I love daddy! (Week 45)

Happy Monday family!!

I hope all is well in the US and that you are enjoying the beautiful
weather! Here in Bolivia it still gets super cold at night, but Im in
love with the work here! We have definitely had some setbacks this
week, but we are continuing forth with the work! Hno Fernando, our
golden investigator, is not ready for this Saturday. He told us that
he wants to wait till he visits his son in Santa Cruz next month
before he gets baptized. The good news is that he wants to talk to his
son about baptism and invite his son to be baptized too! So that’s
good. But no baptism this week. Our other investigators with baptismal
dates each are passing through their own difficulties, but Elder
Zavaleta and I refuse to give up hope! That’s the beauty of being a
representative of Christ: We cant lose hope that others will change
because Christ has never lost hope that we will change!
Today I just want to focus on my dad because its Fathers Day this
Sunday. I had two chances to share some stories of my dad with others,
one of which I would love to share. We got to teach Hna Carmen once
this week and she was so excited because she was having a GOOD DAY.
That’s my dads life… The good days are always few and far between, but
taken advantage of. She spoke of how she had been praying but didn’t
know if God was listening or if her life had much meaning. She has
been suffering some trials healthwise, and as my companion was
teaching, I pulled out the photo of my dad and me and just smiled. I
thought of how much my father has suffered with his health, but the
hope and courage he has continued to show as he fights valiantly. I
thought to myself, Thank you Dad. That was all I wanted to say to him.
If my dad hadn’t been so strong, I wouldn’t have been able to testify
to these people how important it is to keep going. Even when we feel
like its not worth it, our family is what makes it worth it. My dad is
all I have and I don’t want him to think that its okay to give up,
because its not. This life isn’t just about our personal well being,
but the well being of those we love. My dad and I haven’t always been
super close, and we have had some crazy rough moments (thank you,
teenage years), but I love my dad so much. He has shown me the
definite example of the Atonement. He has suffered so much so that I
can be happy. So that I can be with him for this time. He has been
patient and loving, even when I was the opposite.
My cousin Suzie told me that my first sentence that I could articulate
as a child was I love daddy. That seems perfect to me, 19 years later.
Friday, as we were walking the dusty roads without anyone to talk to,
I took a few minutes to write a song to the tune of IM SO GLAD WHEN
DADDY COMES HOME. I call it IM SO GLAD WHEN DADDY WRITES ME because
when Dad writes me, it’s a good day. I hope you all enjoy.

Im so glad when Daddy writes me
Glad as I can be.
Clap my hands and shout for joy
And write him back quickly

I tell him that I love him so
He does so much for me!
And in the end hes my best friend—
I love Daddy! KISS NOISE!

Anyway, that’s it for this week. Thanks family for being awesome.
Thanks for your prayers. The work here is progressing and we are
hoping for baptisms in the coming weeks. I love the Lord and His
sacrifice.
For a dollar!
Elder Risueño