Week 65: Better Than Dr. Phil

Hello Family! Glad y'all are enjoying Miles!

I'M so jealous I cant bet there!

So this week nothing too crazy happened...ah what am I'm saying, there is crazy Cosas every stinking day!!!

One I want to share is a lesson we had with Rolando And Crystal!....they need to get married so they can make the date of 31st. We didn't really expect them to make the push so we haven't been teaching them at a pace to have them ready so we have been trying to visit them a lot to get everything taught to where they understand. Just the stories Rolando tells us of his background blows me away that he walked into a church...But he was telling us stories of how he has been sharing the gospel with people at work and on the streets! He is amazing!!! I'll try and get a picture with them this week! For sure at the baptism I guess haha. But this time when we showed up they were fighting. I was on exchanges with not 1 but 2 really new missionaries. Elder Willey has 3 weeks and elder Evans a couple of transfers. But they were fighting and didn't want to get married anymore and just hated each other....so luckily the spirit had us teaching Lesson 3 which is about repentance.

So we knew what they were fighting over before the lesson had started cuz I talked to just Rolando by himself. So while teaching what repentance was, how to do it, and the blessings of it, I made and example and pretty much took their story and twisted it enough so it wasn't obvious but they still knew. After Rolando was like... so what do you do with that story......and Crystal was just crying and looking down. I have a little wipe board I had written everything down on and just pointed to the word repent then just looked at Crystal. He was just kinda like...ah man,,,for real? and then I talked a little about pride hahah! Then he finally talked to her and they both started crying.. man I felt like Dr. Phil, but better! haha and I'm pretty sure since I have the spirit I am better at it than him! haha But it was so sweet!!!!! They talked it out and everything so they are all good to go! We then talked about how the devil is going to try everything he can to make them mad so they don't get baptized. They both said," it's so true! We have been fighting so much this last week!!" so we had a really good talk about that!
I wish you could meet Rolando and Oscar. I would be scared to talk to these guys if I wasn't a missionary, but they are the coolest guys ever! I just want to chill with them! 

I also went on exchanges back to Spanish land! my Spanish was still ok and we taught a couple lesson so I felt good about that...I kinda trip over my own feet though every once and a while. we did some service. twice actually. but one was sanding....sanding paint of all the cabinets in this guys kitchen.....I was so dusty is was gross! but I have a picture I will send you of it! It was a lot of fun! 

This week we also talked with the Hindu guy again, and a talked with a Muslim! and we have an appointment tonight with a family who just moved from the Virgin Islands! they have the coolest accent and White people are just boring so I'm glad we get to find some new cultures to meet!  

A lot really did happen this week! I recorded a guy who invited us over just to bash on us and try and convert us! It was so funny! I recorded half of it. The dude was super stupid and just funny....but by the end he wanted a ride to church. We didn't really try to get him one cuz we weren't sure if he just wanted to come cause problems but y'all will hear that soon!

 Love you all so much

Con amor y respeto

Elder Erickson

This is my exchange with Elder Tatom from Cali.

I'm still blowing dust out of my nose and cleaning it out of my ears...it was so much everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weak 64: Baby Miles

Hello Family!!

Right now we are adding one more to that family category! I'm so excited for Miles to come, if he hasn't already!!!! I hope and pray that everything goes/went well!

To answer some questions first:

Elder Conan is from Idaho Falls. He has been out for a little over 20 months so he is getting close to the end. He ran Hurdles for SUU before his mission. He is a pretty sweet guy. I enjoy my time with him. I have been really blessed with good companions. I really have not had a huge problem with any of the companions that I have had. I'm hoping that now that I'm in a leadership position that all of them will continue to be good companions! That was one worry I've always had, along with going English, so who knows. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Sadly in the new area it is still really big because we cover the YSA (Young Single Adults). Also we drive a lot and pretty far, so the bikes haven't really been touched....I'm pretty bummed about that! I miss my bike.

Responsibilities as a zone leader aren't too different. We have been helping to decide possible areas to open up for all the new missionaries. We don't get too involved with it though. We also have a lot to do with the numbers and getting information to and from one end to the other really. Its fun, we have a little time with President and get to know him, and all the missionaries within the Zone. President really just says, Here is this area and group of missionaries now do what you need to do to bless that area. So that's what we do, its fun because we get to be pretty creative in some of the stuff we do to help motivate people and help areas that are struggling. Most of our Zone is Spanish too, so its nice to be able to work with them in their area.

This week we had some awesome lessons with Oscar and Rolando and Crystal and Sharif. we were not able to meet with Wayland. But the others are very solid for their dates. We taught the plan of salvation to Rolando with Oscar.  

