Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Elder Hodson and I had a pretty good Thanksgiving, however we were both sick, I just had a cold but Elder Hodson was throwing up. We were still able to get some turkey and stuff though. We are both pretty well now. I went on exchanges with some other missionaries in my zone and that was pretty fun. In a week Elder Hodson and a bunch of other missionaries I was attached to will be going home. It will be sad to see them leave but life goes on. It makes me think how long I have been out, lol. Time flies so fast.  Not much else has happened this week. I miss you all so much. Until next week!

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

The work is progressing

Hey Everybody!

Things are going pretty well with Elder Hodson and I .The ward members are so great. We have dinners almost every single night. This week was pretty good, a little slower than last week but still pretty good. Wednesday we were able to go to the Temple and Desert Book. Then Elder Hodson and I and another set of Elders went to Kneaders for breakfast. Monday was Zone P-Day and that was a great turn out as well. President wants every single companionship to go somewhere for Thanksgiving. Elder Hodson and I already have 3 or 4 visits with members to go to, we feel really blessed. There is an Elder in the zone that came out with Elder Folau in fact he was his MTC comp. He is actually going home today for medical reasons. He has a bad back or something. He will be missed. And Elder Hodson and another Elder will be going home in 2 weeks as well. The Sunday before transfers will be mighty crazy. I will probably be in a trio for the day.

I hope you all are well and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

Bailey's Baptism

Hello all!

It snowed for the first time since April or May. It has been getting colder and colder and I hear it is going to be a big winter for Colorado this year. It supposed to snow again on Wednesday or Tuesday. Elder Hodson and I had a busy week. We have been going to a lot of meetings and doing a lot of administrative stuff. But I was able to attend Bailey's baptism! I gave a talk on baptism right before he was baptized by a member. His non-member dad was there as well and he seemed to enjoy it. I will remember Bailey for the rest of my life. The ward I am now serving in is excellent. They have a "how can I help" attitude and we get fed quite often, almost every night. We attended ward counsel yesterday and they were giving us people to see left and right. We found 2 new investigators and they seem to be progressing really well. We are working with a part-member family that's not married yet. He is 22 and been less-active for a while. She is 21 and they have a little baby. She was very receptive to our message and she accepted baptism as well. The bishop said he will visit them in the week and talk to they about getting married. Our ward mission leader is also very on top of things. 

Last Monday Elder Hodson and I were able to go mountain biking with a 17 year old youth. He struggles with activity but we are trying to make a better relationship with him. It was also the first time I really got to use my bike like I did back home since I got it in the mail. Elder Hodson is trying to stay effective. It is a little hard for him since he goes home in 4 weeks. Things are going pretty well here. Glad to hear you all are having fun as well. I Hope everything will continue to go well. I'll talk to you next week! 

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

Fist week of new Transfer

Hey everybody!

Happy Monday! Things are going great in my new area. It is a lot richer than my last area. The members we live with are called the Smiths and they are very wealthy. We live in a big house and they buy all our groceries. They are goof balls as well. She calls us freaks all the time, lol. Elder Hodson is an awesome missionary. We get along super great and it's definitely going to be a great transfer. Our teaching pool is a lot lower than my last area, but I'm not going to let that get me down. Bailey is getting baptized this Saturday. I called the new Elders in that area this morning and they are going to try to put me in the program so Elder Hodson and I can go. The ward is very good as well. We have a lot more dinners than my last area and they seem to want to help with the work a lot more. 

Thereis no snow yet. The warm weather is really fighting for its life. But personally I don't want it to snow for a long time. I want it to stay hot forever. More opportunities come with the warm weather with talking to people and stuff. But I will deal with winter in patience. Part of the zone I am in is in the heart of Downtown Denver. It's the city life I love but that part is another ward. We have some strong missionaries in the zone I serve in and I am confident it will be a great transfer. Elder Hodson goes home in 5 weeks so I will have to do my best to help him stay focused. 

On Halloween we were supposed to be in by 6pm but we had to help a set of elders move into a new apartment. They had to have all their furniture out of their old apartment by that day and Elder Hodson and I are the only ones in the zone who have a pickup truck. We had to make a lot of trips but it was fun. Then a member took us out to Red Robbin and they are a very sweet couple. So  we didn't get home till around 8pm or so. Where we live is a gated off community so we don't get trick or treaters. But there were so many people on the other streets and boulevards. This transfer ends on Dec. 7th. And Christmas is in the next transfer. I miss you all and hope all is well.

