This past week was good for me; a whole lot seemed to have happened. I’ll start with the best, we had a baptism! Finally we baptized Hermano Jesus! Me and my companion like to joke saying we baptized Jesus again but really we are happy we had the privilege to teach him. He was the hardest person I’ve ever taught, his mind isn’t all there so it was tough but after we dropped him like 3 times then started teaching him again things got better and he was baptized and confirmed Sunday. After his baptism he shared his testimony and wow that was powerful. It was cool to see the thing she had a problem with before, the things that wouldn’t allow him to be baptized earlier, he had a firm testimony of now.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to attend a dedication of a new church building here in our zone that as well was really cool. Our mission president came out and dedicated it and the prayer was beautiful! He read it all, which was a little weird but it was good. Before the dedication he gave a talk and he had someone play primary songs on the piano while he was talking, that was really odd actually. I got a kick out of it; it seems like something that would come from the Office.

Last night we stopped by an investigators place to talk to him and we had an interesting experience. He owns a pizza shop and he gave us free pizza and a soda, that was cool, then he showed us his house. After he told us that he doesn’t like his church and doesn’t really go so that was a great opportunity for us to talk to him more about our church. Right as we were about to leave he said hey I have this friend that is from Canada and lived in the States forever do you want to go meet him? Oh by the way this investigator lived in the states for about 15 years so we were speaking English. But we went to this Canadian guy’s house and it was huge! It is the nicest house I’ve been in here and it made me miss home! His wife is from here that’s why they live here but she offered us Iced Tea and we had to explain to them the Word of Wisdom and how we couldn’t drink things like that. It really makes me realize we can talk about the church and the things we know all the time if we are listening and in tune with the spirit and want to share the gospel!

Time is flying by and I don’t know what to do! It’s way hard to get a hold of what’s going on and I don’t know if I ever will. Anyways this last week was good for me, not too much happened. We will be having a baptism for a man we have been teaching for 8 weeks, way much but it’s ok! Our relationship with him has been like a bad relationship with a girlfriend. We are good and he is progressing and then he stops progressing so we have to stop teaching him and then he starts progressing again and we get back together and teach him so it’s been a wild ride! Yesterday he had his interview and he passed so I pray all goes well today and tomorrow! We should be having another baptism on Saturday, we have been teaching him through the phone, which has been interesting. I’ve had to get used to praying on the phone and it is still kind of odd but it’s ok, I still feel the spirit.

This last week we got to go to an old persons home and help them out. I made some tortillas, they were terrible but it’s the taste that counts and we helped cook food, talked with them and sang. I have some funny pictures I will be adding with them and some other members in our district and some in elders in our zone.

Siempre recuerda que Jesucristo Te Ama mucho. Dios esnuestro padre celestial y el nos conoce personalamente, cada uno de nosotros!

Things here are going well! Were finally seeing the fruits of all of our work and boy its sweet. We went out on Sunday with members and visited a lot of less active members and that was a big help. We’re having success finding people and teaching them, we have a baptism planned for this week so were hoping that everything is ok and we can finally have one this change. We have been blessed and have been finding People Street contacting but this just isn’t enough. We need the help of our branch and we need references! References are the best way to teach people! I just wish everyone would understand the importance of this. This week I planned a capture the flag game with our branch so hopefully we have a good attendance and we can unite the branch some more. We have a good spiritual part planned in it so we will see how that goes, and I’ll tell next week what it was if it ends up a success.

Love, Cole

This past week was pretty good for me. Not a whole lot happened over here but something interesting happened at church on Sunday. So we don’t have a ward in this area, it’s a branch. They told me and my companion right away when we got here that they wanted to be a ward so bad and they were doing everything they could to become one which I found out later that they aren’t doing anything at all to become one. For them to become a ward they have to have a regular assistance of 125 or more people every Sunday for 3 months and have 24 active priesthood holders paying tithing. They have been having around 101 in assistance and progressing but this last Sunday they had 45, sad huh? And we hear this next Sunday will be worse because of the elections here. But the Priesthood that was there was 5 Elders including me and my companion. The worst part of it all is that we have 271 less actives in our ward! That is crazy. If we reactivated them we could have a ward and a branch. I talked with them about that on Sunday and it seemed like a huge shock to them. We’re trying to help them out but I’m not sure if they can. We don’t have a secretary and both of the counselors to the President are less active so this means that we have to fulfill those callings. So we might be those counselors and secretary by next Monday on top of our duties as missionaries and finding people. This branch is already a lot of work and will be so I’m wondering if I was put here for a reason, because Dad taught me how wards should run! I’m glad he taught me what he did; maybe he knew something I didn’t!

