District Leader Responsibilities

Hey dad! I'm doing really good. Wow that sure is a long time to be at church.  But that's good that you are enjoying it.  I am also enjoying my new assignment as a district leader.  It's pretty fun.  On saturday I got to do a baptismal interview for an investigator of some other elders in my district.  So that was the first time ever in my life that I have done an interview to determine the worthiness of someone else.  Pretty crazy that a little 19 year old kid can do that!  The interview went really well.  The investigator is a really good guy and super prepared for baptism.  So it wasnt that hard to do.  I was a bit nervous before, but as soon as we started I felt better.  

We havnt gone on splits yet because there are a few new elders in the district that dont know their sectors very well yet.  But maybe next week I'll get to do some. 

That's super cool that you did so well playing golf.  Maybe I would even like to go try and play some golf when I get back.  But just maybe ;)

I love you too!

Elder Eastman

Hey mom!  Thanks for the hugs and kisses!  

It sure has been pretty fun to be a district leader.  I can defenitely feel the extra responsibility.  I enjoy getting calls from all the other missionaries in my district every night, seeing how they did in the day and trying to help them get better and reach their goals.  Then I have to call the zone leaders after talking to the other elders and tell them how my day was and how the day of the other elders went.  Doing that takes away a bit of the time I have at night but I still enjoy doing it.  And every thursday I have to give a training kinda thing to my district and teach them about some part of the missionary work that we could get better at.  I think putting that together is the hardest part of being a district leader.  But it's a good thing I like teaching people.  

Elder Chavez is super awesome.  He is really good at staying diligent throughout the day.  And he is helping me alot at talking to more people everyday that are in our path.  He is also really good at cooking.  We have made some super good tacos two times this week.  He also knows how to cook alot of food from Peru.  So we are getting along really well.  

Yep I think last week the F. Chimba gave us some cow stomach.  It was terrible.  I have gotten better at eating it, but I still gagged a few times.  

So this week was a bit rough with being able to teach investigators.  There was almost nobody that was able to recieve us and let us in to teach them.  We have a few investigators like the F. Chicaisa, but they are pretty much only available on saturdays and sundays.  But this saturday and sunday nobody was available.  We are trying really hard to find new investigators that are available more often.  We have been asking everyone for references and contacting like crazy.  And this sunday we were given a little blessing.  A member lady brought one of her friends to church and we will be able to teach her and her family this wednesday.  So I am really looking forward to that. 

Well I sure do love you mom!

Elder Eastman

PS. Question... Is it alright if I sell my little camera to another missionary that wants it at the end of this transfer?  I'm thinking $50 would be a fair price.  

This is Elder Chavez

Fun fact... That little house with the red roof in that picture is where the F. Chicaisa lives

Last Transfer/District Leader

Hey dad! I'm doing really good.  Sounds like you had a really fun trip.  I sure would like to go to a cool baseball game when I get back like those that you went too.  I kinda miss going to games or other types of events.  

Wow that does sound like a pretty tough calling.  But I know that you'll be a great bishop for those young people.  

I would love to go get some good food when I get back.  Whatever good mexican place would be nice.  Or maybe In-n-Out, or 5 guys, or some other good burger place.  I ate McDonalds today, which is mostly the same here as it is in the states, but they dont have as many things on the menu.  But most of all, I think I would first just like to eat some nice green chile enchiladas at home.  

Well today was the official start of my last transfer here in the mission.  I'm still here in Turubamba but now I'm with and new companion named Elder Chavez.  I have also been made the district leader here.  Which I'm pretty excited about.  It'll be something new to do and to learn from.   

I love you lots dad! 

Elder Eastman

Hey mom!  Yep, today is the first day of my last transfer in the mission.  I feels pretty weird to know that I'm now in my last transfer.  I would always look at the missionaries who had alot of time in the mission and think, wow, they have been here for so long, I cant even imagine me being where they are right now.  But now that moment has come, pretty crazy!  

I'm still here in Turubamba.  But now I'm with a new companion named Elder Chavez (not the same elder Chavez that I was with in Ambato) but this elder Chavez is also from Peru.  He is 21 years old and has 6 months in the mission.  He seems like a really cool and funny guy so far.  I think we will get along very well and be able to work hard.  Some other good news from this transfer is that I am now the new district leader of my district.  The district leader last transfer finished the mission,  and I got made the new one.  I'm pretty excited to be able to have this responsibility.  Even though it'll just be for one transfer, it'll be a good learning opportunity for me.  

This week we werent able to visit the F. Cadme.  They werent home alot of the time and were really busy.  Hopefully this week they will be more available.  I'm pretty sure they are already married.  Their children are all youth ages.  

This sunday the F. Chicaisa came to church.  So they are the investigators who are progressing the most right now.  It seemed like they could tell that this church is alot different from all the other churches.  But I think they liked it.  We havent been able to talk to them yet to really find out.  But they stayed for all 3 hours of church.  The mom (Erica), Erica's mom, and Erica's 3 children all came.  So that made us really happy to see them come.  Hopefully all keeps going really well with them.  

This week we visited the F. Idrovo.  But they have stopped progressing for a long time now.  So we talked a bit about odedience to God's commandments and also told them that we wont be able to keep visiting them if they dont do their part.  We can only help them to a certain point, and for us to be able to keep helping them, they have to start keeping the commandments and doing their part.  This sunday they didnt come to church, so we wont be able to keep visiting them for a while.  It's a bit sad to have to stop visiting a family that has so much potential.  But it's something that has to be done.  Hopefuly they will start progressing again in the future and be able to be baptised and then go to the temple.  

