he was told another story. The last question was: Do you have anything you would want to talk about? Just as Jaydan's mouth opened the President said: "okay...I gotta go." So really Jaydan didn't have an interview at all. Jaydan was hoping to get some advice concerning his comp and what he could do to make things better. He was cheated!

Thursday: They had a service project and Jaydan felt like it was pretty worthless. The moved little pieces of wood (Jaydan's comp just played while they were suppose to be cleaning). They took some bikes to the bike shop. When they got back to the house the lady that they were helping needed to leave for work and so that project was over. Jaydan was frustrated with his comp and I think he might have even let him know.

Friday: Jaydan and his comp had planning day which Jaydan hates. His comp goes so slow and gets distracted with other things and so it takes a lot longer than it should. Jaydan was use to his last comp planning in the morning and then working in the afternoon and night. Now they only have the night to work and Jaydan thinks it stinks. They had inventory where they talk about what they need to work on and what they can do better. Also any problems that they might have with each other. When Jaydan's comp asked if there was anything he does that bothers Jaydan....Jaydan instantly answered "yes". His comps eyes got big like he was so surprised. Jaydan told him he despised him touching him all the time, and patting his head, and poking him. He let him know that he couldn't stand it and didn't want it to continue. (Jaydan said he would leave his hypocriticalness for next week to see how much Jaydan lets it's bug him)

The Conferences were awesome! Jaydan did stay awake through it all and was happy to let his brothers all know that! (EAT IT BROS!!!!YA) Now there are only three left during his mission. He even thought that the conferences went by like "lightening" and wishes that it hadn't come by so quickly.

There is a little 4 year old "lady" who is one of the cutest little girls ever. She just talks and talks and talks since her mom is never there when the missionaries stop by. One time the door was locked and she just talked through it saying that her mom just escapes the house and leaves her there. She always escapes this little girl and her little sister all day.....all day she escapes. Jaydan thought it was funny and cute.

After they had talked to another lady, when they were going to leave, another cute little girl was saying "beso beso" which means kiss. They do the "kiss thing" there. They told her that they couldn't and she started crying. On the 2nd visit she asked to shake their hands then and on the 3rd visit she started doing the "beso" (kiss) thing. She really wanted a kiss but the Elders told her no. She started crying when they left since she really liked Jaydan because he would play with her. She told her mom that she wanted to go with Jaydan and almost jumped off their wall down to him which was 10-11 feet. Jaydan promised that they would come back. It really touched Jaydan's heart. (he loves little kids like his parents do)

Jaydan really does not like being touched or hugged or kissed by any guy. On Sunday night there was an Elder that hugged him tight and even kissed his shoulder. Jaydan about flipped out and really wanted to hit the kid. He was the Zone leader in his other area too and bugged him then as well. ("time to drop the cane on my comp for being on the computer for more than an hour....j/k)

Mucho amor de
Thee Elder Ropelato

Needs Mail

This week as been a pretty good week. However, Jaydan is now two weeks without a letter from anyone....at least through the mail. (He likes letters) He's getting his emails but really likes getting mail and wonders how long he can go. He is also still waiting or his package. Hopefully he'll get them soon. (he should...they were sent weeks ago)

Jaydan and his comp are working pretty good but Jaydan thinks they should really be working a little bit harder. He said that after lunch when they go home to "do their duties" they get distracted in other stuff. So, Jaydan told his comp that it can't happen anymore. He reminded his comp that if they want the Lord to bless them then they had better work as hard as they can and not be lazy. (even just a little bit) So for now on "poop~poop, brush~brush" and nothing else. (Jaydan put those things twice since their are two of them) Then to hurry back out and keep working. He said that things have been going pretty good since that little decision.

As Jaydan tries to remember the events of the week his mind goes blank and he just sits until of course his time on the computer is over then it all comes to him.

They played a "comp trust" game. This is where they guide each other around while the other one has his eyes closed. Jaydan guided his comp through a Railroad Station and did pretty good until his comp didn't listen and he fell. Jaydan of course laughed (he can't help it..it's in his genes) and then went over and helped him up. They have a lot of fun like that.

