Week 97: 187%

Dear Family,

This week we finished up the interview trainings that we have been doing since the beginning of the transfer. It has been a long but good road. We have taught this training 14 times now so we are fairly good at it. We hope it can really help the missionaries in their own missionary work. We talk about the 1% we can help with and if we are able to make just a 1% different in the missionary work that they do then over all we will help the mission improve 187% for a longer period of time, which is more good than we could do just ourselves working hard. It is a good way to look at all the time we put into the training and interaction with other missionaries that we have so we don't (feel)"proselyting sick" haha. Really though I have so much respect for all the missionaries here in this mission. A lot of them have had a rougher road than I have had and yet they are still getting it done. It makes me super grateful for the friends and family I have! Elder Hepworth and I often talk about why we were so lucky and given so much. So thanks to everyone who has been so great to me and helped me make it in this life up to this point!

Other things we did this week were, moving another set of elders to new apartments, we are getting quicker at it. We had to this time because it was raining! We got there and the Elders and Elder Ivory, he is the housing guy, were questioning if we were still going to do it, E. Hepworth and I were still down so we just got it done! It was one of those fun adventures! 

I was able to do one of the best baptismal interviews ever!! Chris Solis! from West Lake Houston! do you remember them? Pres. gave me permission because they needed Spanish but I taught them so normally I wouldn't do it but he said I could! It was so neat to talk with him and hear his whole 13 year conversion story! One thing that stood out to me that I didn't realize made an impact was something that both he and Ericka said, about (them) giving up coffee and (me) giving up desserts. Both of them couldn't give up the coffee and I did that as a serious yet jokingly fun way to help them give it up and both up them brought it up in their interview as a thing that really helped them overcome that problem! I was happy to hear that my sacrifice helped them out!...I did tell you about that right?

Also this week we were able to teach the Lasyones again and we taught them the word of Wisdom as well! Mike was game but Rita was more hesitant to give up her tea. But they are planning to go on a "ward camp out" in 2 weeks. THEY NEED TO BE BAPTIZED!

For Halloween we didn't do anything special really, we were with Bro. Keo and sat outside and passed out candy and just tried to be friendly with people! Last night we had a member family invite their neighbors and us over for dinner, their neighbors were Muslim, so that was interesting! 

Next week is week 6! so its crazy work in the office getting ready for transfers! I love it!

Con amor y respeto!

Elder Erickson

Ps today we are driving out to Beaumont again because they are having zone pday at a indoor soccer field that a member owns! yeah buddy!