October 28, 2013

Trials and Miracles!  It has really been an awesome week.  Last Sunday our Ward Mission Leader had challenged us to have 40 lessons this week.  When we started out the week we had that in mind and how we were going to accomplish it.  It was really helped us get focused and stay focused.  We ended up doing and and had 41 lessons this week which was awesome.  We were always busy thing about who needed us and how we could help them; just focusing on one need they had at a time.  This week we also have been helping a lady fix up her papers so she can get married.  When she went to get her papers it says she was dead in the computer.  We went on Wednesday to try and get it all fixed up; it was crazy.  We really were helped a lot by a supreme being.  We were trying to get everything done and God really opened a lot of doors that we couldn't open.  As we were going from place to place trying to get all the paperwork we found the right person at the right time and they could help us.  It was really awesome.  At the end we had to go to a lawyer and she said it could take a couple of months or a year to investigate it; it all depended on the lady who was doing the investigation.  It was awesome to see God work after we found that out.  As we were leaving the building to go make some copies we found the lead investigator that would have to do all the investigation and she has family  members that are members of the church.  She gave us her number and told us to call her and she was going to put pressure on so that it would get done as soon as possible.  It was super awesome to see God help us for doing all this work trying to help this old lady.  After all our hard work this week in visiting everyone and trying to help them so that they could progress NO ONE came to church.  We passed by all of their houses but no one was there or they couldn't go to church; it was super sad.  My companion and I are super sad.  My companion and I were super frustrated and we didn't know what to do; it was a super rough day.  Then we went to an appointment and we were reading in 1 Nephi 16 about when Nephi's bow breaks and it made me realize even when we are doing the right things and trying to have success there are trials.  God tries us so that we grow and learn. It made me feel like Nephi and it was awesome.  God always permits that we are tried so that we grow closer to him and repent.  Today my companion and I were talking and we just started analyzing how we can be better and made plans to repent and be better.  It was really awesome.  This week is going to be a great week!  After the trial comes the testimony.  Pray for us; we really need it.

October 21, 2013

This week has been a great week!  We have been working really hard and I can't believe it is Monday again.  I am definitely in the best area of the mission.  It is super awesome here; we always find a lot of people to be teaching.  We have been having a lot of fun.  Yesterday we had a sweet experience.  We were finishing the day and were thinking about our goals to find new people in the week.  As we were walking through the street I told my companion we need to find one more person to reach our goal.  The next thing we know we look up and there was a guy looking at us; we just started talking to him and we entered his house and started teaching him.  It was an answer to our prayers.  It has been so awesome to see that when we start praying in our hearts that God answers our prayers if we do our part.  We are teaching some really awesome families.  It is a lot of fun to go and teach them about eternal families.  They just don't see their potential as we do.  It makes me realize that as members of the church we have a great blessing in being able to live with our families forever no matter what happens.  In these 18 months my testimony has really grown and I know that God has a plan for everyone and it is personal for each and every one of us but usually we don't take advantage of having a perfect plan.  God really has made it easy for us to return to his presence as families but we make it difficult.  Gods plan is easy!  We are the ones who make it hard.  Pray for the families that we are teaching that they can get married and baptized.  Love you all!

October 14, 2013

This week has been a crazy one!  We have been super busy all this week! We had a meeting with President Fortuna this week and also he had invited Elder Valledares that is from the seventy. It was an awesome meeting and when our mission president was talking something he said really stood out to me. I have been thinking about it a lot in these past few days. He said We all come to this earth with the potential to become like God but we put our own limits. As I thought about that and thinking back on what has happened in my mission it is true we put the limits in our lives God gives us the power and ability to become and to do whatever righteous thing that we want if we just strive for it! It made me think that we are going to accomplish a lot here in this zone because our potential is great and we aren't going to put limits on our work! We also had a funny experience this week! One of the assistants came and was working with us in our area one day this week. He used to be in this area and so we went with him and taught some of the old families that he had taught! It was super funny we ended up finding a family in the street that talked to us and told us that they were going to go to church with us on Sunday! We were super excited and they ended up following through. The funniest part about it is they live right in front of the other Elders! They live in an alley and their house is like 6 feet apart! The other Elders needless to say were a little angry with us when they found out we were teaching them.. All I can say is you snooze you lose. We also had a sweet lesson yesterday! WE got a text from one of the members here in the Branch (oh ya I am in a branch that the church attendance is like 175) she wrote us a message and told us at 5 we had an appointment with a family. So we went with her we get to the house and we had an awesome experience with this family. I was talking to the father while my companion was talking to the son and he told me about 3 years ago his son was murdered and as we got talking about it the spirit confirmed the words that I said when I told him that families can be eternal. You could see the tears swell up in his eyes as I taught him such a basic principle. I love this work and I know that God has a plan for all of us!

October 7, 2013

Well it was a great week! I have never had a week so bus y iun my mission! TRANSFERS! I am now in one of the sweetest areas in the mission! I am a zone leader and we are opening a new zone it is a lot of fun! My new companion is Elder Cifuentes from Guatemala! He is awesome and it is going to be an awesome change! THis week has been so crazy though! I havent really been in my area at all! Wednesday I got to the area and we went and started working and I met some of the investigators and then thrusday and friday we did divisions had interviews and we did interchanges so I didnt get to work in my area! It was super awesome though! WE have a lot of fun together and our enjoying ourselves a lot! COnference was so fgreat! I love conference! I loved what PResident Uchtdorf said! Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith! I loved that it is so true! A lot of people here doubt there faith a lot and trust more int eh doubts that they have! That is why we are here as missionareies to help people overcome there doubts! Then on Sunday after the first session we had a baptism! I didnt really know our investigator I think I had talked to here like 1 time before she got baptized but it was really sweet! We combined the baptisms in all the zone and we had five baptisms all there together it was awesome! WE have been working a lot and have a lot of work tto do in this week but we are ready and willing to do it! I probably have one of the best companions that I have had my whole mission. We think a lot a like and we are both willing to sacrifice everrything to help the people get married and baptized! Hope all is well for you guys as well as it is for us!

September 30, 3013

I really dont know what to say this week other than it was probably the longest week of my life and definitely of my mission but finally it is over! Everything went wrong this week! it was the week leading up to our ward COnference! My companion really wanted to get out of here everyday he was calling president to see when he was going home lets just say he didnt want to work at all that was definetly a burden to carrty. It is impossible to be a missionary and do it all by yourself! Finally wednesday came around and I just felt the impression to go back to the house and we had a call from President saying that my companin left that night and that I was going to go stay with the Zone LEaders. Then on Thursday I got switched to be with the Elders whose area is right next to mine! SO since Thursday I have been in a trio and when I have found a member from the ward I went and did divisions in my own ward! That is when I started working with my new ward mission leader! He is pretty much awesome he has been working with me every day and we have been having success for the litttle time that we have been able to work! IT has been awesome! We went to a lesson and we were teaching a lady! I had asked her a question she is from a different church and she couldnt really answer the question! We just started teaching her true doctrine and she just kept getting confused by it! IT made me realize that true doctrine is the most clear that there is and that it confuses those that are members of other churchs. We finally got done teaching her and she understood perfectly what we had taught he and new that our message was true but it was sad to see her reject the truth! She just doesnt understand how it can bless our lives! It really made me realize that Satan is smart and its little by little that he feeds lies into the other churchs and they get confused and dont know what to do. Until they get to the point that they are trapped. I love being able to save people from the traps of satan but it makes me sad when they use there agency wrong and wont acept the truth! I know God is so loving and that this gospel is the most simple complete and perfect that exists in this world! I love it! This week will be an interesting one. Transfer week!