THE FIGHT CONTINUES IN SAN LUCHO

Saludos from....... San Luis!!! They didn´t transfer me nor my comp so we are still here working in the outskirts of Bogotá. It is hard sometimes because it is a town on the side of the mountain and we basically are hiking all day, but it is an awesome people and we have some great investigators.

FUN FACTS FROM MY LIFE THESE DAYS:

- I am reading the New Testament still and am finding some cool scriptures. They are some burried gems here. Also, lots of really funn scriptures. Like Romans Chapter 14 verse 20 that says (I´m translating so the wording might be a bit different), "No destruyas la obra del Señor por causa de la comida." which is really really funny and actually has some uses, which is fun.

- We were standing outside yesterday waiting for a bus to come by and a dog urinated on one of our companions which was just about the funniest thing that has happened in my life.

- As missionaries, we have some rules like we can´t hug people (well women) and stuff like that and you know what, I think that is an absolutely great rule (especially when there are crazy ladies in your ward who come all up in your grill and you need an excuse to get them off and run away). That said, who doesn´t like a little hug now and then? SOLUTION: dogs. not the crazy dogs in the street, but the dogs of nice members of the ward and investigators who are little and nice and sit on your lap while you pet them and yeah. there are some precious little dogs here in San Luis and it is just great. And yes, you all have permission to laugh at me becuase I am also laughing at myself.

- speaking of dogs, wow there are so many dogs here. Like maybe more dogs than people. and everywhere. and they are annoying sometimes and do sketchy stuff. One bit my comp the other day (just a tiny tiny bit calm down mom) and the next day we went by there again and it came up to my comp so he kicked it in the face (and softly calm down everyone) and it hasnt bothered us since. Nor its buddies. sounds like they learned a lesson to not mess with the dudes in suits. Problem solved.

I feel bad for not having sent pics and you guys have no idea of what my life looks like here(well mostly because we took some wicked awesome pics that I am super proud of and well I want to brag). But today we finally found internet with a working USB port and I will be send some your way promptly. You´re welcome.

SCRIPTURE STORY FOR THE WEEK:

so lets all turn in our Book of Mormons- wait no its Books of Mormon- wait no its ummmmmmmmmmm

so lets all turn in our copies of the Book of Mormon to Moroni 7. Please read this chapter (whith special emphasis on the back half) placing special attention to the words Faith, Hope, Charity. These are 3 very special attributes of Christ (please see Preach My Gospel Chapter 6 for more info). Analyze these three attributes. Pay close attention to how we need to have these more in our lives, following the example of Christ. It is pretty crazy. Like we can do everything perfect, but if we don´t have charity, it doesn´t do us much good. Think of three ways in your life your are charitable. Keep it up. Think of three things (and specific things) that you could do to be a bit more charitable. Make plans to accomplish this goal. Do it. Pay attention to how good you feel after. Yeah. That´s right. It´s kinda hard to describe but you feel really good, huh? Wash, rinse, repeat, and pass it on. Make it a weekly process, this self-analyzation. Watch the blessings flow to you and others (maybe even to others through you).

I love you all and hope your lives are wonderful!!

Elmer Praff (now my name is a running joke and the other elders here and some members tell everyone that I am Elmer Praff and its just easier, they understand better so I let it go)

HOWDY

I don´t know why I like saying howdy so much I´m not even from the south or anything

but

HOWDY!

I hope all is well in wherever you all are. Life here in Colombia is totally life in Colombia. Today during P´day we went down to Bogotá and were in a mall and it is a super new and nice mall and it was also like a really rich kinda mall and had a bunch of Gringo stores and I felt like I was in the USA again. They even had gringo music and I could speak english with one of my Latin homies. It was crazy. Then we got on the bus to go back up to San Luis and it was soooooooooo full (like people on top of each other full) and crazy and I totally had another "we´re-not-in-kansas-anymore" moment. But it still way cool. Colombia and the mission are a blast!

Well my life is cool right now. San Luis is a super cool branch with some really awesome people. The work here is moving along really well. We have transfers this next week and if they transfer me I am going to be super bummed because Elder Chauque and I have PLANS YO. We have these two awesome families that just have to get a bit more assurity (pretty sure thats spelled wrong) and (of course) get married (because we are in Colombia lol) and we will have two great families added to the branch here. We are kicking booties and takin names. Missionary work is a blast.

I am short on time this week but Ihope you all are doing great and I love you! If I find a blasted computer that works right one of these days I´ll send some photos! Ciao!!!

Elmer Plaff (I´m serious the people here call me this)

It is hard to understand people who talk fast and have no teeth

YO YOY YOP YO YOOOOO 

Howdy y´all.

San Luis is going wonderfully. This area is crazy hills. Like we never walk more than ten steps on flat ground. we are always going uphill or downhill.  It is a workout yo but it is full of great people. 

This week was full of funny little stuff. Like when:

- We were having a district meeting with 6 missionaries in the chapel and proselyting Jehovah´s Witnesses came and knocked on the chapel door and started to try to Bible Bash with us. That sure was enjoyable.

