Those pictures are so great! LOL, that little boy is going to be so smart when he gets older. 13 months and already can use a computer, lol, and people say the computer is bad for you, huh, lol!!!! (Nephew, Russell at his own little computer..13 months old...sooo cute!!)

So this week was pretty fun!
I'll just dive into one of the best parts of this week..this past Friday night when I was calling in our dats to the district leader, he gave me a special little announcement that one of his investigators that I helped teach a few times wanted me to go back to Amparo and BAPTISE him!!! How cool is that?!?! I can't say that I think I'll ever get to baptise someone elses investigator again but it was still a pretty cool experience, his name is Ferby Romeo, lol, pretty cool name...

Then throughout the week we decided to change up our working system a little bit. We usually work a little here and little there, trying to find new people on our own but we haven't been having too much success with that. So this past Sunday we went and looked at the CIMI to see how many members there were exactly here....over 400 members baptised!!! And only 50 or so come each Sunday...pretty pittifull!! So we are working on reactivating 5 families a week hopefully we can at least get the attendance up to 90 by the time I leave here.

Everyone is telling me that this is my last change here in zone Coatepeque. I almost have a year in this zone, but we'll see what President says. Supposedly, we have interviews tomorrow and he is going to be doing a few of those at our houses, so it would be a interesting to have interviews at our house which could happen.

Yesterday in church we had the most amount of investigators at one time...we had 7 of our investigators there!!! How cool is that?!?
Out of the 7 though that showed up I hope to have at least 4 baptised before I leave here...This always seems to happen and I always say this, right before I'm about to leave an area that's when all of our investigators decide to start receiving their answers, lol. Hopefully these won't just be more seeds planted and I will actually get to see the harvest of my work....but even if not, as long as they keep learning I'll be good.

We had a little meeting with the branch president and his counselors this past Wednesday night and we brought up how no one cleans the church and how we can't be trying to do that and preach at the same time, so we set a cleaning crew that will hopefully help take care of the church. The President left us the keys to lock down that night, so my companion and I decided to take the initiative and start by cleaning and organizing their office. Man, that was some work...took us about 2 days of cleaning but now it looks like an actual functioning office.

Next is to attack the CIMI and find out which of the 400 members actually still exist and live here and who is and isn't baptised...I tell ya it kills me to see this stuff in such a mess!!

But yeah, that's about the jist of this past week, and I sure I'll have plenty to tell you after interviews tomorrow so stay tuned, lol!!!

Love you guys tons,
Elder Marquis

Happy Mother's Day!!!

¡¡¡¡EYYYOOOOO!!!!

Man last night was really cool being to talk to everyone about everything.

Gave me a lot to think about and about how I'm actually going to have to make these plans that I have come to be.

It was great to hear from you guys again..crazy to think that it might be the last time before I see you guys face to face..but who knows lol?

Well you guys pretty much know what went down this past week but yeah I'll give a quick little overview of everything that we have going on in La Blanca. Yesterday we had stake conference and President Maravilla came and gave a pretty good talk. One of our new investigators, Eulices, brought his wife to see how it all is which is pretty exciting. He liked it enough that he brought his wife and I really feel good about this family. They were brought to us by one of the member familys and this family is the best!

We also put 2 fechas with two other guys that we're working with, Jorge Louis, and Angel Martin. I'm going across the hump day of my first baptism which was for the 29 of last May and I really would like to have another to pass on the tradition...so can't slack off.

We're also working with like 8 others that are pretty close to baptism also, so as long as they keep their compromisos we'll be good.

I dont know...I really enjoy this area and just want to give back a little of the joy that I've found here whether that's through baptising or reactivating we'll have to see.

Thank you guys for everything and for the prayers for our investigators.

Love you tons,
And HAPPY MOTHERS DAY AGAIN!!!!!

Elder Marquis

...note from Mom...

