#98 El Naranjo

Hey familia,

Well, it seems like this might be one of the last times that I write an email to you. Next week I will probably get on the computer and write a little email, but basically this is the last time. It will be really weird seeing you guys in person. Whenever I get an email from you guys, as I read it, I imagine your voices as if you were reading the letter. It’s been a long time, and sometimes it seems like you guys are really far away, but sometimes it seems like you're pretty close too. It’s kind of hard to explain. I'm really excited to see you all, but at the same time I'm kind of terrified. It really weird. It’s just going to be so dang weird to actually see you guys and being able to talk to you. I'm just sitting here at the monitor, wiping all of the sweat off of my face and trying to think of how to put this concept into words. 

I feel really happy to be going home. Today I woke up and decided to pack my luggage. But I then realized that I had a ton of dirty clothes that I hadn’t washed yet. I just rolled up my sleeves (so to speak) and bent over my washboard and washed my clothes for a couple hours. It was pretty exhausting, but I think that I got almost all of my clothes washed. After that I busted open my suitcases and dusted them off pretty well. Luckily there were no dead mice like last time. But anyways I packed most of my stuff. I feel like I'm probably like 70% packed up. As I was going through all of my crud (well... I guess you could say "recuerdos" in Spanish) I found that I had saved a bunch of letters that you guys had written me last year for my birthday. I found a bunch of letters from you guys, and a noisemaker thing wrapped in tissue paper that Henry sent. Also I found a monkey birthday card from you all. It was pretty funny reading all of that stuff. It was weird packing my bags. I remember at the end of my first change watching Elder S pack his bags, and then later watching Elder R pack his bags. I'm not terribly sad or teary eyed or anything like that. It just still doesn’t seem real. That’s basically the only way to say it.

But I have some really good news for you guys. I think that you're really going to like it, and that it will make your trip down here even more exciting. Remember that family that I baptized in Nagarote? You know, the family that’s super awesome and their names are J and Y? Haha I'm just messing around. But anyway, they have one son named J A. He is 21, and is best friends with Y C (the elder’s quorum president of Nagarote). Anyway, yesterday I was talking to Y C and he said that finally J A has decided to be baptized. He has been waiting for months and months, even though his dad is the branch president. I had almost baptized him, but for some reason he had cold feet and didn’t want to do it. Anyway, now he has finally made the decision to be baptized. So as I was talking to Y C I was super excited. I was thinking that he'd want his dad to baptize him, but no. So I imagined that he'd want Y C to baptize him, but no. He wants me to baptize him. Isn’t that totally CRAZY??? So on the 10th, when we go to church in Nagarote, you guys will be able to see my last baptism. I'm super, super excited, and it’s an awesome way to end the mission. Isn't that totally awesome? It will be very special. After Y C told me that, I was so stoked and excited. Very cool.

We're just working like normal. Basically just a lot of contacting to fill up the tank for the next elder that comes in and takes my spot. It’s all right, and I don’t think that I’m being lazy or anything. I still feel like I’m working and doing a good job, and like I said, it still doesn’t feel real that I’m going home. It still seems so weird. 

So today for my birthday we didn’t do much. Like I said, I just washed my clothes and packed my bags. Truthfully it just feels like any other p-day. We jumped into a taxi and went to Burger King and I got a milkshake and then we got some pupusas. After that I wanted to go to Monserath and visit the first family that I baptized named A and I. It was all deja vu walking around my old area. We went to the house, and only A was there, but when he walked out of his house and saw me, he just shouted "STARK!!!" and ran and gave me a big hug. It was fun talking to him, and he is doing great. He's the 1st counselor in the YMs presidency, and is doing great in the church. That’s basically all we did today. Now I'm here in the cyber right now writing to you guys.

So another cool thing that happened this week was that I went and did divisions with Tonola. I went and interviewed a family that was going to be baptized. When I sat down and started talking to the wife, she said that she didn’t want to get baptized yet because she didn’t feel ready, and thought that it was too soon. I just said OK, and did the interview and told her that I thought she was ready. She said that she needed an answer, so I simply said, "OK, lets ask God what he thinks". So she said a little simple prayer asking if she should be baptized, and then sat there quietly for a couple minutes with her eyes closed. Then she opened her eyes, and with tears in them said that she had received an answer from God. It was a pretty powerful spiritual experience. I'm jealous of Dad because he gets to interview people all the time and have these kinds of spiritual experiences 24/7. In my district I went and interviewed two other families and it went well. If my count is right, I’ve done 58 baptismal interviews so far. It’s pretty cool being here and being able to work so closely with all of these people who are making their first covenants. I love it here!

Well, it will be great to see you guys. I am so glad that I have a great family, with a great mom and dad. There are lots of families that have tons of problems here, and it has made me realize the great blessings that the Lord has given us. I'm really happy that our family has the promise to live together forever, and I really love you all. It will be great seeing you. As I was reading in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 5:7-9 I found something that I liked a lot:

 7 And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.

 8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.

 9 And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.

Anyways, life is good, and I'm happy. I love you all, and I'll see you soon. 

Con amor,

Elder Stark

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Now it is raining super hard. :)

And yes, I will write next week. I will be in the airport when you get here (I’ll talk more to president in my last interview on Sunday), and next week I’ll get a phone to talk to you guys.