The Promised Land

This week has been quite the week. We've talked to somewhere over 50 people this week, just on the streets, and we have received no return appointments or investigators from it. I don't know what's going on. Just a few months ago, I could talk to anyone on the street, and they would courteously listen to a small portion of our message, and the majority said they would like to hear more. But this last month has been a dead-end trial for finding people to teach by street contacting. People on the street this month have just been...grumpy. They won't even give us the time to say "temple".

It's hard being in Chula Vista, nicknamed "The Promised Land" because of how many people you can find to teach just by walking around, and we've been having the lowest numbers I've seen since I got here. But we have had a great miracle this last week. An elderly couple, J and C, have agreed to a baptismal date of December 14th. They are in their 80's, they have health problems that limit their abilities to get around, their family is practically all Catholic or Jehovah's Witness, but they are excited to be baptized. J, who says he hates to read, has been reading the Book of Mormon on his smart phone. C is quite surprised at that. And we're hoping that we can find someone to give them a ride to church this Sunday, (because they have no car).

I've really begun to see just how wrong the world is. I've talked to so many women that are "going through hard times right now" with their husbands, and it tears me apart. Even the little kids are getting into things that I was protected from in my childhood. Drugs, pornography, lasciviousness, filth, sleaze, alcohol, tobacco. It's everywhere here. It's on the streets, it's in the stores, it's on the television...it's everywhere. And I wish people could see that what we have could solve all of those problems, but they just don't want to listen. That and every other guy on the street is either homeless or hopelessly drunk.

Next transfer day is the day before Thanksgiving, so I'm either spending that and Christmas here in Chula, or somewhere else in the mission. Well, that's just about all that's happened this week. It's been pretty uneventful for the most part. To all a good week, and to all...until Tuesday.

-Love, Elder Crook