Happy 8th Month Out!!!

Happy 8th Month Out Elder Loveless

September 26th or 27th 

(Depending on who you are-

We count the 26th of each month as the official leave date because that is the day we said goodbye to Elder Loveless at the airport.  Elder Loveless counts the 27th as the official day because that is the day he got to the Guatemala MTC!)

Regardless, we are 1/3 of the way done and one month closer to seeing him again.  Love and miss him tons!!!

September 26th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

September 26th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

Bodas, Bautismos y Ampollas

Yeah yeah yeah yeahhhhhhh!!! (That's what the local newspaper guy says when he passes by to sell. It's my favorite.)  Hey everyone! I hope all is well and everyone is doing so good! The missionary life is great! I hit 8 months tomorrow!! I feel like the time goes very fast. This week was another good one.

We are really meeting a lot with members and trying to get referencias because tracting here isn't too effective. A lot of investigators are falling and it's for things that we don't have control over..so we have to give it to God and do what's best and what we can. We did recieve a lot of great referencias which was awesome. La Unión is still hot as ever and we're eating more pupusas than ever too. I learned how to make pupusas, tortillas and atol so I can open a restaurante de comida Salvadoreña when I get back (;

Elder Butler is doing really well. He's learning a lot, but his feet are covered in blisters and I walk realllly fast so I've had to be realllly patient these last couple of days. Yesterday we didn't leave to work because they were so bad and some man gave us a huge bag full of oranges, We get lots of free stuff as missionaries...food, rides, water. It's pretty cool. We're getting better teaching together and doing street contacts and I've always hated street contacts so I've actually learned to love them this week. They are very effective. We are working really hard together.

On Friday I did 2 baptismal interviews for a couple and they got married and baptized on Saturday. They're from the ZL's area. We had to help them plan some parts for the wedding and of course we helped them eat the cake.   I've also really been studying charity like Sister Killian and it really is the KEY to EVERYTHING that is missionary work. I've been really praying hard to develop charity.

As far as investigators go...we have an hermana..Vanessa and she's awesome. She went to church 2 weeks ago and we taught her how to pray and she's been really doing it so good. She also loves the Book Of Mormon. She reads all the assignments we leave her. And she has a lot of really good questions. She's great. Also we had a lesson with the niece and her family of Fam Solis (Hna Norma, Jefferson...all of them) and that went really well. We're having success slowly but surely and I'm learning a lot and enjoying a lot as well. The hardships come, but I just need to remember Christ and not lose faith. I'm been thinking a lot why Faith is the first principle of the Doctrine of Christ. It's the basis of everything.  I'm also sooo very excited for conference next week and it's also Elder Butler's Birthday on Sunday. Changes are also next week so we'll see what happens there. I hope all is well for you guys and stay strong. Que Dios les bendiga cada uno de ustedes. I love you all!! Have a great week!

Saluuuu pues!!

--·Elder Loveless

Best and Worst of the Past Week:
Best...more progressing investigators
Worst...my companion's feet are full of blisters so the work's been tough

Letters and/or Packages Received:
He received 3 packages this week:  From the Killian Family, Grandma Barbara and Cory Walker

Mi Machete!!!

Mi Machete!!!

Baptism of Jefferson Alexander Solis Arias.

Baptism of Jefferson Alexander Solis Arias.

A crazy lightning storm!!!

A crazy lightning storm!!!

September 19th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

September 19th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

¡Machetes y Sopresas!

Oii! Hello everyone and Buenos Dias de El Salvador!  I hope you're all doing really good! This week was a lot better. I was just very stressed last week and it really got to me, but this week I calmed down and realized that there are some things that I have no control over, so there's no need to worry. So, I'm doing a lot better.

