So, Elder Seamons is getting transferred, although we won't know where until next Monday. The president tells them on Monday of transfer week whether they are moving or staying and then they go to a meeting on Tuesday all together and find out where they are going and who their companion will be.
See the pictures below. With a picture of Elder Rybin, Eric said "Elder Rybin is the only missionary in our apartment who is staying in Coconut Creek this transfer. I have learned so much from him about missionary work and I will miss him a lot. I can tell that our companionship was chosen by God, because it was perfect for both of us and for the area of Coconut Creek at the time."
He never told us they had a bedbug infestation, but he sent pictures of them throwing away the couches and mattresses. See below.
Transfers
I am getting transferred. I am very sad because of all the people I will have to leave behind and because I will miss out on ten baptisms which are happening this transfer. I am also sad because I don't want these investigators to forget about me since I will not be in the group of missionaries that we carry them all the way to baptism. I talked to president about all of these concerns and he said that really, it all comes down to the fact that the mission isn't about the missionaries; it is about the people we teach and their conversion. I am learning to grow up a lot. I have learned to let certain things go and to not worry about certain things. I am just hoping that I can continue to do that. When I talked to President, he said that I was going to an area which is having as much success as Coconut Creek is right now. That makes me happy. I hope that I can have a great next transfer. I know that God is aware of me and what I need. I know he will take me to people who are prepared for me to meet. I have met so many of those kind of people this transfer.
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Hi everyone! We have had the greatest week together! This is the best week we have had in the mission. We taught a ton of lessons, got many members to come out with us, and we had 12 Haitians at church on Sunday! Creole Class was huge. Plus Gennger, the girl who was afraid of going outside came to church! I have pictures of her and her family which I will send. Itasienne, Gennger, and Jenny are all doing really well. Itasienne is the mom, Gennger is her 15 year old daughter, and Jenny is her 9 year old sister. Their dad died during the summer, so it has been really hard on the family. Gennger had lost hope when we got there. She didn't have very good self esteem, and she was shut off from the world. But now she is doing so well! She read 21 chapters in the Book of Mormon Stories picture book. She read the words of Mormon, Alma 32, Alma 7, Alma 11-13, Ether 12, 1 Nephi 1, Alma 40-41, plus she has watched Finding Faith in Christ and The Restoration DVD. She loves the gospel so much! She loves the scriptures and she told us that she receives strength from them daily. Her favorite scriptures is Alma 7: 12. She told me that she reads it every night before she prays. She is not super outgoing, but she is getting more confident and sure of herself as we have been meeting with her. She was trying to figure out what to wear for the whole week. She told us that she needed to "look extra presentable for God." She bought a black, heart-shaped, snake skin purse to bring to church. It was huge. She bought stockings to go with her dress, but they got lost the night before, so she went to walmart to buy some new ones. They were late, but she was there for the 2nd half of sacrament meeting and they got to hear people bear their testimonies for fast and testimony meeting. She is getting baptized on the 6th of March with Itasienne and Jenny. We are very excited. We have 10 people who are scheduled for baptism in this area for the next six weeks. Most of them are very solid and are pretty much guaranteed to be baptized. We have two baptisms for next week: Antoniel Sovis and Batony St. Jean. We are already preparing the baptismal program. Isenada, an 18-year-old girl that Elder Anderson and Chandler baptized told us that she wanted to give a talk on baptism at the service if we hadn't chosen anyone already. She told us that she needs help preparing, so we have an appointment to go help her with that. This area is doing so well! I am amazed. It is probably one of the top in the mission. I am sad that I have to leave it when it is doing so well and so much will happen, but I am happy that so many people are going to get baptized.
Creole class was interesting. There are many different opinions and sometimes there can be false doctrine going around. The bishopric tells us to be on the lookout for that because we are the only ones who can speak Creole apart from Brother Mildor, the second councilor in the bishopric. Luckily Sister Hepler, the teacher, is really good and sticks to the book. There was a discussion about the trinity and people were asking whether God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost were one person or three separate people. Sister Hepler answered it very well. Batony told her that it bothered him that he goes to one church and he hears one thing, and that he goes to another church and he hears another. Apparently we need to teach him about the Restoration of the Gospel again because he doesn't seem to understand it. We are doing that with all of our investigators. It is hard to get people to understand it. We especially want Batony and Antoniel to understand it because they are getting baptized this Sunday.
We saw Vonette. She is very discouraged right now. She isn't reading in the scriptures at all because of how discouraged she is about the situation she is in. I told her that she would get comfort if she reads in the scriptures and prays. She isn't able to get baptized right now because her dad threatened to kick her and her two college aged kids out of the house and not pay their tuition. I don't know if I said that already. Plus Vonette Got here 4 or so months ago and can't speak English so she doesn't have a Job to pay for a house. I hope she finds a way. If I ever return to this area, I promise that she will be one of the first people I track down.
By the way, I am short on time, so I won't tell you everything that you asked. I am sorry. Ask me the questions next week. I had a crazy experience last night where it was 12:30 and the East Elders still weren't back, so I called president and the ward mission leader who called hospitals and did a whole bunch of crazy stuff to try and track them down. Long story short, they went on an exchange with another group of missionaries and both stayed there for the night and didn't tell anyone. Plus they left their phone in the car. They did it with the District Leaders. So everything worked out well, but Brother and Sister Anderson were scared (the ward mission leader and his wife.) I lost three hours of sleep over it. I was mad, but president said I could sleep in for extra time.
Love,
Elder Seamons
Vonette is one of my favorite Haitian women that I have met on the mission.
Genger and I
This is Jenny, Itasienne, me, Genger, and Huberson. Huberson.is Itasienne's cousin. She refered him to us this week. He had met with the missionaries five years ago and he loved what they taught, but he lost contact with them. He loves church and is coming next week.
Elder Rybin laying back. I have learned so much from him about missionary work and I will miss him a lot. I can tell that our companionship was chosen by God, because it was perfect for both of us and for the area of Coconut Creek at the time.
Here is a picture of a bed, a matress, and a box spring that we had to throw away. We had a bed bug infestation which started 3 weeks ago and we had to get an exterminator and everything. It has happened in several apartments in the mission. I was just so busy that I forgot to mention it and I just barely remembered when I looked back through our pictures. we put the couch and everything on the top of the mission car and took it accross the apartment complex to the dumpster.
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