Whats Up??

Hey Family,

 

Whats up? How is everyone doing? Everything is going great here in Siparia and I am loving it! It is so much different than San Fernando, but it is different in a good way. I am still getting to know the area, but for the most part, I am catching on pretty quick. The church here is really small. On Sunday, we only had 23 people here, it was a little bit disappointing, because only one of our investigators came, but it was still good. On Sunday, I was supposed to give my first talk in sacrament meeting in the mission field, and my topic, was The importance of General Conference. When I got to church they asked me if I would be able to give it next week instead, so wish me luck. It is a pretty easy topic though. I haven't had the chance to take some pictures of siparia yet, but I will make sure to do it this week. It is nothing like San Fernando was. In fact, it is almost exactly what you would think a city in the middle of the island would look like. It feels like I am surrounded by rain forest all the time. Right now we are working with a lady named Eli, and she is our main investigator. She is an awesome lady, and she has a 6 year old daughter that has down syndrome. She is so dang cute. She wasn't able to come to church this Sunday, but on Sunday we were able to meet with her. She is still struggling with receiving her answer, but we were able to help her realize that she has not been putting forth the effort that she needs to in order to receive her answer. Hopefully this week she will be able to read every day, and gain a testimony. Sometimes I just wish I could give someone a testimony, it would make things so much easier! Well, Elder Lagin and I are getting along really well. He is really funny, and a really good missionary. I am learning alot from him, and for the most part things are going well. That is crazy that Kendall is already leaving! It seems like just the other day he was getting his call. I am glad to hear that he did such a good job, He will definitely be an awesome missionary, and I am so proud of him. And Angie and Scott, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! That is so awesome, and all I have to say is that I knew you were giving me a hint! I think it is going to be another boy! Well I am sorry this email is so short. I will write more next week, I am loving it out here, and thank you to everyone for the prayers and support that you are giving me. I really can feel it. 

 

I love you all, more than you know!

Love,

Elder Gines

Wellllll I got my transfer call....

