Ben's Graduation and Juana's Baptism

Hola Jordan/Elder Soutas

How did your week go?  I hope you had a good one.  We have been praying for your investigators and

put their names in the temple.  How is Juana doing?

 This week, of course, was Ben's graduation.  It was so similar to yours that you can pretty much

imagine exactly what it was like.  Long talk by Mr. Hicks, singing by the madrigals, music by the orchestra and All of the graduates coming up to receive their diploma

 

 

There...Now don't you feel like you were there?

Time sure does go quickly.  Seems like we were just barely at yours

After we went to lunch at Rodizio Grill in American Fork.     

Later that night Ben went to the Senior class grad party at Noah's.  They had Wally ball, ping pong and

stuff like that.  He didn't get home until 5 AM!

On Thursday I went and helped at Kaitlyn's field day.  We walked over to Jordan Ridge Park and played

"Minute to Win It" Games.    I also went to Book Club at Jill's house.  Everyone asked how you are doing

and I told them "Great!!"

Saturday I went to a wedding shower for Lindsey Jones - can you believe she's getting married?  Those Jones girls

like to get married at 18..........His name is Brendan.

The Jone's are also moving this week.  They sold their house and they are moving to Herriman.

Then I painted Kaitlyn's room (she is now going to have Tyler's old room downstairs)  a very BRIGHT  robin's egg BLUE.

It is way brighter than I thought it would be.  Maybe once we move her bed into it and some furniture it won't be so Crazy.

I also went and did some initiatories at the JR Temple.  It was a great way to finish up the week.

Last night after Church we went to a fireside by John Lund (He is a well -known marriage counselor) and has written

many books and given many firesides and worked with the Church on all of this.

He was so funny!  He talked about how we need to communicate with our family members etc...

The one thing he really emphasized that I am going to try harder - is to not criticize anyone.  He said our society is

so ingrained with criticism that it is impossible for anyone to go a day without doing it.....To your family epecially but even in general when we are driving we critize other drivers etc...   anyway I know you had to be there to feel the impact of the

talk but it really had a great impact on me to try harder.

I heard from Ashlee this week, she got your letter  we sent, so she is happy:)  She is doing great!

I hope you have a wonderful week.  Rely on our Heavenly Father and the Spirit will guide you. 

Yo se que este iglesia es verdadero. Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador.

(when you get a chance - write your testimony in spanish - the kids would love to hear it!)

Un Brazo!  

Love forever, Mom

Phew! I was worried you had forgotten to write me! haha just kiddin I assumed it was because of the internet.

Well I have a surprise! Juana got baptized! YAY! ha ha we went over there last Tuesday and she was feeling much better and so she wanted to be baptized.

Her baptismal service can only be discribed in one word: Epic. Well I dunno there's probably a better word but that is the first word that came to my head. So we finally get there and she is there and she starts telling us about how she is sick again but she still came. But oh well she's there and we aint stoppin it now. Then like only six people were there, pretty typical for our branch.

So she gets in the water and almost slips and dies. But luckily not. Ok so now she is ready to be baptized. Elder Lyman says the prayer. Amen. Juana leans over forward and dips her head in the water. "Am I done?" she asks. No....We explain that she needs to bend backward but she says she can't because of her back. So we have her kneel down in the water and try to have her go under. Her head doesn't quite make it and she comes up choking. Oh crap she's going to hate the church now I keep thinking. the six people in the audience are feeling very awkward. We try that again and I'm like "Elder Lyman just push her head under the water!" But she still doesn't make it.  I was stressing out hard core now. I was so worried she was just going to give up and be like 'Nope never mind i don't want to!"

But then somebody has the genius idea to use a primary chair and have her sit on it and then Elder Lyman can just lean her back in. We do this and It worked! She got baptized! and Heaven rejoiced! I was still worried she was going to hate it though.

But she came out and she was so happy and proud of herself. She said that she was praying the whole time (this is true we heard her) that Heavenly Father would help her to do it and he did. She said she felt like a new person! So we're all talking to her happy and stuff. But where's Elder Lyman? I go check the bathroom. He forgot another white shirt. (a la Elder Soutas' first baptism.) So we try to think what we're going to do. We finally decided that i was going to go and microwave his shirt. So I did. It just made it wet and hot so that failed. So he just wore it wet. and then we went to Taco Bell.

And that was Juana's baptism. It went very well I think. Definately unforgetable.

So Ben graduated huh? I didn't think he'd make it. jokes. But that's way cool. Sounds like he's still having fun. What day does BYU start up again? Wow I just realized that there's only one more school year and then I'll be home. That's weird. Hey Ashlee only has to survive two more semesters of college without getting married! Yay! I'm glad that she's doing well in India! I haven't got a letter in a while though probably cuz of the stupid mail man!

One thing I've been trying to do lately is strengthen my personal relationship with my Savior. I've found that just reading about his life in the New Testament is a great way.

So this week I was told by a baptist minister that I'm going to outer darkness. My testimony is just devastated! (Sarcasm.)
Oh and update on the Guerras. the reason that they are not married is because they can't stand each other! ha ha we found this out last night. Apparently Noemi doesn't cook well enough and so German doesn't have his perfect woman. Seriously dude? also Noemi doesn't trust German and thinks he's cheating on her but I don't think he is and she needs to chill.

Pretty much they just have all these little things they don't like about each other and it just builds and builds. I was just kind of laughing because all there problems are so little. But they are still together for the kids sake and they do want it to work out too. Lesson: Don't have kids before you're married. And don't hook up with people you don't like. Duh. But we're working with them.

Well that's about it.

pues si uds. quieren mi testimonio voy a escribirlo. Yo se que Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial y que el nos ama. Jesucristo es el salvador. Se que Jose Smith fue un profeta de Dios y el Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios con La Biblia. Tenemos un profeta viviente con Thomas S. Monson. Necesitamos tener fe, arrepentirnos, bautizarnos, recibir el espiritu santo, y perserverar hasta el fin para vivir con Dios otra vez. Familias pueden vivir juntos para siempre con el evangelio y los templos.

Les amo mucho

Con amor,

Elder Soutas