Friday was busy with planning for next week. Both Jaydan and his comp need to keep pulling the other back to the task at hand. (I guess they both get distracted) They also had baptism interviews for the Saturday baptisms.. "OH, did I say Baptism? Yes I sure did....I got another..I mean "we" another one." (Hooray for Jay!) Clair is the investigator and Jaydan describes her as "the sickest investigator you could get". (I think that means really awesome) Clair reads all the time and more than the missionaries ask her to. She always knew a lot when they taught her because she would read and study and was just ready. When the missionaries called to set up a time with her she told them that she wanted to invite her whole family to come too. She thought it was really important for them all to be there....she would like to invite the "whole world". Jaydan thought that was the coolest thing ever. What a joy to teach Clair.

Jaydan is pretty good with his money which is a good thing since his comps have had a bit of a problem with it. Jaydan buys cheap food in quantities and doesn't waste it on other things. Jaydan is just being smarter with the amount that he has.

It was good to go to Church on Sunday. The missionaries went to pick up some less active girls but one of them had been up all night taking care of her little brother and so she didn't want to go and the other siblings decided to go to a church that was closer. It was still an LDS church and Jaydan was just glad that they went.

Jaydan thinks his comp is a little weird but realizes that's how things are. However, it really annoys Jaydan that his comp is always touching him. He hates it! (of course he does!) (Hopefully Jaydan can work that out with his comp without beating him up....but I do think that is kind of weird too)

Mucho amor de
THEE Elder Ropelato

Been in 3 Countries

Today Jaydan went to Brazil since his new area is right on the border. That makes three Countries for him now. (Argentina, Uruguay & Brazil)

Jaydan's new comp is Elder Bates from Arizona. Elder Bates has about 11 months left. He is very obedient so that is something good and just what Jaydan said he needed. Jaydan has a problem though being reprimanded though for little things. (pick your battles right?) Jaydan realizes that there isn't a "perfect" comp and that to make things work you just need to build off the good things.

The Ward is better than the one in his last area. However Jaydan will always love his first one! There seems to be a lot of cool members where he is now and it's easy to love them. Jaydan can even communicate a little now and really likes that a lot better than just sitting there the whole time looking "retarded". (Jaydan's expression..not mine)

The changes were busy and crazy. The first day that Jaydan got to his new area they just worked on contacting people. Jaydan lives in a "four Elder" house and the other two are Latino's. One of them was in the CCM with him. On Thursday things were pretty normal except that they did have a District Meeting because of the changes. They even had a few lessons they were able to teach. Friday was planning day and interviews for Baptisms. Saturday they spent more time planning. Jaydan gives suggestions but he said that the Senior Comps don't like it when the younger ones give suggestions. (hopefully Jaydan will remember that and be a better Senior Comp) So for Saturday I guess they just planned and got things ready for the Baptisms and played some soccer since that's what they do every Saturday.

Two sisters were going to get baptized but one of them had a tooth infection and so they other one decided to just wait for her sister to feel better.

Jaydan is a bit frustrated with so much time being wasted and said that he could really vent but really didn't have enough time. (he is learning patience....more than he had already learned from Kimi and Jared. I just had a thought that maybe that is why Kimi and Jared are like they are....to help Jaydan handle is comps better) One thing that is frustrating Jaydan is they have a time limit on the computers to keep the missionaries from going on other sights. Jaydan wouldn't mind so much but this comp is on his back reminding him of his time and it distracts Jaydan from his thoughts and so it is taking him longer.

They had a good lunch (I think today) and everyone was joking and laughing and having a great time. The girl Jaydan was sitting by hit him in the face while passing some food or reaching for it without asking for someone to pass it to her. Twice while she was eating her food made a popping sound. Jaydan's not quite sure how to explain it but in the process her food was going all over Jaydan and herself. Everyone just laughed and joked about it.

Jaydan and the others are going home to clean their house since the President is visiting every house in the mission and having interviews with everyone this week.

Jaydan will be writing more after cleaning to tell us about the good things that happened since he was rushed on the computer.

