Who is This Man and What Happened to the Kid We Sent Out?

Dearest People I Love so much,

Mother, I haven't received the package yet. We've been at the Temple and at Papa Johns. I'm sure I'll get it tomorrow.

14 Million members in the church. I wouldn't be surprised if the profets (Spanish for prophets is profetas) know something about huge growth in the Church. It's kind of obvious when in two years the Church Grew a million. We had a stake conference and President Uchtdorf and Elder Holland spoke to us live on satellite. Instead of two stakes in this area, the area split into FOUR!

First of all, a Seventy spoke about sending missionaries to China, Israel, and all the Hindu countries. After that Elder Holland starting out speaking in horrible Spanish for about three or four minutes. It made me want to laugh until he said it would be better if someone translated and somebody then began translating. He told us he loved us five times in Spanish. He thanked the members for the love, for every commandment kept, for every tear, and every smile. He talked about how love in the home was found less in the world and would get worse, but the love in the homes of church members would get stronger.

President Uckdorf talked about how his mission blessed his life. In his ward as a boy, a new girl came to his church with dark eyes and long hair. He said that the missionaries there in his ward were doing a great job. He said we need to focus on two questions.

What can I do to increase my faith?

What can I do to help my family and marriage?

Since I'm not married yet I would take out the latter, but then again President Snow of the presidencia of the Seventy spoke a while ago and promised us that the harder we work here in the mission the more beautiful my wife will be. I believe in the words of President Snow and intend to keep on working hard.

This week has been crazy. I really don't know what to say. Were having success. The nine didn't get baptized all of them. Only six. I baptized Alizon, Jhair, Deibi, Martin, Miguel and Bishop baptized Nelly. Six baptisms and confirmations! The three that didn't get baptized are the Zorrilla Family. Three GREAT youth that have huge desires to be baptized. The day of the baptism on Saturday the dad came back from more than a month of travel in Pucallpa and told his kids no to the baptism. We tried to convince him Saturday night but yeah nada. Then we visited the Zorrilla Family the next day and now the dad, his wife, and the three kids of baptism dates! The Lord is so big, and the blessings were receiving are enormous.

Our baptism dates are these:

26 de Sept.
Paola Andrade
Javier Zorrilla
Jhon Zorrilla
Dalma Zorrilla
Oliver Apaza

3 Oct.
Carlos Acosta
Lesli Segura
Edwin Pablo

10 Oct.
Sheyla Javier
Joyce Rubio
Diana Rubio
Soledad Abarca
Peter Neda
Beatriz Gomez
Javier Zorrilla
Ugenia Teran
Narcisa Vasquez
Jazmin Pardo
Raul Caballero
Maria
Katy Bances

Ive never had so many baptism dates in my whole life and right now encouraging all of them at the same time seems impossible but I know the Lord will help us. Please pray for them all, we're working hard. Being a dad in the mission's hard and everything but that's the least of my worries right now. Elder Martelo's great. He learns fast and everything.

I love very much. Hopefully you could get something out of what the apostles taught me.

Love,

Your Elder, Elder Layton

It's Amazing How the Lord Leads Us to Those Who Are Prepared

If somebody wanted to know how I was doing, I'd tell them I'm doing FANTASTIC!!!

Yeahh. We found out the changes right now. I stay here with a new Elder named Elder Martelo. I have no idea how much time he has but Ill keep you updated.

We've been working hard, Elder Moreira and I. We challenged a bunch of new people to baptism. Now we have 15 dates for this month.

Okay, an Elder just came over and told me. Elder Martelo has 2 months in the mission and he's from Columbia. Lo Maximo - I'm a daddy (trainer)!

15 baptism dates feels a little stressful to have under our belt right now. We have to visit these people every day, encourage them, pray for them, teach them all they need to know, and find new people at the same time, but, I'm sure everything's going to be great. I'll miss Elder Moreira.

We had 17 baptism dates on Saturday but 3 fell, and we challenged another to baptism on Sunday. Two of the investigators fell because they didn't come to church. They were excited and everything and wanted to prepare for this Sept 19th but we went to visit them yesterday and the mom said that they were discouraged and didn't want to listen to us. Sad but that's their choice. We found a guy named Jaime yesterday. He has 21 years. (He's 21 years old.) I committed him to be baptized in the contact, and we have an appointment to go back. He wants to be baptized on the 26th of Sept.

This week was cool. We went to lunch with President and his wife!!! It was a buffet restaurant, so I ate 4 heaping plates of everything. After we had to work, so I felt like I was going to throw up, heehee.

After we taught Jahir, Alizon, Martin the family that lives by the church, we started talking to the mother Jessica (she loves the church but her and her "husband" aren't married) and as we left I felt like I should ask her if she had family nearby or friends we could visit. The door closed and I didn't knock again. But we started walking down the road. After passing a few houses, one house caught my eye, but there was a huge dog (which I later found our was named Gordita, Fatty) My companion stopped because he's scared of dogs - so am I, in Peru. Bueno we knocked. A boy came to the door. He left and called his mom. She let us in and we started teaching until we saw a Book of Mormon. It turns out that my old companion Elder Chan had taught them. Also they are family with sister Jessica. Now all of them have baptism dates! I think it's amazing how the Lord leads us to those who are prepared.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!! I didn't forget your birthday yesterday, but I'd being lying if I told you I did anything for you. Ha. Good luck driving. Take care of my car please.

(Eric just turned 16 yesterday (Sunday) and will be taking the test for his driver's license on Thursday...for those of you in Central Oregon, consider yourselves warned.)

Love you all,

Elder Sean Ryan Layton