Walking through a crowded bus I imagine feels like being food as it passes through the intestine‏

So this week turned out pretty well. Elder Rojas went home, Elder Paiz, my new companion came, todo. Monday we watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restauration, and the 3 families of investigators present were greatly impressed. Tuesday, we visited almost everyone one last time with Elder Rojas and it really augmented my hopes that a lot of these families will be baptized. We should have a very good month :>

We've started out well with Elder Paiz. He's Guatemalteco (from San Marcos, Guatemala, the border with Mexico. It's apparently very cold there), I'm his first companion, and we're moving forward con todo. We helped the Seminary teachers here invite less active youths to Seminary, did a service in a Catholic school, 2 baptismal interviews for other areas that turned out well, a meeting with the Bishop, and my first Ward Council in this area. It's been especially busy, but it's good I figure.

In Church, during 2nd and 3rd hour, there was a special general meeting in place of classes, in which we watched a video of the Area Presidency presenting the Area Plan for the year. There are changes to Ward Council, and a heavy emphasis in doing the basic stuff, like daily scripture study and prayer, paying tithing and offerings, and doing fasts. It should make things a lot better. Also, Pres Vásquez has plans to improve public relations by searching large service activities and stuff. It'll be a cool year.

El Salvador is a magnificent country. I mean, there are far too many gangsters and I wouldn't raise a family here, but I'm reaaaaaaaaaally glad for the opportunity to be here. I want to make as big a change as possible while I'm here, because the people here deserve much more than what they have right now. We're going to move forward con todo!

Salutations, 

Elder Newman Salvadoreño

I forgot my camera in the house.

A Quicker Message

I'm currently in the Mission Office writing since my companion got interviewed for his release this week by Presidente Vasquez. So I won't occupy too many words.

This week was a ton of running around. A lot of stuff happened, not news worthy, but cool. Although we don't have much in the way of baptisms for this month, February should be super good. We achieved the Normas de Excelencia in the mission last week, (6 baptism dates, 6 investigators in Sacrament, 10 progressing, and 12 new) and this next week I'll be training a new missionary. Con todo.

The mission is really great, and it's just been getting better. I just hope to work con todo with my new companion and make the area even stronger.

We're going to have a good next week.

Keep moving forward!

Elder Newman Salvadoreño

I do not excuse myself for integrating Spanish words when I prefer them to their English equivalent

Everything´s moving forward here, without taking photos.

Favorite sentiment of the week: the Gospel is the engine behind substantive security, liberty, and meaning in civilization and personal life. It is the only method to achieve the three simultaneously such that our lives are a joyous thing.

This week was pretty good. Edihim and Familia Ayala are almost certain for baptism, Edihim just needs to attend church more and Familia Ayala needs to not take coffee for a bit more. But they want to be baptized  is the important thing :> We´ve been working hard to find people and we have a lot who are looking for the truth sincerely, especially Familia Monterosa and Familia Rivera. They both wrote down their questions to ask us and stuff. They just have problems coming to church for their work. 100 percent true fact that people work more here the days they shouldn´t, including Christmas. It´s an economic condition I´ve examined quite a bit and we can talk about it when I get home :>

This is Elder Rojas´ last real work week, so we´re going to echar fuego and all that. It should be a very good week, and we´re going to ask the Lord His blessing con todo.

Just a reminder to make daily scripture study a fact, always in the spirit of prayer :> The mission is reading 7 pages a day in our spare time. Also, make reading Preach My Gospel a priority :>

Plans for when I get home: live off of my income from the previous year, so that I know exactly what I have to spend the whole year, in addition to large savings for cualquier emergency. Also, write comics in spare time, learn American Sign Language, get a job, the good stuff. Do the things necessary such that when I´ve got my time in life, I can look backward with satisfaction on my own efforts.

But yeah, that´s the updates from your friendly neighbourhood missionary in El Salvador. Keep moving forward.

Elder Newman

imma not write much cus mi compu es chafa‏ (dead)

it's been especially hot this week which is shenanigans everyone's dying here

Cold water is the definition of EL Salvador. Still bathing with cold water taken from a pool. Oh, and everyone is kind of sad because the Christmas and New Year's was small this year due to economic problems (so not as many fireworks). So I was mostly able to sleep, though these last few days I haven't been able to sleep properly. But everything is still good here, bien y tranquilo,

We just got letters from Pres. Monson.

Edihim is gonna get baptized he's awesome and was a guard for the presidential candidate of ARENA and he gave us hats that only people close to him got (but I can't wear it until I'm in the States cus FMLN and ARENA are locos).

I crashed this computadora once already

whey

Sorry for writing like this but I write 5 times faster than the computadiora understands

pics from the choque de fuerzas (crash forces?), intercambios (transfers) and stuff

saluuuuuu enhjoy the nuevio año

Elder Newman

stupid compu :>

Tho I should give all I have, it would be a small price to pay to learn to love‏

Pictured: Elder L and I after doing exchanges, with the highest grade of photography employed.















List of every temple I've entered:

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/redlands-california?lang=eng (only in the Open House)

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/oklahoma-city-oklahoma?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/boise-idaho?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/twin-falls-idaho?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/provo-utah?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/guatemala-city-guatemala?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/san-salvador-el-salvador?lang=eng

So yeah, here we are. First, for all the missionaries: it's really really weird contacting without La Dádiva (He is the Gift).

Thought: To believe that God is a God of Miracles is to believe that whatsoever thing that is good in His eyes is possible. If you want to be baptized in 3 weeks, you can do it. If you don't believe you can be ready without an extensive training period, where is your faith? God works as quickly as we let Him.

Also: Thought is power. To think on oneself is like a power plant being connected to itself. A power plant easily supplies its own needs and using its surplus on itself will only destroy the electrical system of the plant, then unable to produce power whatsoever.

