January 21, 2013

Wow - what a week!  Let's just say it will be interesting - for the emergency changes they just sent me an Elder from the area closest to me.  We had a week together and then transfers came and it looks like we will have a transfer together.  The interesting thing is because of the huge number of missionaries that will be coming to the mission this transfer will be 7 weeks instead of 6.  We will see how this goes.  The area got 2 more missionaries as well this week.  It is super awesome that we finally have a lot of support and the burden is less upon our shoulders now that there are two pair of missionaries.  This week was a really good week.  We couldn't do as much as we wanted because we had to help out the new guys here a bunch but it was awesome.  This week we have been teaching Isabel and she is progressing really well - she knows she needs to be baptized just hasn't accepted a date yet.  She just hasn't prayed!!!!  So frustrating when investigators don't pray.  I can't imagine how disappointed God feels when we don't say our prayers a couple of times a day.  I feel super frustrated and I am just a missionary.  So don't be stupid and say your Prayers!  God is waiting to hear from all of us everyday and often.  We have been looking so hard to find little rays of light poking through the clouds in the area that could bring some good news to the branch.  Yesterday we went to contact a reference from the Zone Leaders.  I was super pumped because they were talking up how awesome the reference was.  We went to contact him and the Brother walked out to welcome us in and ushered us into a room and before even saying anything brought us food and a drink.  Then as we were talking I just realized how elect they are and I am confident they will be baptized.  One thing impacted me a lot from what they said - the brother, his names is Harley.  It's a family of him and his wife, Jesica, and they have 3 kids.  He asked us - do you know why we like your church and I just responded "No, why?"  He goes on to tell me "We like your church because it all seems positive and everyone seems happy and we want to be a part of that happiness!"  It made me think that really we are happy because we have and we know so much!  It just makes me grateful for the knowledge that we do have.  We have the plan of happiness so we should be happy!  I love you all and hope you all realize how blessed we all are!

January 14, 2013

This week has been super crazy - the week leading up before transfers and let's just say it was a wild one!  We did interchanges this week and I had a super sweet experience.  We were on our way back to the area and I was the last one to get up on the bus and like normal there were no seats left on the bus and I was the only one standing up.  No big deal, it was normal and I was happy standing up.  As I got on the bus though I passed a guy that was sitting in a seat by himself and the seat next to him was filled with boxes.  I didn't think anything of it and kept going.  The next thing I know the helper guy on the bus is motioning for me that he had a seat for me up closer to the front so I start going up and it was the guy who had the boxes in the seat.  I sat down and didn't think anything of it and then continued on with my life as a missionary.  I just started talking to him and contacted him.  He lives in the area of my district leader where I was going to be working that day so we called him up and went and visited him.  He is a doctor here and canceled his appointments for a little over an hour to accept us.  He accepted us really well and is a positive contact.  That night is when it got interesting.  We get to the house and are making our plans for the next day and we call him to make a follow up appointment and then we ended up talking to him for 10 minutes.  He goes on to tell us that when he got on the bus that day he told the guy working on the bus to charge him for two seats for his boxes because he didn't want to sit by anyone.  The next thing that he goes on to tell us was that he wasn't going to talk to me but he remembered a little kid in the street and the kid said hi and he just looked at him and said nothing.  The kid then told this doctor to stop and goes on to say that he was the first mute doctor he had ever met because all the doctors are always talking.  He said when I sat by him on the bus he remembered that experience and knew that he had to talk.  It was just a testimony builder to me that the Lord is preparing people and that they are out there - we just have to open our mouths.  It was super awesome!  Then to make the week get even more interesting the day after we had emergency transfers and my companion was changed out of the area and I got one of the Elders that was in an area close by.  Life is good.  The branch is picking up and starting to get excited and President is sending m ore missionaries out to help.  For sure with a lot of prayer we will have success.  Keep praying for us here in Campamento - we need it!

January 7, 2013

The work is finally starting to pick up.  We are winning some battles and losing others in this work!  We are finally to the point that we are actually finding investigators and not worrying so much about the members.  It is super sad to see that the members here don't have a lot of hope for the future or even care about the present.  One told us that they are all lost and then the Branch President said he is ready to throw in the towel.  It is sad to see but with new people in the church it will bring new energy.  The work is picking up - when I got to the area there were about 6 investigators that have all been dropped and now replaced with new ones.  It is amazing to see the Lord's hand in trials.  The Lord gives us times in the fire of trials so that we can get polished up and so that we can endure more.  He really loves us and sometimes it takes trials for us to learn the little lessons.  Prayer really is powerful - it is the way that we can do all things.  The Lord just expects us to talk to him and to ask him for help and to be specific and he is waiting and willing to help us.  He really does want to help sometimes we are just too stubborn to humble ourselves and ask him.  It took a lot for me to learn that but it is the truth.  Look for the little bright rays of sunshine that can always conquer the darkness.  They are everywhere we just have to look for them.