Elder Zach Greene: Interesting Characters and New Changes

Buenas tardes!

Sounds like the Greene Family is having a great time! F1, the lake, volleyball... I'm a little bit jealous but not really, I'm a missionary!! Mom you are right, the weeks fly by! I can't believe I just finished my first transfer! It has been an adjustment to missionary life but I feel that I'm starting to figure it out. But you know, when you start to get a little comfortable, the Lord gives you something new to figure out. We got the call today, Elder Rose will be leaving me. I'm going to miss him a whole lot, he taught me a lot and has pushed me to be my best. I'll have a new companion by Wednesday but he won't really know the area, most likely, so I'll be having to do a whole lot more work! I'm excited to challenge myself and keep the work going!

Mom thanks for the advice about repetition! I really needed that. Sometimes as a missionary, you say so many prayers during the day that we get stuck in a groove, especially in Spanish! Also I wish I had pushed the piano thing more too! PS Felix Martinez is my Ward Mission Leader/2nd Counselor, he is pretty much the coolest guy I know, so I'm glad you accepted him as a friend!

So as always in Baltimore, we met some pretty hilarious people this week. First up, Cambell Green Money, he's a black rapper who thinks missionaries are awesome. He started talking to us about his new album coming out and how he's going on tour with Jay-Z next month (99.9% chance that's not true). He also thought showing us his $5000 dollar necklace was of the utmost importance. He's pretty cool, but sadly we don't teach people who don't speak Spanish. Next, Charles "The Rock" The Prophet. Yep, just by his name you know he's crazy. We were knocking a door and he saw us so he called us over. He introduced himself and said that God had permitted him to speak with us. We asked him why he needed permission and he told us he was a prophet and "the beginning of the Third Testament". He also said that everything God made was good, so cocaine is good. Hahah, don't worry, we meet a lot of normal people too.

This week we had the craziest storm I've ever been in! I was on exchanges in Towson with Elder Pitt. It started raining, then pouring, then I just thought we were basically swimming. There was a tornado warning too so we got to pull all our mattresses into the main room and have a little sleepover. (Missions are the best).

We have been working with one family, la familia Barahona, for several weeks now. Most of it has been service so finally we've been able to have some solid lessons with them. They are going to get married soon, and they have 5 kids under the age of 6! Their house can be a little crazy but for some reason it's homey for me, maybe just from all the family gatherings we have had with crazy little kids! So hopefully we can get them really progressing. The picture Felix put up are us in their house making Pupusas, the best Salvadorian food (and maybe the best Spanish food) ever.

We have been working really hard with investigators, inactives and members for the past 6 weeks and it really has been paying off. When we arrived our branch only had about 45 people at church, but this past Sunday we had 90! So we are really pumped and so are the members in our branch!

I don't exactly have a spiritual thought this time. By the way, I have learned something else on my mission! Church magazines are awesome! Why didn't I read those more at home? It's like scripture, but new scriptures, every month! So I guess I'm just saying don't forget we have prophets and apostles cause no one else on the earth does!

Time to go, but I love you! I'll let you know next week what happens, keep praying for me and I'll keep praying for you!

-Elder Greene