Then taught a different day with Crystal and Rolando, It was so cool to see how Excited Rolando got to share things with her and he told her  - "Doesn't this all sound so good. Doesn't this all sound right?" Then after a pause he said "It's because we learned all this before, we are just re-learning it. We learned it when we lived with God before this life"....I wish you could see it! It's so amazing..this is a tatted, scary looking guy who works at a tire shop. We talked to his neighbor and he said "what did y'all do to him? last month he was the devil, didn't believe in God or nothing, I really thought the devil was in him, Now he is changed."

I Love the YSA, Still miss Spanish a ton but YSA is really good.

We also had a lesson with Sean, the guy who reads the bible every week with pres. Pomeroy. He is a doctrine wizard and knows so much. It was a crazy lesson! crazy stuff was flying. It was cool until the end then they got into some anti stuff that Sean had read.

Well I hope the baby is here! Give him a hug and kiss from me!!! Let him know I love him and hang a picture of me on his ceiling so he knows who I am!

Con amor y Respeto

Elder Erickson

Send me a picture of the baby please!!!!!

Elder Erickson's reply to the picture of Miles was ---

Ah I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could be there!!!!!!!

Miles William Heslop

Born 12:54 pm  March 18, 2013

8 lbs. 3 oz.     20.5 in" 

Week 63: New Area

Well surprise, surprise...I didn't even move areas really. So its good and bad. I'm in the Pine Trail ward. Zone's are split up by stakes so I am the zone leader of the Summerwood stake. The area that we cover really is just the bottom  half of my last area, Crosby, and a little more. So it is still a very Spanish area, I just don't get to teach them! Its alright though because I still get to see the Serrano family, de hecho today we went to Lucia Serranos Salon and got hair cuts! jaja she gave us a Mex-cut. Its all good though it was good to see her!

The area is doing pretty good. We are very busy and their a few investigators that are very close to baptism. There are a ton of changes in contacting and teaching and being with members, it is really hard to adjust to the changes. I feel really awkward with members! jaja I'm trying to get my personality back really is what it is like. I really miss Chile everything we eat just tastes bland and has no flavor! 

My companion is Elder Conan, He has been out 20 months and is also a Spanish missionary...we got flushed in so neither of us know the people or ward. It's been a good week still though. We got 23 new missionaries this last week and 23 more are coming next transfer so we have been opening areas all over! I like being able to be a leader and help people but I really miss the Spanish culture. The one thing I really do like though is we cover the Singles branch!! And a lot of them are Hispanic! Its really cool to work with all the returned missionaries and their friends, I really like it! We have 5 people that we have just started teaching that should be getting baptized soon! Sharif is a kid from Siberia and Oscar from Mexico and Wayland is black! We have a good mix! I Love Black people though! They are so fun to be around. With them I feel fine. It's the white people that are making life tough!

I'm learning to love it and trying to talk Spanish whenever I can! I've softened my heart a little bit and am accepting it more. I just have to study that much harder to keep my Spanish up!

I Loved those pictures of the Birthday boys! hahaha It made be laugh! Happy Birthday to all! and to all...But Jamie and Jon...a good night ;) (y'all wont be sleeping too much after Millito's b-day hits)

Our new address is:

1507 Goswell

Channelview, TX 77530

We live with a member, Bro. Jenks. He is a elderly man. I love him haha! He has been having missionaries in his house for a good while and usually they are the Spanish ones so I've met him before. But its really nice because he leaves for work at 6:30 and his home and asleep before 8. So we never see him except on Saturday and Sunday. So its really just like our house! 

I would tell you more about our area and investigators but we are still trying to figure things out! haha send questions and I'll just answer!

Con amor y respeto!

Elder Erickson

The Ruiz, Solis and Serrano families with Elder Smith and Elder Erickson

Week 62: Zone Leander - Engilsh

Sorry this is going to be a shorter one this week. Sadly I'm getting moved. I was having a really hard time with leaving when we got the call Saturday night. I hate to leave behind so many great people that I have become so close with. But then it got even worse...well I have really mixed feelings about it. President called last night and called me to be a Zone Leader. Which is exciting but the part that stinks is its English.....

This has been a fear that I have had ever since Elder Mandernac was called English at the start of my mission. This will make 2- AP's and 3- zone leaders who are Spanish missionaries serving English. And one just got released.

I've been singing in my head a lot. Ire y Hare lo que tu quieras Senor (I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go"), but its still pretty tough.

I've got a lot of packing to do so I will try and get a letter off tomorrow to let you know my new address as the return.

I'm going to be sending some boxes with some random stuff. Clothes that I don't use or need and some old shirts for the memories!

Hope y'all have a good week!

Pray for me to not be so stubborn please ;)

Con amor y respeto (or should I say With love and respect.)

Elder Erickson

Soriano family with Elder Smith and Elder Erickson