Week 45: Adventures of smoking spiritual cigarettes

I am posting Zachs letter this week, just because it was a shorter one and I love to read his words sometimes...

"What a crazy week. Can I just say that I haven't been so exhausted! Today for p day we went on a hike for about 5 hours round trip. We hiked up to these cool radio towers that are who knows how many miles but super far away. They over look all of my sector and from the top we could see the ocean. It was a clear blue day and I felt great overlooking the little paradise I've been living in for 6 months. I am 100% sure that I am leaving this coming cambio. I hope that I don't cry to much leaving all my converts and friends I've made here. It will be hard. I will be working super hard this week to make the best of it.

Spiritual Cigarettes:

The other elders are teaching a lady who is gold. She wants to get baptized and is already but only has a few problems. One of them is an addiction to cigarettes. I suggested an idea my bishop, bishop wride did with his investigator. So what we did was we took one of her cigarette boxes that was empty and decorated the outside with pictures of Christ and stuffed the box full of scriptures. I had the honor of creating the box since it was my suggestion and she now has a box of spiritual cigarettes. We rolled the inspirational scriptures up like cigarets so when she has the desire to smoke she just pulls out her new ones and reads. Cool huh? She will be baptized very soon.

Donuts And The Atonement:

We made over 90 donuts for an activity that we revolved around the atonement. We had all of our investigators show up with some people from the ward in total there were 40 people. What we did was one elder would come into the room where everyone was and he would be holding a thing of delicious donuts. He would ask who wants a donut.... When someone would take one he would then ask ME to do 5 push ups. Then I would proceed to do 5 push ups. About 10 people in people stopped asking for donuts but I would still do 5 push-ups for them. Even though they did not except the donut and the payment I did which was 5 push ups. I did over 200 push ups!!! My arms are dead. The point of the message was to show that not all of us except the sacrifice of the lord but he did pay the sacrifice for all of us. It was a great example. I learned and grew a little bit closer to Jesus Christ that day.

Love you all,

Elder Van Pelt

P.S.

Keep Javier in your prayers he is progressing for baptism. He is wanting to be baptized but still has fear of being reject of his family."