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

Halloween!

Hello all!

A lot is going on with me here in Denver. So I got transferred and so did Elder Folau and the Sisters that we  were sharing the ward with us. I got called to be a Zone Leader and my companions name is Elder Hodson. We are in the Denver Colorado Stake, serving in the Greenwood Village Ward. It is a very nice area and we live in a member’s home. I am really going to miss the Crestmoor Ward in the Aurora South Zone. Elder Hodson is from the San Fernando Valley in California; my second companion from California. He's been a Zone Leader for quite some time and he goes home in 6 weeks. We are serving 20 or so missionaries in the Zone. 

This week was pretty great as well. I had the chance to say goodbye and get some pictures to a lot of investigators and members of the ward. I am really going to miss the Stansfield Family. They were so cool and they fed us all the time. Bailey is getting baptized on Nov. 7th. I told our Ward Mission Leader to put Elder Folau and I in the program so we can come back and attend his baptism. I really hope he keeps to his commitment. The ward also had a Halloween activity. They did a chili cook off and a trunk or treat. There were a lot of awesome costumes. The Bishop had a Chewbaca costume. Elder Folau and I were working with so many people and I hope the new Elders can keep up with it all. I am going to miss the missionaries I got attached to in my old Zone as well. There is a lot of people going home in the mission. 

I heard there is really good mountain biking in my new zone so hopefully I can use my bike a little bit. There is also the Denver Zoo. Transfers are always hectic and it takes about a week or so to get used to everything. But I am excited for this transfer and I hope you have fun on Halloween! 

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

Zone Conference

Hey Everybody!

Hello again and Happy Monday! This week was a blast. Elder Folau and I got a lot done. Monday we had Zone P-Day and that was a great turn out. We taught a lot of lessons. A lot of the people we are teaching are not really progressing; they just allow us to teach. Some of the people we are working with are progressing though. We had Bailey's baptism scheduled but the ward decided it would be best to post pone it for a couple of weeks. Bailey agreed to that as well. So he is now scheduled for Nov. 7th. 

Zone Conference was Thursday and Elder Folau and I got 3rd place out of 17 for the clean car award. We got a $15 gift card to Subway. It was a great Conference as well. I got a lot out of it. We are teaching a man named Arnold. He is black and in his 60s I believe. He had a stoke and can't see very well and has a number of other things. He used to be a jazz singer and he has been seeing us for a couple of weeks. A lot of the things we teach he agrees with and he always appreciates what we do for him. We hope that he can get fellow-shipped from the ward members and progress as soon as possible. 

Part of the area we serve in is very rough as I mentioned before. And some of it is very rich. Most of the people we teach are from the rough areas though. There are a lot of refugees from Thailand and other places in the world. Transfers are in 1 week and there is a great chance that I will be transferred, but we won’t know until Saturday night. Elder Folau feels he will get transferred. The ward we serve in has a history of sweeping in and out both missionaries a lot so maybe we will both leave. But I really like the area I serve in. We are going to the Temple this Wednesday morning. We have the 6am session so we have to get up at 4:30am. The sisters we share the ward with have been having a rough time. One of them was training a sister named Sister Carroll. Sister Carroll has been sick for a couple of weeks and unfortunately she had to go home a couple of days ago. Now here trainer is in a trio with another set of sisters in the zone. However she had a baptism yesterday. Her name is April and the sisters have been working with her for quite some time. I had the opportunity to interview April twice because they moved her baptismal date. It was a good service. Another Sister from my MTC District went home as well. She was going through a really hard time from the start but she pushed through for a year. I was able to give her a blessing in the MTC as well.

My trainer and his group he came out with are home now. But Elder Timothy went home a couple months early because he was going through a rough time as well. A lot of missionaries you were close to going home makes you feel somewhat alone. This Saturday is the ward Halloween activity. It is also the last Saturday of the transfer. They do a trunk or treat and a chili cook off. It is getting cooler and cooler and I hear it is supposed to snow really soon. To be honest I am not ready for 5 months of cold weather, I don't want summer to leave. Everything is going great here in Denver. There are so many new missionaries and from what I see they are rock stars. I hope all is well at home. Until next week.