Jaydan loves us all back home and thinks of us always. The time is going by quickly for him. The language is about the same...slow and steady. (I really think it's coming since he can participate in the conversations)

That was it for today....Jaydan was tired of his comp bugging him about the time.

pretty good week.....NOT

Jaydan and the other Elders found a really cool place today for their p-day. It was in a Mandarina Narnaja and Lemon Orchard and they also found a really cool bridge. I guess one day when Jaydan was bored he learned to braid with four stands. (the kid is talented!)Tuesday and Wednesay they were in divisions again. Jaydan was with Elder Inostraza from Chile so he had to speak Spanish the whole time which was good and fine with him. During divisions it seems that everything fall through no matter how sure the lessons are....it has almost become a given. During their divisions the missionaries were talking to a really "hardcore catholic lady" who told them it was fin to talk to her but also made sure that the missionaries knew she wasn't planning on changing anything about herself. You know the type...I was born a catholic and bapieze a catholic and so forth... Jaydan could really care less what religion anyone is....it just doesn't matter to him. Anyway Elder Inostraza was teaching about the Restoration and she was just miling nodding her head "no" and he just went right on teaching and Jaydan was actually understanding everything that was said while they were in that house. (which is always nice) The Elder kept teaching and she kept nodding and so Jaydan decided to change things up a bit he would throw out a question to her. He asked her how she knew the Bible was true. Her answer was "because I read it". Jaydan told her no and they had a little bit of a discussion and maybe even argued a bit. About that time a light bulb in her house shattered and Jaydan figured that little discussion was over. Jaydan told her that the only way she could really know that it was true was by praying. He told her that is how we know that the Bible and The Book of Mormon are both the word of God. He challenged her to just pray and ask if both these books are true. To pray with all her heart and pure intent and if she did she would recieve an answer. (true or not) Jaydan felt good because he knows that if she really does pray and get an answer she will know that they are both true and she will also know that our Church is true also. (So...there you go~Jaydan's first argument in Spanish....and the bulb shattering might have been some kind of sign...."Jaydan said so")


When Jaydan was with his comp again they worked hard but things kept falling through so it was hard. Their lunch with some members also fell through and the lunch they made for themselves was delicious. (no idea what it was) Friday is planning day and Jaydan and his comp had to go to another area to do a baptism interview. (Jaydan' comp is the District Leader)

It rained a lot this week and was raining really hard on Saturday. The Elders had found a lady named Maria and she promised them that she would go to Church with her daughter. The Elders told her that they would pick her up. There were also suppose to be about six more investigators coming with members or the missionaries and everyone of them fell through. Not one investigator came and that really bummed Jaydan out. The missionaries found some less active members to work with.


Today for p-day Jaydan and his comp and two other Elders took their sling shots and went out to the forest to hunt. That's when they found the bridge in the middle of no where. They played cards on the bridge and had tons of fun out there and they didn't even kill anything....amazing and they still had a fun experience. It was an adventure instead of staying in Centro the whole time. They walked a lot in fact Jaydan thought it was too much. Oh, and there was a guy who was going to go across the bride with his bike and oranges but decided to stop and watch the Elders play cards instead. He watched for like 45 minutes without ever saying a word. Jaydan said it was kind of weird but funny to talk about afterwards.

Another guy (dude) came out onto some street and was talking to the Elders. The Elders had been shooting at rocks and the guy told them they couldn't shoot the birds because what sounds better....birds chirping or not? This guy feeds the birds and waters them and even has a bird bath and a little house he made. He told the missionaires it was in the little house that the birds go to make other ones and that's all that they really use the house for. (Jaydan thought that was a bit weird....ya) Talking to this guys was just interesting.

Oh....one more thing about divisions. Maria (the lady spoken of earlier) was touched after listening to Jaydan go over things with her and testifying about everything that was said. She was crying her eyes out and so Jaydan gave her a handkerchief and called it good. The spirit was really strong and it felt good. After the divisions Jaydan said his Spanish "sucked" again. He couldn't understand or say anything again. (so frustrating for him)

Jaydan is looking forward to having a family home evening with a less active family tonight.

Change is on the 14th so who knows what will happen next. (God knows!)

Mucho Amor De Elder Ropelato

For P-day the Elders made weapons of war out of cardboard and they battled with them. Of course it got kind of crazy...Jaydan was playing and there were others like him. He didn't get any pictures of his battle wounds after their war but had a few.

The dog bite is healing and looking pretty good.

They had a conference in Mercedes with Elder Arnold, the area president. Elder Arnold was "dropping cane" on the missionaries since that is the job of the leaders. It was all in Spanish so Jaydan didn't understand all of what was said that day but he did thinks he got the important stuff so it wasn't that bad. After the conference they worked in that area and contacted a ton of people and had two really good talks with two ladies. They had some good references also to give to the missionaries serving in that area. (luckies!) The food was okay that day too which was nice.