Hey Family, 

How has your week been? The week here has been a little bit crazy, and I'm not going to lie, quite frustrating. But I did get my transfer call, and guess what?! I'm leaving San Fernando!!! I am staying in Trinidad though, and I will be serving in an area called Siparia. I am really excited. I will be serving with a 26 year old french elder, and to be honest I am a little bit scared about it. But just for your information, San Fernando is more of a city area, and I have been dying to go country side. Haha I guess I have always been more of a country boy. Well Siparia, is about as country side as you can get in Trinidad. My companions name is Elder Lagin, and he is from Martinique. He is a really good missionary, but at times he can be a little bit lazy. Oh and I forgot to mention, more than likely, I will be in a car. Hahah that means I am just going to get even FATTER! I am really excited though, I know that the lord has a plan for me in Siparia. It will be really weird for me to leave San Fernando, but at the same time, I am ready. I love the families here, and there are alot of really good people. Oh and about those phone calls, don't worry about it. It is a family that is in the ward. At times they can be a little bit weird, and they caught me off guard yesterday and asked me what my home phone number is. Has dad been getting calls from Trinidad on his cell phone too? I don't know who that would be. The only thing that I can think of would be the random vagrant who stole my back pack this week, because it had dads cell number written in it. I doubt that they would call you guys though. So are you ready for the story of how my backpack got stolen? So on Thursday, we had a meeting with the bishop in our ward. The meeting was at 4:00, and we got there about 3:45 just to be safe. The bishop wasn't there yet, so I set my backpack down in the hall way, and went and played some ping pong, for a little bit. While we were playing, we thought we heard some foot steps in the hall, but we just assumed it was bishop. We went out into the hall, and no one was there so we went back and played some more ping pong. Finally bishop got there so we went and had our meeting with him. Before we went in, I looked for my backpack but couldn't find it, but I didn't really think anything of it. When the meeting was over, I came out and started looking for it everywhere, but it just wasn't there! Luckily, the church has security cameras, and because I know how to work security camera systems I was able to look at it. It turns out that when we heard foot steps in the hall, It actually was someone, and I watched him walk into the church, and 1 minute later, walk right out with my back pack! I was so mad, but luckily there wasn't hardly anything in it! I usually carry my scriptures in it, but that morning I had a feeling that I should not bring them with me, instead I brought a old bible, a couple of book of Mormons that we give out, some restoration tracts, and my Mormon messages DVD's. Luckily some missionaries had copied my DVD's so I can get them back. Well that is my crazy story for the week. There is no need to worry, because it was only a back pack, and no one even got close to getting hurt. The rest of this week was pretty interesting. Elder Watchman has been really struggling and I have been trying to help him as much as I can. We were able to find a couple of people, but all of them turned out to be really difficult. One of the people we found name was Harry. He is Hindu, but really liked to talk about religion. The second lesson that we had with him, was probably the most frustrating lesson that I have ever had. He kept on telling us that because he was born into a Hindu house, that is what god wants him to be. It is so hard, when people just don't understand what you are telling them. Well it sounds like things are going pretty well there, Dad, It sounds like you had a good time up in Alaska. That is too bad that you didn't limit out on silvers, but halibut can be just as much fun to catch. I am glad to hear that you were able to bring a couple of decent sized ones in. Mom, That is so awesome that you are going to be finishing the book of Mormon. I love reading it, because it really was written just for us in the world we are living in right now. Mel and John. That is awesome that you got the house, I am really happy for you! The kids are growing up so fast I cannot even believe it! I cannot believe that taylee is already in pre school! Angie and Scott, I am glad to hear that everything is going good. Corbin is growing like a weed, it is so weird to think how big he will be when I get home. I keep on praying that you will be able to sell your house, and the only advice I have for you is don't lose your faith! That is exactly what Satan wants you to do, but the lord can make anything happen, as long as we are showing and constantly nourishing our faith. That has been a hard lesson for me to learn, but I really do have a testimony of it. Paige, It sounds like you are doing great. I am glad to hear that you are happy, just keep on doing what you know is right! And last but not least, Jason! How is school going? I cant believe you are turning 17 this month! That is crazy. When is homecoming? I am glad that you aren't following after my foot steps (even though I still don't regret it like mom said I would). Enjoy school while you can, and just remember, these are the best years of your life (besides the 2 years you spend on your mission). Well I love you all. Wish me luck this week! The church is true, and don't be afraid to tell people that. I love hearing from everyone, and keep the updates coming! I will send some pictures next week!

Love you tons!
Elder Gines

Another Transfer Down!!

Hey Family,

How are things going? Things are going pretty well here, so I cannot complain? How was your week? I cannot believe that it is already September! It is crazy how fast time flies. This week was quite interesting though.. I cant lie, it was a little bit frustrating too. We were able to find some really awesome people, but definitely not as many as we needed! So on Wednesday I went on trade offs with one of my Zone Leaders, Elder Carter. He is a really good missionary and we had a lot of fun! The best part is, the Zone leaders have a car, and because I got to leave San Fernando, I got to experience my first day of missionary work with a car, and it was pretty dang nice. We have been doing alot of finding, which is really hard at times, especially when we are not seeing the success that we would like to see. So while I was on trade offs, Elder Kaelin and Elder Watchman found a lady named Adonna. On Friday we went back to see her, and she wasn't home! We were a little bit disappointed because we had our ward mission leader with us, but right before we were about to walk away, her mom came out of the house next door to hers. She told us that Adonna had told her that we were coming, and that she needed to listen to us. We were able to sit down with her, and her daughter, and had a really good lesson. It was AMAZING! At the end of the lesson, both of them accepted baptism. Sometimes it amazes me, how after just 4 months in the mission field, I can sit down with someone that I do not know at all, and teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't think someone could have paid me enough money to do that back at home, but I love it. We are still working with Cherianne Lopez, but are mainly just waiting for her children's father (as she calls him), to move out of the house. It is a little bit frustrating, because he is the only thing that is holding her back, so we will just have to see what happens. We are also still working with Sherry, but her family has been in the country from the states so we were not able to meet with her all week! This week on Friday, we have Zone Conference, I am really excited for it, and for this one, our Area Seventy, will be here. This week there are also 2 holidays on Wednesday and Thursday, so it might be a little bit interesting because on holidays, this whole country shuts down! By the time you hear from me next week, I will have my transfer call. At this point, I am not quite sure what is going to happen. This transfer has gone by really fast I cannot believe it! They say that every transfer it just goes faster and faster. I can see myself staying here for maybe one or even two more transfers, but at the same time, I can see myself leaving. We will just have to see though. Mom, That is awesome that you are almost done with the book of Mormon, it is crazy to me how much it relates to our time, but hey, it was written for us so it only makes sense. Dad, I hope you had fun In Alaska! I thought about you alot this week, and I want to see some pictures! It sounds like the family is doing great, and I love hearing from you each week. Keep on spreading the gospel in every way that you can! I love you all, and thank you so much for all the support that you give me.
Love,
Elder Gines