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

Colder weather

Hey everyone!

This week went by pretty well. we still taught a lot of lessons and the highlight is Baily Conner. He is our investigator and we interviewed him Saturday and he is good to go for the 17th. We haven't gotten the details finalized yet but it will be a great baptism. President Mendenhall said he would like to attend as well. I will make sure and get some pics.

Linda Ray is going through a tough time getting to church and she has some addictions to drugs. But hopefully she can get baptized real soon. Today is Zone P-Day and we are going to play Toilet Paper Dodge ball. There is a great chance I will get transferred in 2 weeks on the 26th of October. But anything can happen. I have been in this area about 4 months now but I might get called to train again. There are 17 new missionaries coming out in 2 weeks. It hasn't been in the 100's but it has now been in the 70s. The nights and mornings are getting really cold though. One thing I like about where we live is there is a big parking lot across the street. So every other morning I do some running. The sisters that we share the ward with are not doing so well. One of the Sisters is a new missionary who came out with Elder Folau and she has been really sick the past week. She has been in and out of the hospital. But I hear she is slowly recovering.


We went to an Air and Space Museum last Monday and that was fun. We have a really busy week planned. We have Zone Conference this Thursday and we will get to hear some departing testimonies. It's been crazy to see all the missionaries that I became close to go home one by one in the past year. hope everybody is doing well back home. I miss you all. Talk to you next week.

Love,
     Elder Rodriguez

31 Lessons!!!!

Happy Monday!

This week was the most busiest week of my entire mission. Elder Folau and I taught 31 lessons and we found 5 new investigators. We have 3 that are really progressing. We have them on Baptismal date as well. One is on the 17th, one is on the 24th, and the other is on the 31st.  We hope and pray that they all happen. Conference was great. We watched the Saturday afternoon session at the house of the second counselor in the Bishopric. His name is Bro. Aldous and he used to be a seventy for 20 years.

Nora, our investigator is doing well. She will be gone until November though. Baily is set for the 17th and he is well fellowshipped and is excited for his baptism. He was being taught in another ward by our zone leaders first, but he lives in our area and we did a switch off. Ken is on the 24th. He just got out of prison and he has been taught a lot by missionaries over the years. President will have to interview him for the past transgression has has told us, but hopefully he will be baptized soon. The last one is Linda. She has been investigating the church for a year and has been taught almost everything. She really wants to be baptized as well but she works on Sundays. We have come up with a plan that she can leave work a little early to come to church and we really hope she does.

It has been cooling down the past couple of days. I was able to wear my jacket for the first time in over 5 months. I am not ready for winter yet. Transfers are in 3 weeks. It is very likely that I will be leaving this area, but I kinda want to stay. We are doing great things here and a lot of the people we are working with are progressing. Hopefully Elder Folau and I will have another busy week. Take care!

Love,
     Elder Rodriguez

New Investigators!

Hello all!

This week went great. We taught a lot and our area is really growing. We found 7 new investigators and 2 of the ones we have now are on baptismal date for the 24th of October. There are many parts of my area that are super rich and many that are very rough. In fact we get all our investigators from the parts that are either middle class or rough. Many rich parts of the mission are kinda prideful.

I went on exchanges with one of my Zone Leaders on Thursday and that went really well. His name is Elder Walter and he is an awesome missionary. We have have been finding a lot of Less actives in random places when we are tracting. They say they were baptized and went to seminary and such but they have there own views and opinions and fell away. We were able to go to the Temple last week Wednesday and that was amazing. My District is truly rock solid. All of the companionship's have investigators on date. It hasn't been too hot here but it is in the 80's. No snow whatsoever yet. I love riding my bike but I only ride it in the mornings for exercise.

I don't know if I told you but the mission has a goal of 1001 baptisms for 2015. As of right now I heard we are at about 200. I'm sure there are a lot of missionaries that have given up hope, but all things are possible with the Lord. Its always big news for missionaries to hear a general authority pass away, since we have no contact with the internet and such. I am really looking forward to conference. I remember watching the last October Conference in the MTC. Some of the missionaries that came out with me to this mission sang in that choir for Priesthood. Last night there was an eclipse and that was a big deal for a lot of people apparently.