In this week I have really been able to feel my testimony of the Book of Mormon grow.  I love teaching people about it.  Even if the people dont always want to accept it,  I just love talking about it.  I really know that it is a true book of God. 

I love you mom!  

Elder Eastman

M&Ms Baptisms and A Yellow Shirt

YAY!!! That's so cool that you got made a bishop yesterday!  I know that you will do a fantastic job.  I'm sure it'll be really crazy sometimes and maybe even a bit stressful.  But what you said is true, just do what the Lord tells you to do and all will go well.  

Yesterday I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting.  One of the bishops counselors called me right before the meeting started and asked me if I could give a talk about the Holy Ghost.  So I didnt have very much time at all to prepare something.  But I definitely felt the guidence of the Holy Ghost while I was talking about the Holy Ghost.  The time went by super fast while I was talking and I think I went a bit over my time to talk.  But I actualy enjoyed giving the talk.  I didnt really feel nervous before it or while I was talking.   It was a nice experience.  I definitely have gotten alot better at talking in front of people while here on the mission.  

Well everything is going wonderfuly here.  I feel good and healthy.  

I love you dad! Good luck in your new calling!

Elder Eastman

Hi mom!  That's super super duper cool that dad got made a bishop!  I'm sure that's a pretty crazy calling to have.  I know he'll do great.  

I also think it's super cool that Emma is working hard in XC.  It's definitely not easy but it's worth it.  It's the best thing in the world to be in good shape and be able to run fast for a long time.  I was never that great but I'm super happy that I did it.  

The baptism of Martha and Mery went absolutely wonderfuly.  It was a cool baptismal service because there were 5 people in total who were getting baptised.  Martha, Mery, Martha's dad (who lives in a different ward but wanted to get baptised with his family), and two investigators of the other elders in our ward.  So there were alot of people in white.  I got to baptise Martha and my companion got to baptise Mery.  Pretty much every thing went really well during the service.  Except for one small thing... I forgot to bring and extra pair of garments, so had to do my best to dry them off with my towel and then I had to put my normal clothes back on with wet garments.  It wasnt very comfortable.  Other than that everything was perfect.  

Yes, we still get to visit the new members after their baptism.  We have to go over all the lessons again and help them stay strong as a member.  We also get to visit the less active members and help them get back on track.  Right now we dont have very many less actives who are progressing very well.  There is only one family who is starting to slowly get back to church.  Their name is the familia Naranjo.  

This week we found a new family named the familia Cadme.  It's a family of 5 but we were only able to teach the mom and dad this week.  They seem really cool and interested in the restored gosple.  They didnt come to church this sunday but hopefuly they do this next week.  Our mission president has taught us that we should work like and escalator and not like an elevator (when it comes to finding, teaching and baptising people).  An escalator can always have people going up at all times, but an elevator has to go all the way down, pick up one set of people, go back up and repeat that process.  So the goal is to always be finding people, have people progressing towards baptism, and have people getting baptised every week.  But I think that we have fallen a bit into being like an elevator instead of an escalator.  It's been hard to find people to teach every week here, and have a few of those people progressing.  We worked well with the F. Chimba, but now they got baptised and we are left with nobody else whos progressing.  But we are not perfect missionaries and we cannot take away  peoples agency and make them come to church.  I know that we can get better and find even more people to teach, starting with the F. Cadme.  

Well I love you a bunch mom!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have fun on trip to DC!

Elder Eastman

Happy To Work

Hi mom!  Today has been a good day.  We went to the mission offices today and bought the Book of Mormon on cd to give to Mery, because she doesnt know how to read.  While in downtown Quito we went to a market place that sells a bunch of cool stuff and I bought a cool sweater and a little keychain trinket thing.  

I'm feeling good and healthy.

Yep I think the green plaintains are the same thing that you use to make patacones.  I'll buy some more and take a picture of it to send to you.  

No Joel didnt get to pass the sacrament this sunday because he got to church right after the sacrament part finished.  Martha and Mery had their interviews this sunday and they both passed.  So this saturday at 3 pm should be their baptism.  They have been doing very well and are really excited for their baptism.  The only bummer is that we dont have any other investigators right now that are progressing.  But I have faith that we will either find new investigators that will progress or some of the investigators that we have right now will start progressing more, or maybe even both of those options will happen.  

Well my time is up for writing.  Sorry this letter is a bit short.  Next week I will try and share a bit more. 

I love you mom!

Elder Eastman

Hey dad!  Things are going really well here.  I still havnt gotten my travel plans here.  And mom didnt tell me what they are.  But I would kinda like to know what they are.  I'm not really feeling nervous or worried about it.  I'm probably worried the most about having to speak english to everyone again, because I think I have forgoten how to say a few things in the normal way.  I think it'll take some time to get used to it all again.  I also think that I'm just generaly excited to get back to my native country.  I love Ecuador a bunch but it's kind of exciting to get to see the Utah mountains again or the streets and houses and grass and all that stuff.  

I'm also happy to still be able to work for a few more weeks.  I really want to work harder than ever now.  It's been hard lately and there has been alot of temptations to stop working diligently.  But I'm trying to ignore those things and just get out and work.  

Well I sure do love you a bunch!

Elder Eastman

Reply from dad:

Aug 2 is your day. Long trip. Quito to Miami. Miami to Dallas. Dallas to home. Getting at about 8:00 pm. Crazy. 

Replay from Josh:

Wow!! thanks dad!!!!