Mon 1/12/2015 11:12 AM

Wow!  Where on earth to begin!  We have seen so many miracles here in Central Falls!  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to be a part of this wonderful work.  We now have 14 investigators and most of which are ones the Lord led us to the past couple weeks!  These past few weeks I have been doing all in my power to leave this area with exactly what it needs to just propel forward after I leave and it has been a great thing to witness. Along with updated records, making a finding pool, and translating all of it into Spanish for out Branch Mission Leader, the part I am more excited about is the Branch Mission Plan we had the opportunity to be a part of.  That same day before we met with the Branch Presidency I felt we needed to start planning it out and seeking revelation from the Lord.  It just started flowing.  That night we went to meet with the Branch Presidency and our Mission Leader to see what they had prepared as well and seek inspiration together. Turns out we were the only ones with something prepared.  As we formed this plan, as we then explained it to the Presidency, it just seemed to me that EVERYTHING we have been learning since I came into the field finally clicked.... The plan we had was the same as before, for the most part, but the only difference was that we had specific action items on how to accomplish each part of the goal. Those action items were ideas that are found in the "Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton M. Christensen.  I am going to get off the topic because otherwise I am going to spend all my time on this one thing.  Needless to say it is something I am very grateful to have been a part of as an instrument in the Lord's hands. Now the only thing left is for the other leaders to catch the vision by praying about it and making some tweaks to it that they think are necessary.  To me there is not a better gift the Lord could have helped me leave this area than that. 

These are my last few days before going home and I am going to miss it so much.  This last week we had a Emergency Zone Conference with the mission which was awesome.  There are some HUGE things coming and happening.  I really do not want to leave so that l can stay and be a part of it!  One of the huge things I feel is on the brink of happening is right here in Central Falls.  After everyone has put so much into this branch, I feel that it is time and that some big things are going to happen here. 

 

Sunday was a pretty hard day for me, but a very rewarding one.  I love the people here so much and do not want to leave them.  I don't know how to even come close to try to express myself right now.  I am sad and yet so excited.  I do not want to leave, but feel that it is time.  There is so much I want to do and learn when I get home and so I am excited to hit the ground running as the "training wheels come off" in a sense.  I am so grateful for the mission, and that the Lord has called me, an imperfect man with many faults and weaknesses to serve him and help build up His kingdom here on earth.  It is something truly beautiful when you think about it.  That God, who is perfect, who has all power, wisdom and love, trusts us to help him in His work.  I am so grateful for that.  The mission has changed me so much because of all the things I have learned and experienced. 

 

I know now even more than I did before that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He lives and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is his church on the earth today.  His gospel truly does change lives and He has called ALL of us to come and participate in this His work because it is exactly what will bring us happiness and change us to become like He is.

 

As I go home I may have to take off my Missionary tag, but I am so grateful that because of my mission it has allowed Christ's name, His church's name and my name to be more deeply engraved upon my heart.  An engraving that has changed me forever and is something that no one can ever take away from me.  I feel that in the last days as He comes to judge us of our works, one of the things He will pay close attention to is not only if we allowed His name to be engraved upon our hearts, but rather to see if we kept that engraving burning brightly, as we allowed His hand to continually keep the heat of conversion and change pressed firmly upon our hearts.  It is my prayer that all of us will strive to find ways to allow His hand to continually engrave his name more fully, more deeply within our hearts so that we can become that which He would have us become......Perfect!  I leave these things with you all, along with my love, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 12/29/2014 10:53 AM

President Packard

Dear Elders and Sisters,

When the angel appeared unto the shepherds, he announced that he brought “good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people. For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2: 10-11). The central message of Christmas is the good news that Jesus, the promised Messiah, was born to fulfill the merciful plan which had been laid from the foundation of the world. The word “gospel” is Greek for “good news.” Jesus, His life, His teachings, and His atonement are the good news for all of us. We are not trapped by death or our past mistakes. We can be transformed by Christ and receive redemption, peace and eternal life. For lost and fallen individuals and a lost and fallen world, this is good news indeed!

It is interesting to note that the word “gospel” was already being used by the Romans before that first Christmas in Bethlehem. After Julius Caesar was assassinated, his son Octavius took the name Augustus and became Emperor of Rome in approximately 31 BC. Augustus proclaimed that Julius Caesar was a god and that he was the "son of God." Thus, the Romans told their conquered people the good news (the “gospel”) that their benevolent and deified emperor, Augustus, would bring peace and wealth to the people and would heal the land. Roman officials carved engravings, still in existence today, that described Caesar Augustus as the good news, as a Savior, as God manifest, and divine. For example, an inscription dated 9 BC reads: “… since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance … since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good news for the world that came by reason of him…” (See, Stanley Porter, Hearing the Old Testament in the New Testament, p 93).

To the early Christians, who despised the oppression and brutality of Rome, all this talk about Augustus being the good news and even a god was blasphemy, and to help make their point, these early Christians took the words the Romans were using to describe Caesar Augustus, especially the word “gospel,” and applied them to Christ. They boldly proclaimed that the real gospel, or good news, was not in Caesar Augustus but in Jesus Christ. God truly did have a son, and his name was Jesus Christ. Only Jesus, whose kingdom was not of this world, could bring lasting peace and eternal life.

We echo the testimony of these early Christians. Jesus’ birth is the good news—good tidings of great joy! It is our great privilege to share the good news to all people, and in so doing, help bring peace on earth and good will towards all men.

Love,
President and Sister Packard

Mon 12/29/2014 10:23 AM

Wow! Where to begin!  This past week has been pretty amazing!!!!  Before I get into all that, I have to apologize because it has been a few weeks since I have written my blog.  I had a great Christmas and especially the opportunity to see my wonderful family over skype and get to talk with them. There is nothing that compares to sharing what matters most with those who matter most.  This past Saturday we had the goal to get all 100 Recent Converts to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead, for their own family names, and we had a great turnout.  We accomplished 96 of the 100 and so just need 4 more in before the beginning of January to accomplish it.  We have Recent Converts going today and tomorrow to get it done.  We had a bit of a problem getting everything figured out for Jose Rosas because we weren't able to log into his account on Familysearch.org because his Birthday info., we later found out, got input wrong.  All is well now.  For those of you who don't know what Familysearch is, it is a website we can go to in order to trace back our genealogy and see who we are related to.  It is pretty cool.  We got Jose's parents names printed out and he was able to be baptized and confirmed for his father.  Jose's good friend, Hna Paez, was baptized and confirmed for his mother.  He told me right before I baptized him for his father that he felt the Spirit overwhelm him and he got teary eyed.  He had a great experience and it sure was something to see so many recent converts there!

This last week we have had some great success in the work.  We picked up Orlando, Hernan, Ariselia and Luis as new investigators and got a return appointment with this lady named Michelle.  The stories behind these people are as follows.

 

Michelle:  We had gotten a referral for someone named Christian and so we went to the address and rang the bell.  A man poked his head out the window and asked us who we were and want we wanted. We told him who we were looking for and he told us that person didn't live there.  We then asked if he would be interested in hearing our message and he said no.  After that I looked at the door on the left and for some reason just felt good about knocking on it and so I went and knocked.  This kid answered the door, he then got his mother who was a very friendly lady.  She is a born again Christian and had the Light of Christ beaming from her eyes.  It was amazing!  We had a great conversation and a return appointment to get to know her more and to hear her story.  It was really cool to see how it all worked out via the promptings of the Spirit putting words in my mouth in the very moment I needed them.