Last night Elder Folau and I found a new investigator named Nora. She is a tall black lady living in a rough apartment complex. We walked by and talked to her on the side walk. As missionaries we are supposed to talk to everyone so we asked her if she has talked to missionaries before. I felt impressed to talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can strengthen faith in Him. I also felt impressed to share Alma 7; 11,12. As I spoke I could truly feel the spirit working in me and also in Nora. She asked if Christ suffered all things including addictions and we testified that he did so. She gladly accepted a Book of Mormon and asked us to come back and teach her. She was a very sincere lady.

Elder Folau and I taught Gospel Principles yesterday. We were asked to do that the morning of so we had very little time to prepare. but it was a good lesson. It was on Faith in Jesus Christ. I am so happy I have a year left. I hope you all are well! Keep it up and press on!

Love
     Elder Rodriguez

Stake Conference

Hey Everybody!

How are things going? Well? This week was a killer for Elder Folau and I. We taught a new record of 22 lessons and we got 2 new investigators. We were able to attend the Temple on Wednesday and that was amazing. Now they changed to temple schedule to 4 times a year instead of every month. At least we still get to go. But this week was just super busy. 

We have a ton of investigators but unfortunately some of them are kind of leaving us a bit one by one. But we have 4 investigators that would be baptized tonight except there are certain things keeping them from that. We have the couple I told you able, Steve and Arleeta. They have Word of Wisdom problems and they are living together unmarried. Another investigator said herself "I really want to be baptized" but she works on Sundays and can't attend church. The last one is living with her boyfriend. She had a kid with him and she doesn't want to get married yet because she doesn't feel she is ready to take that step.

But Elder Folau and I witnessed a miracle this week when we were teaching Richard, our investigator. During the lesson Linda, our investigator that can't come to church, showed up at Richards door. She lives right across the street from him and she dropped off some spaghetti. She didn't see us in the room so we said hi and asked if she wanted to join us. She gladly accepted and during the lesson she said some things that really helped Richard. She talked about how she feels the holy ghost when she reads the Book of Mormon and how she specifically prays for understanding as well. This is something that Richard is struggling with. It was an awesome lesson. Yesterday was stake conference. It is a pretty large stake. Didn't see a lot of ward members though. Hope you guys are doing great!

Love

            Elder Rodriguez

Progress

Hello Everyone!

Today is the start of a new transfer. Elder Folau and I are staying in our area. In fact the whole district stayed the same with me as the district leader still. I am really glad that it stayed the same because Elder Folau and I are doing a lot of work. I also really like my Zone Leaders as well. This week went pretty well. We saw a lot of people and made a lot of progress. We have a rock solid investigator named Victoria. She is really interested in our message, especially with the Plan of Salvation. She was at church yesterday and she had a great experience. She said she has a lot more questions right after Gospel Principles class. Richard is a good one but we haven't seen him in a while. We hope he is reading the Book of Mormon and praying.

Saturday we helped one of the young men with his eagle project. He is digging and planting new plants in the church courtyard. We also did some service for Victoria as well. We helped her with her lawn and swept her porch. She also came to the eagle project as well. We hope that she keeps progressing towards baptism. For the past 3 months the Aurora South Zone has been the highest baptizing zone in the mission. Another one of our top progressing is Bill Bruneau. He wasn't at church yesterday but he went the week before. When we saw him on Friday he said he wasn't comfortable with the men and women splitting for 3rd hour. But we had a solid lesson with him about eternal marriage and proxy ordinances for such. He was very impressed by that and he is now interested in doing some of his family history.  Hope all is well.

Love

            Elder Rodriguez

Investigators

Hey all!

This week went pretty well. Elder Folau and I are always finding new investigators. We had interviews on Wednesday with President and Sister Mendenhall. I always appreciate how loving and caring they are to all of the missionaries. Elder Zwick said he knows a lot of mission presidents and President and Sister Mendenhall are one of the best. There is so much work in this Zone. I have never done this much work in my whole mission. We are working with 10 or so investigators but only 3 are really progressing. The rest are just "crack investigators". We were working with a family that was making excellent progress. Their names are Channel and Connie. Connie is the wife and Channel is the husband. They are Hispanic and it is hard for Channel to understand English. Wednesday night we had a lesson with them and we took a member of the ward who is from Columbia to translate for him. She was such a big help and he said that when he reads the Book of Mormon he feels comfort and at peace. But right in the middle of the lesson, when Sister Burk was translating for him, he said he doesn't want us to come over anymore. We were all shocked and he said that he wants time to be with his little daughters and that he wanted to talk to his wife about some things. I was really sad but he said that he will continue to read the Book of Mormon and when he is ready he will call us...... whenever that is.