Its HOT!!!

Hey Family,

 

How is everything going? This week here in Trinidad was quite interesting. Elder Watchman and I have been working really hard, but are not seeing the success that we would like to see. I am still loving it though. Right now, we do not have very many strong investigators, but the ones we do have are doing really well. I am not sure if I have told you about a lady named Cherianne Lopez. She is part of a part member family, and has a testimony that is stronger than most members here in San Fernando. Two of her daughters have been members for about a year, but she has one small problem... she isnt married to the man that she calls her husband (its a very common problem here, and I am starting to realize, everywhere but utah.) Well anyways, she has been meeting with missionaries for over a year, and guess what? Her husband should be out of the house this week! I am hoping and praying that everything goes as planned, because to be honest, she has put baptism off for way to long! They are an awesome family though, and she will be a really strong member here, which we need more than anything. We are hoping to get her baptized on the 4th of September, so cross your fingers and pray until you cant pray anymore!! We also have been working with a lady named Sherry. She is awesome, and has a really strong desire to find out the truth. The only problem with her is, she also is not married to the man that she lives with, but she is planning on moving out as well. She has been really accepting to everything that we have taught her, and I feel really good about her. This week her family is in town though so it will be very tough to meet with her. The bad news for the week is that we had to drop a couple of our investigators. On Saturday, we met with Lahkan, and told him that if he didnt come to church on sunday, we wouldnt be able to come over anymore. Wellllllll... He didnt come, and instead, gave his travel money to his kids to pay an offering to another (false) church. Hahah I was pretty disappointed, because I really wanted to see him come into the gospel, but hey, we never know what will happen in the future. We told him that if he started to show the desire, and truly seek after an answer, we would be back, but that would mean he would have to come to church, so we will have to see. It was one of the hardest lessons I have ever taught though, and honestly, when we were done, elder watchman and I both said, it feels like I just broke up with a girl. Hahahah. Well that is pretty much what happened this week. Oh wait, so on wednesday or so, we were travelling out to an area called oropouche to see some investigators, and we were in a maxi (a taxi that is a van), well while we were sitting there, I got a phone call so I got the phone out of my pocket, but I didnt answer it. I just set the phone on my lap and forgot about it. So when it came time to get out of the maxi, I got up. When the Maxi drove away, I felt for the phone... and it wasnt there. So yes, in case you were wondering, I have just as hard of a time with phones out here, as I did back home!! Well I hope everything is going good for you guys. Mom, I know this is one of your least favorite weeks of the year because dad is gone, but you will survive, and it will just give you more time to read the book of mormon! Dont worry though, it will go fast, and who knows, you could finish it by the end of this week. I cannot believe school is already started. I remember, and it seems like just yesterday that I was talking to elder kaelin and I said, holy cow, school ended today! Thank you everyone for the updates, and I am sorry that I dont have time to write you all back! Today has been hectic. Dad, Catch as many fish as you can, and when you catch that 200 pound halibut, name it after me! PLEASE?!!!! I love you all and I am so greatful for your examples to me. Keep the updates, and the pictures coming!