 

Ariselia & Luis:  Ariselia was a referral from the Portuguese Elders that we have tried to contact for over 8 weeks and have had no luck.  We got in touch with her yesterday before church and came back later that night.  She had a friend over named Luis and so we got to know them and shared a message. She told us how out of all the religions there is just "something peaceful and different about us as Mormons" and so we helped them see our purpose and promised them they can find out what we have for themselves.  They were intrigued and loved it all.  Luis is a really cool guy and actually is blind and has fake eyes that they put in!  They look so real!  He is a mechanic and is very talented as well to where a lot of people would rather have him work on their car than any others.  He loved the message as well and so we got his info and will go back and meet with him.

 

Orlando:   He is a new investigator we got while we were at Camila and Marta's house Christmas Eve cooking for them.  He had some great questions and so we started to talk to him a little bit more and he is very interested in meeting with us again.  We have to pass him off to the Providence missionaries though since he is not in our area.  He is awesome!

 

Hernana:  He is a former investigator that a member referred to us.  He is from Columbia and is a really cool guy.  He has a ton of questions about the Book of Mormon and let us know that before he wanted to get baptized.  He has some habits he doesn't want to give up just yet, but that is ok because in time we are hoping he will have a greater desire to follow the Savior and then those things will become history.

 

We have been seeing miracles lately here in Central Falls.  The amazing thing is that after I talked about sacrificing things to show the Savior how much we love him, I had this great desire to leave this area with as many new investigators as possible and getting the members more involved in the work.  These two things were what I told Him I wanted to make happen, but that I would need His help to do it, since so far the investigators we had weren't really progressing.  As I have sought ways to continually put my will at the altar and offer it up to the Savior, daily, I have started to see even more miracles and feel the wonderful guidance of the Holy Ghost even more, for which I am so grateful.

 

I know that the Lord has been preparing his children to receive this wonderful gospel message & that  no matter where we are we can find those individuals as we show Him that He can trust us and that we truly do care to find them.  As we pour our hearts out to him in prayer, pleading for our spiritual eyes to be opened, to see the opportunities in our paths daily, He will guide us to where we need to go.

 

I am so grateful for the wonderful lessons He has taught me while on my mission.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World, that He lives and is guiding His work in these days.  I know that as we seek to rely on Him for ALL things, we can be the means of doing much good in this generation.  It is my prayer that all reading this will seek to do just these things because I know and can promise you that whatever it is you stand in need of most, the Lord will bless you.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 12/15/2014 10:14 AM

Today we are filming a skit with a Harry Potter theme for the Christmas Party this Friday!  I know a lot of you are dying to know about the goals for December.  Well, due to the "Christmas Season," we are striving for 50 baptisms.  We feel it is what the Lord wants.  This time of year a lot of people are out of town and so many of our December dates had already been moved forward to November.  A good way to look at it was best explained by one of our Sister Training Leaders who swam before her Mission.  Right before a big meet they would take a few days to rest up for that big day coming.  The goal for January has already been set and will be revealed at the Christmas Party.  We all feel that November was just the beginning and that things are going to take off from there.

It is a very exciting time in the Massachusetts Boston Mission.  The area has been doing good.  On Saturday we went to the Temple to see the Ortega family get sealed for time and all eternity.  It was an amazing experience.  My favorite part was to see their kids come into the room dressed all in white.  Later that night we drove all the way down to Warwick for the Musical Fireside the mission was doing there. 

This last week all of our investigator appointments canceled and so we weren't able to meet with anyone.  Right now Elder Sanchez and I are trying to focus on finding more people and will focus our lessons on the "why" our investigators want to meet with us to hopefully help them start progressing should they truly be interested.  We seem to get a lot of good potentials and referrals from people here, but they don't really go anywhere after that.  We are able to meet with people once, and it goes really well; where the people are like, "WOW, I want to meet with you more," but then life gets in their way. So, we are constantly following up and striving to meet with them again as well as track down the good referrals we have. 

This time of year is so amazing!  I am so grateful for the time I have to be able to be on my mission and especially to finish my mission during this time of year.  There is just a very special spirit in the world at this time.  This month is a time of service, love and really good will toward man.  How blessed we should feel as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because we have the good news of our Savior Jesus Christ.  This time is an opportunity that we have to share the wonderful story of not only the birth of our Savior, but of his life and his teachings.  All of which makes it our story to tell because we have the fullness of the gospel, a more complete story to tell to the world. 

We are seeing miracles here that I am so grateful for.  As we as a mission sought to offer our own personal sacrifices to the Lord for purposes greater than our own, we saw miracles. This time is a time of giving and remembering the birth and life of our Savior.  I would like to invite each and everyone of you reading this to ponder about what it is you can place at the feet of our Savior as a gift(s) to him for the benefit of another.  Whether that be taking more time to study the scriptures so you can better be prepared to answer someone's questions, or to give of your time to serve others. Whatever it may be, I can promise you that as you do that, you will come to feel the wonderful sweet spirit of this year more abundantly and see miracles happen not only in your lives but in other's lives as well.

This is my prayer that you will come to experience what we have in the mission field; seeing miracles by giving our Lord and Savior a gift, not of money or things of this world, but rather giving him a part of yourselves that in the end you may come to know more of his great love and power.  I say these things in his name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 12/1/2014 11:18 AM

WOW!  Where to begin!  First of all, sorry I didn't get to write a weekly blog last week.  I ran out of time at the library.

 

Thanksgiving was great!  A normal missionary day with a good little feast at the Ortega's house.  It seems like this whole last week was a little weird though with the holidays.

 

We were not able to meet with any of our investigators because they were all out of town.  We did, however pick up a new investigator named Guadalupe who has come to church 3 times already!  She has a 9 year old daughter who is participating in the Primary Program.

 

This last week has been filled with tons of service that we have done just about everyday, so it has kind of felt like a P-week, but it has been a great week none the less.

 

As for the mission.  I am sure many of you are dying to hear what happened with the goal we set for 70 baptisms for the month. Before I get started with that, I want to point out that when President Packard got here in this mission we were averaging between 25-30 baptisms a month.  The time that President Packard has been here we have averaged between 50-55 baptisms a month. So, this goal for 70 was a nice stretching goal for us as a mission. The amazing thing is that when President Packard first came out he felt this mission had so much more potential than that.  He had said time and time again he felt that there would be a month where we would not only get 70 baptisms, but hit triple digits!  Well ladies and gentleman, we did not get the 70..... with all of our hard work, with all of the prayers from the leaders of the Chruch, including Jeffrey R. Holland and the Lawrences.  We did not get 70 baptism, but we did get 100 baptism for the month of November!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been a miracle and a great example to us of what we can accomplish according to the faith and trust we put in the Lord.  I wanted to thank all of you who have been praying and supporting us with this goal.  Last night at 10:00 we had a phone call with the whole mission where President Packard shared with us SOME of the MANY miracles that have been happening in the mission.  It truly is a great blessing to have been here for this and to have been part of it.  Last night as I reflected on what had happened, part of me really wished that we could have been among those who had helped with that number.  I decided to ask the Lord and express myself to him in this regard and as I did a very sweet feeling came over me and told me I did the best I could and that I was indeed part of this great miracle we experienced.  As a result of that, I feel I understand a little better now than before about how the body needs every part of the body to do its job.  The head is not any better than the arm, leg or foot, but all together allow the body to move forward and to work and bring about whatever means it is trying to do.  I am very grateful for the great mercy, love and power we have experienced from the Lord this month.  It has been a miracle.  Now this is only the beginning. With Christmas coming up and all the different events happening I feel that things will only get better.