- When we contacted some people and they invited us to come visit them and one of the daughters said, "Great, let´s kill a chicken!" CULTURE SHOCK I´m deffy not in Kansas or Utah or California or anywhere over there anymore

- This one 50 year old guy we were contacting said these words: "My mom is Catholic and bless her heart but since I have grown up I´ve come to realize that that is probably the most incorrect church out there." Then he started saying all this mean stuff and we had to stop him cause even like I was getting offended adn I´m not even Catholic. We were just like woah chill dude they are like super good people just calm down lets not just talk smack about them. But man it was also kinda funny I can´t lie. First and last time I will hear someone say that in this country haha

But otherwise it was a pretty good week of work. We are meeting a lot of new people and getting some progressing investigators. We´re praying for a marriage/baptism to go down on the 21st of September of the excellent family. Life is great!

Sorry I haven´t sent photos but all of the good internet cafes were closed and the one I´m at doesn´t work with my USB for some reason but it´s a work in progress. I have some pretty swell photos to send down your way.

I hope all is well and you are all doing great! Read the talk from Jeffery R. Holland from last conference! It´s sooooo goood!

<3

Elder Frack (yep like nobody here can say my name either)

I dislike Regueton/Reggaeton

Regueton/Raggaeton is a type of music down here (that I have no idea how to spell) and it is terrible (And it is not Raggae because raggae is splendid) and a car just passed by this internet cafe and it had it playing really loud so I thought I would dedicate the title of this email to it.

wellllllLLLlLlLLLLLLllLl Howdy! I hope your week was a lot less crazy than mine!

First of all, TRANSFERZZZZZ! Transfers are supposed to be in like 3 weeks but because of some stuff that went down in other areas they transfered me and took me away from Zipa on Friday morning. I was SO BUMMED. They took me away from my investigators, my child (Elder Galleguillos still had 3 weeks left of training), and my birthplace (of the mission). It was a very sad morning, but now I´m working in an area called San Luis! It is a pueblo on the side of a mountain in Bogotá and it is super cool. They have an awesome branch with a weekly attendance of about 90 in a tiny chapel-house. It is so great. There are some wonderful people here. My new comp´s name is Elder Chauque and he is from Argentina and is really cool. Also fun is that my comp and I are opening an area! San Luis has never had 4 missionaries, so we have to find our way around this maze of a pueblo and find investigators and live the good life! Also, President said he might let me go back to Zipa in a few weeks to see a baptism of a family that we were teaching and was gonna get baptized the 31st!!!!!!! That would just be splendid!!!!!

FUN FACTS:

- About 2 weeks ago, Elder Lamb who was in Zipa with us taught me how to solve a Rubix Cube. I now can solve it in less than 2 minutes and the other day I did it one-handed in about 8.5 minutes. STILL A NERD AND LOVE IT

- Gabriel (from Zipa, the super cool old guy) got cooler in my eyes. The other day Elder Galleguillos and I realized that he basically is the old guy from the movie Up. Also he fixes umbrellas. Also he watches Lassie. Also he has a giant rifle in his house that is almost taller than he is.

- Ryan Balzer, homie from FV, is in my same district here now after the transfers. HOLLAAAAA

- One of the counselors in our Branch Presidency here in San Luis looks just like the lead singer of The Format/Fun.

- I MADE AREPAS AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS

- If you ever wondered why the song All You Need is Love by The Beatles sounds a bit off rhythmically, it is because it switches from 7/8 to 8/8 a bunch of times and is awesome. (I heard it on a bus, calm down hahha)

Also wow Preach My Gospel is so good. READ AND ENJOY

Also I saw a video of the last testimony of Gordon B Hinkley in a chapel in England and it is so powerful I cried no joke. Look it up, yo. It is from May 25, 2005

Well time is short and I have a pueblo to teach. I hope all of you are doing well and life is treating you great!

With an excessive amount of love, 

Elder Pratt

P.S. SHOUT OUT TO JORDAN SMITH REYNOLDS WHO GETS HOME FROM HIS MISSION THIS WEEK

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER

so we have this lady here who got baptized like a year ago and is cool and really friendly and yeah but for some family circumstances, is not active right now. BUT the other day, she was telling us about this dream she had before she got baptized. It was so amazing, we asked her to draw it out for us, and here is what she did. One night, she had prayed and asked if the Book of Mormon was true. that night, she had this dream. I could explain the whole thing to you if I had the time here at the internet, but basically she had Lehi´s Tree of Life dream. Absolutely incredible. In the drawing you can see:
- the tree
- the fruit, which she said was the most sweet and delicious thing she had ever tasted
- her and her family partaking of the fruit and knelt down by the tree
- her husband standing outside with his arms crossed (he didn't end up getting baptized)
- a bridge they had to cross and to cross they had to hold on super tightly so they didn't fall in the dark chasm (also her husband didnt cross the bridge either, again there with his arms crossed)
aaaaand much more. Absolutely amazing.

WHEN YOU READ THIS I WILL HAVE 6 MONTHS IN THE MISSION

I have decided that I get out of control with caps sometimes and if it bothers you, I apologize. Its just how else can I express emotion through a keyboard?

