Finally a baptism!

Hola my dearest family!

As my title says, we finally got a baptism this week! It was the investigator that I mentioned wanted to wait another week. Well, he got baptized and he's awesome! He's already doing his own missionary work by trying sharing his testimony with another investigator we had. I had the opportunity to perform the ordinance too. It was a little awkward because he's older and he couldn't really bend back like that very well, but it all worked out and we felt the Spirit. :) It feels good to finally see a little success. :) Hopefully with my new companion Elder Westhoff we'll be able to baptize every week. Oh, that reminds me...

We're having our transfers tomorrow and we finally know what's going on. I'm going to stay here in 5 de Mayo and Elder Duran is leaving for an area right next to mine (but in another zone). Like I said, my new companion's name is Elder Westhoff and he's from Utah. He's got almost a year in the mission and I'm told he's a good worker. Hopefully that's true and we'll be able to work well together. Either way, I'm planning on turning over a new leaf for this next transfer. I want to take a more central role in what goes on, because I've decided that I don't like relying a lot on others. I think that's pretty much all that's new about this week. Though, as a random side note, I finally cleaned our bathroom today. Naaaaasty, but it had to be done.

Sorry there's no pictures this week. I took quite a few and made a video for you guys, but we're at a crappy internet cafe this week in which I can't really upload my pictures. Sorry! You'll just have to wait another week. :/ I'll try to take the kinds of pictures that Mom asked for.

He's the part where I answer everyone's questions again. Mom first: I recieved my Thanksgiving package this week which I think means that it took about three weeks to get here. Thank you so much for that! I love all the little notes from the family and the inspirational thoughts! Also... OREOS!!!! I'm looking forward to enjoying the treats you sent. ;) It got here in good shape so I don't think you need to worry too much about that. Thanks for the lap quilt from the Relief Society. I'll make sure to give it to somebody soon. :) As for my health, it's good. No problems this week. Hopefully there won't be any in the near future. For my migraine I just took IB Profen which worked just fine. Exercise on the other hand... hasn't really happened. Let's just say Elder Duran isn't exactly a morning person. Hopefully my next companion will be a bit more active in the mornings. Also, I plan on getting a jumprope for a little bit of aerobic exercise. Hopefully, that will help me trim of all the fat I've gained. (And yes, I've gained a lot... ;P) Hope that answers all your questions!

Now for Dad's questions: I was invited to spend Christmas with some members in my area which is awesome. They're probably my favorite family in the ward (besides the bishop's) and they cook amazing food so it should be cool. However, I don't know if the President has specific plans for the missionaries on Christmas or not. I guess we'll see what happens. I don't think that you guys can call me, but I know that I can call and/or Skype you guys. We should probably start planning a time to do that now so that we don't miss each other on Christmas. I'm going to ask around and see what's going to happen because I don't even know if we work on Christmas or if we take a day off. You also had another question about my conversations with the President. Basically, we e-mail him every week telling him about how the week went. That's about the extent of our conversations. It's an opportunity we have to talk to him about any problems we're having or doubts we have. We also have interviews with him now and then, but I've only had one so far so they can't be too frequent. He's an awesome guy really. One thing that helps is that I understand him more now. :P But yeah... he's a little tough on us when he needs to be, but he's generally very friendly and actually pretty funny. If you've got more questions about Christmas or the President, let me know! :)

Now, I finally got Kayla's letter on the 20th of November so I'm going to write a little section to her too. Don't worry about the lack of letters. I understand how life is. ;) I saw the pictures of Dily that Mom's been sending me and she's so big now! I'm a little bummed that I'm missing out on her cuteness, but I'll just have to make up for lost time when I get back. :) It seems like all the letters and stuff sent to me take a while so if I were you, I'd just write me a weekly e-mail. I'll try to answer any questions you have just like I answer everyone else's. :) Love you sis!

Max and Kaz: I know Kaz didn't write me this week, but I just wanted to say hi! I'm jealous that you guys are playing Halo 4 and Assassin's Creed 3. I saw some kids playing halo 4 in the internet cafe last week and I know what you mean by it not feeling Halo-ish. Oh well, what do you expect from Microsoft? Anyways, I love you both and hope you're spending some time together now and then. Go outside once in a while! ;) Love you!

I also want to take the time to thank Grandma and Grandpa Wortham for the letters they've been sending me. I really appreciate them, especially the stories about Grandpa's life and the inspirational thoughts and scriptures. Oh, and I don't play the piano in any meetings here. They have someone who does that already.

I think that's all... I just want to take a moment to share my testimony. I know with all my heart that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Through obedience to the Lord's commandments, we receive blessings in this life and lay up blessings in store for the next. I really want to stress the importance of reading the scriptures to you. The Book of Mormon and the Bible are like letters from our Heavenly Father. They contain guidance and strength for every aspect of our lives. We can receive answers to prayers and help in our lives from reading the scriptures. I hope that you'll take advantage of this amazing gift from God. I know that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father together with our families for all eternity. The church is true.

I love you all and hope everything is going well. I hope everything goes well with Grandpa Max's procedure. I'll keep him in my prayers! I know he's not exactly computer-savy but see if you can type a quick message from him. :) Keep reading the Book of Mormon, keep attending church, and keep praying. Pray at least five times a day: When you wake up, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed. I miss you all a ton and can't wait to see you again! I love you!

-Elder Sean Horrocks