 

Christmas time is always a very special time of year, a time where the whole world comes together and feels of the great Christmas Spirit that the Lord pours out on all of us.  Yesterday was filled with so many tender mercies from the Lord where I was able to be an instrument in his hands.  I was blessed to be asked to give two blessings of health to people.  I am so grateful for the Priesthood and for what I have learned about using it when giving blessings.  It truly is amazing that our Father in Heaven trusts us enough to allow us to use it.  By the second one, right before I laid my hands on the man's head, I started to be overwhelmed with a great love and started to weep.  Following, was a blessing not from me but, from the Lord who I have been blessed to represent.

 

After the blessings we felt prompted to go to the Relief Society President's house and invite her non-member husband to a family home evening that night.  When we showed up, his mother was there, as well as his inactive son.  We had a great time just talking to them and invited them not only to the Family Homer Evening, but to the musical fireside coming up as well.  Being able to be there to meet with his mom was truly a miracle as we were told she is not too fond of the church, but she sure didn't seem to be like that, she is the sweetest little old lady only second to my own Grandma.

 

In addition to all of these many blessings I witnessed yesterday, my favorite was during church.  The pianist seemed a little down that day and I tried to think of ways to help boost her spirit, but didn't know how.  Then the thought came to mind to simply thank her for playing the piano and let her know how grateful I am for it and how much it makes a difference (I felt a little dumb that I hadn't ever thought to do that before).  I wasn't able to get to her to talk to her because she was running around as well as we were, but 3rd hour I was able to write a note and pass it along to her.  I had my companion give it to her and she read it and turned around and smiled at him.  It was nice to see later that her day seemed to turn around just because of a very small thing as a thank you note.  The best part was the brownie points my companion received!

 

Transfers came and I get to stay here in Central Falls to die.  I am very happy with that because I love the members here so much and feel that I still have a lot to do.  Just another blessing coming my way.

 

I know that this is truly the Lord's work, that God is a God of Miracles and that all he requires is for us to put our faith in Him and move forward working as hard as we can putting our trust in Him.  I know as we do that we WILL see miracles and come to know that He is truly there, loves us and knows us.  It is my prayer that all of us during this time of year take time to not only offer thanks to the Lord, but ask Him what we can do to help those around us and what gift it is we can give our Savior as we celebrate this Christmas season.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

From Mission President - Mon 12/1/2014 11:49 AM

Dear Elders and Sisters,

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important, most beautiful, most sublime doctrine we will ever study. It has profound personal and cosmic significance. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that all things “which pertain to our religion are only appendages” to the atonement of Jesus Christ. Despite the atonement’s obvious significance, none of us know enough about it. Sometimes, church members behave as if they have already heard so much about the atonement, they need to look for something “deeper” to study when, in fact, the atonement has all the depth they should ever need or want.

We believe that coming to understand the atonement of Jesus Christ is a lot like climbing a rope. It takes effort. Moreover, in this journey towards understanding the atonement, there are some places that a person cannot go until they have already attained certain strengths and attributes. To help us climb the rope of our understanding, the Lord has given us some scriptural passages that are like knots in the rope. These passages are extremely helpful and give us something upon which we can firmly grip. Their scope and depth are breathtaking. We refer to these passages as “knot chapters.” Many of them are contained in the Book of Mormon, which was given to us for the “convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.” This past week, we have gone through the Book of Mormon and have identified the following 15 “knot chapters” for your consideration. They are:

1) Lehi’s final discourse to his posterity in 2 Nephi 2;
2) Jacob’s words to the people of Nephi contained in 2 Nephi 6-9 with an emphasis on Chapter 9;
3) Nephi’s explanation of the Doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31;
4) Jacob’s “few words” written upon plates in Jacob 4;
5) King Benjamin’s speech in Mosiah 2-5. The whole speech is spectacular, but some of the key atonement passages are found in chapters 2 and 3;
6) Abinadi’s words before King Noah in Mosiah 15-16;
7) Alma’s words to the Church in Gideon in Alma 7;
8) Alma and Amulek’s confrontation with Zeezrom in Alma 11-12;
9) Amulek’s words to the Zoramites in Alma 34;
10) Alma’s words to his son Corianton in Alma 39-42 with an emphasis on Chapter 42;
11) The doctrinal portion of Samuel the Lamanite’s prophesy in Helaman 14;
12) Jesus’ initial discourse to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11;
13) Jesus’ explanation of “my gospel” to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 27;
14) Moroni’s call to those who do not believe in Christ in Mormon 9;
15) Mormon’s epistle to Moroni in Moroni 8.

We realize that creating a list like this will open a discussion about whether we selected the best passages. We welcome this kind of discussion, and hope that you will add other favorites to your own list. However, the chapters we have identified are filled with profound insight. You can study them for a lifetime and never plum all their depths. If you truly understand these chapters, you will be well on your way to understanding the atonement. We pray that you will allow the Book of Mormon to truly convert you to the Savior Jesus Christ and His atonement. When this happens, your life will have more context and purpose, and your missionary efforts will be more focused and effective.

Love,

President and Sister Packard

From Mission President - Mon 12/1/2014 11:52 AM

Dear Elders and Sisters,

“Has the day of miracles ceased? Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought… (Moroni 7: 35-37). If the month of November proved anything, it is that God keeps His promises, that He is a God of miracles, and that the missionaries in the MBM have great faith! Now that we have seen 100 baptisms in a single month, where do we go from here? Elder Holland has already provided his input. After receiving our report last night, he immediately responded as follows: “Tell the mission I could not be more proud of them. Tell them to keep opening their mouths, talking to everybody, keeping this kind of depth in their teaching pool and 70 will be the new base line every month. What was never done before will now be standard; it will be where the new goals start, not where they end.” We are going to set new goals in our next mission leadership conference, but Elder Holland believes that this is just the beginning. We feel the same way.

There are also a few things that we need to do:

Write your piece for the “November to Remember” booklet.

We want to preserve this experience for years to come, so we are asking each companionship to write an experience (no more than one page) that occurred during the month of November. When we have received all the stories, we will compile them in a booklet and distribute them to all of you during the Christmas conference. Remember that your grandchildren will probably read this (as well as Elder and Sister Holland and Elder and Sister Lawrence) so please do your best. Feel free to write your story during proselyting hours and have it completed by this Friday. Send your story to mbmchristmas@gmail.com.

Take all these new converts to the temple.

We did not have a mission temple day in November, and the December temple day is scheduled for the 27th from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. We are going to stagger the new converts so they do not all come at once, and we will provide the details later. For now, start making sure that every eligible new convert is prepared to attend with their own names. I will work with the temple to make sure that they are ready for 100 new converts.

Fast as a showing of gratitude.

When the Nephites received a great blessing from the Lord, they fasted as a way of expressing thanks. (Alma 45:1). We have been fasting for some time for blessings, and the Lord has answered. Next Sunday, let us all fast together as a showing of gratitude.

We are so proud of you, and we know that November was not a one-time thing. As we consecrate ourselves with this much passion and zeal, we will continue to see the blessings of the Lord so much that our cup overfloweth.

Love,

President and Sister Packard

Mon 11/10/2014 10:42 AM

I will be keeping this email short this week because of time.  Things are going well here in the Great Massachusetts Boston Mission.  Every Tuesday now we gather together as a mission for a web-ex meeting with President Packard where we talk about what is going on in the mission right now and also to read with him a knot chapter from the Book of Mormon on the Atonement.

 

In the zone we are getting texts each morning to help remind us of the goal we have set as a mission and to pray for these individuals.