 

Love Always,

Elder Gines

4 Months!!!

Hey Family,

How is everything going back at home? Hopefully good. Everything is going great here in trinidad and I am loving it! I cannot believe how fast time is going, next transfer I will hit my 6 month mark, and I feel like I just got here, but anyways. We had a much better week this week and are starting to see alot of success. On tuesday, I was able to go on trade offs with my district leader Elder George. We had a really good day and it was alot of fun. The thing that I have been learning alot this week, is getting over the fear of talking to EVERYONE that is put in my path. For me, it is really hard to do, but as I was with Elder George, he showed me how it is done, and I must say, when you are talking to everyone, it makes missionary work so much easier. It is definitely something that I am going to be working on for the next little while. We have been working with Lahkan alot this week also, and he is slowly progressing. It is so frustrating because he knows that it is true, he is just wanting to be 100% sure before he does anything. I am not sure what will happen with him, but I know that everything is going to work out. On thursday, we did some finding, and found a lady named sherry. She is awesome, and has a really strong desire to find out the truth. When we shared the restoration with her, she was predicting everything that was going to happen next. I loved it! She accepted baptism, and on saturday we set a date for the 3rd of september with her. Can you believe that september is just around the corner? CRAZY!! Well, on saturday, we got to go on trade offs again with the assistants to the president. Haha I was nervous. Usually, when you go on trade offs with them, both of them come to your area so that is what I was expecting to happen. But on friday night, the decided to tell us that only one of them is coming here, and that elder watchman would be going up to there area. No need to worry though, we had an awesome day, and were able to teach almost all of our investigators. Yesterday was a little bit disappointing though because we didnt get any of them to come to church. It was definitely a bummer, but at the same time, now we know what we need to do this next week in order to get them to church. I am loving it here in san fernando, and something is telling me that I am going to be here for a while longer. Probably at least one transfer, maybe 2, but you never know! Time flies, and I cannot believe that this transfer is already 1/2 over. I haven't gotten your letter yet mom, but It is probably in the mission office right now. I should be getting it either tonight or tomorrow. Elder Watchman and I are doing great, and we are getting along most of the time. I love it out here and I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. Sometimes I cant even believe that I am actually in Trinidad, because sometimes it feels like I am still in the states, just in a really poor area. There are so many things that I am excited for you guys to try, but that will have to wait 20 more months. I love you all, and thank you for all the emails. It is so good to hear from you guys every week, and It sounds like the house is finally back to normal. Let me know if anything exciting happens, and constantly send pictures, both in the mail, and email. The church is true and I know it with all my heart!

Love,
Elder Gines

Crazy Week!

Hey Family,

 

How is everything going back at home? Things are going pretty well here in trinidad, and I cannot complain. This week was an interesting one, but we made it through it. So on Tuesday, our fridge in our apartment broke, so we had to go fridge shopping, so that took a couple of hours out of our day, then wednesday, the fridge had to get delivered and guess when they told us it would get there??? Well I guess they decided to leave no room for error, so they just told us anytime after lunch... so we pretty much just had to wait all day for it to get there, and it didnt get there until about 3:30 so we only had half a day to work also! Then to make matters even better, on Thursday we were told that we needed to go up to Valsayn and get physicals so that I could finally get my visa and be legally here. By the time friday came around, we thought we were going to have a full day to work, and we had alot of people to see. For lunch we decided to grab some chinese food, but it was from a place that I hadnt had before. Right after we ate, we didnt feel very good, but eventually it went away. We did a little bit of finding, but didnt have much success, and we had a dinner appointment at a members house for the evening. We caught a taxi to go out to there house, and in the taxi I started feeling really sick. When we got out of the taxi, Elder Watchman said that he felt like he was going to throw up too, so we decided to head back. When we got back to San Fernando, to make matters worse, it started pouring rain! We walked home, and I was starting to feel a little bit better, but elder watchman on the other hand, looked like he was about to die. When we got home, he started throwing up, so we couldnt work friday night either! By saturday morning he was feeling better and we FINALLY got a full day of missoinary work in! Haha it felt so good! So yeah, it was just a little bit of a crazy week. But at church yesterday, we had 4 Investigators there! We were able to find a ride for Lahkan, and then a part member family that we have been working with came also. We were able to meet with Lahkan a couple of times this week, and it has gone pretty well. He is a great guy, but in a very difficult situation. I have been praying for him constantly, so hopefully everything works out. I am finally getting the hang of being the senior companion, and I am not going to lie, at first it was a little bit rough. Elder Watchman and I have been getting along much better though, and things are going great! I love it out here, and I am so greatful for the opportunity I have to devote 2 years to serving the lord. It truely is a huge blessing! Thank you for the pictures! This week I sent home a SD card, so look for it in the mail! It has alot of videos on it. Well I better get going, I love you all and I hope that you all have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Gines

