New letter.. sorry this has not been updated in a few weeks!

Sorry for the lack of updates, I need to be better about it! I have just been so busy!


Hola!

Well i am moving onto my third transfer already! HOly cow! I am staying here in Rio Piedras which i am very excited about because we have three baptisms for this next month, two of which are for the 14 and 15th of february so they are coming up soon, i cant wait!! This past week was a really good one, we got a lot of work done and finished off the last transfer well. I forgot to say in last week;s email that i got a little taste of puerto rico last week. One of our investigators fed and us a certain "delicacy" from the island... PIG FOOT! It was interesting, not gonna lie, i almost threw up. The rest of the food was good, but that was pretty hard to choke down. Apparently some people here really like it. Others dont so i dont feel too bad for not enjoying it. But as far as that, we didnt have to much happen this week. Just chuggin along, bien rapido-- very fast! This transfer i swear felt like a week or so, i cant believe i am already starting another one, and becuase im not moving i think its going to go even faster since i am already all settled in and know the area and people and everything! Ahh!
Since i dont have a lot to talk about, here is my fun little thought of the week. THis was actually from a talk from someone at church and i dont know where it came from but i really like this saying. In spanish it is "dolor es inevitable, sufrimiento es opcional"-- and in english this means, "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." There is no doubt that we are going to encounter some kind of pain daily for all of our time here on earth. Whether it be physical or spiritual, it is going to happen and we cant really do anything about it. What we do have a choice over is whether we suffer from the pains we experience. Simply put, we can either look at the scenario as an opportunity to grow or we can wallow in our sorrows. Wallowing is not very fun for ourselves and those around us. There is naturally an "opposition in all things" and were it not so we would never be able to taste of the sweet, if we havent ever experienced the bitter. HOw can we know what is good if we dont know what is bad? We cant because without the knowledge of both, we would be forever governed by one and never have an understanding of what we can acheive through the talents we have been given. But we cant "polish our talents" if we dont put them into use. You never know what talents you possess that may turn somebody's day, week or even life around. "When ye are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your God." If you are serving our Father in Heaven by helping another of His children carry on through their struggles, why would He not carry us through our struggles? Turhn your frown upside down, give thanks for the things that teach us how to better ourselves, and then go help someone acheive their best.
Thanks for all of your support, you can all for sure write real letters if you want to at this address, ill be here for another 6 weeks at least..

Elder Baines
Extensión Villa Capri
Calle Turin #H-4
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00924

Hope to hear from you!

Elder Baines