 

The fear we all have is that we are starting to lose some of the momentum we had in the beginning.  We NEED to keep the same effort we had in the beginning and that is only possible with the help of the Lord consecrating our efforts. 

 

This last week we met with Alfonso and had a good lesson on the Restoration with him.  He came and told us how he doesn't have faith and is struggling to find it.  He has studied the bible a ton to try and find the truth for himself and has come to the conclusion that many of the churches out here are not correct.  He has a lot of really great questions though, so we will be helping him with those things.  We had Stake Conference down in Groton, CT and he came to the Saturday night Priesthood Session and enjoyed it a lot.

 

This last week we were not able to get a hold of Claudia, but we talked to her member friends and they said she has been VERY sick and has been in bed for several days.  We invited them to explain to her what a blessing for the sick is and to ask her if she would like one from us.

 

On Tuesday we met with our Relief Society President for dinner and were able to share a message with her non-member husband about one of his fears she shared with us.  He was intrigued at the very end to know more about my story, but since we didn't have time we had to keep him on the edge of his seat a little longer...LOL.  They are an awesome family.

 

Back to Stake Conference; it was pretty amazing!  It was focused on Hastening the work of Salvation and I must say I am very impressed with the Stake Presidency here in RI.  They are very consecrated to the work and as part of their mission they talk to every person in the stake who has a baptismal date so they can congratulate them.  The Conference was filled with great stories about our purpose as members and missionaries and how the Leaders and members are using us.  It is truly miraculous!  One of my favorite parts was when all the young men passed the sacrament.  It was so neat and moving to see all these faithful sons and daughters of God coming to Stake Conference and partaking of the sacrament together.  

 

This next week we have A-LOT of follow ups to do because it seems our "tries" this last week were not as successful as we would have liked.  It has been a great week though still filled with miracles and tender mercies from the Lord. 

 

Today I would simply like to leave you all with some questions about prayer that someone special to me had learned about.  As I actually took time to gather what I knew and believed about prayer I felt the Spirit confirm the truth of it to me again and help me to take inventory on how well my prayers have been lately, for which I am grateful for.  The Questions are.....
What is prayer to you?
Why are we commanded to pray?
And what are we to pray for?

One more I would like to add....

In what attitude are we suppose to pray?

Simple but profound questions.  I would like to invite all of you to ask yourselves these questions and to seek the answers in the scriptures and talks, then to ponder and take inventory on what it is that you can do to improve your conversations with the all knowing, all powerful Being of the Universe who only wants the best for all of us.

Elder Salerno

Mon 11/3/2014 11:05 AM

Where to begin!  This past week has been one of the MOST, if not THE most, amazing weeks of my mission.  It sure had its trials, but then just right before. and after great spiritual experiences, Satan comes to try and ruin it all.

 

I am going to only talk about two things that happened that are pretty key.  I will start by talking about yesterday.  Last night my heart melted as it was filled with gratitude for what the Lord had done for us.  Yesterday morning we met with Johnny Guerrero to plan the monthly goals for the Branch.  As we took what we planned to the Branch council, we then proceeded to modify and make the goals together.  It was a Revelatory experience!  For this month we have the goal.......

 

To have 25 members come out with us on splits (we originally had set it higher because last month we had 24).

 

We will have a Family Home Evening every week where a member invites non-members over and also other member families. 

 

Every member will invite 1 person to church/activities, etc. every week & that includes children as well (we have 60 active members every week, so do the math for the month).

 

We are going out to help the men complete their Home Teaching.

 

We are doing "Preach My Gospel" focused lessons with members linking it all to missionary work.

 

We have one Sunday every month focused on Missionary work.

 

We are going out with members to meet with at least two less active members a week.

 

We all counseled how to keep track of these goals and all the ins and outs of them. It was a very uplifting experience and neat one to witness the Branch and missionaries working as one.

 

Last night we had our first Family Home Evening for this month. There were 5 non-members, one of which read a little of the Book of Mormon and there were 15-17 members there - 3 different families.  The family that invited these non-members over were just Steller!  They did a great job introducing us and guiding everything in the beginning and sharing a little about the purpose of Family Home Evenings and later why they invited their friends over.  Elder Sanchez and I gave the lesson and watched "Our True Identity," the Mormon Message by Pres. Uchtdorf, and tied it into the Plan of Salvation and how God has a plan for us.  It was very powerful as we shared how we came to know this plan and let them know they could as well.  The best part was that the members jumped in as well, but not in a manner that made it awkward or pushy.  After that we played a game for a little bit with them before we had to leave.  It was a "Guesture" like game that I played with my family before, where you write down a couple of movies on paper, you put it into a bowl and then some one has to act it out.  It was a blast and everyone had a great time.  Claudia, the lady that had read a little bit of the Book of Mormon is interested in learning more and wants us to come meet with her.

 

Also, at church, before I forget, we had Alfonso, an investigator, come to church (in this area for some reason it has been so hard to get investigators to church, so this was big!) and then we had a member bring his friend as well.  We taught Gospel Principles and both of these non-members are pretty knowledgeable about the scriptures and had some great questions.  My favorite part was seeing the members in the class answer the questions and see how we all worked together in unity.  That was another amazing experience.  Guess what?  The amazingness of this last week doesn't stop there.  We had another Family Home Evening with the Ortegas and Fernando, the 16 year old, invited one of his friends from school over.  Her parents talked to his parents so it was all good. We shared the same message with her, but in English, and the Spirit was so strong.  She wants to keep learning more.  We will be having another Family Home Evening with her and the other Elders to pass her off to them.  Since her parents speak Portuguese, the other Elders will be perfect for them because they are from Brazil.

 

Now for the BEST part.  On Friday we had our Zone Conference in Bloomfield, CT with Elder and Sister Lawrence.  He is a Seventy. Sister Lawrence taught us about the Scattered tribes of Israel; the lost tribes and about the Blood of Israel as well.  She talked about the Savior's mission and pointed out how he followed the exact same things we do.  For example, he never left his area to go preach to the Gentiles except on a few occasions, but he had to get permission from Heavenly Father, just like we need to get permission to leave our areas.  A lot of very interesting and amazing things.

One of my favorite parts was when they talked about the Pre-existence  and how that ties into our role as missionaries now and also the blood that we have flowing in our veins as members of the church, because before this life we all developed our own spiritual gifts and how those who have the Blood of Israel had developed the gift of Spirituality to recognize and act upon truth when it is in front of them.  They then talked about gentiles and many more things.

Even though all this was so fascinating and amazing, the best part was during the lunch break when Pres. Packard and I were walking in together and talking.  He was just asking about me and everything.  He had his arm around me and then as we talked he was starring into my eyes, but it was as if his glance didn't stop there.  It was as if he was looking deep into my soul.  As I recognized this and felt the Spirit I asked him what he saw.  He paused and simply replied " a fight."  Those words for some reason lifted my soul and filled me with the Spirit and I wasn't sure why at that time.  We then finished eating and went back into the chapel to finish the conference.

President Packard and Sister Packard got up and told us a little about the Training they and the other mission presidents had in New York with Jeffrey R. Holland.  He then asked all the Mission Presidents, "Presidents, what do you dare promise your missionaries?"  He then left them all an Apostolic blessing that whatever they promised us would happen.  President Packard expounded on this making sure we knew it was conditional, as long as we did our part, just like everything else in the gospel when receiving a promised blessing.  He then expounded on the reason he felt they had all been with this blessing, because he trusted them to not ask for anything contrary to the Lord's will.

