Emily sent the following email and photos on Monday, April 28, 2014:

Hey, it's me. 

This week has been up and down.  The missionary work has been down, but the other parts have been up. 

We contact basically all the time because we don't have any investigators because we drop all the people that don't answer our phone calls and never answer the door when we go.  Lately in our contacting, we haven't had very many people turning into potentials (agreeing to talk to us).  The last two days we started softening up our message and then more people started saying yes.  I hate that we have to do this, but then when I remember how it feels to be a person, I can see that if someone told me there was only one true church and that it wasn't mine, I wouldn't be very excited to welcome them into my home. 

We've also been trying to think of better ways to help them feel the spirit when they are with us.  The mission usually has a way that they would like you to contact and they keep switching it when one way proves very ineffective. 

  

Mauricio ditched out on us again.  The last 30 hours before church, he doesn't answer texts or phone calls.  I was sure he was going to come yesterday.  And the lesson would have been perfect for him. It was about the covenant people of the lord and the covenant God made with Abraham. 

We went to Mauricio's house and found him in his front hard drinking with his friend.  We could've had a pretty harsh slap down, but instead I just talked to him and told him that we'd come back next week and help him make plans so he would be able to come to church.  I told him it would be good for him. 

On the up side, Teodoro got baptized and it was a really nice service.  Yolanda his wife was there and the members that were being their friends were very loving to them.  They actually gathered at Teodoro's house afterwards and we had some really yummy guatemalteca food.  They were all so loving and friendly!  Sometimes I walk out of moments like that and it blows my mind that I just was in a small little house with 12 Guatemalans all speaking Spanish and laughing. 

Teodoro is standing next to Emily.  Emily loves him!

  

We helped clean up the LA River.  It took a lot of the day and it seemed to be a very big political public relation stunt. There were a lot of announcements made just for show and the mayor stopped by and had a filmed segment.  That was enjoyable because it was different and I got to see my other missionary friends that are serving in other areas.  Today we will get to see basically all my friends because they organized a zone activity and invited the Reseda district.  We will be doing some sort of water activity and playing sports outside!

Elder Norman had an investigator that moved into our area after the LA River activity so we went and helped them move in.  We be going back soon to find out what all their interest levels are and if we will be able to help them progress. 

  

Sam is leaving pretty soon, right?

Dallin H. Oaks is coming to our stake conference in one week.  That will be crazy because we go to a Spanish stake so either he will have a translator or he will be speaking in Spanish.  They have been advertising it as a member of the seventy that will be with us, but it is one of the doce!

The rumors are that he will be bringing ipads!  That is crazy!  I don't really think we need them though!  They might just be too flashy to have around here.  I feel like people would trust us more with our little planners and a pencil.  We don't need missionaries getting jumped, but I guess they know what they are doing.