W.I.

Hey Family,
Well this week was quite interesting, but really good at the same time! Elder Watchman and I are getting along pretty well, and we are going to see a lot of success this transfer! I am really excited. We have a really cool investigator right now named Lahkan. He is incredible! He is probably in his mid 40's, and is the most humble man I have ever met. He is so ready to hear the gospel, and things are going great with him. Elder Kaelin and I found him last week or so, and taught him a couple of times then on Thursday, Elder Watchman and I went over to his house and had an amazing lesson! He is married, and has 5 kids, and we were teaching him about the plan of salvation. He remembers everything that we have taught him, and is always feeling the spirit very strong. The only problem is, right now he doesn't really have a job. He is doing everything he can to make ends meet, and is just making enough money to put some food on the table for his kids. For the last 2 weeks he hasn't been able to come to church, and whenever we go over to his house to see why, he tells us that he literally didn't have a dollar in his pocket to travel. It is so sad, yet so humbling at the same time. I have truly grown to love him and his family and my only hope is that he will be able to find the money to get himself and his family to church. Right now, he is our main investigator, and our teaching pool is pretty low, so we are going to have to do alot of tracting this week. Everything is going great, and I love this work that I am doing! There are times when I just start thinking and then realize that I am actually out here on my mission right now! It is crazy! It sounds like everything is going great at home! Everyone seems so happy. I really wish that I could be there to meet Marcela and Kei, because it sounds like they are amazing people. Well wish me luck this week because I am going to need it. The church is true, and I know that for a fact. It has been amazing to see my testimony grow in just these short 3 months. I love you all and thank you for all the support that you show towards me. Keep me updated!
Love,
Elder Gines

Transfer #3!!!!

Hey Family,

 

How is everything going? It sounds like you are doing great! Well we got out transfer calls last on Saturday... and I am staying in Sando... My companion is Elder Watchman... and I am the senior companion. It was a little bit of a shock, and I am not going to lie, I am really nervous. In the MTC we didnt get along all that well, but I feel like out here it is going to be alot better! I am really excited though and extremely greatful for the opportunity. Well, we had a really good week this week. It has rained alot like always, but I am surviving. Early on in the week, we found some really cool investigators that I am really excited about. Elder Watchman hasn't been able to baptize yet so I want more than anything to baptize this transfer. On tuesday, we found a man with a family named brother Griffith. He is really cool, and has ALOT of questions. He has a really strong desire to find out if what we shared is true, and we are going to meet with him some more this week. Then on thursday, we decided to do some finding in an area that we had never really been. Before we started we said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to guide us to a family that has been prepared to hear the gospel. Well we went down a road and for the first time in my mission, I was actually knocking on doors instead of calling in. Haha I didnt like it at all! Anyways in the 5th house we knocked on we found a lady named Sheri. She was really interested, and loved the restoration. We kept on going door to door down the street, until we came to a house where the family was sitting outside. We started talking to them and they told us to sit down. His name is Lakhan, and the lesson went great. We invited him to pray about it, and when we came back the next day, it was obvious that he had felt the spirit very strong. It was really cool, and I am praying that we will be able to help him progress in this gospel. I really dont feel like I am ready to be a senior companion, because I have so much to learn, but if there is one thing that I do know, is that the lord doesnt give us any task that we cannot fulfill. It is going to be weird to serve with someone other than Elder Kaelin, but it will be good at the same time. Him and I have gotten along really well, and in the past couple of weeks we have been teaching really well together. Well, besides all of that, it was a pretty boring week in Sando. It sounds like you guys are extremely busy and having alot of fun. Sorry this email is so short, but I am sure I will have more to write about next week. I love you all and remember that the church is true. Keep me updated on everything that is going on. 