WELLllllllllllllll how are you all doing? I hope life is wonderful. Things here in Zipa keep getting weirder and cooler at the same time!

This week had some BUMMERS. Sadness from and investigator who had a baptism date (we had some crazy experiences with her and this was going to be the most amazing baptism ever) for this coming Saturday who just like starting saying she never had time to meet and told a member who is a friend of hers that she didn´t want to meet with us anymore. Suuuuuuper sad. I was like mad and sad and everything all at once, but it´s all good. We are going to stop by her house tomorrow and try to surprise her and figure out what happened. Major bummer.

Buuuuuut its all good because the Lord has prepared some other people in Zipa. One of them is the niece from some members from Bogotá. She is 14 and has a stronger testimony and understanding of the doctrine that a lot of people who have been members for years. We found her last week when her aunt and uncle were visiting and she came to church here in Zipa instead of going in Bogotá with them. She even came to seminary this week and gave a talk in church yesterday! She is gonna get baptized this Saturday!!!!!!!

I finished reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish this week! It was an awesome day. Now I have the goal to finish the New Testament by the end of the month. I am in Luke and trucking along strong, but the Book of Mormon is just, well, better. Like the New Testament tells us about Christ´s life and some of the apostles and stuff and its super cool, but the Book of Mormon is just out of control. The testimony of Jesus Christ that it carries is much more than just facts or killer stories. It really helps understand who he was, why he is so important, and what we need to do to really take advantage of the Atonement in our lives. It is spectacular. There is a reason why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is so strong: The Book of Mormon is the cornerstone. And I don´t care how many times who have put it to the test, do it again! Just wait and let the Spirit fill you up and let that testimony grow!

Just so you all know, I am officially the captain of putting stickers in my scriptures. I think next week I will send a pic. I really like putting the tab kinda stickers in my scriptures to mark things and i think I got out of hand a bit. They are just so useful and helpful! but whatever, its all good haha.

Also new fun fact, my comp is getting pretty good at English. with all the gringo-ness and English in the house these days with Elder Lamb and Ringwood, my comp has picked up a lot. It is so awesome (especially when Elders Lamb and Ringwood teach him phrases like "How YOU doing?" and other stellar stuff like that). We totally can talk in English if I talk really slow and explain a word or two here and there. He is doing great! Also Elder Ringwood has gotten crazy better at Spanish with them chatting. gooood times, yo. Good times.

If you want to fall in love, listen to Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, as sung by Freddy Ashby. You will instantly question everything in your life that has kept you from listening to this song and rethink all of the choices you have ever made. I am only exagerrating a very tiny bit.

I hope life for you all is going great and I miss you! Keep up your prayers and doing those small things and like Alma 37 says, the big things will come, even the salvation of souls. Just keep doing your part and the blessings will flow! Also you all should watch the Joseph Smith movie (the hour-ish one) and then cry like small child. A very very small child.

I love you all!

Elder Pratt

Woah

Yo yo yo.

SOOOOOOOOOOoooOOOooOOOOO life is about to get interesting here in ZZZZZZipa.

Life was pretty normal this week, except last night we learned about the transfers for these next weeks. 

For those who don´t know, right know when missionaries leave the MTC or CCM or whatever it is, they are in training with an older missionary for 12 weeks (2 transfers) to help them learn the ropes and focus a bit more on the what and how of missionary work so they get a good grasp and example and stuff. I, as of yesterday, just finished my two tranfers of training with Elder Sanahuano. And now, most missionaries go along with normal work for a transfer or two and then they might train or something. Wellllll the mission president and apparently God have other plans for me right now. Tomorrow, a brand new elder fresh out of the CCM will be coming to the mission to be trained by me. AHHHHHHHHHHHH (that was not a sigh, but a scream). I am all kinds of nervous, excited, thrilled (in the positive and negative sense of the word), and nervous again. I can´t tell you how many times I´ve reflected on the scripture in 1 Nephi 3:7 (if you dont know it go and read the story and the verse - pretty powwerful stuff). I don't know how yet, but the Lord is gonna provide a way for me to do it. Tomorrow afternoon, I meet my new companion. PRAY FOR MEEEEEEEEE

other news:

- I got a few letters in the mail!!!!!!!!!!!  Just so y´alls know which ones arrived, I got one form Grandma Baker, 3 from Brian and Aubrey and the kids (the pics were a hit with the other missionarioes), 2 from the Stake Pres there in HB, and a packet with some notes from The Primary in the ward. Thanks fo reveryone! It means liek ten billions of awesomes. Seriously. I counted the awesomes and it came out an even ten billion.

- I heard spanish versions of Hotel California by The Eagles and The Reason by Hoobastank

- WARD COUNCILS HERE IN OUR BRANCH ARE BLOODY BATTLES OF HEAD CUTTING DOCTRINE. Next week i am bringing popcorn. I literally laughed out loud during it with my companions because of how ridic it got. it was freaking fantastic.

- Belén gave a talk in church. A real life talk like a member of a thousand years. Man that was like the coolest thing ever.

I love you all! Keep me in your prayers, you all stay in mine!

Elder Prattttttttttt.