This Is No Prison

I'm alive again this week! P-Day is today because changes are tomorrow... and the results are... I'm not training this change. Elder Velazquez does have changes though, so I'll be getting a new companion tomorrow. I'm also hoping that my package has arrived so I can get it at changes. I'm assuming they have them in the states since it's an English word, but Taco Bell came out with these new types of burritos called Grillers, and I'm absolutely addicted to them. We eat there way, way too often. I don't even want to say how often because it's so embarrassing. In other awesome news, J---s is going to be baptized on April 13! That's not all, someone else is getting baptized that day. Someone who has been condemned by countless missionaries and members as an eternal investigator who has hit a permanent wall. Shame on all of them, because J-----n is getting baptized on April 13, and I couldn't be more happy about it.

There's actually a fun story behind that. Last Saturday, we had a lesson with him in the house of his friend who's a member, and we had planned it as the last shabang. We wanted to discuss all his problems and give him a final, direct invitation to be baptized. I went into that lesson with such earnest prayer for guidance and the present of the Spirit. He knew what was coming. After chatting for a few minutes, we were able to get an opening prayer in and begin to discuss why he's been going to church for a year without baptism. I did my best to be patient and follow the Spirit. However, everyone in the room was not doing that, and the conversation kept getting blown away into little side topics that didn't matter, mostly by the member's family (who aren't members). Eventually, I felt that I should just speak up a little louder and more directly, and told J----n that we're only so persistent because we love him and want him to have all the blessings of the gospel, then told him we'd ask him one very last time: ''Will you be baptized?''

...he said ''Let me ask.'' Meaning he wanted to keep praying about it. Like he always says. I felt let down. We finished the lesson, and I was almost even to the point of feeling silly for thinking anything was going to happen. Before leaving, we made plans to meet up with them that night for dinner. We went about the day, and a bunch of other things happened and built up, and by the time we met up with them for dinner, I was completely sad and angry, and it was hard to act all happy and social. Once we were inside KFC, I found myself alone at the table with J----n while everyone else was up getting food and drinks and what not. I didn't really know what to say to him. Luckily, he spoke up first. ''Can one be baptized on a Sunday?'' I was a little taken aback, but didn't really think about it much before telling him ''Yes.'' ''Okay then, plan my baptism for April 7.'' I didn't even know how to react. I shouted that I wanted to hug him. That moment turned around the whole night for me. I didn't care about any of the stuff that had happened earlier, because in that moment I felt my missionary-purpose meter just overflowing. That is the joy of this work. Since then, we've changed the date till the 13th because of conference, but still! He told us later, ''So many missionaries have tried to get me to do this, but somehow you guys were the ones who finally did it.''

I'm glad we had the highlights of setting two baptismal dates this past week, because Holy Week is pretty lame with the way everything shuts down and everyone goes on vacation. Holy Week ends with Easter Sunday, but it's not really anything more than the end of Holy Week. They don't celebrate Easter with anything remotely similar to the way we celebrate it. At least not that I noticed. I'm glad you guys had a great time in Moab! I really will have to go there someday. That's way too high-end that Sydney got to sing ''Some Nights'' for choir. I'm super jealous and wish I could have heard it. The only April Fools stuff that happened to me here was Elder Baca and Elder Lundberg dragging me out of my top bunk, swinging me around, and throwing me on the floor. I wasn't really fooled though, just attacked. Anyway, I don't think April Fools is celebrated in Latin America since nobody else did anything.

We don't do much on P-Days here. Maybe this next change I'll go to the Irazu Volcano, which is apparently super famous. I think it's the one the Grants told us about. I've heard from other missionaries though that it's kind of expensive to go and isn't all that cool. There's a cool big mall nearby that we went to a couple times already. I like having relaxing P-Days though. I don't like long stressful days of a boring activity where we don't even get to use Internet by the end because it took so long. Conference will be broadcast in our chapel, but I think we might be watching it somewhere else as gringos. Elder Velazquez is the only one in our house that has changes, leaving us three gringos and whoever my new companion is. We'll see what happens, but I know I'll get to see it in English somehow. We're on the same time as you guys now, because they announced the sessions as being broadcast at 10 and 2!

It's been a great week. You'll hear from me again on Monday when I have my new comp and all. Love you!

--Elder Hampton