December 5, 2011

Dear Family:

Hey everyone!!! How is everything going? What's new? How is life? Enjoying the snow and Christmas lights? I can only imagine! I just realized that always start the same way, but oh well I always wonder the same things haha!

But yeah this next week is going to be crazy busy, but It will be sweet! We travel down for Zone Council tomorrow, come back on Wednesday; Thursday we have the Bibiani interviews; Friday splIts and a Zone Meeting wIth Pres. Shulz; Saturday the baptism, and Sunday the grand opening of Bibiani in the new building! Crazy busy, but nonetheless a week that I will not forget!

When we go down for Zone Council we are going to try and find out if we can Skype instead of calling. There is a great internet cafe here that has fast internet just like back home that would be great so we will see what President says. It would be so much fun and would really be cost effective! But we will see what he says! Zone Council should be very interesting! There are lots of things to talk about and to address so we shall see!

Today I went golfing! I did pretty bad but It was fun! I can see that when I go home I shouldn't have too much to correct but just lIttle things, and equipment:) Even here they have the new equipment and I have seen how It is evolving and changing! But I played the last three holes really well. I hIt my tee shot on a par four over the green, chipped on and made the putt for birdie. Then pared the last two playing them both really well! I am still hItting the ball far! I just need to work on lIttle things, but that is almost impossible here! We having been going to the gym that is just opposIte our apartment in the mornings, and I feel like my muscles are getting bigger! I hope I will be as buff as Jason when I get home! But I could really see a difference when we were golfing! I had to stretch more to loosen my muscle and when I would swing I could feel a difference. So hopefully It will help my golf game too!

We have some great investigators that we are working wIth in our area! All of them have really been prepared by the Lord and most likely all of them will be baptized! We have about 5-7 planned for the Dec. 17, and then another two or more for the Dec. 24. We are planning on having a huge zone baptism on Dec. 24. We talked to our zone at the beginning of the month and asked them to set their comp. goal for the # of baptisms they would have in Dec. so that we could add them all up for our zone goal. It turned out to be 90! It is a huge number, but actually is possible! We had only 26 for our zone last month, but we have already finished the mission goal, so when we asked them what their goal was It came back 90. That is names not just numbers! It is really going to push us and stretch us, but It is possible! We had 9 baptisms this past week so really we are looking at 81 for the month of December. We really thought about It, and talked to the district leaders and decided to keep the goal as It is! It is huge, true, but It shows that our Zone is trying to push themselves and work hard! We didn't want to kill their drive and Spirit so we are going to keep It. When we go down for zone council we are going to have to present It to Pres. but I think that It will help him to see how hard our zone wants to work this coming month! We will see what he says, but I think that It will be good! After all we have already accomplished our part for the mission goal, and this goal only shows we want to work that much harder! But we will see...

Our investigators are great! She continues to progress really well and has already made up her mind to be baptized! We just have to go through the lesson wIth her but she will be great! She is a sweet lady, and she always takes notes when we come so that she will remember everything! We also have a young man that we are teaching! He is about 20, can understand english, but can't speak It! It is cool to teach him because we really have to rely on the Spirit and his facial reactions to tell how he is understanding It, but he is doing great and loves the teachings! The others that we have are part member families who want to join their family in accepting the truth! They are all great and It is really amazing to be able to teach all of them! I have really seen a difference in the work here than anywhere else I have served. Here almost all the people we teach will get baptized. We really haven't dropped anyone, everyone is really prepared and want to be baptized. It is great especially wIth our busy schedule as Zone Leaders! What a great blessing!

So the baptism is all set for this Saturday! There is still things that we need to do but It will be an amazing experience! We will know as of Thursday how many are going to be baptized, but It looks like anywhere from 19-28. So we shall see! It just depends on who will be there for the interviews and how the interviews go! EIther way It has been an amazing experience to help these people! NO matter the number, there are quIte a few who have really been waIting diligently for this chance, and now they have It! I am honored to have been part of this great work and have the experience and opportunIty!

Mom I am so excIted for you to be able to work in the temple! Dad you will have to join her in your spare time:) But that will be an amazing experience! We are truly blessed to have temples and to learn from them! I have learned lots about them from scripture study, and I truly see the blessing they are for us! I want to learn more about them, but It is difficult when we can't go there, and when the reading material so limIted. But temples are great! We taught a lesson this past week to a mother of one of our really solid couple in our ward. We taught the Plan of Salvation and the blessing of temples, we watched a powerful short video on temples and then the son shared a powerful experience that he had when he and his wife were sealed to his mother. The Spirit was there! It was amazing! But the mother is still really set in her ways. Sometimes I wonder if people just choose to ignore the feelings and promptings of the Spirit! But I truly have learned how great and important temples truly are in our life! You will have some amazing experiences! When do you start? It will be great! I love the quote by Pres. Young when he talks about why we have temples, and how they are to help us on the path that leads back to our Heavenly Father! It is so powerful, and as I think about temples and study more in the scriptures, I see how true that quote is! I can't waIt for the day that I get to go back to the temple, It will mark the beginning of a new phase in my life. It will mark the beginning of my life after mission! Crazy!!! But only 10 months away! I love temples and now truly see why they are so important for everyone!

Well family I have to go! Know that I love you all so much and am grateful to each one of you! Pray for me this week especially that all will go well, and pray that Bibiani will be a success! I love you all!

Love your son and brother,

Elder Ryan S. Alba