surprise visit to the gran catan

The elders in Gonzalez Catan were having a zone meeting this morning and were just finishing up when Presidente and I showed up with brownies and ice cream. It was actually pretty cute…they were like, you didn’t buy this ice cream here? Right?Nope, we bought it in the northern suburbs. The more experienced elders said they could tell because it was made out of real cream! Suffice it to say…they loved it!

We were marking an achievement.

Preach My Gospel says this about key indicators: [They] have been identified by Church leaders to help you focus on [your] purpose. As you focus on these indicators, you will help people progress toward baptism, confirmation, continued activity in the Church, and lasting conversion.

As a mission, we have chosen five of the nine listed to track our progress. It has been a great tool for us. A few months ago, we tightened up the definitions of the indicators which has helped us see where we need to improve. It was particularly exciting this month, that the zone of Gonzalez Catan completed their key indicators and baptism/confirmation goals as a zone, which is even more challenging!

As an aside, we asked the refuerzos how it was going. They told us they couldn’t believe how many dogs there are here. Then one of the other missionaries said that he and his companion counted 407 dogs one day! We were all laughing at that. The strangest thing was that on the way home, I saw a whole field full of Goats!..dozens of them, eating the litter on the side of the road. I don’t think that I have seen anything like that before, but there they were having a feast.

Everyone is working extra hard to complete their goals early this week! We are all looking forward to the Temple Dedication and the events that will precede it. I gave the missionaries a little review about the history of the Hosanna Shout before leaving Gonzalez Catan. Many of them have never been to a Temple Dedication before, but even the ones that have been to other dedications are equally excited.

See you on Friday elders!