I will explain my heading a little bit later, but the surprise was... a baptism!!! I feel like once I lost my faith, God stepped in to teach me a lesson and it really humbled me. Fam Solis that we baptized back in May have a son who just turned 8 and was so ready to be baptized so we taught him everything this week and he was baptized yesterday morning by his dad. What a great  experience. We are still working hard and we have a lot of good investigators, but a need to find a lot more. Jocelyn only needs to get married and we talked with her 'husband' and he told us all his feelings and so we'll try really hard to work with him.

This week it rained everyday except for yesterday and that makes the life of a walking missionary a little bit tough...but members are giving us tons of references and we are meeting a lot of new people. We are both happy to be here and to answer your question mom, it does cool down when it rains to about 85, but during the day, it's always an oven haha.

I love the mission and I love serving the people of El Salvador especially now that I can understand them and I feel like I feel for them a lot more. There are always gonna be ups and downs, but it's most important that seguimos adelante. (continue forward), no matter what comes our way. I have grown so much and I love the Lord and serving Him all day everyday.

The other part of the header is that I bought a super cool machete and I sent pics. I think it's legit to have a sword (machete). Everyone here has machetes and uses them a lot so now I feel even more Salvadoreño. I also ate hígado again..ewww...

All is good here!  I hope you all have such a great week and I'll talk to you all next week! I love you all!! Also feliz cumpleaños to Sister Killian killing it over there in Wisconsin!!

Saluuu Pues!

-Elder Loveless

Best and Worst of the Week:
Best-Surprise baptism of Jefferson Alexander Solis Arias!
Worst-It rained every day except for 1.

Letters and/or Packages:  None

September 12th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

September 12th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

Wow!

Hello everyone! How are you all? I'm doing fine thanks. La Unión has been hot as every and it's been raining like crazy. I feel really weird right now. I love the mission don't get me wrong, but I'm kinda frustrated, mixed with happy and sad and tired and well...Wow!  As District Leader, my job is to help the district and right now...we need help. We had 15 baptisms set up for this month and we'll be lucky to get 5...

Anyways, this week was still good. We worked hard and we had 6 at church and put lots more baptismal dates. Jocelyn drank coffee...and also her husband doesn't wanna get married and she is so sad because she wants to get baptized so bad. She didn't go to church so those 3 things helped me out in my frustration... I also think Luis is trying to avoid us... I dunno...

I did interchanges on Tuesday with the ZL's and that went well. I received a reference from a member and he's awesome. I'll tell more later.

Elder Butler and I are getting along well and he's learning so much. We also ate a lot of pupusas this week..yummm.

So the reference...his name is Luis Ortiz and was baptized in '78. He is a less active and lives with is companion of life and 2 kids. He's the owner of 2 hotels and he has a lot of money. We went to find him (He lives in the hotel) and he let us right in and he called his wife down and we set a baptismal date with her. He is probably my favorite guy ever. And one of the nicest ever too. Him and his family went to church yesterday and we're gonna go visit them tomorrow. We gotta get them married too. Wedding planners...baha but they are so good. His wife is Hermana Flor.  I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm failing and honestly 5 changes in an area is a lot... I know people who have had more...but 5 is a lot...also we meet lots of drunk guys..all the time and a lot are baptized in the church haha..but yesterday one that knows a lot of English was cussing me out like crazy and it just ruined my day...walking around all day, getting rejected and in 115 degree heat..investigators not keeping commitments...it just got to me and he really ruined my day. He said a couple f words and called me some bad names and yeah...I'm not about that...but I signed up for this...it happened to Jesus too and we're His representatives. I'll do better. There's just a lot of emotions at once.

We also had interviews with Presidente Vásquez which were really good and today for p-day we ate at Papa John's all you can eat for $6. We only had time for 11 slices but I could've eaten more haha. All is well here and always hot haha, I hope you guys are doing good! I love you all and I love this work and the people of El Salvador. Have a great week.

Saluuuu Pues!

Love, Elder Loveless

Best and Worst of the Past Week:
Best...Interviews with Presidente.
Worst... I dont' think we're gonna baptize this month..

Letters/Packages:

"I got a letter from Gma Val and Sister Killian. The Asistentes have my packages."