Jaydan worked really hard this week and the numbers showed it. But Jaydan is still more concerned about the quality of things instead of just the quantity like so many missionaries get caught up with. Jaydan thinks his way of thinking just makes more sense. (I agree!) Jaydan likes working hard and says the days just fly by when they do. It makes him feel good about himself and that work they he was able to accomplish. They are working with some really good investigators. One, Zulli, starting trusting the Elders and telling them all of her problems and different things. Jaydan thought it was weird....but cool that she would trust them enough to tell them things her family might not even know about. They are still working with the dad of the boys they baptized but he hasn't quit smoking yet....doing better but hasn't completely stopped. The girl they were suppose to baptize started disobeying her parent and her parents got mad and won't let her get baptized if she is going to be bad. They won't even let her talk to the missionaries now so they will have to wait and see what happens.

Spanish update.....about the same-learning a little more and maybe even understanding a little more too but still is very hard and frustrating at times.

Jaydan ("freaking") got called FAT by one of the less active members. (a lady) Jaydan said that it is true though but not too bad. Jaydan is eating less now trying to control his fatness. (he said it really isn't that bad at all)

That's about all that Jaydan can remember of the week. He is doing good. He almost got hit by a car and moto (maybe motorcylce?) too. The people really "suck" at driving and Jaydan hates it.....he said they are "horrible".

Mucho Amor De

Elder Ropelato

Freakin Dog!

Jaydan thinks it's cool that Ivy is getting the same Kindergarten teacher that he had. He also knows that he must be the favorite son since Larry addressed Jared as Jaydan when giving Jared his back to school blessing. (of course I laughed)

So this was a crazy week. All the leaders in the zone had to go to a leader conference in T-bo and so that left four missionaries in P-dew. (including Jaydan) Jaydan was with a missionary who only had one more change than him (a greenie too). It was a little hard teaching but Jaydan said it was also good since these two were forced to talk. Their comps weren't there to take over the talking for them. Jaydan said it was a pretty successful day.

On Wednesday they split up to go with the other two Elders who were a lot more experienced and had more knowledge. Jaydan thought this day "sucked" since the Elder he was with was kind of lazy and all they did was contact people and barely that since the Elder wanted to keep stopping in stores and going other places. It's hard to work hard when you work like that.

The next day Jaydan went with the other Elder to his (Jaydan's) area and that made Jaydan the boss (or leader). Jaydan got to decide what went on and they had some good lessons and what not....so that was a good day. They waited back at Jaydan's house for each of their comps to get back from the meetings. (both comps are district leaders)

On Friday they went out and worked really hard and got a lot of contacts. They found some really cool people and had some great lessons. Saturday was the same way....they worked super hard and found some great people. There was one "dude" who said that he was a believer of the devil and messed with the Elders for a bit and then told them that he was just kidding. Jaydan thought that was kind of funny.

Jaydan has been studying a lot about diligence and mentioned it to the others and they did it and they had success.

Jaydan was excited for Sunday since so many people wanted them to come back and teach them more. Sunday started off with Jaydan speaking in sacrament for his first time. He said it wasn't too bad. He asked some people after if they even understood him and they said that they did understand most of it. Jaydan was like "fetch yes..what a relief". So now Jaydan was ready to go out and teach and work hard. (bust his butt) The days that they do go so much faster. The first two people they went to visit weren't home and the third house I think they got in. But, when they left "a freakin dog came up and bit me in the freakin ankle....aahhhhhhhh!!!!!!" "I freakin HATE days now. The picture is of the bite! It was bleeding really bad and wouldn't stop so Jaydan wrapped one of his handerchiefs around it and we kept going. It hurt every step he took but he didn't care. From that point on everything went downhill. All their contacts feel through but they were able to teach one good lesson. They went to a members after that so that they could clean Jaydan's ankle since their house wasn't in the area. They got it cleaned up and put stuff on it which hurt like the "beast". They put a band aid over it and then Jaydan even put his handkerchief over the top of it too. When they got home that night it had bled through the bandaid an doosed out the sides. So it is good that Jaydan had the handkerchief over it too. It had finally stopped bleeding and so Jaydan cleaned it out before he wnt to bed. He cleaned it with some alcohol and these are his words: "Holy fetch balls it stung so fartknocking bad" (he makes me laugh....quite the expression....I didn't teach him that) He put the clean part of the handkerchief back over it for the night and called it a day. (WOW~ What a day!)