In short, we set a goal for the mission to have 70 baptisms for this month.  The leaders met with President and had a revelatory experience all feeling that it was the Lord's will and that it was accomplishable.  President called up the missionary leaders and some of them shared the experience with us. The spirit that built up in the room was almost to the point of overpowering us as we all were blessed to have the same experience and confirmation that it was possible and indeed guided by the Lord.  With that and after asking all of the leaders, and us, if they supported this goal and if we would believe and find something that we could put on the altar to offer the Lord to show him we were serious, we all raised our hands and supported it. There is a lot more that happened, but in short we were all filled to the point of overflowing with the Spirit.

Elder Lawrence then allowed us to stand up, whomever felt like it, and share what we had learned or felt after that day.  It was after all this and hearing the testimonies of a few that it finally had struck me what President had meant when he said he saw a fight.  I knew right then and there what it was I needed to place on the altar before the Lord's feet and KNEW that this time I would be able to truly and fully give it up as I did my part.  I remember being filled with the Spirit in a way that I haven't for a while.  My heart started to race, my palms started to sweat and I knew I had to stand up and share my experience and whatever else it was that the Lord wanted me to say and that somebody else needed to heard.  I wish there were words sufficient to describe the power and spirit that was in that room. 

To close, Elder Lawrence then shared with us many things, things I will not share except for one.  He went through 6 steps of exercising faith and what is required in order to Fully exercise it. Then he left us with a little heads up that Satan will not just sit idly by after this meeting because of what was about to happen in this mission.

We as a mission are praying for, in every prayer, that we will be able to help all those who have baptismal dates this month be baptized.  We have 114 dates and the goal is for 70 of them to be baptized.  We are praying by names for all of the dates in our zone and even names for back ups.  People who could possibly be baptized this month as well.  There is a very sweet and powerful spirit in the mission right now and it is growing each day.  I have experienced the increased opposition and know that yes the Gates of Hell are gaping open, but more importantly and more miraculously the Windows of Heaven have been opened and are pouring out more blessings than we have room to receive.  I know that we truly do have ...."Angles round about us on chariots of fire who will flee to our aid," - Jeffrey R. Holland, if we are faithful, wise and rely on the Savior to do what we cannot do for ourselves.  What we have done is set goals as a mission that will allow miracles to happen because they are "gap goals,"  what we can do is only a portion of what is needed to reach the other side.  They are goals that as we do ALL in our power, focusing on the goals we have, that the Lord's almighty omnipotent hands will then come in and intervene.  These are the goals that we as the Massachusetts Boston Mission make and goals that I would like to invite all reading this to make.  I know the power behind them because I have seen the results. 

I am so grateful to be on my mission, to have learned all the many things I have and to have met all the wonderful people here.  I know that this is the Lords work, that it is being hastened and will not be stopped.  If only we as members would get the full vision of what is being done here. Why not help the Lord in his work so that we can fill our days with great rejoicing and happiness as we show our Lord and God that we truly do love our brothers. Why not simply invite 1 person each week to come and see what makes us so happy.  Why should we stop at 1?  The way is simple, the work is simple and the fruits are more delicious than anything we can ever comprehend.  As we but strive to work together in unity and become one, we become the Lords and can better fulfill his will in our lives.  If God who is perfect, all powerful, who knows all things and only wants us to be happy, has prepared a way for us to accomplish just that, and every righteous desire of our hearts, why not follow the plan he has for us?  If God didn't want us to share the gospel by simply inviting our friends and family to come and hear the great news, why would he have established a church that has always been a missionary focused church?  Why would our very first covenants/promises that we make with God be about helping others, keeping the commandments and being a witness of Christ at all times and all in all places?

I know that God loves us and has prepared a way for each of us to come back to live with him once more.  I know that he has given us commandments and covenants to help remind us of what it is we need to do to accomplish that.  I know that as we do our best to do his will he is with us.  He and his angels are on our right hand and on our left, infront and behind us to support, uplift and guide us to what we need to do and say.

I know that Christ lives, that this is his work and our great test is the exact same as his.  To see if we are willing to do whatsoever it is that God the Father asks of us. I have seen the Lord's hands in my life so much and have seen these magnificent blessings pour down from heaven and I want more than anything for ALL to receive these blessings as I have.

The invitation is the same "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I shall give you rest."  The best way we can truly come to Christ is to walk the same path he walked and do the same things he did, which was reaching out to others and sharing with them this wonderful plan of happiness.  I invite all of you reading this to think about at least one person to invite to church, a family home evening or something, so that they can meet the missionaries and feel the Spirit talking to their spirit telling them the message we have is good and familiar.  In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 10/27/2014 10:34 AM

This past week has been busy with Elder Silva getting transferred and everything else going on.  I have had a great time with Elder Silva and am sad that he is gone, but happy because I know New London can use him.

My new companion is Elder Sanchez who is from Mexico, but grew up in New Jersey, so is not too far from home!

This past week has been great!  We got a new car, so now we are driving a 2014 Chevy Cruze, which is tiny, but nice.

This last week EVERY single one of our investigator appointments canceled, which has been a bummer and we have had a lot of other appointments cancel as well.  It has just been one of those weeks I guess.  Even with all the cancellations, it has still been good though.

On Saturday we had an activity called "La Noche Cultural," where we have people from all different countries come and bring food from their country.  We had performances and music.  It was a blast!  We had Alfonso come (a non-member) who we haven't been able to meet with for awhile and he said he has read all of the first book of Nephi twice!  We have a return appointment for this week.

We also have been getting a lot of good potentials and referrals, so hopefully our teaching pool will grow.

Everything is going great, but I am a bit sad because at transfers I got to see a lot of my good friends go home. Everyone I know has died now.  I am happy though because they are getting on with the next part of their lives.  Elder Blackburn. my MTC companion, is now in my District, so it is looking like we will die together :-).  Other than that, things are going great and there is a ton of work to do. 

This morning one of the sisters was sick, so we went over to give her a blessing of health.  She had asked me to give the blessing and so I did.  Afterwards she called me and thanked me for being worthy and in-tune with the Spirit, saying that she feels so much better, and that everything else I said in the blessing is exactly what she needed to hear.  I am so grateful for the Priesthood and the opportunity that I have to hold it.  I am grateful for the opportunity that the Lord gives me to be an instrument in his hands.  I feel like the more time goes by, the more I get use to the Spirit to where it is harder and harder to recognize as strongly.  I think that is the beauty of it.  As I have pondered this I have simply come to the conclusion that as we strive to have it and follow it, it changes our very nature to where it does not need to tell us EVERY thing that we must do because our Father in Heaven knows that what we will do will be in harmony with what the Spirit would have us do. 

I know that this is the Lord's work, that he has a living Prophet on the earth today and his name is Thomas S. Monson.  I know that as we strive to live our lives in a way to place all we are at his feet, we will truly come to find ourselves .

Elder Salerno

Mon 10/20/2014 9:31 AM

Well, where to begin!  So much has happened I will keep it short and sweet hitting some of the big stuff.

 

Last Saturday we had an open house with something that our mission started doing called the "Portable Visitor's Center."  It is sort of like the Visitor's Centers at the Temples, but with a little good ole MBM twist.  We have different stations with different posters and videos.  For instance, Families and Temples is one with videos where people walking through go up to an ipad and can learn more.  It is a very powerful experience going through all of the different stations.  Really in a sense, it takes the basics of how we as Mormons, or rather, as  Latter-Day Saints worship God.  It was overcast and raining and we were worried that it would be a really bad turn due to the weather.  We ALL said a prayer and started to set everything up.  Sure enough, about 30 min. before it starting the weather cleared up, stopped raining and turned out to be a pretty descent day; a little bit chilly, but good.  We had a descent amount of members helping out as well.  Elder Silva and I went on exchanges for a little bit with the Providence English speaking missionaries, so we could cover more ground and get out on the streets to invite more people to come in.  We had members at the doors as people walked by inviting them in and giving them Books of Mormon as well as giving tours through the Visitors Center set up.  We had one English speaking guy come in, go through everything and ask, "How do I get baptized? I want to change my life."  It was an amazing day.  We had inactives come, our Relief Society President brought her Non Member Husband as well.  It was amazing to see the members being filled with the missionary spirit as they were running people down on the streets with Books of Mormon, inviting them in and to hear the good word.  It was a great experience and as I was out with Elder Gunnel on the street we got some good potentials and even one return appointment.

 

In the branch we have been super busy striving to meet all the different goals we set as a branch; to go on splits with the members; going out and doing Home Teaching to make sure it gets done; having Family Home Evenings with members where they invite non-member friends to come join and visiting in-actives.  It has been great.

 

This last P-day we went to a session at the Temple that was amazing!  Then we went into Boston since it will be Elder Lopes' last p-day in Boston since he is going to be finishing his mission this week.  We ended up getting lost and so Elder Silva and I ran about a mile and a half to the car so we could get home on time for our appointments. 

 

This past week we have had a lot of cancellations, but it has still been a great week.  We received t-texts and Elder Silva is getting booted to New London, CT, which is one of my old areas.  He is going to love it there and I am going to miss him.  Time with him has flown by and we have had a blast working together.  He will do a lot of good in New London, so for that I am excited for him.

 

My new companion will be Elder Sanchez who has been out for about 6-8 months and is from Mexico.  That is all I know about him and I think I heard that he has learned English in the mission.   It looks like hopefully I will be able to smooth down those MANY rough edges in my Spanish...I'm hoping anyway.

 

We met with Oswaldo y Vilma yesterday and they won't be making their baptismal date, but they are still working on getting married. They are amazing though.

 

Time goes by way too fast and it seems like lately everything is starting to "crystallize in my mind" more about everything we have been taught since I have been here.  It is cool to see how the Lord prepares each and every one of us in order to become and fulfill the unique things he has in store for each and every one of us.  I love the mission and am so grateful for it and all that it has taught me and still is teaching me.

 

I know that this truly is Christ's church restored on the earth today, that as we but pray for the desire to share the gospel and then act out of faith in sharing it, we are blessed more than we can ever comprehend.  The gospel is easy. In short, turn your life over to Christ and strive to live worthy in order to receive promptings from the Holy Ghost in order to have him as our constant companion.

 

After seeing the change in the members who attended the open house I would like to invite all of you who are reading this to think of a few people who are not members, whether they be neighbors, friends, family or co-workers and invite them to a Family Home Evening with you and the missionaries.  Share with them your testimonies and I can promise you as you exercise your faith and do this you will experience an even more abundance of the Spirit in your lives and be filled with that same excitement that the members here in Central Falls experienced.

Elder Salerno

Mon 10/6/2014 9:21 AM

This past week has been pretty productive, so we have been able to get a lot done.

 

This past General Conference was amazing, at least the parts that I was able to see, but I know that the whole was great as it always is.

 

Yesterday Elder Silva and I went out to Worchester for conference because in between the sessions one of his previous investigators was being baptized and she had asked him to perform the baptism. It was a wonderful treat and experience to have a baptism between the conference sessions.  We stopped by a lot of the members homes to say hi and it was a blast.

 

This past week we went out on splits with the members and were able to get some Home Teaching appointments done and we also had some good appointments with our investigators.  Milvia y Isaac are doing good and we almost finished the Plan of Salvation with them.  They have some really good questions which is great and allows Silva and I to prepare really well for them.

 

Oswaldo y Vilma are doing good as well and it is neat to see the light of the gospel in their eyes increase as we are meeting with them more and more.  

 

Hugo, our friend from English Class came to the Priesthood session of conference as well which was nice to see him. We also had our first meeting with Johnny who is acting as our Branch Mission Leader and that also went pretty well.  We are prepping for the open house this coming Saturday in which we will have the Portable Visitors Center there in both English and Spanish, so that will be awesome and I am looking forward to that.

 

There are a lot of great things going on in the work here and I am excited to be a part of it.

 

Because time is short today I will have to end my email.  I know that this is the work of the Lord and that it will keep moving forward.  I know that He works through the small and weak things to bring about great things.  I am so grateful for family and friends who stand up for what is right and help me to remember what is truly important. Amen.

Mon 9/29/2014 9:05 AM

This past week has left Elder Silva and I exhausted but in a good way.  We spent it finishing getting everything ready for Jose's baptism yesterday which went amazing!  He was tickled pink and had a great time.  Plus we all had a massive feast afterwards which just made it all the more merrier, haha.

 

Also this past week we spent a lot of time on the computer, going through and updating all the programs that we have in place to keep track of the growth of the branch and to help get the leaders more integrated in what we are doing.  We spent a lot of time Saturday doing that as well because that night Presidente Martin wanted us to come to church so we could start to make a Branch Mission Plan.  To add to the fire, we finally have a Branch Mission Leader!  Well, sort of.  It is Jonny Guerrero who is the 1st counselor in the branch.  He is just acting as one parttime until we actually have someone called.  It is great to have someone though.

 

We spent 2 hours, or so, Sat. night coming up with a 5 step branch mission plan.  We feel pretty good about it.  The only reason it really actually got done was that President Hutchins, the Stake President, found out we didn't have one and met personally with Presidente.  It was a great experience.  We talked about it in Branch Council and everyone is on board!  Now as we start to implement it everything will start getting pretty crazy over here in Central Falls, RI!  I am stoked! It is going to take a lot of work getting it going though, but once it is, it will be a huge blessing.  Sunday was great for that reason and I don't know if I had mentioned this, but Jose Rosas was the first baptism the branch has had since it was started a little over 9 months ago!  The members are stoked.

 

We picked up 5 new investigators this past week all of which are looking very promising.   Two of them have baptism dates for the end of October.  The hard part is that we just found out they aren't married.  Good news is they have been together for a while now so we shall see how it goes.  Sometimes on my mission, especially being in the Spanish Program, I feel like a matchmaker.  I have seen and been a part of more weddings on my mission than my whole life before the mission.

 

Needless to say, everything is going great here in good ole MBM Mission. It seems to me like we are taught all these things in our mission over the course of two years and it isn't until the end everything starts to finally click.  I remember hearing time and time again from missionaries going home that now that they are going home they finally understand how to do missionary work!  I feel that is what is happening with me as well.  Things are finally starting to click where all the pieces are starting to come together and it is amazing!  I am so grateful to be out here on my mission, to strive to lose myself in the work and to leave behind all problems and concerns.  I have no clue what will happen afterwards, for the most part, but that is the beauty of it.  I don't need to worry about it because it will all work out the way it needs to as I do my part.