 

Love you tons!

Elder Gines

Great Week!

Hey Family,

How is everything going? It sounds like things are pretty crazy in the Gines house! I would have never guessed anything like this would have been happening, it is definitely good though and I admire all of your desire to serve others. Well this week was pretty good, and to make things even better, we baptized yesterday! So to start off, on Tuesday after our district meeting, we had a little surprise. President Gamiette decided to come to our district meeting, and do some interviews because we we rent able to do them when we had zone conference. Well he interviewed everyone else, and then when it came time to interview us, he said well, lets go to work. I was so scared! We went to a couple of appointments that we had, but they fell through so we just kept on trying. Eventually we ended up doing some finding and it was amazing. The first house we called in we found 6 boys to teach. It was amazing to see how good of a teacher he was. I learned so much. After that lesson he had to go, which was kinda a relief. It was truly amazing though to be able to see how missionary work is really supposed to be done, and for the rest of this week elder Kaelin and I taught so much better together. Now for the baptism. For the past couple of weeks, we have been working with a girl named Niesha. Well to tell you a little bit about her, she is 26 years old, she has a 6 month old baby, her boyfriend recently kicked her out, she has no money, she has no education, and last but not least, she likes to breast feed her baby in front of people. Niesha, is good friends with the Moorali's, a family in our ward, and when her boyfriend kicked her out she asked them if she could move in with them. We were working with her a little bit right at the beginning of my first transfer, but then we didn't hear anything from her. Well 3 weeks ago, she moved in with the Moorali's and told them that she wanted to get baptized. We were excited, but at the same time, we wanted to make sure that she knew what she was doing. Wellllll she slowly began learning and remembering what we had been teaching her. Each time we met with her, she was getting smarter and smarter and there is no doubt in my mind, that the lord was helping her gain this knowledge. Eventually, she was even able to learn and memorize the 10 commandments! (in her own little way of course...) Well, we met with her a lot, and on the nights that we couldn't teach her, the Moorali's were able to step in and teach her. It was amazing to see her develop a testimony of the gospel and see her desire to become a member of the church. The very best part about Niesha, is her prayers. They are the most sincere, yet simple prayers I have ever heard. She truly had a desire to be baptized and we were able to baptize her yesterday after church. She was extremely excited about it, but at the same time she was a little bit nervous. When it came time to dunk her, it was quite the experience. Although we had showed her what she would have to do, when it came time to do it, she wasn't sure what to do. Eventually we got her submerged, and it was successful. We had a really good week and Elder Kaelin and I are getting along really well. This transfer has gone so fast, and when you hear from me next week, I will have my transfer call. I cannot believe it! Well thats enough about me. I am glad to hear that you guys are enjoying having Kei and Marcella around. It really is such a blessing that we have to be so close to so many church sites. I wish I would have taken advantage more! Dad, Happy Birthday! The big 51. I wasn't able to make it to hallmark, but I got a letter in the mail. Mom, That is so awesome that you have done so well with the Book of Mormon. I really love that book. It is amazing! Mel and John, I am glad everything is going good, I love hearing from you every week and I'm sorry I don't have time to write you all the time. Angie and Scott, I'm glad everything is going good! Corbin is growing so much, and thanks for the pictures! Paige, it sounds like you are doing great! I am so glad to hear that you are so happy and it sounds like Steve is a great guy. Jason, keep on working hard, it'll only make you tougher. Enjoy life while you can, but make sure you take advantage of everything that you have. Well tell everyone else that I love them, I'm doing great out here and I love my mission. Wish me luck on my transfer call, I am pretty sure that I will be staying in San Fernando, but you never know! I love this gospel and I am so grateful to be where I am today. 

