Wake me up when September ends....

Today is September 28, which is 2 days before the end of September, which is only 2 weeks left in the transfer. I can't believe as well that it is almost October! I'm not too excited for October, though, because that means Transfers are coming up and Halloween, which we will not be allowed to go out on Halloween, or the day before, so two days of boredom in the house, but that's not for a month, so..
Transfers this time will be on October 16th, so about 18 days away. This transfer will be different, because of a conference in Utah that President Bahr has to go to the transfer conference will not take place until Friday instead of the normal Wednesday, so the transfer is basically 7 weeks, and the next one is a little but shortened. It'll be good though, I hope I stay, I don't know why I am worrying about it already, it's not until almost 3 weeks away, so...

This last week has been pretty good. On Saturday we had another baptism. His name is Pepe, he is from Peru. Unfortunately I can't send the picture today, but next week I will send you the picture. Yesterday Elder Gamez Confirmed him, he was pretty nervous about it. Yesterday I also was asked to ordain someone to the Melchizedek Priesthood. His name is Norbert. He is a guy in our ward who is starting to get ready to go on a mission. He comes out with us whenever his schedule allows, he and I have become pretty good friends. Today while I'm here at the Library I need to prepare and print out his line of authority for him. I'm so glad I had that.
Next week I'll also send a picture of him.

This week has been amazing. Of course, any week with a baptism is amazing. We've had quite a lot lately. However, as of right now we don't have any investigators with dates until the 18th of October, and he's not even 100% sure right now. We still need to work with him.

Yawdy and Gabriel are also doing really well, they had to postpone their wedding until the 7th of November, I really hope I'll be here. If I don't get transferred I will, the next transfer (after this one) will be the day before thanksgiving. (I know, bummer, right?) Hopefully I'll be here one more, if I do get transferred, though, I want to ask for special permission to go to their wedding.

In other news, I'm glad to hear that everyone at home is doing well, though I sad to hear that you guys have been sick. Hopefully everyone gets feeling better soon, right?
Oh, by the way, I think I need new glasses. Well, I definitely need new ones because mine broke, but I mean I think I need to see the eye-doctor. I think that my prescription is slightly different. I've been having difficulty reading, and I've been having some really bad headaches. I have no idea what the process is for that, but I think that the mission doesn't cover eye-care.

Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth

Half-way through the transfer....almost

This week is now week 4 of this transfer, which means that we are halfway through. I don't know whether or not I am staying, I hope so, but for sure at least one or two of the three of us are out, I don't think that they'll keep us in a threesome for two transfers. I hope that at least I stay, I bet I'm gone though. The investigator that was supposed to get married this transfer had to move it until November 7th, so now If I get transferred I won't be there. argh.
I'm fairly certain I'll leave, though. I've been here now for about 4 months. It is has been good in this area. I really love the ward and the work here.
This week has been a tough week. Our numbers haven't been stellar, especially we've had a rough time with the member present lessons. We got 'juked' more times this week than any other week in the whole time I've been here. This upcoming week looks really good, though, Yesterday we had stake conference, and set like, 10 or so appointments for during the week.
This week'll be good.
In other news, we also have another baptism coming up. Because of General conference in 2 weeks, we will be having the baptism on Saturday and the confirmation on Sunday, so that he can get the Holy Ghost without having to wait two weeks. His name is Pepe. He is from Peru. He is super cool, we found him on the very first day of this new transfer, August 31st. And he will have been baptized within a month. How we found him was a miracle, and from that point onward, he has really accepted the Gospel and changed his life. We were speaking with his wife a few days ago, and she said that she has seen a really big change in him since we started meeting with him, and now she also wants to learn more! It is super bomb. She said she would be there for the baptism on Saturday.
I am also excited because General Conference is coming up. The last one I was in Englewood for. I love general conference, and the opportunity we have each six months to hear from living prophets and apostles of God here on earth. I think a lot of times, especially those of us that were raised in the church, we take this opportunity for granted. I know I did and have in the past. Thinking, 'oh, man, we have to sit around and listen to old people for 10 hours this weekend', and not really appreciating the opportunity this really was and is. For example, Isabel is really excited for the opportunity to listen to the prophet, she really wants to be there.
I'm glad that everything is going well at home. It's good to hear that Ian is doing well in school, I hope that Emily is doing well as well. It was also good to hear that Nick is doing well adjusting to college life. It's not easy. You said he had a roommate from Mexico, right? What part, does Nick know? Around here in Jersey, especially here in Union City, there aren't a whole lot of Mexicans, but out Bishop here is from Mexico. Most of the Mexicans here are from Puebla, For example, the bishop and his family are from Puebla, and Genaro (recent convert from back in June) and his daughter are from Puebla. There's also a missionary here in the mission who is from Mexicali.
Well, I gotta go, I hope that everyone is doing well, I don't have any pictures to send home this week, but I am doing well, Next week I'll send a photo from Pepe's baptism. I'm super-excited!
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth

Mom's note

Okay, this week's posts are backwards. Start at the bottom (Baptism again and then read the part II). The pics are backwards also, but you get the idea.
Thanks for all your prayers and support for Isaac.
Love,
Liz

Weekly email part II

Okay, I'm back. It took me forever to transfer pictures today because I took pics from 4 different cameras, so the process took me a while, but here are this weeks pics.
Pic #1.
This is a picture from our baptism on Saturday. This is Leidy, and the Miranda family, and us on the side, and then Leidy's Sister, (The only one of her siblings to come, her mom refused to be there) and her brother and law.

Pic #2
This is me in front of New York City on Sept. 11. We had gone over to see the lights that they put up where the twin towers where, but it was so foggy that you coulndn't see them. You can't even see the top of the Empire State Building in this picture, but that night it was lit up in Red White and Blue on the three sections of light at the top.
Pic#3. This is a picture of Elder Sopeña and I cleaning the Font before the baptism. (last post)

So there you go. There are a few pictures. I'm glad to hear that everything is going well with the new house. Hopefully you'll be 100% moved in soon.
By the Way, dad, I did get the letter you sent. Thank you. The envelopes will be helpful, because sometimes I'm a little too lazy to handwrite the address and such on there, especially the mission address for the return address, writing the mission address and name and such is a lot to write.
Things are going well her in Union City, we'll be having another baptism in a few more weeks, It'll be awesome. Pepe, from Peru, we found him on August 31st, and he already has a date and is really excited for his baptism. It is so bomb.
Well, I got to go, sorry that it took me so long to respond with part 2, It took me forever to put all the photos on my flash drive. I need to go soon and print some pictures up at Walmart or something.
Well, I got to get going. I love you all and miss you tons. I'll write again next week. Good luck with school, work , life, moving, everything, etc.
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth.

Baptism again....

On Saturday we had another baptism! I think that last week I forgot to mention that. Leidy, a young woman that Elder Ward and I began teaching was baptized on Saturday by her Uncle, Brother Miranda. She was originally going to be baptized on Sunday, but next week is Stake conference here, so she would have to wait 2 weeks to receive the Holy Ghost, and we don't want that, so we moved it back one day, so she was baptized on Saturday and I confirmed her Yesterday. It was really awesome. This is the first investigator that I have been there from start to finish. Isabel had been found by the missionaries that were here before. Back in July Elder Ward and I got a call from Sister Miranda, who gave us a referral to teach her Sister-in-Law, Amparo. We went an taught them twice, but Amparo wasn't really interested, but Leidy really was, and then Elder Sopeña and I finally got back in touch with Leidy, and now she got baptized! I will send you some pictures in a little while, I need to get them transferred from another Elders camera.
Things are going really well here. The work in this area has really taken off. With three of us we are able to get a lot more work done, because we only need to take out one youth to go on a split, one of us goes with the youth, and the other 2 can go to a different appointment. Being in a threesome is good in that sense, but it still is difficult, a lot of the time I feel like a third wheel on a bicycle, where I really don't fit and am really not needed, but we are getting a lot of things done here.
This last week has been good, we found 7 new investigators this last week. Even with the basic training meeting and Zone conferences, which compleltely destroyed two mornings we've actually done really well. And then a baptism and a confirmation to top the week off.
Oh, by the way, it was super weird on sunday, because I had no idea that I was going to do the confirmation. When they asked Leidy who she wanted to do it she said her Uncle, but I think the Uncle said no or something, he was in the circle, but for some reason next thing I know the bishop says "Elder," and looks at me and kind of points at me, and I was super confused. So then I reviewed the steps, and then I confirmed Leidy a member of the church, and se received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I had no idea what was going on, but it went well. I haven't given a whole lot of blessings in Spanish, but I think I did well, with the language.
This week has gone really well. I will write another letter in a second, I have to move computers, but I will write and send some pitures in a few minutes.
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth

Labor Day.... 24/12= 1/2

Yes, because of Labor Day yesterday, the library was closed, but we got a text message the other day that we would be able to take a little bit of time today and do email. This last week has been pretty good. We had 2 confirmations and a baby blessing in sacrament on Sunday, so the testimony part of the meeting didn't get started until quarter till 11:00. One thing that is very different between a Hispanic ward out here and fast and testimony meeting back home is there is not the awkward silence waiting for people to get up and bear their testimony. right when the time for testimonies began, about 10 or 15 people stood up and sat on the stand to wait to bear their testimony. It was also really great because we had 5 investigators at sacrament, that is more than I've had in my whole mission almost! It was amazing, almost the whole middle back row was our investigators! This week I played the piano for sacrament for the first time on my mission. I always play in priesthood, but I played for sacrament, one of the sisters asked me, "Why haven't they had you play, you play beautifully".
Oh, by the way, on Wednesday we had the transfer conference, I didn't go to this one, but my new companion is Elder Gamez, no that is not a misspelling, it is actually spelled Gamez, not Gomez. It threw me off as well. We are in a threesome now, which is not as bad as I thought it would be, but it is still tough. Elder Gamez is a really cool guy. He is from Phoenix Arizona, he is fresh out from the MTC. He is really humble, and willing to work hard. Elder Sopeña is the trainer, so there is not as much stress for me, having to report on his progress and things, but It's still tough, there have already been a couple of incidences where it has been 2 verses 1 on a disagreement. I have been playing the piano whenever a get a chance this week. It is a really good stress relief for me. As far as we know, the threesome thing will only be for one transfer, so for now I just have to endure.
Oddly enough, this is also the first time that I have kept a companion for more than one transfer, Elder Sopeña and I didn't split, however, Elder Gamez is still companion #8 in transfer #8.
In two days, by the way, is my year mark. I can not believe it. One year down. This year has gone by so fast. SO far in the first year of my mission I have had 8 companions, 4 areas, lived in 5 different apartments, and have had 2 baptisms. Hopefully in the next year of my mission a few of those numbers will be lower, and one will be higher.
Time really has flown by, I don't know if it's gone as fast for you guys as it has for me. I can hardly believe how fast it's gone. Yesterday I was thinking about it. "wow, my year mark is on Thursday, how did that happen?" I hope that I can work hard to make the second half even better.
I'm glad to hear Nick is doing well, I still haven't heard anything from him, but I hope that he is doing well, Emily did send me an email, apparently Peanut is getting pretty big. She said that she is doing well in school, and I'm glad to hear that.
Ian is on student council, huh? that's pretty bomb. I never was really into that, but I hope that he has a lot of fun. Maybe he'll do that all through High School. That is cool that he is getting into Orchestra, what instrument is he going to learn? When I get home I really want to learn how to play the Saxophone. I hope that he does well.
Oh, by the way, I may need some money. I got a suit given to me by one of our investigators and I need to take it next Monday and get it dry cleaned. Also, I need to buy some new sheets, they are getting a little gross, and they haven't been coming clean, I don't know if that would be possible, but if you can that would be great. I don't want to sound like I'm begging for money, but I can't buy those things with mission funds.
Also, I got a check from Grandpa and Grandma that I can't cash out here, so I will be sending that home. Thank you!
I love you a lot, and I miss you all tons. I'm doing well out here, the work is going well, this ward is amazing, I love this ward, On Sunday while I was up on the front, I looked out at the congregation and realized how many people there are in the ward here that I have so many good feelings for. I love being a missionary, it's hard, but it is the best experience of my life to date.
Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth.