Arrived in Charleston

When I last left off I went off to see shellie to see why see didn't come to church and it turns out that there was some miscommunication between the member that was giving her a ride and her. So it was for a good reason I guess, then we just spent a long time talking since I was leaving soon.

Tuesday we spent more time just saying goodbye to different members and such. We also went to see some office staff and while we were there our driving coordinator elder shumate spilled the beans and told me that I would be going down to Charleston, which released a lot of stress for me. Plus I packed all that day too. 

Wednesday we have to figure out some apartment missionary stuff in the morning because people were switching apartments then we went and did some service pushing old people around Walmart and then I hung out with some missionaries that I would be leaving for lunch. Then we went to say goodbye to the careto family with the Hermanas and had a good day there. Then we went to say goodbye to shellie one more time.

Thursday we woke up and went off to transfer meetings, and the transfer this time was the biggest in history. 85% of the mission was being transfered and almost all of them were white washes. There I was reaffirmed that I would be going to Charleston with my companion elder Powell. I also learned that one of the hermanas in my district would be going down with me as well with a trainee too. So we went down to Charleston with one other elder and a member driving us down. Then we got to north Charleston where I am stationed where we cover the east side of north Charleston. Met my new companion who is super cool. I can already tell I will get along with him. His name is elder Powell by the way. Then he went over the area with me. Apparently half of our members and investigators speak Portuguese, so I have to learn Portuguese now. We went around and I met a couple of members including our group leader, then we had English class. Then that was that.

Friday we weekly planned then studied and such. Then we visited a member, then we taught a lesson to an elect family that has already watched the Joseph Smith movie without us telling them about it and loved it. So we're pretty sure they'll be ready to be baptized in 2 weeks. Then we had soccer night after that which is a good time with members missionaries and investigators.

Saturday we had another flea market activity that we helped set up and then passed some stuff out to people and made friends there. Then we studied some more and left for the day. We went over to some members houses to invite them to a Christmas party and such. Then at the Christmas party the missionaries were judges for the desserts so that was nice and we met a lot more members both English and Spanish.

Sunday we have church at 11.30 so we went there and had a Christmas program which was really fun and cool. We are joined with an English ward so we had to translate which was a fun time. Then we had Sunday school and priesthood which were cool as well. Then we went home had dinner then started biking🚲🚲. We had to bike because we had no gas and couldn't get more because of Sunday. So we biked over to a less active but she didn't answer her door. So we went over to a Portuguese investigator who just had a baby instead. I just introduced myself to him and stuff. Then we went over to a light the world missionary fireside for a couple of the wards. Where we had musical numbers and testimonies and such. Then we had food and went home. 

Today we are playing soccer and volleyball. And that's all. 

Elder Bertoch 

A baptism and a transfer

This week has by far been the most eventful week with the biggest ups and downs yet.

Monday after pday I'm not sure what happened all that much - I can't remember. Must not have been anything eventful. 

Tuesday we had an appointment with shellie where we just made sure she was extremely ready to be baptized and then we just answered some of her questions and concerns for a while after that. Its always a good time when we go over there. That night we also had English classes where we had the most attendance we've had so that was cool, plus we went on exchanges with the zone leaders and I stayed in this area again.

Wednesday I was with the zone leader so I was in charge again, I went door knocking in the morning but struck out on all of them. Then in the afternoon we went to see some people and got in at all of them plus we went to see a new member family that moved into the apartment complex a couple doors down from us.

Thursday we exchanged back for about an hour while we had a Spanish meeting with the Columbia Spanish missionaries and the new Spanish senior couple. Then we exchanged with the Columbia Spanish zls where I was finally moving areas. We went over to a family that was getting baptized Saturday and did some finding at a real Mexican restaurant but no one was there. We also made cookies to give to their neighbors in order to light the world.

Friday we finished making the cookies then exchanged back. Then in the evening we went to visit some members and made the baptismal program. This was also the day that I found out that I was getting transferred.

Saturday was by far the best day so far on the mission. We woke up early in the morning to set up a stand in the flea market where we would give out free hot chocolate, had a kids crafts table, and had cards for people to write a nice note to someone. Unfortunately it was 35 degrees out, and with the humidity it feels so much colder, so we were freezing the entire time, but we did give out 5 gallons of hot chocolate and had a lot of people write notes so it was a good time that was spent with all our district. Then after that we went home and chilled there for a while until we remembered that we forgot to fill up the baptismal font, so we had to rush to the church and start filling it, and we were super stressed because the water was freezing cold and not filling fast enough, but then we said a lot of prayers and decided to let it be for a while, then once we came back it was full and nice and warm, which was an absolute miracle, and we thanked and praised Jesus after that. After the people had shown up late (typical Hispanic culture) and I first laid my eyes on shellie I had felt more excited and at peace then I have in a long time. She looked so excited to be getting baptized and taking a step in the right direction. After we all sat down to start, we had the first prayer by Presidente Acosta, then we sang el bautismo, then we heard a talk by hermana eillien which was super good. Then we had the baptismal service where the spirit was felt so strongly, then I gave a talk on the holy ghost which I thought went okay. Then we heard a musical number by yesseni caretto a little primary girl who sang I like to look for rainbows. Which was really awesome. Then we heard some last words from presidente Acosta about how today was shellie's day and how everything from this point on will be feeling better as you strive to be more like christ. During this talk I felt the spirit more so then I ever have in my entire life ever. It was as if the air was thick because of how prominent the spirit was in that room. Then we had a closing prayer from Hermana lizhet who nearly fainted from saying it but did a really good job. Then that was all with the baptism. That night we went over to their house to have a bunch of tamales that they cooked for celebration. We were their with the hermanas (Daniels and Jones) and the Irmo elders (Smith and Michaelis) plus Pedro a recent convert where we had some of the best times that I have ever had in my entire life. We laughed all night super hard and played some games and we all were ourselves that night which felt super good, it was a great de-stresser since I had a lot of stress since I am being transferred this week. Out of anyone that I am going gracias to miss on my mission I am positive that I am going to miss shellie and lizhet more than anyone one else. Which is why I am so sad that I will be leaving so soon.

Sunday was not so good of a day. We went to church and waited for shellie to show up, but she never did. So she was unable to get confirmed, which made us feel terrible and everything because the baptism is now incomplete. So we have to wait until next Sunday to complete it when I won't be here. But it's all right, as long as it gets done is all I care about. Then after church we had a good lesson with someone that I found while I was on exchanges another time, then we went to a members home with the hermanas in our ward and had a blast there, which made me feel a lot better. Sunday night we found out where all the Spanish elders were going except for two, me and another. So now it's up in the air that I could be going to Charleston (most likely option) or up in Greenville in a zebra (a Spanish and an English missionary). So we'll see what happens. 

Today we finished our Christmas skit video with our district which was super fun and funny. Then we played basketball up until around now. 

That is all, my address will change so if you send me Christmas packages make sure you send them to the mission office. 

Love y all 

Elder Bertoch 

Here are a couple of pictures of Shellie:

Here's another photo he sent

Speaking Spanish on His Own

After pday on Monday last week not much happened I think that we saw shellie and had a lesson there where we just read out of the Book of mormon but that was all.

Tuesday we had a lesson with a member family with the daughter who is about to turn 8 to get baptized. We had her less active brothers help teach the lesson as well and it was really good. We also had English classes again that day where we had a turnout of 3. Which was pretty good and we shared a really good message of light the world with them.

Wednesday we had service with the English elders near us where we helped this sweet old lady organize her storage room, not much could be done because it was an unbelievable mess so we just ended up looking for some things that she wanted in some random boxes, never found anything though. That day we also started using light the world when we would knock doors. Knocking the doors with sharing the Christmas video is super effective.  That day we knocked on 2 doors of former investigators and we shared the video and had an awesome lesson with one and got a return appt with both of them. So that was super cool

Thursday not much happened, we did service again with the English elders where we helped organize some guys backyard. And then we drove around trying to see some former investigators but we struck out on all of them.

Friday we went to the library with the hermana missionaries so we could plan out a light the world activity that we will be doing with them. Then after that we went to exchange with the other elders in our district. I was staying and doing Spanish alone with another guy who doesn't know Spanish at all. I was super nervous about it and 95% of the day before the exchanges I was just praying that I would be all right and that my Spanish would be okay all alone. I had decided to go see some former investigators in a trailer park where we saw a family that we had been trying to see ever since I first got here but hadn't been able to get into the house. Well that day I was able to get into the house and share the Christmas video with them and set up a return appt. So that got me a lot more confident for the rest of the day. Then we saw three Spanish families that we had never taught before but just kinda knew that they were there. I was able to share the video with all three of them and set a return appt with 2 of those three. So I felt really good about that entire night.

Saturday we weren't exchanging back until 12 so I tried to contact two people that we could share the video with and one rejected me and the other wasn't home. So Elder Michaelis suggested the taco truck and we went and got tacos to feel better. Then we exchanged back and went to go try to see some people but struck out on all of them, then we went to the tri-ward Christmas party for a little bit, then we visited a member and that was that night.

Sunday we went to church where shellie came and even bore her testimony on how the book of mormon and God has changed her life for the better. So that was definitely a highlight of my mission right there. That night we also went over with her and a member where we had a good dinner and watched the Christmas devotional which was really good.

Today we haven't done much, we got our haircuts and tried to film our Christmas skit that each district in the mission does but it didn't turn out very good so we stopped and am now writing emails.

That is all, I love you all so very much.

Elder Bertoch