Casablanca? French?

Max and Brooke – congrats! Casablanca? French? What...? How many languages is that now, Max? Geez... you’re wicked smart. And the biggest loon. Love ya!!

Mom and dad check out the DC temple. I hear it rocks.

Decent week. I have some time to write about it and tell some stories.... and I’ll TRY to be funny... but I’m not promisin' nothin'!!!

Elder P has got to be one of my favorite missionaries out here. We'll talk in English accents around the house. Only when we're joking around... or complaining. "Then the bloody lesson was interrupted by an extremely annoying child." Mom - Elder P is so pumped that you are in the tab choir. He's always like.... “I can't believe it, man! Can your mom sing Come Thou Fount? That's my favorite, dude!” It's hilarious. There was a picture of Sky in the Ensign, so I told him that he's my best friend. Once again pumped. Then he said, "He looks like he'd be in High School Musical or something." I told him that he was.... and Elder P just busted up sayin’ how cool that was. We have a good time in the apartment.

We're doing really well in the zone. We have awesome missionaries. The Middoni Zone is always packed with the best. There is a companionship - Elders P and R that tore it up the other day. Elder P and I gave the zone a challenge and they did the best. We’re pumped! As a zone we had 11 baptisms in August. That is a great improvement from previous months.

Elder C is doing really well. He's really quiet and kind of in his own world, but he's actually a really funny guy. And he's becoming a great missionary too. Tomorrow we're doing senior companion day. That means that he makes all the decisions and leads out. I’m excited for it.

M didn't come to church, so now she can't be baptized on the 11th. Too bad. C and her son both came and are on date for September 18th. Really cool investigators. I love working with them. We're working with other people as well. They are just kinda struggling keeping commitments.

Anyway. something pretty cool happened that I want to tell you about before I end today. The other Spanish elders had a few baptisms the past few weeks. Anyway at one of them they had F (my first convert from February) give a talk. He spoke on baptism. Man. It was pretty strong. Elder P doesn't speak Spanish and he was there and told me later that he could just feel it. F said some amazing things. He is the absolute most solid convert. He really does understand. He understands the gospel. And everything. It was incredible.

Here are some of the things he said,

-THIS is the true church
-I remember asking the missionaries why they go out in the cold teaching people. And then they told me about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and it caught my attention.
-I remember when I was baptized and I had only gone to church about five times before... Now I go every week to take the sacrament. And now I’m looking to go to the temple with my wife... and I’m looking toward the day when my children are baptized.
-I remember what Hermano Stoneman told me – ‘If you have any doubts or questions... ask God.’

Enough said. It was something that I will never forget.

I love you guys,

Elder Stoneman