This week was cool. We worked with one of the companionships a ton, doing 1 hour of exchanges, then a day, then we sent the whole district to work there for 2 hours. It was pretty great and we got a lot of progress done there. We found 9 new investigators in just those 2 hours.

Christmas was chill. We ate a ton of Panes con Pollo (chicken sandwiches), some Tres Leches, painted a house, cleaned another, donated some Panes con Pollo, and skyped home. Calling home was really nice, just a general comfort. It's infamous for making people baggy (trunky) but I didn't feel like that.

We have 2 families likely for baptism, one the 17 of January and the other the 14th of February. We've worked with F. A. a ton, and I think they'll finally get baptized (they've been interviewed once but needed more time). F M, we've only visited a little bit, but they've committed to read the Book of Mormon con todo. Also, Hno. E will probably be baptized, but he hasn't set a date. He believes in the Book of Mormon, is good with all the commandments, he just needs to say the word. There are a lot of good people here, and we hope to work super hard with them so that they might achieve EXALTATION. (almost everyone will achieve salvation in the last day so that's really not the goal here)

Saluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu pues (traditional Salvadoreño goodbye :y  )

Elder Newman

I hope it's a very, very lovely year.

Mas Fotos!

This week was pretty chill. I kind of messed up my first District Meeting (which is pretty great since one of the Assistents to the President was there), but I managed to make it somewhat useful. We also had a service activity painting a school Saturday with half the zone. That was pretty cool. A lot of people are busy with Christmas, so we haven't been able to find as many people,.but that's how it goes. The Ward also had it's Christmas activity. We ate well and some investigators came, and that's what's important.

From what I understand, Christmas really isn't anything special in the mission here. I just figure I won't sleep because it's the culture here to do fireworks alllllllllllllllllll night. Also our Zone Conferences are maximo 1, 2 buses away, so like $3 at worst wherever in the mission. I feel like the point of money is pretty easy here. I always have left over money.

The most positive families right now are the familia Ayala, Hermano Edihim, and the familia Monterosa. F. Ayala has been visited by the missionaries hace rato (for quite a bit. Elder Rojas contacted them a year ago in a different area and then they moved here and other Elders contacted them again, including Elder Beecher who was with me in the MTC.). They're not so good for reading the Book of Mormon, but they attend church by their own choice (we don't have to provide transport or bother them or anything), and they're reading the Conference Liahona. They're progressing a lot. Hno. Edihim is super positive, he's been visited for a month I think, but yesterday was the first time he came to church. I feel like the Gospel Principles class' theme of the Final Judgment was actually just what he needed to hear. F. Monterosa we just found, but they're very friendly, investigated the Church in the past, and are quite sincere. So yeah, keep moving forward! I'm getting better at doing street contacts, and we could have 3 baptisms this change.

Always remember to pray! Try to have as few prayers per day, i.e., aim to have one, continuous prayer from dawn til dusk. For those of you with Patriarchal Blessings, remember to live such that you may receive the blessings thereof! And always be making yourself worthy of your (future/current - select one) spouse! Just do all the things in their good and proper order!

CON TODO,

Elder Jacob Newman

fotos yeeeeeeeeeeeah, some shots of the Aguas de Ilopango, San Marcos, Elder R, and after our house in Soyapango, Elder R, and a service activity painting a school.

have fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun Christmas was meant to be coooooooooooold

I hope that it might be an absoultely wonderful Christmas back home :>

Soyapanico‏

URGENT: Why is James called Santiago in Spanish

I also forgot my agenda today so I don't remember all the things I wanted to tell you. Also this computer can't accept my flashdrive so I can't send you all my pictures (I have some pics from my old area and of my new house and Elder R, my new companion, from when he was doing stuff)

But yeah, I'm now in Prusia II, in Soyapango. It's another city connected to San Salvador, but it's like 40 minutes from San Marcos. I'm District Leader of 4 companionships, and our Zone has 2 districts in total (the other district has only 2 Latinos but I'm the only gringo in my district. The Zone Leaders are also in my district). It's super urban, has a ton of stores, and 3 different gangs. But the Ward is pretty healthy, with between 170 and 200 assistence, and the people here give us a ridiculous amount of food. Leaving San Marcos and Elder R was a shame, but this is a very good area. Oh, and I almost had sisters in my district, cus the other district is half sisters. In Usulutan, there were 30 missionaries and 0 sisters, and in San Marcos, they were just not that close. Oh, and my old Zone got divided. But yeah, being a District Leader is interesting, and I'm trying hard to put forward the best example.

My companion is Elder R from Peru, and this is his last transfer. He goes home with Joseph I think. But he's great, we're working hard, and I'm super tired. He is not currently trunky. :> I'll probably be here at least 3 months though, since he'll be leaving.

The best pupusas I've had so far are garlic pupusas. Jalapeño is más o menos, and just a note, there is barely any spicy food in El Salvador. Tried them both this week. I want to try the carrot pupusas but haven't found them.

This week we have our Christmas meeting with Presidente Vásquez, so that's exciting.

Even though we have our own chapel, it's like 20 minutes by foot and half of our area is another 20 minutes (mixed bus and foot).

With contacting, we've been doing better in my new area, and it really helps, because other finding methods are less continuous and require more time to prep. In the past, I've primarily had referrals from members, but always fairly low values there.

As far as El Salvador goes, the two real problems are low education levels (it stops in high school usually) and the gangs. The gangs are really paralysing the nation, because it's gotten much worse the last few years, and given that people can't trust in their own security in the majority of the country, tourism, business, etc just doesn't work, and it just stimulates stuff like youth pregnancy, lower education levels, higher crime rates, etc.