However we found a new investigator to kind of take their place. His name is Richard and he is super awesome. We taught him the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation and today we will teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I really feel he has potential and he has an honest loving heart. Hopefully we can get him baptized within the coming weeks. Another one of our progressing investigators came to Church out of nowhere. When I recognized him I was so amazed. We haven't taught him in awhile because he never answers our calls. He does have potential but he has some problems with 3rd hour church where the men and the women are separated. He left right after 2nd hour and told us we could talk about that issue when we see him on Friday. I feel that we are so close to getting one of these investigators baptized but it hasn't happened yet. They say that the ratio is 10 investigators invited to be baptized, only one will. I hope and pray that we will make progress with them.

Yesterday was a fun P-Day for Elder Folau and myself. In this zone not a lot of missionaries hang out with each other. So you have to get creative on your own. So we went to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. It is a huge store for camping and fishing and stuff. We looked around for a little bit and then we went to a few other stores around the bill mall that is in our area, such as Target, Old Navy, World Market, and Whole Foods. This is the last week of the transfer but I am confident that Elder Folau and I will stay but anything could happen. If I stay another transfer it is very likely that I will be transfer by then. But things are going really well with us in our area. The ward is struggling with going on splits but the sisters and I have a few people that go out with us a lot which is good. I miss you all,

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez 

There is work to be done!

Hello Everyone

Happy Monday! It has been getting hotter here but not by a lot. It has been around 90 - 100 the past few days. Time has flown by so fast it is not even funny. Tomorrow I will hit my 11 month mark. I am so glad I still have a whole year left. This week’s highlight was definitely Elder Zwicks counsel and address. On Wednesday night all the ward counsels of 5 different stakes gathered together at my ward building to hear him speak. But Elder Zwick addressed all the full time missionaries in those stakes on Friday and his counsel was so inspiring. He really gave us a spiritual boost and taught us many useful things. Sister Zwick also addressed us and she was powerful as well.

Transfers are in 2 weeks, on Sept. 14th. When you train we use a 12 week program that takes 2 transfers to complete. It is possible that I will be transferred and Elder Folau will get a follow up trainer but most likely I will be staying here with him for another 6 weeks.

So Elder Folau and I had a chance to go to Downtown Denver this week to take care of an unfair parking ticket. The guy was pretty rude to us but we got it taken care of. It was only $15 and Elder Folau and I split it. We found 2 new investigators last week and we plan on teaching a lot this week. This is the highest number of investigators I have ever had on my mission so far. There is so much work in this Zone. Hope all is well. Love you all and I'll talk to you next Monday.

Love, Elder Rodriguez

Elder Zwick

Hey everybody!

Happy Monday! This week went pretty well. We are teaching a lot more and we are also finding new investigators and dropping some every week. We are also working with a lot of Less-actives. Elder Folau is catching on quick and the work is going forward. I went on exchanges with one of my zone leaders on Saturday and that went well. A lot more people are signing up for dinner which is fantastic. 

Last Monday Elder Folau and I went to an Air and Space museum and then we went on a walk right next to some wet lands. Not sure what we are going to do today but we will figure something out. We are working with about 10 investigators but none of them seem to really be progressing. It is really hard sometimes to get one of them baptized. They don't keep commitments or appointments. A lot of them only seem to be nice and let us in. We are praying and fasting though. However the Aurora South Zone has been the highest baptizing Zone in the mission for the past 2 months.

This week we are having a mission tour. Elder Zwick from the 1st quorum of the Seventy will be visiting us and counseling us on the work. We will be hearing from him on Wednesday and Friday. It is pretty exciting.

Things are going pretty well here. It hasn't been too hot lately but it has been warm. I hope everything is ok with you guys. Stay well. See you next Monday.

Love, Elder Rodriguez

New Companion!

Hi All!