I love you all,

Elder Gines

P.S. I'll send more pictures next week.

Its Finally Happening!

Hey Family,

Whats up? It sounds like everyone is doing really well back at home. I am glad to hear that you had a good time up at henries, and that the rest of your 4th of July was great! Well this week was really good. With Elder Kaelin being the district leader, he has to go on trade offs to see how the other missionaries are doing, and this week we went on 2 of them. On tuesday, I served with Elder Bybee. He is from Idaho, in a small town by rexburg. He is a really funny kid and a good missionary, so we get along pretty well. We had a really good day, and we taught alot of our investigators. There is good news and there is bad news though. I will give you the bad news first. So we were hoping to baptize Brother Degannes on saturday, but he was out of town and kind of just left us in the dark. He is moving to england this week, so we have given him the address to the church in England so hopefully he will find the missionaries there and get baptized. It was really frustrating because we know that he is ready, he just hasnt had time. Well, the good news is... we are baptizing this week!!! So do you remember when I talked to you on mothers day, the story about the lady who breast fed her baby during the lesson on my first day in trinidad? Well her name is niesha, and recently she moved in with some members named the Moorali's. We started teaching her again, and she wants to be baptized. The only problem is she is not very smart and she cant read. It has been amazing to see the growth in her though. As we have been teaching her, she has been able to understand (for the most part) what we teach her. There is no doubt in my mind, that the lord has blessed her to be able to do this. This week we were able to find some other investigators that have alot of potential also. The Moorali's have been really good about doing their member missionary work and that is where success comes from. They referred us to a girl named Nefisa. She is really cool and we also taught her sisters Zelina and Semira. We are going to try to work with them alot this week also! One of the really cool things that happened this week was we were way behind on our goals. We had set our goals really high this week to try and push ourselves. In this mission, one of our Key Indicators is street contacting 10 people every day. Well this week we missed a couple of days so we were way behind. We also had a goal to recieve and contact 20 referrals. Well when saturday rolled around, we decided that we were going to do everything we could to meet our goals. This meant that we needed to get 30 contacts, and recieve 15 referalls, and contact 18. It seriously seemed like it would be impossible to do. Well we decided to go do some finding in an area named La Romaine, right of the bat, we found a new investigator, and we were talking to anyone that we could. We were slowely getting our contacts, but before we knew it, we had all 30 of them, and to make things even better, we  had recieved all of our referrals also, all before 3:00! It just goes to show that the lord can make anything possible, even when it may seem impossible!

Well you may be wondering what "its finally happening..." means right? Well, Im getting fat! I have been eating so horrible lately and it is starting to show. I hate it! I keep on saying to myself that I am not going to let it happen, but then I start eating crappy food all over again! But anyways.. This morning we woke up at 3:45 because we had a zone activity. We were going to a beach! But this time, it was one of the nicer beaches in trinidad. Mom, do you remember how I brought my swimming suit? Well I wore it today, but dont worry, I didnt go swimming! We got to the beach around 6:00am and had a little devotional. After that we played american football on the beach. It was awesome, but I must admit, that I have never wanted to go swimming so bad in my life! It was so much fun though, and I did get to sit in the water. I am really loving trinidad, and I cannot believe that my second transfer is almost over! Time goes by so fast! It was really cool to hear about that cancer walk, and I cant believe how much money mel and john were able to raise! It was great to hear from everybody, and thankyou for all of the emails! I loved it! Dad, dont give in to jason on the motorcycle, remember what he did with the scooter? Hahahah! jk, Well I love you all and keep on keeping my updated. The Church is true and I am so greatful for the opportunity that I have to be serving the lord.

