If You Have The Feeling You Want To Stop Running...

This week has been very good as far as the work goes. We found 17 new investigators (yes we led the zone this last week, there are 30 Elders) taught lots of lessons, and had a good amount at church.  So the work this week went very well.  So hopefully were gonna start seeing baptisms!!!! woot woot! 

Sounds like the games right now are very good for basketball.  Keep me updated, the people here don't know much about them.  Hopefully the OKC Thunder can win and all will be well.  They're a good team and I like Durant. 

Soccer here is wild!  I'm actually a really big fan now. And the kids, WOW! they can play.  The only thing to do here with friends is play soccer in the streets or in a park. Like in the states we have cars and can go places, or the movies, or play x box or watch tv, yeah, here its different.  The kids don't have anything like that here, so they play soccer.  Like the kids age 8 are flippin good!  It's crazy haha they can all beat me, and wow.  I mean kids in the states think they are good at soccer let me tell you.  Down here it's a different league.  It's super fun playing with the kids in the streets though they like it a lot.  Every time I turn down a street (yes they are all dirt streets) and I see kids ages 8-18 playing soccer I always call them and say ¨pasame che¨ haha which means ¨pass me dude¨ and then they kick us the ball and we kick it back and forth as we get closer and then say hi and go about our way.  But its fun.  Not sure why but the kids here love it ha something about a white American playing soccer with them in a shirt in tie just makes them happy haha actually we have a very good relationship with the kids ages 8-18 in our area.  Before, not so much. They were more into teasing us and such my first few weeks, so me and my old comp made it a goal to change the whole area and to get them to like us and it worked!  haha it took a LOT of awkard situations, and a LOT of crazy things but we did it. And now they don't do all their stupid things they would do before and they all know my name. and yeah its fun. Everyday I hear someone yell from down the street ¨AY! Perkins!¨ haha most of the time I've never seen them before but they sure do know me.  

But yeah the work is good.  Last Saturday we got to play basketball with the ward and a whole bunch of non-members and lets just say they were talking smack about how ¨us americans cant play sports¨.... lets just say afterwards they weren't talking anymore. haha it was great!  They got me at soccer, but man did I spank them at basketball haha so that was super fun.  I was pretty much the talk at church last Sunday haha ;)  but yeah it was good.  

Super sad story, we this week will probably be dropping 2 investigators Diego and Pamela :(     I'm not happy about it at all.   They are such a good family and he wants to get baptised and they came to church and accepted el libro de mormon and everything, but the girl is scared of her family who is evangelico (I don't know what its called in the states....) and therefore she won't come to church anymore, and therefore neither will diego and it's a mess.  And he got back on the drugs and ughhhh it's so frustrating!   

Lately I've really been studying the Bible because lots of times we get caught in sticky places with other people and there ministers, so in my scriptures i have marked 22 scriptures about the authority of God, laying on of hands, people seeing God/Christ in the Bible, and baptism, and how the church of God was set up (prophets etc).   Our Mission President said that  we must have a knowledge of the Bible..So thats very good.

I finished the BOM for the first time in the mission and started reading it in Spanish.  I have offically put away my English scriptures now and do all studys in Spanish so thats fun. But yeah im currently in 1 Nephi chapter 16.  Super cool.   

Solving problems...Just goes to show if you just say things rather than hide things you can fix the problem.   

OH! So there's a man named Sergio and he is about 45.  He has been inactive for 20 years and has had Word of Wisdom issues.  And missionarys have been seeing him FOREVER!!!!! and he never wants to change.  But since I've started seeing him he´s been changing.  And he´s come to church the past 3 Sundays, and during our gospels principles class we teach he loves it, and he's working with the Bishop now to change things and yesterday he told me that he knows without a doubt I was sent to Santa Rosa to find him and that when I start talking everytime he feels something inside him that moves him to action.   He was saying yesterday that it's like a light switch in him that only I could turn on inside his heart.  So he´s way active now and loves the church and it's super good.   I love helping people!  He´s currently working right now to get a temple reccommend and all and last week I dropped the cane about the Word of Wisdom.  I found that when your just super bold, stare people in the eyes, and say things, they listen, needless to say he´s stopping that too!  WOOT! WOOT!  So that's really exciting. 

It would be best if you could send me a good camera from the states. But when you send it, put it inside another box (like a cereal one) and then put that box in a box to send it.  That way I can ensure it gets here.  

Also people always want to see photos of my family and friends and such.  Like in my scriptures I carry around 2 photos of y'all, one of friends, one of mollie and the people love them!  SOOO:...... I need more of my family and friends.  So mom also in my package send me photos of the whole family (such funny ones and a good one of the family too.)  Also try to send that camera to me this week. Cause I always want to take pictures but I have no camera. So thats urgent. More for you so I can send you photos in emails and stuff.  So if you really want to see photos of me, you´ll send it fast ha. 

But yeah. All is well is ZION!

Love you all!
Elder Perkins :)

P.S. Tell Conner he needs to be in very good shape for cross country ha thats a sport I could never do cause I hated running. But good luck and you can be super good at it cause you're an aminal.  Just remember, if you're not first your last.  Win or cheat to win. There is no option.  Us Perkins, we are winners. Its like missionary work.  We cannot loose.  We have to win there is no option! So do work. 

y si usted tiene el sientimento que usted quiere dejar de corriendo, ¡NO LO HAGA!!! ¡CHOW!

(Google Translate:and if you have the feeling you want to stop running, DO NOT DO IT! CHOW!)