 

On Sunday I tried to prepare my talk since we didn't have anytime during the week.  I don't know why, but it seems like ever since my farewell talks, I have never been able to get anything written down for talks.  It drives me crazy at times.  I spend so much time trying to figure out what the Lord wants me to say, the focus that I am going to have in the topic I have been given.  Anyway once again I had nothing written, but right before Sacrament (really only a few minutes before) it finally came.  Out of all the scriptures that I had read a few that I had selected stood out to me and I knew how I needed to focus on everything.  Then, I wasn't able to give it because one of the testimony bearers spent 15 minutes bearing testimony, so I only had a small, small moment to get up, but I feel that it is something that we all lose sight of at times; what our message as Latter Day-Saints really is.  I think at times we focus so much on the Restoration or the Plan of Salvation, etc., that we often don't comprehend the REAL MESSAGE which is about Christ and his Atonement.  I would invite all of you to remember what the first covenant, or promise that we make when are baptized is when we enter into the church.  You can find that in Mosiah 18:8-10 and then read all of 3 Nephi 17, but focus especially on the first 10 verses because verses 5-10 to me are really this covenant in action.

 

The invitation from Christ has been the same ever since sin had entered the world and that is to come unto him and be saved/healed. We are all afflicted in one way or another.  All of us.  I love this chapter because when it talks about the people who were healed, bringing those who were afflicted and those people are us.  If we have experienced the joy and love of the Savior then it is us that should go and bring those who are afflicted, in whatsoever manner,  to Christ himself, so that he can heal them.  That is our message.

 

Why does Christ want to heal us so badly?  The answer is in D&C19:16-19.  He loves us so much he suffered for us more than we can even come close to comprehend.  "Which Suffering caused himself, even God the Greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore and would not that he should drink the bitter cup and shrink."  Nevertheless, he partook and finished his preparations unto the children of men.  He knows what our sufferings feel like, whatever they may be, and because of that he is filled with compassion wanting nothing more than to lighten our load and make us whole again.  That is the message we have. I invite all of you as you read verses 7&9 of 3 Nephi 17, to think about all the people in your life who are afflicted in one way or another.  That includes family, friends and even the people on the street you don't even know.  Think about the great joy you have felt as you were forgiven and made whole and then with "ONE ACCORD" go and gather them and bring them to Christ.  The result will be one of the most beautiful scenes you could ever imagine in verse 10.  Our joy will be so full that we will ALL worship him together bathing his feet with our tears.  This to me is the message that we have.  That Christ suffered, died and was resurrected that he can make us whole again.  That WE, as we come to taste of the fruit of his Atonement, then go out and bring others to taste of that fruit as well, with ONE ACCORD meaning all of us acting together.  That ALL may bathe his feet with tears of gratitude and joy having come to know Him.

 

This is my prayer that these words which were engraved upon my heart will be engraved upon yours.  That you will work closely and personally with the missionaries and other members in your ward to GO and BRING those who are afflicted to Him our Savior that ALL may experience this great joy as a result.  I know that this is Christ's Church restored on the earth today.  The significance of this is that we have the fulness of his gospel, which will allow us to fully come to him if we chose to let it. 

 

I know that Christ is filled with compassion toward us to the point that he weeps when we weep, and wants nothing more for us than for us to be happy.  He wants to forgive and make us whole.  I know that to be true for I have witnessed that time and time again in my own life.  I know that He lives and truly what joy that sentence gives.  I leave these things with you all in His sacred name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 9/22/2014 9:32 AM

This past week has been a pretty wonderful week filled with a ton of great experiences!  Earlier this week Elder Silva and I headed up to Needham, Massachusetts for his knee surgery which went incredibly well.  We were in and out.... it seemed like.  While he was in surgery, I got to get a little bit of studies in with President Packard in the lobby which was great.  The only bad thing about the surgery was that I wasn't able to video Elder Silva right after he woke up and was a bit out of it, like he wanted me to.  After the surgery we got to spend the night in the mission home and most of the following day as well.  It sure was a different experience, but a great one nevertheless.  We got to see a video of one of the Packard's Family Home Evenings that they had previously when his brother came to visit.  We got to see President Packard rapping with his brother and son Michael.  He told us that back in the day his brother and one of his brother's friends use to rap all the time at school and their rap name was "Bread and Butter"... Haha.  I love that family so much.  It is amazing to see how talented they all are and how they support each other in everything that they do.  We got to witness Michale doing a head slide as well in the middle of the floor.  That was pretty sweet.  Since Elder Silva was walking around pretty good we ended up getting a ride home to our apartment and went to a dinner that night before heading home to take it easy.  The next few days we spent a good amount of time in the apartment until Silva was feeling we could go out again.  I am grateful for that time that we had to do that because I was able to get a lot of studying and pondering done as well as getting caught up in my journal.

 

We had two GREAT lessons with Jose Rosas this week as well as we finished the lessons with him and got the Branch Presidency to come out with us to the lessons!  Because they went so well, we feel that it really helped our leaders feel part of what we were doing.  We went over the Interview questions with him and he is all set other than finishing planning his baptism which we are doing with him this next week.  I am so excited for him. 

 

We picked up 3 people this past week that we're going to be teaching now.  Melvia y Isaac y la familia de ellos y, this lady named Caroline who is Pentecostal who is already going out on the streets sharing what she believes.  I hope everything goes well with her.  She is pretty cool and would be a great member.

 

This past week, Silva and I have been fed like crazy!   We also had a pizza show up at our apartment that his mom ordered over the phone for us.  Along with that, we have been having some pretty  random/funny experiences as well.  Ones that would take me forever to explain because they were just ones that you had to be there for.

 

We have a lot of great things coming up and a lot of Low-Lying Fruit (people who have already had some sort of contact with church before) that we are starting to collect finally and so a lot of potential.  This past week as we were with President Packard I had asked him how he does it.  For those of you who don't know much about him, he is over all the missionaries in the MBM mission, so over 200 missionaries.  He and his wife are pretty much like our parents away from home.  Elder Silva and I had asked him about how many hours of sleep he is able to get every night and he said about 5.  He receives revelation for the mission as a whole, including all the missionaries, and works very closely with ALL the Stake Presidents and leaders in the mission as well.  It really is remarkable when you think about it.  I know how exhausting and yet spiritually invigorating seeking revelation is and as well as giving blessings, but on a very small scale compared to his.  So, back to the question, "How do you do it President?" His answer was short, he said, "Love."  He then quoted Matt 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."  As I have pondered this in my own life and the times where I am most happy, guided and seem to be able to accomplish a whole lot, it is because of this simple and yet profound truth.  I think it is interesting that as we look at the Life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, ALL that he did was to please the Father.  I know that as we but strive to do only those things that will please our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Father in Heaven, we will better be able to come to realize who we truly are as sons and daughters of God.  It is my prayer that we all may look for ways to lose ourselves in the service of our fellow beings and come to realize that when we are in the service of others we are really only in the service of our God (Mosiah 2:17).  I know this will bring us more joy, happiness and blessings that we stand in need of in our life.  I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 9/15/2014 10:09 AM

This past week has been a bit different but really good, nonetheless. Saturday, Elder Silva had members and non-members from his last area come down for his Birthday. We were taken out to eat lunch at a Colombian  Restaurant and then later that night German and Marisol (2 investigators) took us out to Ruth Chris..... Let's just say the steak and calamari was the best I have ever tasted in my entire life.  I love those two people so much.  They are a blast and some of the most giving, and loving people ever.  German has had a very interesting life and is one of the most knowledgeable person I have met, as well as one of the most loving.  Words cannot come close to describe them.  It was a blast!  

