Email Letter dated Nov 14, 2012 "BBQ"

 
November 14, 2012

Dear Family,
While you´re getting dumped on by snow we had a BBQ as a zone activity today. hahaha. It was a little crazy because the zone leaders designated our chapel to be the place to do it and asked us to basically coordinate everything: the grill, volleyball net, gas, basketball...... Fortunately the members in our word are very nice and helped us. We found a grill and another guy from the ward helped us bring it to the chapel in his truck. It was a good activity. Afterwards we had to clean up and deliver the grill. The grill was still dirty because we didn´t have anything to clean it at the chapel. So we told the member we would come back in about an hour after cleaning up at the chapel to clean it for her. In traditional Dominican style she said ¨no don´t worry about it I´ll clean it¨ I told her no ad that we would come clean it at her house. It may be dominican culture to clean the dirtied grill borrowed by the missionaries but that is not how I was raised and that is not my culture. If you are nice enough to let me borrow something I will return it in the same condition in which it was originally borrowed, if not, in better condition. Walking back from her house it rained a ton and we got wet. I was wearing my new red alaska shirt (thanks mom). and because it got so wet and I have yet to wash the shirt it turned my garment pink.....

We´ve been working more with members. President Hinckley once said that missionary work to most people means tratcting and handing out pamphlets but those who are familiar with the work know there is a better way: work with the members. For the last little while I´ve felt that we have just been tracting and handing out pamphlets and Pres. Hinckley is right it is not a very effective way to work or at least not nearly as effective as working with the members. So we are trying to be better at that and are visiting members and looking for opportunities to serve. AS we contact we say: we´re missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints and we are passing by this area looking for opportunities to serve. Do you have anyway we can serve you? sweep? wash dishes? clean the car? mop?.......very few actually take us up on the offer but we are trying new methods of doing everything.

Chana and the rest of the young men and young women from the ward went to the temple last weekend and it was an amazing experience on all accounts. What a special experience so soon after being baptized. Dionis also went for the first time and he is blessing the sacrament on Sundays.

We honestly don´t have many investigators and we have even fewer progressing i.e. 0. and for that reason we are trying to change the way we do things.

Elder Robinson