This week was good, as usual.  We have a baptism later this week.  Her name is Trixcel, and just yesterday her older sister Jenary asked if maybe she could be baptized as well. Trixcel is very prepared for baptism.  She has been being taught for a long time and has been attending church for about 4 months.  She is also very excited about her baptism which I am very glad to see.  She was so nervous/excited yesterday when she met with the zone leader for her interview.  We will also be having one of our investigators , Christoffer, get married this Saturday.  He also has a planned baptismal date of May 5th.  That's what will be happening later this week

The stuff this week is exciting too.  I had to give a talk yesterday.  I gave an alright talk. I did write a talk,but then I ended up just winging it when I got up there.  The disadvantage of winging it is I didn't have my Tagalog scriptures with me, so I would think of scriptures to use, read them in English and then try to translate them.  Difficult to translate scriptural language.  I got made fun of this week at a dinner appointment.  They said I hold my spoon like a pencil. That is apparently wrong. We are working a lot with active members in this ward.  They have a lot of ward missionaries, and are really trying to help.  We find ourselves going to active members and teaching them principles from preach my gospel about how to teach the gospel.  The nice thing about that is that I am getting to know the ward very quickly.  I know many members because we are really trying to incorporate them. 

    Not always quickly enough, this last week we had a companion exchange and I led the area.  I was with a trainee American in my area.  We taught well our lessons were good... until our last lesson.  I couldn't find the last house we were supposed to go to.  I knew sort of where it was but not exactly.  It was near a church of another faith, and they were just getting out of a meeting, and were not very nice.  They wouldn't give us any directions so we just wandered around for a while until it became too late and we should head back.  The next day with Elder Trujillo we went back to that missed appointment.  I now know where the house is.  And all is well. I will also mention that yesterday is the first time she has come to church since I've been here, so despite our missed appointment it was alright.  

     We gave a few blessing this week, one of them particularly eventful.  Elder Dickey and Elder Tiempo, the other missionaries in Pozorrubio, told us someone in our area requested a blessing.  A nonmember showed up to church to ask for a blessing, and then was referred to us.  Elder Trujillo and I went to give this blessing to this nonmember lady.  Her daughter is a member in another country.  It just so happens that her husband is American.  We are going to teach an American.  Suddenly the tides have been turned, it's no longer me who has trouble with the language. but my companion.  It's not me who can't say what he wants to.  It will be very different, a lot more weight will be on me in teaching.  I don't know what will come of this, but I know it will be an interesting experience for me.  This is the first non-missionary American I've met here. Elder Dickey from the other companionship in Pozorrubio told me he his jealous and says when we go on exchanges he wants to come with me.

          Anyway things are going well.  I like it a lot here in my new area.

Good luck to you all and have a wonderful week,
Elder Nathaniel J. Merrill