 

This last week we picked up 2 new investigators.  One of them was a really weird first visit though.  We had an appointment with Josseline who is an inactive member whose information we got from her brother who is also inactive.  We called her and set up an appointment.  We went to what we "thought" was her house, afterwards realizing we put in the address to a referral we got for a potential investigator.  We knocked the door and this lady yelled out from the 4th floor, "Who dare?!" we answered and she yelled back asking who we were looking for and so we said Josseline and she replied saying, " Oh, she be in da back of da house, fourf flah," so we went around and started walking up which seemed to be an endless flight of stairs.  It was really weird and I have never seen so many doors in a house in my entire life.  Anyway, we get to the door and knock; she opens it and told us to come in and how she has been waiting for us to come.  The part that threw Elder Silva and I off was that she was Dominican and looked nothing like her brother, so we sat inside and got to know her.  She had a Gospel Principles book she had marked like crazy and loved reading.  In the mean time, Silva and I are just stumped trying to put everything together not really sure who on earth this lady was.  It was one of the most awkward and hilarious times on my mission.  I was so confused.  Despite all this confusion it was still a great visit and now we have a return appointment with her this Thursday which should be fun.  She loves learning and seems to have been prepared to hear the gospel, so it will be fun working with her.

 

One of the other great experiences this last week was with Neftali who we haven't been able to meet with for a few weeks.  We went in thinking we were going to be teaching him the Restoration, but the Lord had something different in store for him.  The Spirit was so strong and what happened that night Elder Silva nor I cannot take credit for.  As we listened to the Spirit we stayed on the point of Gods love, asked him if he's ever felt it before.  He said yes, but it has been a long time.  The question then came, do you want to feel it again?  He said yes.  I dont know how to really explain everything that happened, but there was a lot of opposition.  It was all guided carefully by the Spirit.  We go to the point where we asked him to pray, so he can feel that love.  He said he didn't feel ready for it.  Then as we asked more questions (I have no clue what they were) the next thing I know we are just promising him so many things and testifying to him about his potential as a Son of God and many other things.  He said for some reason he felt angry, and all these other things, that night; not toward us, but just felt angry inside.  It was at this point he asked if we could just come back because of how bad he was feeling inside.  I wasn't going to give up on him and especially let him feel worse after meeting with us.  It was very clear that night that Satan and others where there bringing that opposition.  Through persistence, and being guiding by the Spirit, we were able to eventually give him a blessing.  I was able to be the one to be the instrument in the Lords hands and be the mouthpiece for the blessing.  The whole experience was one that I will not forget and one that I am grateful that I was able to experience.  Through persistence, love and the Spirit we were able to help him to feel peace and the Love that God has for him.  It was a remarkable experience and one I am not too sure I should explain more about.  I am so grateful for the Priesthood and that it has been restored on the earth for our use in blessing the lives of others. 

 

Our Gospel Principles class was jam packed yesterday!  We had 10 or 11 people in it!  Six of them were non-members!

 

On friday we had a wedding for Hna Estrada who is one of the most amazing members ever.  It was at the branch building and she made it a  missionary focused wedding which was pretty cool. There were about 26 or 27 non-members there.

 

This week has gone by so quick and was jammed with so many different things it is hard to express everything, so sorry if it is all over the place.  I am stoked because tomorrow I get to study with President Packard and sleep over at the Mission Home because my companion is having knee surgery.  It will be a cool experience.

 

This last week I finally feel that all that the Lord has been teaching me over the years is starting to sink in and make sense. It is interesting how it seems like it is at the end of the mission that EVERYTHING starts to make sense about how to do things.

 

I am so grateful for our loving Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ.  I know that they are all merciful, loving and have special plans for each of us to accomplish in our lives. I know that through them ALL things are possible.  I am so grateful for what they have allowed me to learn and come to know.  I leave these things with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 9/8/2014 9:53 AM

This last week has been a pretty great week.  It has had its trials, but a week I am very grateful for nonetheless.  We unfortunately were not able to get a lot of work done in our area due to interviews, going to the Temple for an endowments session for a kid we worked with who is about ready to go on his mission, and then attending a baptism for somebody that Elder Silva worked with.  It has been a blast.  I was not able to have my interview with President Packard last Tuesday after emailing because he was running behind and had a HUGE meeting he needed to get to that night.  I will be going to the mission home in a week or two any way because Elder Silva will be getting a minor surgery on his knee and so Sister Packard wants us to stay the night up there afterwards since it will be in MA. I will get to have my interview then and pick our Mission President's brain a little bit ;).  I am looking forward to it.

This past week I have been overwhelmed with a sense of great gratitude for the greatness, love, mercy and wisdom of our Loving Father in Heaven, in His Son Jesus Christ and as well as the Holy Ghost.  I have found that I am starting to recognize things I had never before really taken notice of in my life.  Those small and simple things.  For example, on Sunday I was overwhelmed as the opening prayer was offered in Sacrament Meeting as I opened my eyes and looked out at all of the faithful Saints who were in attendance, all with their heads bowed down coming together to worship their Savior and learn more of him, united in their faith.  I have felt an overwhelming appreciation for trials that come into our lives, no matter what they may be, where our faith is tried.  I have been learning more and more of the importance of continued faithfulness to things the Lord has previously told us and as we do so the great peace that comes into our hearts as a result.

As time goes by on my mission I seem to be learning more and more of two things each and every day.  That is, the truth that Satan is real and that Jesus Christ is indeed the Savior and Redeemer of the World, who came to deliver us from bondage, whatever that bondage may be.  I am so very eternally grateful that amidst all of the trials that go on in our lives, we have a Comforter and Guide in all things.  I am so grateful for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  That wonderful member of the Godhead to teach us and guide us in this life as we but rely on him.

The other day Elder Silva and I were talking to this girl Josselyn, who will be leaving on her mission this Tuesday for Salt Lake City.  As we were talking, this member from the English Ward came and started talking to her, giving her some tips and pointing some things out to her.  One of the things he said really stuck out to me and is VERY true and something that I think and feel I should bring up to all reading this.  He said the reason why new missionaries in the field are some of the most powerful in teaching, and just awesome missionaries, is because they really don't know anything and so need to RELY on the SPIRIT (Holy Ghost) more to help them.  Now this isn't just applicable to missionaries, but every single one of us.  I feel that if we all took time to slow down a little bit and really think about the things we have learned, the experiences we have had, and humbled ourselves in the depths of humility, acknowledging our nothingness before God and our great need for him (Mosiah 4:11), we would start to feel this sweet, guiding influence of the Spirit even more in our lives.  This wonderful companionship will be with us in ALL that we do as long as we live worthy of it.  If we truly want the best in our lives, for us and our families, we would be wise to live our lives in a way that we are ALWAYS susceptible to the divine guidance and heavenly influence of this member of the Godhead.  Can you imagine how much better our lives would be if we TRULY counseled with the Lord in all our doings?- Alma 37:37.  No matter what decision we are making in life, no matter what we want to learn, to do or become, we have a wonderful, loving, perfectly wise and all knowing Father in Heaven who is so EAGER to help us!

I love my mission so much and for the many things I have been blessed to learn from others here and that the Lord has taught me through the Power of the Holy Ghost.  I am not perfect and have a long way to go in order to keep progressing and becoming who the Lord would have me be, but I am so grateful that the Lord loves us enough to give us the Gift of the Holy Ghost, even that Member of the Godhead to lead us to ALL TRUTH.

It is my prayer that we all may seek to find ways to court the Spirit, to be humble enough and more receptive to its influence and make the necessary adjustments to do so.  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church restored on the earth once again.  That miracles have not cease.  That God still talks to his children in this day and age and that ALL can come to know all things through the Power of the Holy Ghost.  I am so grateful for the process the Lord allows us to go through in order to keep learning and progressing.  I leave these things with you and pray that you may be blessed with whatever guidance and things that you stand in need of in your lives, and do so in the sacred name, of Jesus Christ. Amen.