Jaydan and his comp made some really good pudding stuff and even bought some cookies to dunk in it. It was "super yummy".

Jaydan bought some really soft socks and a super soft blanket and so he is set as far as comfort goes...He would like me (mom) to send him his soft slippers though when I get a "love package" together.

He found a "bedazzled" watch on the side of the road and only the glass face was broke and it still worked so he is sending it home to Kimi and if she doesn't want it then Ivy can have it. He carefully got all the broken glass out with his pocket knife.

This coming week they are having a conference in Mercedes with President Arnold of the area 70 (or something). It's about a 2 to 3 hour bus ride from P-dew. Well that's about if for this week. Except Jaydan did mention again "I HATE DOGS HERE NOW OFFICIALLY" hahaha It was a good size dog too....not no dinky one. Jaydan will hit the next dog that tries to even come close to him...so they'd better not get close.

"Love you all so much...I hope you continue to think of me and don't forget about me". (not even possible)

"freakin" oober mucho amor de
THEE Elder Ropelato

Electric Fence???

This week was pretty crazy and a lot of things happened. Yesterday (p-day) Jaydan's district and the district above him had to got to Montevideo to sign papers to become official Uruguayos. So Jaydan is officially now an American Uruguayo. (Jaydan said it's all good!)

The Elder Jaydan was with, Elder Alberthsen, who is also in Jaydan's zone was in charge of some crutches that they needed to take to a Sister missionary who is having foot problems. Well, Elder Alberthsen lost them during the day and they spent all day looking for then. Then everything was going wrong for them in getting tickets so that they could come back from Montevideo...but things worked out and they barely got back. That took up there p-day and so Jaydan quickly went in today and wrote a little. He was headed right back out to work since that is the important thing to be doing.

He ate at the only Burger King in Uruguay yesterday in Deo and actually liked it. He didn't really care for Burger King at home but after eating cow stomach, and cow insides, and even cow utters (which are not the best things to eat in Jaydan's opinion) he thought it was pretty good.

There is now an electric fence up across the roofs by Jaydan's house. He thinks it to keep the missionaries from roaming across the roofs and also from sleeping on them. Then Jaydan said: "do they really think an electric fence will stop Americans? It only works on Mexicans and really doesn't even stop them." hahaha

Jaydan's comp fell off the roof one day and hit his butt. Then one morning after sleeping on the roof Jaydan was coming down the rope that the Elders had built and he started slipping because it was a little wet and he had a lot of weight on his back. He decided to jump out from the wall but since he had his sandals on and the floor was wet he slipped and smacked his head on the brick wall. He said he hurt really bad but he didn't bleed. He has had so many injuries to his head in his life what is one more.

Jaydan will be speaking in Sacrament Meeting for the first time this Sunday. (we should pray for him) He is nervous since he is still so new to it all but knows that is will be good practice and that the Lord will be on his side. He has to talk about not being lazy as members since the ward needs to hear it. He said he will do it in a loving way but they really do need it.

Jaydan has another baptism this next week and two if the dad of the boys that he baptized will quit smoking. Jaydan prefers to work with people that want to take the Gospel seriously in their lives and who want to be sealed for eternity. He would much rather have less baptisms of people who are serious than more baptisms just for numbers. He doesn't like seeing people fall away after they have been baptized. ("Quality is a bunch more important in my book than Quantity")

Love you all and I'm glad that things are going good at home!

Love....THEE Elder Ropelato

A week of Change

This week was changes and so Jaydan said it was both "chill and hectic". They had the Elders from Young stay at their house so that they would be closer to the terminal. They also had another companionship staying with them since one of those Elders were leaving and you can't have an Elder alone. This way the single Elder would still be with a group and not alone. Since there were so many of them they decided to stay at the Church. Jaydan didn't really want to stay at the Church and didn't really feel good about it but he was out voted and so he went. He couldn't really sleep and only slept about an hour. They got up at 4:00 to take the first Elder to the terminal then came back and got another one to take at 5:00. After that drop Jaydan and the Zone leader and two other Elders went back to the Church because the other Zone Leader left their area and he had the keys to the Elders house. They wouldn't have a way to get back in until like 9:00 that night when he got back so now it was a good thing that they had all stayed at the Church. They were able to sleep until 7:00 and then they had to go pick an Elder up from the Airport. No one would go with the Zone Leader so Jaydan went with him. (not very much sleep on changes)

