Week 47- Jan 2, 2013

Happy New Year! the new year was great, we had to be in our apartment early so we didn't really do anything exciting, just studied and relaxed a little, and also I did AMPS which is an assessment of the missionaries in the district. So that was pretty fun, nothing else exciting. Christmas was really good, we just went and visited a few more families and had dinner, not really exciting. So yes my companion is now headed home. Yesterday when the assistants came to pick him up I had a weight lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I have been babysitting for the past couple weeks and its been pretty tough trying to get things done. The numbers for the area have drastically dropped since he came here so the next couple of weeks I am going to try to get things going again. There is a lot of potential here, its just a matter of finding it. I am now in a tripanionship with some other Elders in the district so that is going to be pretty interesting. I had to move some stuff to their apartment, because that's where I will be living for the next 3 weeks. It is going to be interesting, but also a ton of fun we are going to be so busy working in 3 areas.

So Sunday was a pretty crazy day. The first block of church we had we taught the 5th Sunday combined priesthood and Relief society lesson. We taught about inviting you friends and neighbors to do things. It was an awesome lesson. It got the ward excited to do missionary work, so we will see what comes about from it. The second block of church a member brought a non member and they came into gospel principals and we started teaching, and President Cook came and stole my companion from me so I ended up teaching this non member the Restoration all by myself. It was a pretty cool lesson. After the lesson we talked with him and he is going to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, and we are going to start meeting with him. It was such a miracle. Then Sunday night the Zone Leaders called and asked if I would do a baptismal interview for them that night. The girl that I ended up interviewing just showed up to church on Sunday and the missionaries talked with her and she has been investigating the church for about 2 years now and she felt like it was time to be baptized. It was such a shock, but it was pretty cool.

So guess how many baptisms the California Carlsbad Mission had in the year 2012. . . 500 baptisms. That is so incredible that 500 people were baptized last year. It is amazing to see the Lords work progress.

That is basically all the fun stuff that is going on down here. Have fun going back to work. Have a great week. Love You!

Love, Elder RINDLISBACHER