We should be having a baptism this next week but they guy has some crazy ideas. He thinks he has been called of God to make a machine that will make humans better. All you have to do is put love, patience, charity and things like that in it as well as the person and it will make them perfect. We’re trying to explain to him we can’t be perfect but he has the desire to learn and be baptized and he agrees with everything we’ve been saying. So with him I hope we can unpollute his mind. I thought we had a weird family but ha not at all, I’ve seen some way crazy weird here.

Not much else is going on here just one last thing. Last night we watched a movie as a branch, only like 5 people were there but it was called courageous. There was a part when the daughter of a man died and he was talking to his preacher and the preacher said are you going to be mad about the time you could have had with her or happy for the time that you did have with her. This made me really think how lucky I am to have had the first 19 years of my life with my father. I actually knew him, I can remember him, he was able to teach me a lot of things, I learned from him. I know if he was still here I would learn a lot more but I learned a lot from him and will continue to even if he isn’t here physically. I’m so grateful for the time I’ve had on this earth with him and all of my family, I’m so blessed!

As for me my new area is good, it’s dead. Before we got here the missionaries had emergency changes, well they got sent home so they were doing bad things and not working so we had nothing. Which means we had to start over with no new investigators or anything. Were in a Branch that is terrible ha they say they want to be a ward so bad but they don’t help the missionary work at all so were going to machete them this Sunday…machete with love that is. The thing is that the members don’t understand their role, they are supposed to find and we teach. It is the best way to baptize. My comp is ok, he annoys me a lot but I’m patient and just let it go. I’m better now at going with the flow actually I’m the bomb at it and maybe am too good with it but I’m learning lots. Its odd were being so obedient and working hard and having no success! But the Lord is teaching us and testing us and I know at the end of all trials are blessings we were holding it out.

Things are hot here in the South, way hot especially since I got transferred to another area. I am now in a place in the Orient or in other words way out in the middle of nowhere! It’s in the zone San Vicente it’s called Ilobasco. Its way hotter here than my last area, it’s like 2.5 hours from the capital sadly. I am now washing my own garments, by hand! Never in my life did I think I would be washing my clothes by hand, how convenient are washing machines? It really makes you grateful for them. It took me an hour and a half today to wash them and my arms are killing me, it’s a good workout. I have a new companion as well and he is from Guatemala. He is really odd and overly obedient, it’s hard to say there is such a thing but there is. He follows every rule and the rules that aren’t even there! So pray for me please. J Other than that not much is going on so I hope you have a good safe week. Know I love you and pray for you every prayer, that’s a lot in a day!

Love always,
Cole

Hey there mom and dad,

I like the best regards at the end of the email! Well I have to say that this past week was not what I wanted or expected. It was a very very hard week on me knowing that my dad was deathly ill and I couldn’t be there to help out or even see him one more time if he happened to pass away. I know that through Jesus Christ we can be happy and know that families are eternal, which is some pretty great knowledge if you ask me. I teach that lesson, The Plan of Salvation, almost every day and I didn’t think that I would have to be learning about it for myself while I was on my mission. It’s not something that I will ever want to have to use but then again it kind of is. I know that we all have missions to do after this life and if we live our lives in accordance to his teachings, then we can be with our families forever. After fasting for two days and praying lots I finally got the comfort that I needed when I got to talk to Mom, President Haymond, and my mission president, President Glazier. They helped me realize that I need to be here and that we do have a Ward Family back at home that does love my family, I am very grateful for this. My parents are the people that would do anything for anyone and I know that a lot of the families in the Hiram Ward will also so I thank them for their support for my Mom, Dad, Family and as well me. I appreciate all of the emails of support from ward members, there are a lot so I won’t be able to reply to them all in one week but ill will gradually.
I just want to say how lucky we are to have a Stake President like President Haymond. He really is a very spiritual man and without him and his help to me, I don’t know if I would be on a mission. He really is called of God and will help anyone who is in need; I have experienced this over the years of knowing him and this past week as well. He made me realize once again that i have two names on my name plaque, the Lord´s and my last name. I am here serving both of them and I need to make them both proud. As hard as it is me being here and not in Ohio where I want to be, I need to be here. I have that faith, or hope, that I need to have to know that things will turn out ok.

