Greetings from TEXAS!

Howdy!

Sometimes I feel like I still have like my entire mission but its already flying by. Well this week was pretty fun, Elder Barney and I get along good and we should have a great transfer. I'm writing a little later because we were at the dentist this morning because Elder Barney has to get a root canal, bummer for him. However, My teeth are just fine.

Yes I did get the memory card and the package, thanks! I love the primary songs, they're awesome!!! Oh I sent the address to the apartment last week and i forgot the apartment number (its #1605). If you send stuff there it will get there a day sooner, but if I get transfered it doesn't work.

Anyways. Random experience. On Saturday we went to lunch with a member, then an appointment for an hour and then we went to a house for a first appointment. They were having a lil' family party and they invited us in. We talked a little bit with some of the men there but they were kind of drunk so not really receptive, mostly because they can't think/listen. We were trying to leave and the lady brings out a few torillas and chicken and we couldn't say no (if you refuse it the get really offended). So we ate there and left with a prayer. It was mostly awkward because they just left us at the table to eat and no one was really talking to us, kind of goofy. (side note: their door mat was really clever, a flattened 24 Bud Light cardboard box... hahaha...its like perfect size...) After that we had an appointment and then we had dinner with a member. I was so full. And thats the life of a missionary.

So we had an interesting experience with Juana, the older lady. Wednesday we were teaching about baptism and she told us, "Estoy bien bautizada!" - 'i'm good and baptized' (more or less... doesn't translate real pretty...). So she thought she had been baptized as a baby in the Catholic church and that was good enough. We talked about authority a little bit and we left Moroni chapter 8. The chapter is really really clear that infant baptism is not necessary and that its a sin. Next day we go back and she says she read it. Then she pauses and says "I was thinking a lot about it... and baptizing little children just isn't right, its just a tradition set up by men." As she said I couldn't help but smiling! It was awesome to see the spirit and clarity of the Book of Mormon change someone's beliefs. She is so prepared! We talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost and we set a date for January 25th. She is really amazing.

Rudy is still doing good. We are kind of worried about him because he doesn't really seem to capture the need he has to be baptized. He is a pretty good guy, and since he thinks he has done anything really bad he doesn't need to repent since the little things aren't 'sins'. He could get baptized but if he doesn't really see the need it wouldn't be good to just baptize him, when he isn't repentant and of a humble heart. We are trying to help him understand that sins aren't only when we do something to hurt other people. Sins are when we break God's laws. Sins are just doing bad things, its not doing good things as well. Hopefully the spirit can work on him and help him see things a different way.

In church on Sunday we talked about the Parable of the Sower in Elders Quorum. Its one of my favorite parables. The seed is the gospel or any principle of the gospel. The seed is good. The only thing that varies is the soil, which is us. Individually when we are humble and willing we are 'the good soil.' When we crowd our life with lots of distractions we are like the 'thorny soil' and the seed gets choked by the weeds. When we don't want to change we are the 'rocky soil' and the seed can't root and it dies. When the 'seeds of the Gospel' fall in our soil, do they grow with strong roots? Or do we fail to nuture them? The seeds of the Gospel are the little things like daily prayer and scripture study. I love this parable because it applies to everything in the Gospel and it applies to ourselves.

Wow. I've written a lot. Thanks for all the letters and emails. I wish I could write emails back to everyone but its not really allowed. But thanks so much for all the email and letters.

I love ya'll and hope the best!

Love,
Elder Wagner