Employment Specialist or Poet?

We have been teaching a lot. We were a little bit less busy this week. 

We had set up for so many people to be at church with rides and everything. People came up with the craziest excuses for not coming and I was just really downhearted about it. Our best family came to church though so that was really awesome. This less active named Paulita came to church for the first time in three years; we have been teaching her for awhile and she is just a ray of sunshine. 

So many people need jobs here it's insane. Often times I am more of the ward employment specialist than a missionary.

I wrote this poem this week that I hope y'all like it;)

Christmas Without A Tree

preaching pure salvation 

all across the sea

to people of every nation 

providing a better eternity

sharing the proclamation

working all day for free

so that families are an eternal creation 

perspective is key 

because during this probation

Jesus died for you and me 

happiness is not without tribulation 

it's an investment don't you see

not quite a donation 

the labor of a missionary 

brings profit beyond calculation 

the Lords chosen mercenary 

paid by spiritual sensation 

I will sell all that is earthly 

for I desire a celestial compensation 

so for two years without a tree 

a thought of temporal frustration

happiness in humility 

beyond the natural man's imagination 

-Elder Trevor Pattee

This is our branch Christmas party. I was asked to be the narrator at the last second without a script so I just made it up as I went.

Patience, my Son???

We are super busy teaching people, we end up teaching lessons during on Pday's now. Most people believe our message but everyone has physical problems. The most common right now is people working on Sundays. I have helped more people find jobs in this town than Obama could have ever dreamed of with all his clean energy initiatives.

It's been hard for me teaching so many people recently and not really seeing the results. But this week we set two solid baptismal dates. One is named Jeyson; he is a 17 year old orphan from Honduras. He has come to church twice now. The branch hasn't really supported us in baptizing him. But yesterday at church during fast and testimony meeting he went up and shared some really good stuff. He stayed all three hours of church and then after church we taught him a lesson with the ward mission leader on baptism. He accepted our invitation to be baptized on December 24.

Awhile ago we were teaching this man named Jose, we got him all set up with this sick job. 9-5 Monday through Friday, 40 hours a week, benefits, you name it. He ended up just taking this other job working at a restaurant on Sunday's so we dropped him. Then he called us the other day telling us he quit his job and needed some food. So we brought him all this food that a member had given us and taught him. We had an excellent lesson and committed him to baptism. And now after some persuasion we got the same good job lined up for him, also a baptismal date for December 24. 

I certainly have had to learn patience out here in the mission field and I still have a long ways to go. It kills me sometimes when people look through a "glass darkly" 1 Corinthians 12:13.

The whole mission got together this week for a Seventy to come and talk; it was awesome!

Love y'all,

Elder Trev