A busy week

Buenos días mis mejores amigos y familiares

This week was super packed it was awesome. We got a lot of work done and we got to meet some pretty awesome people.

To start last sunday, we saw this one family that I had seen once before and so Elder Osorio and i went to go say hi to them and it turns out the were this super less active family that had decided tk come back to church. And it turns out that they are homies and told us to come over on Wednesday and so we did and it was awesome. They have a couple of kids but one of them is 8 and they want him to get baptized and so we started working with all of them for that! They had a good time talking with Elder Osorio too because he is from Guatemala and they are from Honduras and so they are vecinos and it was really fun!

We have been working with a couple of super solid investigators and the are the greatest I love them. We are working with two part member families and a couple of homies. They are starting to progress kinda nicely.

Fun story, the ward apparently has exactly zero people that play the piano. So that leave poor old Elder Tracy to play the piano haha mom you were so right about how I should practice piano more as a kid. But it's going okay. Things are just going I guess. Some of the songs I can only play the top hand but it works out well enough. It's just really funny and sometimes I mess up pretty bad but it's okay haha

This week in my studies and my life I have learned a lot about Repentance. It's an amazing experience and it's so wonderful to me that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us so much that he was willing to give up his only Son for all of us. It's amazing to me that God loves us enough to do that for us. A scripture that I love that I found this week is 1 John 1:7. Yall should look it up sometime. It's a jam. I've also started to read two chapters from the Book of Mormon a day and underline every time Christ is mentioned to see how much it testifies of Christ. It's been an amazing experience. I love yall and I hope yall are having the best day ever! I'm so happy and I'm loving life. Tell me how yall are doing sometime at seth.tracy@myldsmail.net

As always

Elder Tracy

PHOTO
-We also found a puzzle and no picture with it so we are doing a puzzle in our free time
-Elder Osorio doesn't have a name tag right now and sowe figured something out for the mean time
-Some one got got by the popo
-I found this awesome sign

New apartment, New friends, New member

YAAAALLLLL

How is everyone doing today? I hope tgat this letter finds yall well and happy! Because life is awesome! So some things happened this week.

We finally got to move apartments! We went about a mile and a half east, and it made a difference! We now have a train station outside our door and about 5 major bus stops there too! It's an awesome apartment! We about doubled the amount of space we have in the apartment and we have an awesome view of downtown (but you kinda have to climb out a window and stand on someone's roof, but worth) this also helps us a bunch because we cut down on travel times by like half. Everything is super easy to get to from the buses now! It's awesome. The area we are covering is massive too so we are hauling all day everyday to make these appointments with people. I love it so much. I don't think I've ever been happier.

We also have this one family in our ward that has always been super interesting to me. It's this young white couple who don't really speak Spanish super well. Sin embargo I have always wanted to talk to them but Elder Osorio never did. But this week we were standing in the hallway after church and the hermano was in the hallway too and Elder Osorio was like bet you won't go ask if we can come by and I was like bet and I went and talked to him. And it turns out he's a homie and then his wife came up and they are homies! I'm so flipping excited. We are eating with them on Tuesday! I'm SO PUMPED!

FINALLY, we had a baptism. And the greatest baptism of all time. Oscar was one of the Hermanas investigators and we inherited and he is probably the most solid guy ever. He is so converted to the gospel and he is getting the priesthood next week and he is ready for everything. President Bingham interviewed him and we talked tk him after and President was like that is the most solid inverview I have ever had. The Hermanas found probably one of the greatest men ever. I agreed whole heartedly. Oscar also calls us mijo which is the abbreviated version of MI Hijo and I cry a little each time. He's a wonderful he is low key my mission grandpa. Love that guy.

But yeah things are awesome. I'm super happy and super busy but that's how I like it. I love yall. I love the Lord. I love the Gospel and the work. I love yall.

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS

Elder Osorio, Oscar and I before the baptism
After the Baptism
We took some pictures by a frozen lake in the park and it was

A snow storm?

Hello everyone!

Well heres hoping that you week was good!

Well my week was interesting because a lot of things happened! First off, we called our mission President to ask a question about this transfer and how we weren't allowed to enter the former Hermana area and he said that was dumb and that we should go ahead and cover their area. He also gave us the OK to move into the other apartment in the Hermanas old area and so we are taking that place over here soon! I think we are moving tonight so wish us luck. We also reformed our areas within the ward and the other elders freaking love the new area they got. And we really like ours too so this will be a good transfer.

