Week 20... again

It's been a long week here. Sorry I didn't send out a group email it's also because not a lot happened. Me and my companion have been sick all week with a cold and my companion has had stomach pains. So we didn't do a lot besides like teach Brillian and go to church. Me and my companion are getting along fine.  We've had some rough moments where in the beginning there was just so much disobedience but now he's learned a lot of the rules and we work better and get along a lot better. He's truly a great guy I really like being his companion. 

So we're working on the baptism for Brillian and we thought of doing it on the beach. Its something we're allowed to do here on the island and so we brought it up to the branch in branch council to see what they think. First off they went no no no if you do it on the beach we are not going. Literally all of them just gave no support. They're like you can do it in the Capilla and we will come, well bueno we did it last time in the Capilla and all of them who said no to the beach didn't even come. So idk where their heads are. Then they start telling us how to do our jobs. They're like - Elders why do you keep baptizing people that don't even come to church and just go inactive.... I about flipped out on then right there. I was so ticked off I left the room for a second. First off this branch would not grow if it wasn't for our work as missionaries to baptize people and bring them to the branch. We do everything we can to teach, help then understand the importance of going to church, and then we actually bring them to church. It's a requirement for baptism to come to church at least 2 times before being baptized. Second, inactivity happens for 2 reasons here in Spain. First, they get work and they just can't come on Sundays. And second, there is no "amistad" between the members and the person who was just baptized. People don't take a big enough effort in all the church to welcome in new people to the ward and make them feel at home and in a family. The second one happens all over the world and I would encourage you all to get to know the missionaries, who they're teaching, and bring people to them to teach. References from members are literally the biggest blessing as a missionary.  Antonio who I just baptized was a ward reference they brought to church. The missionaries are temporary.  We move a lot and when we do and if we're the only friends a convert has, we have problems.

That happened and I'm still holding hard feelings over that whole thing, but I'll move on. Yesterday we went to a small town as a zone and played games and did a small bonfire at a members house. We ate s'mores and roasted hot dogs. It was super fun and before that activity, we were doing a service activity as a zone so I didn't have much time to email.

I'll attach any pictures from this last week real quick.

Love you both sorry for the empty feelings and inboxes yesterday. Keep us in your prayers!

Elder Keith 

1.  Bonfire with all the missionaries 

2.  Me in a Pueblo named Sa Coma on Monday 

3.  More pictures of Sa Coma 

4.  A really cool and detailed picture of the bonfire I took with my phone 

5.  Went to a shop where they sell American food and bought a mountain dew, it's not as good here ...

6.  My companion in our room, it's humble but what we work with.