They went to lunch in their area around 1:00 when everything was done. They worked after that and Jaydan said it was hard since it was hot and he was so tired from not getting much sleep. (he got about 3 hrs) His comp however got lots of sleep and was ready to work. It was a hard day and having the other Elders stay with them until they could get back in to their house wasn't too bad except that they ate all the madarines. ("gosh darnit")

They had their District Meeting on Thursday instead of Tuesday because of the changes and it went longer since they had new missionaries they needed to get to know.

Jaydan is having a good day understanding things and then the next can be terrible again. He loves when he gets it!

They are teaching a girl named Suli and they love it because her and her mom always have tons of questions and are "fetching legit". I guess one night that they were talking with them Jaydan was in a bad mood because he wasn't understanding things and was taking a lot of crap from people and was messing up when he did try to talk. His comp wasn't giving him any opportunities to talk to Suli anyway. It was getting late and Jaydan knew that they should be leaving to catch the bus and his comp kept talking. He wasn't acting like he cared at all. Jaydan kept saying that they needed to leave and by the time they finally did the bus was coming. Jaydan was running to the bus and waved to the driver and so it was waiting for them. Then Jaydan looked back and his comp was just walking and so he waved the bus on. He asked his comp why he wasn't running to catch it and why he wasn't hurrying to leave. His comp just replied that it was fine. Jaydan didn't say anything after that since he didn't want to cause more contention but he was frustrated.

The boys that Jaydan got to baptize last week want to be sealed now. They just hope that the dad will get baptized on the 28th if he can quit smoking. They do everything good, like reading and praying and they are just really strong and really have the desire to be baptized. So, Jaydan feels like he is going to be fine.

Mucho amor de
Thee Elder Ropelato

First Blister!

(Jaydan got his first blister this week!)Jaydan had the last divisions of this change and when the other Elder came Jaydan was the one that had to get them around. He was a little nervous since he hasn't been there that long either. He got them around great though so he was thrilled about that. All the appointments had fallen through though and so they had to do a lot of "finding" which is the worst part. (Jaydan said that with "I'm not going to lie"...he doesn't enjoy finding people) He knows that the mission isn't all about fun and so that is a part of it he will just do because it's important. The language is coming little by little (really little) and Jaydan is still having a really hard time understanding people. He will recognize some words but they won't click in meaning or they sound so close to another word that has a totally different meaning. It's frustrating for him but he isn't any different from others learning a new language. He said he needs better "hears". I think he might of meant ears.

Jaydan was happy to say that he hasn't had anyone expose their bodies (boobies) to him lately and no dogs have gotten friendly with his legs. He hopes by saying that he doesn't jinx himself. (funny kid)

The divisions were okay but after Jaydan and his comp found a lady that was so happy to have them teach her. She was another religion and after the missionaries talked to her she was crying and when the missionaries left she was yelling to them down the street to not forget her and to please come back again. So Jaydan thought that was cool and they are going back to visit with her again today or tomorrow.

They had a baptism on Saturday that was really cool. Three little boys got baptized and Jaydan was able to baptize them. It was Jaydan's first time baptizing in Spanish and everything went really good. (he didn't mess up....those are his words) The little boys hated to pray before they were baptized but now they are fighting over who gets to pray....so that is cool for Jaydan to see. Their dad wants to get baptized too and is always reading and studying but he hasn't been able to quit smoking. They have another baptism on Saturday for the girl that had found the Book of Mormon and was reading it on her own. Jaydan said "she is way good".

After teaching another lady this week Jaydan was the one to say the prayer and the spirit was really strong and touched their hearts. (the lady was crying) He didn't slaughter it and his words were correct.

The mission is flying by....Jaydan can't quite believe how fast it is passing. Jaydan and his comp are both staying where they are at. His comp has been there for four changes and is now the new District Leader. Jaydan said they will get to know each other really good. Jaydan is pretty sure there will be a lot of divisions with this change.....he's thinking every week.

HOORAH FOR ISRAEL!

Thee Elder Ropelato