Funny Pic

"If you look closely, you'll make the same question that we did...

whose arms are those!?  Baha!"

Elder Loveless and Elder Butler

Elder Loveless and his new trainee/greenie Elder Butler!

Elder Loveless said that everything with his new companion is going great.  Elder Butler is from up by Ogden.

September 5th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

September 5th, 2016 - Weekly Letter

Viaje al Casa del Senor!
(Visit to the House of the Lord)

Buenos dias mis queridos familiares y cheros. This week was a great one. I won't lie, it was crazy, but fantastic.

Monday, all of us Elders in the zone had to sleep in the house of the ZL's and the Hermanas in the house of the Hermana Leaders because Tuesday we woke up at 3 AM to go to the temple!!!! We made the 4 hour trip and we got to go in and do the work. I missed the temple so much. It brings so much joy in my life. I also saw alllll of my buddies: Elder Arirama, Elder Palmer, Elder Goodman, the asistentes, some hermanas that I haven't seen in forever, Elder Westra. It was a really good day. We then went to the house of the asistentes and the ZL's in Las Americas, San Salvador for a bit then we went to the house of the secretarios to sleep. We did divisiones and I went with Elder Perez from Belíze and Elder Butler went with Elder Reyes de Mexico. It's a lot different working in the city haha. Fun fact...In Belíze they speak English because it's a territorio de England. They look like Latinos, solo they speak English. The Queen of England is who rules Belíze so cool fact (; Wednesday we had immigración for Elder Butler in El Salvador del Mundo which was why we stayed in San Salvador. I got to go with Elder Neifert for a ride in the car and that was super fun. Driving here is insane...  We then ate at McDonald's for the first time in 7 months. Wow I enjoyed that burger and McFlurry. Que rico. We made the 4 hour drive back home and worked a little that night.

The highlights of the week were that the Hermanas baptized 1 on Saturday and as a district, we have the goal of baptizing 15 this month of September. Jocelyn is progressing really well. She isn't drinking coffee, but still needs to get married. She's a little disanimated for that fact, but we're helping her to not lose her faith. Maria and Carlos are good, just supposedly they don't behave too well, so we gotta change that or their grandpa won't give his permission for them to be baptized. They left coffee and are working on behaving better. We hope to baptize them on the 24th of September. They couldn't go to church yesterday because Jocelyn's uncle died, but they're gonna go next Sunday!! Also she has a huge testimony of the power that the Book of Mormon has.

Luis is doing great. We taught him the Plan de Salvación and he committed to church. We always do the lessons in the house of Pres Lenim because they're good friends. We fasted Saturday and Sunday and Luis went to church!!! I have such a huge testimony of fasting. He loved the church. (He's 19). We met with him after church in the house of Pres Lenim and he told us everything. That he knows his pastor that baptized him didn't have the authority to do it and that he would like to be baptized. He also said that he has a problem. His mom isn't a huge fan of the church so he had to lie to her to be able to go to church yesterday. He doesn't want problems in the family, so we're working with him a lot. We hope to baptize him as well on the 24th. Yesterday we gave him a BOM and we are putting our faith in that to convert him. I know what power it has and I know it changes lives.

I'm starting to worry about the investigators more than myself. It's a weird feeling really, but I like it. That's what missionary work is about. Lose yourself and go to work. Like I always say, this gospel changes lives. I testify of that because It has changed mine and many of the people around me. I love this work with all of my heart and I'm sad that it goes by so fast. I'm dedicated to saving these souls and I'll do whatever it takes. I love being a missionary! Even though weird things happen a lot..haha. I love you all and wish you all the best! Have a great week! Que Dios les bendiga. God Speed.

Saluuuu Pues!

Con Amor- Elder Loveless


Best and Worst of the Past Week:
Best: Temple trip and Luis went to church!   Worst- It rained a lot!

Letters and/or Packages:  None
(Elder Loveless said that he would have another chance of receiving packages this Friday from the Mission Home.)