Much Love,

Elder Gines

Crazy Week!

Well Family,
How is everything going? It sounds like you guys had a good weekend up in Idaho. I really miss going up there. Well HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!! It is pretty awesome that we get to have p-day today, but we really aren't doing anything too special. This morning, we woke up, and some of the other elders came and we played a game of basketball at the church. It was alot of fun, but really hot! So in Trinidad, there are only 2 seasons. The rainy season, and the dry season. As of June 1 it has been the rainy season, and this week was the first week that was really wet. And when it rains here, it pours. Every single day this week, we have gotten completely soaked from head to toe, but you learn to just ignore it. The best part about it is, all Trini's think that if there head gets wet from the rain, they are going to get sick, so as soon as it rains, they run for cover. Then there are just 2 white boys walking down the street, getting drenched. They all look at us so weird, but we just tell them that the lords work just go on, rain or shine. This week, we saw alot of success. In zone conference, we really talked about being 100% diligent, and so we focused on that really hard. The thing is, when we are doing everything we can do, satan starts working even harder. This week we have been cussed at, and made fun of, more than I have in my whole mission, but the lord definitely blesses us and allows us to not let it bother us. That is one of the biggest blessings I have seen since I have been out here. There have been alot of people that I have run into, that back at home, I would have just wanted to hit, but here, I have so much more patience with them. It truely is amazing. We did alot of finding this week and we had alot better success than we have been having. We found a couple of investigators that really do have alot of potential. One of them is named Sister Rampousad. She is a 67 year old woman, that knows the bible really well. We taught her the restoration the other day, and it went amazing. She has alot of stuggles in her life and the biggest one is taking care of her husband. He has lou gehrigs disease, and can no longer walk. The only thing that is even functioning is his brain and he cant even talk. It is so sad. We are going by her house tonight and we are going to give him a blessing. I am praying for a miracle to happen but one thing I have come to realize is that through faith, anything can happen. The bad news for the week is that we are going to have to drop Nikita. She is really moody and we haven't been able to meet with her very often. Whenever we do, she says she wants to be baptized but she doesn't keep any of her commitments and she hasn't come to church for a couple of weeks. Its hard to drop people sometimes but there just comes a point when our time would be spent somewhere else. The good news is that we set a date with brother Degannes for this saturday. He is still searching for an answer but I really feel like he is going to get it. The bad thing about him is he is going to live in england the week after he is to be baptized. We really don't want him to fall through the cracks over in england, so we are going to do everything that we can to get him baptized this week. He is really awesome though. Some of our other main investigators we are working with are Sandra, Rudolph, Sharlene, and Shem. They all have a sincere desire to find out if it is true and hopefully as we continue to pray for them, they will come to this knowledge. It sounds like you guys are all doing really well, and it will be such a great experience for you guys to house Marcella and the Japanese english student. One of my favorite examples of missionary work is in alma 62 verses 17, and 27-29. The people of ammon were able to convert all 4000 lamanites just because of their example. I know that it is the same today and right now we are trying to make this work here in San Fernando. We are trying  to start having people in the ward have house meetings, where they invite friends, Recent converts, and less actives, over and we would have a lesson. The only hard part, is this ward does not like being involved. It is really frustrating but we are trying our best to make it happen. Well I hope everything is going well, I will let you know when I get the package, but my guess is it wont be for a couple of weeks because it seems to move really slow down here. I love you all and keep on keeping my updated. I was a little bit disappointed when I got on this morning and I only had a email from mom. Just kidding, I know you guys are all busy. Sorry I dont have pictures, I forgot to grab my camera this morning. This week I will send home an SD card because I made a little documentary for you guys. It is called, A Day in the Life of Elder Gines and Elder Kaelin. Haha well I gotta get going. I love and rely on you guys more than you know.
Love,
Elder Gines