in a special blessing that I had before I came on my mission i was told that every life experience i have will help mold me to become a great man one day and I have to say that my life has not been a walk in the park. I like to think of it like a walk in the highway at night. I have to walk in such a way that I don’t get hit by cars and I have to pay attention to the headlights of the cars coming at me so I can see. Life often times is dark and we can’t see the things we need to but we always need to look for the light, it might be small and hard to see but it will always be there. Christ will always be with us if we allow him to be.

Mom if you can email my mission president or call him to tell him what is going on so that I can know what is going on will be great…its needed here. It stinks being in another country not knowing what is going on with my Dad. So, anyway you can get a hold of him would be great.

Thank you all for your support, it is much needed and I can feel your love all the way in El Salvador. I hope everyone has a good week and I know Dad will get through this.
I love you lots Dad! Remember i still want you to be here when i come back.

Love,
Elder Herman

Greetings and Salutations from El Salvador,
How are things going for everyone? It seems like this past couple of weeks have been busy for everyone. These past couples of weeks were kind of boring for us actually. A lot of the members and our investigators were all drunk or left town because of the holidays so we didn’t have much to do but we got through it and are back on our feet. It’s interesting to see how different countries celebrate their holidays, I sure learned a lot about how they do it here, it’s not my preference but whatever pleases them!
That’s cool to hear about the new investigator. A cool story I heard a while ago was about a woman who didn’t understand any English, she couldn’t read and she lived in the States. So as you could tell it would be hard for this lady to learn. It wasn’t going well for the missionaries because they couldn’t talk but once they gave her the BOM she knew it was the true church. That book has so much power we don’t have to read it, well we need to if we can but the Spirit that it invites can tell someone who can’t read or speak English that this really is the true church of God. I love that book!
Things with my comp are great, I love him so much! He is hilarious and is teaching me a lot. There are never dull moments between us so it makes things interesting. As for cambios (transfers) we have them this week and I found out last night I’ll be in the same area another change. So this means that I’ll be in my first area for at least 6.5 months…at least until the next change in 6 weeks. I feel like I have some things to do here so I’m working hard to take care of them…baptisms I mean.
New years I spent the night in my house with my companion talking about things and not being able to fall asleep until like 1 because the beechos outside our door were throwing off fireworks that sounded like bombs all night. Oh oops beechos are kids ha, a Spanish lesson.
What are your goals for this New Year? Our lesson on Sunday was about goals and I have a couple. Mine are just to read the Book of Mormon once every 6 months and to perfect Spanish…as well as some other small goals. I have a lot to work on and a lot that I want to change before I get back.
I am very grateful for this past year and the so many things that I learned and got to do. I am grateful for being here and can’t wait to get back…in 17 months! I hope everyone has a good week.
Love always,
Elder Herman

Dad will you tell everyone who helped contribute to this thank you very much from me and Barrio Paleca or The Paleca Ward. We were able to buy toys for the nursery as well as purchase some gifts for children who would have gotten little to nothing for Christmas. This brought tears to some of the parents’ eyes, it was a really touching moment. We have so much in the United States and it always feels so great to give. The money bought nursery toys and a small gift for 35 kids. Think of how many happy kids that is with a modest amount of! Thank you so much everyone for your donation, it really has meant a lot to me. The ward will be writing a big thank you card as well as some of the little kids! Love, Elder Herman