Concerts and Patience

 Hola a todos! I hope this email finds each of you well. I wanted just to take a few moments of your time and update you on everything that has been happening out here in Winchester, VA. 

     For starters, we have a new district! Elder Castle left to go serve in York, PA and Elder Elliott came from Lancaster, PA to join us! This guy is hilarious, and a lot of people call him lightskin Kevin Hart. He is going to be super fun to serve around. He is also an absolute baller at soccer. It's ridiculous. With the beginning of this transfer, I have officially survived 5 of these 6 week time periods on the mission. Time flies! 

     The weather has started to get a little nicer, which terrifies me. As the temperature drops as we head into Fall, it means that Winter is just around the corner. It gets SO stinking cold in the Winter. I know I'm just an Arizona baby but man I am not ready to wear my entire wardrobe on me again. 

     Our apartment is located in downtown Winchester, which means that whenever there are major events that the city puts on, we get very sleepless nights. Like this week! Every single night this week they have been having concerts on literally the same street that we live on.  

     We still have Augutina on date for the 11th of September, so prayers for her are much appreciated. We're teaching a lot of cool people! One of the greatest joys we can experience as children of God is to labor in the Lord's vineyard and attempting to bring souls unto Him. 

    Every transfer I pick a Christlike attribute to focus on. This transfer's selection is patience. As a mission, our transfer focus is baptism, which I am absolutley stoked about. I read the story in Matthew about when Jesus Christ Himself was baptized during my studies this last week. In Matthew 3:13-15, "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15And Jesus answering said unto him Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him." I have always found it interesting as to the reason why a perfect being would have need to be baptized. Oftentimes we think of baptism as an act of cleansing and a remission of our sins, but are reminded in verse 15 that we do it to "fulfill all righteousness." In other words, it's a commandment of God. Paralleled in the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, the prophet Nephi speaks concerning the baptism of Christ. 2 Nephi 31:5 says "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!" Confirming that baptism by water and fire is a commandment of God, Nephi invites us to consider our own unworthiness and uncleanliness before God and the need we have because of it to be baptized. If you are baptized, remember what it means. Remember the promises you have made that cannot be broken under the laws of justice upon which heaven is established. If you are not baptized, ponder the meaning of being baptized by proper authority and ponder the significance and meaning of baptism, remembering that we are commanded to "Come...and follow [Him]."(Luke 9:23) 

Downtown 

A ridiculous amount of fried chicken given to us by a member 

A fun painted wall we found