The past couple of days have been super crazy. Since Elder Wakeham and another Elder in the Zone went home yesterday, I had to drive all the Elders up to the mission home on Sunday. I spent to rest of the day with the companion that didn't go home. I also got called to train! I got to meet him with all the other trainers yesterday. His name is Elder Falou from New Zeland. His is awesome and has a strong desire to work. 

Transfers were a pain for some missionaries because somehow there were big mistakes and people got confused. A ton of missionaries went home and there are a lot that I am going to miss. However, we are getting a lot coming in as well. Next transfer we will have 27 new missionaries come in. I am still the district leader and I am excited to see what I will work with this transfer.  I had my car switched as well. I wish I didn't though.

Nothing else is really new. I am in the same area and same ward. It will be a lot of fun training Elder Falou. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

A Miracle!

Hello Everyone!

A lot happened this past week. This week was our best week of the transfer. We taught the most lessons we have had and really made progress with the people we are teaching.

We had Zone Conference on Thursday and I got to see some missionaries who I will miss. One of my past Companions, Elder Merrill, gave his departing testimony at Zone Conference and is going home in a week. I really liked him and I am going to miss him a lot. I will send a pic of me and him. A miracle happened this week as well.  Elder Wakeham finally changed! One morning Elder Wakeham refused to get up in the morning and work and I was absolutely not going to have that. So I called the Zone Leaders and they spoke to him a little bit. Then I guess the Zone Leaders invited him to call president and talk to him so he did. I don't know what they talked about or what he said to him, but whatever it was it worked. When Elder Wakeham gave his departing testimony at Zone Conference he mentioned that he hasn't been diligent this past transfer but he is determined to work hard for the next week and a half. His attitude is still there a little bit but he is willing to be obedient and work with me. He changed so much. Today is Zone P-Day and we are playing a bunch of games at the church building. It should be fun.

There is a couple we are working with who have been meeting with missionaries for the past 9 years. Their names are Steve and Arleeta and they want to be baptized and they know it is true but they have a road block. They are not married and will not get married. Arleeta is on S.S.I. and medical money because she has diabetes. Steve is on S.S.D.I.  If they get married they will lose their money and they cannot afford to keep paying their medical bills. They love each other very much and do not want to separate. We teach them about faith and being baptized but they can't if they chose not to be married. Even if they do separate they don't have the money to find a new place. Every set of missionaries that have taught them have been trying to get them over this barrier but have had no success. This past transfer I have grown to love them so much. They are poor as dirt but I have a special place for them in my heart. I hope and pray that one day they will get baptized and confirmed in this church.

A couple days ago I was watching the district and I was so inspired to go out and do missionary work. And I have often reflected back on the 10 moths I have been a missionary and have seen a lot of good and a lot of bad. But overall I have loved it so much. I have gained a new love for the people I serve. I love my mission so much and I can already feel that when Sept. 26th 2016 comes around I will not want to go home. I am so glad I have a long ways to go. I hope you all are well

Love,

            Elder Rodriguez

Baptisms

Hello All!

This week was a little slow because we had a lot of set appointments that canceled on us at the last minute. My Training for Zone Meeting went great and I thought it was very effective. We also had a mission wide meeting on Wednesday. President wanted to talk about our 1001 baptisms for this year. Everybody was able to see old companions and mingle together. I got to see Elder Merrill and Elder Takis my last 2 comps. Those two have been my favorites so far. 

As for Elder Wakeham things are not really improving which is normal. We got into a heated argument one night because he wanted to break a rule that I didn't want to break. I called the Zone Leaders and they helped me through it. He has no desire to serve the Lord anymore. He has kinda been like this his whole mission I heard. President told me when he says "I don't care anymore" give him the phone and tell him that he can send you home. All the Baptisms I interviewed for took place. One was at the river again and another one was at the Church building.  It has been raining in Denver almost every single day. I really like it though. And it hasn't been too hot yet but I heard that it will be really soon. In my ward there are a lot of young couples, many of which are Marisa's and Aaron's age. They come and go for school, internships, and work. I really like the bishop, he is very supportive and he came with us to a lesson this past week. I wasn't too fond of my last two bishops. Just 2 more weeks and the transfer is over. I am looking forward to that, lol. We have Zone Conference this Thursday so we have to clean out our car for inspections. Nothing really new is happening but things are slowly getting better. I miss you all so much!

Love,

                        Elder Rodriguez