10 Julio 2001

Dear Family,

You'll have to forgive me for this week. It's already Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. and I'm just now writing this letter and I must warn you that it will be a little short. That's because a few elders in the mission and I have been commissioned by President Blacker to design the Mision Venezuela Valencia logo, based on the mission slogan "Quien soy hace una diferencia" (Who I am makes a difference;) so I was working on that all day yesterday. I've come up with a few ideas, but none totally earth shattering. I have to bring my ideas to the Zone Conference that we'll have tomorrow here in Maracay. We also have understanding that the Elder Russell M. Nelson will visit the mission next month, so we'll have a great opportunity to listen to him.

This last week was pretty tough. The 2 weeks before I went to Curacao, we were working like we had never worked before - I like to compare it to a huge boulder that we had just speeding down the hill. Well, what with my "vacation" and then the following week with Elder Christopher sick and lots of time in the apartment, that once powerful boulder had screeched to a halt, and this last week was that arduous time spent pushing and tugging and straining, trying to get that heavy boulder to budge again. Well, I think we've gotten it to pick up a little speed right now so this week should be one of great improvement.

There are changes coming up the 26th of the month, so Elder Christopher and I are going to work like no other to get this companionship ending in a bang. We've had a fantastic time together and we've both learned far more than we've anticipated.

Today we have lunch with our new convert, Arelys. She is so happy and energetic about her baptism and all this "church" stuff. The day of her baptism she came up to us and told us that her sister in law who lives with her also wants to listen to the charlas so we made an appointment to come back in 3 days to start her on the charlas. When we come by for the second charla, we meet Maya, a cousin of Arelys. So, we decide to share the 2nd charla with not only Amyra (Arelys' cousin) and Senora Mari (Arelys' mom who listened to all the charlas with Arelys but didn't get baptized), but with Maya, too. It's a great charla, we all feel the Spirit strongly so when Elder Christopher invited them to be baptized the 21st, they all accept, even Maya who hasn't had even the first charla!

Well, gotta go - studying to do. Peace!

Love,

Nick