I'm a dad! Again! - August 20, 2012

Well as I said last week transfers were last night. And it is exactly what we thought. We split the two areas and we are both training, McLaughlin and I. So now instead of working Itoasy and Ampitatafika, I just work Ampitatafika. We were working three days in each area and just Monday night in Itaosy so both of our schedules just opened up a little bit. But I guess its just a new thing to learn for me. So they get here on Wednesday and they go on splits with the elders close to the office and then on Thursday all the trainers go to the office and have meetings with the kids and then they tell everyone who is with who. It is really exciting and I can't wait. The first time I got my new missionary I thought we wouldn't get along at all or it was going
to be weird or something but he is actually the missionary I got along with the best. It was really cool because we were really different but similar in a lot of things too. Its hard to explain but I'll let you guys know about my new missionary next week.

So about the baptism. Four men were supposed to get baptized but now only two are. Let me explain. It is pretty simple on one of them. Last week he left right after sacrament meeting but he said it was because
his daughter was sick. So we said if he came this week he could get baptized. He came but left after the second hour and we didn't get the chance to interview him. So even if he had a legitimate excuse, he can't get baptized because the the District Leader can't drive all the way out to interview him because he is training too and doesn't have time. Personally I think if they go to church you should plan on staying the full three hours. Especially right before your baptism. The other man is actually in the part member family. He had a smoking
problem so we said that if he did not smoke starting Saturday (a week before) than he could be baptized. We agreed on this because one, his wife and kids are baptized, part of his siblings are baptized, his
younger brother actually just got called as a bishop and he has been learning on and off with the missionaries for two years. So we thought he would be really solid. But when he got out of the interview the elder interviewing him said that he smoked a little that morning before church but only a little. So, as hard it is to do, we are going to have to push back his baptism until the 22 of September until he is definitely ready. We still don't know if we should put him with his son or just baptize the son now and then the father later. I think the answer is Preach My Gospel. Lately we have been working really solidifying the people before baptism so it is easier to switch them off to the ward after. Because as any missionary knows, it is such a pain to try to get less actives back to church, compared to just teaching fresh new people. At least in my opinion it is. Before, missionaries in a lot of areas were just going for the number, the stat, the baptism and not trying to help the person. So in Ampitatafika the members should be about doubled than what it is now coming to church every week. Little by little we'll get them back. So from now on we will not have any less-actives!

This morning we have been cleaning and rearranging the house to get it ready to fit two more people. While we were moving the beds around I tried to move the mop bucket, which was full of dirty water, out of the way (which might have been sitting there for a couple days) and I dropped it! Phil drops forks, I drop mop buckets! I think Phil got the better of the two. But then again maybe mom wont make me mop anything.
Anyway, it got all over the floor, splashed on the wall, got on the bed frame and of course all over my self. It stunk up the house and put me shame. But don't worry, I'm over it now and hopefully we cleaned well enough that the smell doesn't stick around.

Well that was some of the stuff that happened this week. Of the stuff that I don't tell you, I guess you'll have to wait for a couple months to hear. Ooo! A little update/hint. Elder McLaughlin is leaving two weeks earlier than when he got here, so maybe I might be coming home a little earlier than planned. And I could watch conference with you guys on the comfy new couches! But that is just a maybe, so we'll see.

I'm super sorry again for not having pictures. We have been trying different cybers to see if there are better ones and the connection and place of the cyber is decent but my SD card is being weird. It shows up in the computer but it says that it is blank. But then I put it back in my camera and it still has all the pictures. Maybe I'll try using the new one this week and see if there is a difference.

Love,
Elder Wamler (I typed that in Dad's email and fixed it but decided to leave it for you guys.