We have been teaching the Hermanas old investigators and they had many don't get me wrong. We we have been hauling all around North, South, East and West trying to cover all these citas they had. It's wild. Wild I tell you. But they have all these super solid people and it's wonderful to see what's happening.

We are teaching this one guy named Oscar and he is amazing. We taught him four times this week and every time he just expressed his gratitude and love for us and we only met him a while ago but he is already so strong in the church and its awesome to see.

In other news, I'm writing this today, Tuesday, because yesterday we were a little bust with a mission tour! Elder Anderson of the 70 came to visit out mission! That also meant that we got to talk to this man and he shared a lot of  awesome insight about the gospel and the work of the lord and it was awesome. It ran for about 6 hours but it was awesome. I also got to participate in a special musical number of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" with some other missionaries and I think it went well. One of the things he told us though that I loved was that when ever we are in church or a meeting of any kind, if we have a thought or impression that seems like a good idea, write it down! It is probably a formal of personal revelation and we must act on it as soon as we can! And if it's not that personal revelation, then don't worry because it's still a good thing.

Also there was a winter storm that blew through Chicago this week. And it snowed for about four days hahah it was super duper fun for a little Texan Boy haha also they canceled church and school haha

But things are great and getting better everyday! I love yall and I am so grateful for all yalls support!

As always,

Elder Tracy

It snowed a lot
We have been finding all these super long icicles and they are my favorite.
Some cool grafitti
Elder Sharples and I had gone icicle hunting at the church and we weren't disappointed

A week full of surprises!

EVERYONE THIS WEEK WAS KINDA CRAZY GET READY.

So to start transfers are this week and with that means we waited all day yesterday to receive a transfer call telling where we are going for the next six weeks. But guess what? Elder Osorio and I never got that call so that means we are staying together! In good old Chicago 2nd ward. And it gets even crazier. They are shutting the Hermanas Area that borders ours and that means that we inherit all their investigators and it's gonna be wild. The Hermanas had been working so hard and it's kinda crazy that they are getting shut down but venga lo que venga amiright. Also that only leaves two sets of Elders in our ward. So that's is apparently an insufficient number of people for a district. So we are combining with the Blue island district down south for our district. Now you may be asking yourself, "Blue Island is almost an hour away by car, how do these guys expect to get down there without a car?"  Well I can tell you that the Lord Provides a way. Apparently the  Hermana Training Leaders in another ward will have a car. So every Wednesday for District meeting, we will meet them at a church building, take their car while they are at District meeting and then the four of us will drive down to blue island. Crazy stuff right?

Also Not sure if yall heard but we got the news that our Mission, the Illinois Chicago Mission, that covers mainly downtown and areas around there, will be absorbing most of the Illinois Chicago West Mission which is being shut down. So out mission is expected to double in size and almost quintuple in area. This is expected to occur in July of this year. So pray for us please. I'm gonna attach a picture of the email we got about it. It's gonna be a wild time. We are going to hit the suburbs again. It's gonna be weird. But I'm super excited to see what will happen with that whole thing.

So on Sunday, these two guys come into third hour of church and they just come and sit down in the back. So being the good little missionaries we are, we go and talk to these guys. It turns out that one of them had talked to the other Elders the day before and he decided to bring his friend. It turns out his friend has a wild story with the whole God thing. Apparently one day we was working outside and then Jesus appeared to him and told him to do his work. And so apparently this guy has been trying to go around and do Jesus's work. This apparently includes praying for people rather animatedly and trying to disern what people need in life. He asked for and received permission from Elder Osorio to pray for Elder Osorio. It was a super weird thing. And then he kept asking Elder Osorio if he was in need or the search for a wife. And Elder Osorio just told him dude not yet. We are about 37% sure this guy was high out of his mind. And his friend who brought him seemed like alright and a solid guy. So who knows.

Last thing. I know this is a little long. But. This week for p day, Elders Moser, Branchini, Osorio and I got up early and we went down to the lake and then we watched the sun rise and then we went and hit up the bean and some other fun stuff and then we booled for the day. Super lit day.

But that's about it yall. I hope you enjoyed my email for the week I know it's kina long I'm so sorry. But I love yall and I hope all is well. Shoot me an email soon if yall want I'd love to hear from you. Have a blessed week.

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS
District Photos!
A Candid by the Lake lol
The Lake and I again
Elder Moser and I being the best people we are
Me and the Bean