It's really Delicias

Can you believe that my son is already 6 weeks old? We are finishing the first transfer together, and the most probable is that I stay here for 6 more weeks. I REALLY hope that I do. The work is about to explode.

I`m about to describe my area to you in the greatest detail I know how. Geographically speaking.(for an actual map just look it up on LDS.org ward Las Delcias stake sonsonate) So it starts in the ``suburbs`` of Sonsonate. It`s more or less developed in the north where we lived, the dividing line is a large street that runs east to west(My area starts at the line and goes south) about at the midpoint of the street there is a river with a large bridge. Here each neighborhood has a name and they call it a colonia(colony for all you english people) on the east side of the river starts the colonia `Las Delicias` where the church is found when you turn down the first street passing the bridge heading east. to the east of Las Delicias is a colonia called Espiritu Santo(Holy Ghost), and even more east is called Tatopa (who knows what that means...) and then you hit the freeway and the end of my area. below those three its called Santisima Trinidad( Holiest Trinity)There is a large road that leads all the way down the area that is the second right after the bridge. Following that road you pass Palmeras(palms) Las Brisas del Mar(Ocean Breeze) and Via Canales(canal road) below that you can keep walking and there are a lot of houses but it really doesn`t have a name except Canton Las Delicias(I dont know what Canton means...)(update, according to google translate and dictionary.com a Canton is a small territorial district, especially one of the states of the Swiss confederation.) WAY below that is called Santa Emilia, but if you don`t want to walk like an hour and a half(which I never have) you have to take a 10 minute bus ride on the freeway. On the other side of the bridge it starts with Jardines(Gardens) and after that Lomas de San Antonio(I`ll let you look that one up if you want) There is again one big main road going south, and if you follow this one all the way through Jardines(which is fairly large) you pass through Santa Virginia and El Proyecto(the `project`because they are going to build a lot of houses there but haven't yet. And then you get to Los Encuentros de Agua Santa, the crossing of holy waters, and if you keep going you pass a lot of HUGE sugar cane fields and end up again in Santa Emilia after a LONG walk (I`ve never once not taken the bus.)

Everything from Via canales and Santa virginia and below is dirt roads and lots of poverty.

So there you have it a long (but actually very un detailed if you want ask me in 18 months to describe it in painstaking detail) description of my area. I don't know, I thought it`d be fun to tell you.

So like 3 weeks ago a less active family from San Juan (woops missed that one it's like another half hour on foot south of Santa Emilia) just showed up without any warning. I had never met them, but they've been coming to church and we're going to visit them (It's so far!) and help them prepare two of their kids for baptism. They are really humble and really amazing people. They are really a miracle from God.

Also yesterday a member introduced us to his girlfriend who came to church yesterday and is really positive and wants to learn more. We are going to start teaching her this week. and will be teaching them in a members house in Las Delicias.

Oscar and Vilma (el Proyecto) are doing really well. Oscar always reads what we leave him and has the beginnings of a very strong testimony of the book of Mormon. Vilma is a little more behind. She is praying, but she doesn't read because her too little kids are SO crazy during the day and they don't have any light whatsoever in the house at night to be able to read. Oscar promised to read to her this week so she can get a testimony too.

So yesterday was Valentine's Day, and so we made a plan for him to propose to his wife yesterday! To make her a nice dinner and to promise to always love her and be with her! His phone is dead and he can`t charge it until he goes to work(again, no electricity in his house) so we still don't know how it went!

Luis and Norma(Jardines) are still very much the same. They have good desires and good hearts but it's hard for them to actually act. But, this week Norma decided she doesn't want to play around anymore with the decision to get baptized. She wants to read and study and make the choice for herself! We'll see where that one leads.

Tatiana (Jardines) is still struggling to progress. We are still trying to activate the family and therefore bring her to church.

Do you remember Ricardo?(Las Delicias) He is still around and every once and awhile we visit him. But this week we have started working with his adult son. he is so super positive and then. Turns out he was baptized when he was a youth! If we can get him to come to church on sundays his dad will come too (because the son is the one who can drive and takes them all to go work) and I think he might be the key to helping this family finally get baptized! (Ricardo has the desire and was so close before!) also we found about 3 other inactive members by accident!

I sent a photo of a lady that had cooked us dinner like 2 weeks ago but I never explained it. She is my first convert Ana Julia! She almost has 6 months of being a member. And she is doing really well! She is gaining so much testimony it's insane. She will make it to the temple, I'm so sure!!!

So, to review,  really the work is about to explode! This transfer is over but this next one will be SO good!

I know that God loves us and that he is with me here in the work

Love you all SO much

Elder Dave!