We got to talk to Elder Marquis for awhile Sunday evening and it was so great! He is doing well and loves his mission, his companion, the area his is working in and the Lord. Doesn't get much better than that. We had a conference call, so he got to talk to his brothers and sisters also. We laughed and talked and had a wonderful family prayer together before we said good-bye. Great way to spend Mother's Day....
Love and thanks to all of our friends and family....We love you all and are so grateful for your love and support...

...I felt like we should take a side road....

So... I'm starting change number 10 this week WOOO!!! And I'm still here in La Blanca with Elder Thomas, great guy and super funny. And loving every second that I have to be in this area.

Man, I just saw in one of the news papers down here that Osama Bin Laden has finally been found and killed, after 10 years, how crazy is that!!! Good stuff though, maybe the terrorist attacks will start to die down now. Anyways love you guys...my time is about out....I'll call you all soon.....WOOOOOOO!!!!

Questions:

What is it about these people that you love? Are they happy, grateful, spiritual...??? Tell me alittle bit about what you see that we could learn from them.

They are funny, and loving, and everything. Now that I don't have the problem with the language barrier I can talk, joke, and know them...They are just a very open people. I can just walk into a strangers house and start joking with them like we've been best buds forever...there's not really that ice to break... everyone is just very open and accepting down here.


Do you have the same companion? If not, who is your new one...where is he from??

No, before we had changes I talked to Presidente Maravilla and asked him for another change down here in La Blanca with Elder Thomas and he said that would be ok..but we'll see if he lets me stay here till December, lol, doubt it but who knows.


When is the last time you went to the temple? Will you get to go to the temple before you come home?

Man....its been forever....since the CCM down here when I first started my mission...that part is what I hate the most about moving from mission Xela is that now they are about to have a brand new temple and its just out of my boundries....but maybe I will get to see the temple dedication and the Prophet!!!!!


I am going to start you another box this week...is there something in particular you would like in there, or do you need anything? One of the Elders was asking for itch cream, neosporin, sharpie pens etc...do you need any of those things or just fun stuff. What little things would the kids like??

Same old stuff works for me, shells and cheese tootsie pops and random others. The kids love glow in the dark stuff and those little HLJ rings and balloons lol...so easily pleased, none this, I want an xbox lol.


Same questions...something spiritual to share, most interesting contact...how was church, how far do you walk..something cultural to share...

While on divisions with the zone leaders we were walking through the platano fields when I just felt like we should take one of the side roads that looked like it went to nowhere..so we did and when we walked for like 5 min. we found a little shack with a woman and an old grandma...so we contacted the house. Before we even said anything thing she was like..OH!...come and sit down Elders!...I was thinking that she was a less active member because no one just calls us Elders like that, lol,...anyways, we got to know her better and turns out that she had been investigating the church with one of her member friends a few years back but her friend moved away and she stopped coming...but we taught her a little about the restauracion and prophets and invited her to pray...I don't know what will come of this, hopefully she will find the need to be baptised but we'll see.

Then, yesterday, we were down in Pueblo Nuevo, one of our other small areas, and bumped into the branch president and invited him to go to a lesson with one of his references, good timing huh?, And he came with us, and when we came up to his house we found ol' Jorge...in the buff... washing himself in the water canal, lol lol lol, good times, anywho, he got all dried off and we taught him of the importance of being baptised and in the middle of the lesson we challenged him to be baptised for the 15 of this month and he accepted the invitation to prepare for this date. So hopefully, if all goes well and if he does the little assignments we leave for him he should be ready!!!


(Another bit of info from mom...) Oh ya...The Fast and Furious 5 came out this week...Cherie and I went to see it. Pretty good,...too many scantily clad women, but ok movie. Transformers...something or other is coming out. One with Harrison Ford and the old Bond dude...Aliens vs Cowboys...should be fun. Another Twilight in Nov or Dec...

(from Elder Marquis) Man those all sounds sooooo good, I love movies, can't wait to see everything when I get back. Might have a big ol' movie party. Lol, I'll be so into the movies and everyone else is going to be like, Marquis, this movie is 2 years old ugh....lol.


Love you guys
ELder Marquis