Mon 7/29/2013 9:01 AM

This past week my heart has been filled with such gratitude for everything in my life.  I am so grateful that the Lord in his great mercy has been bringing back to my remembrance the things he has done for me and those whom I hold dear in my life.  There is so much beauty in the family and it is no wonder to me why the family unit is central to the Lord's plan for his children.  It is a place where we can learn, grow and develop in a loving atmosphere and where we are surrounded by those who only want us to succeed.  So I am very grateful for my wonderful family and everything that each individual brings to the table to add their own insight on things.

This last week there was a lot of great things that happened.  We met with Kayla and actually are practicing for an inter-faith musical event coming up.  We are doing "I Need Thee Every Hour," and she is playing the guitar and her boyfriend is singing with Elder Jones and I.  I am a little bit nervous because there will be a lot of really good performers there, but it is ok because we will bring the Spirit with us!  When we have the Spirit with us it doesn't matter if we sing horrible or not... Haha, but honestly we are not too bad.

We were able to visit with a referral we received from a member, with the member there, and it was an amazing 1st lesson.  The spirit was very strong and we were able to teach in unity and love.  Her name is Flor and we are excited to be teaching her.

We also met with a less active family that we have been working with for a time, whom I really have come to love so much and found out another one of their needs for sure, something we have thought, and so we have been basing our lessons around, and they finally just opened up and said, we believe this church is true and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, but we don't believe in the Book of Mormon. So, we brought back to their remembrance some of the wonderful experiences we have had with them from reading from the Book of Mormon and how they felt the Spirit testifying to them and explained more about the Spirit and how it cannot testify of something false.  It was a wonderful visit and we shared many things through the Spirit and committed them to read the Book of Mormon and keep praying until they receive an answer.  Before they only prayed once or twice and expected it right then.  We have them on a reading schedule to finish it in 100 days to fit with their schedule.

A lady in our branch gave birth to a baby boy the other day and he has heart issues.  They were separated for a day or two because they sent her home and he stayed in the hospital, but now they are re-united.  We visited them last night and he is so precious.  She wanted us to give him a blessing and asked me to give it.  It was a very touching experience for me to give that blessing and afterward my companion and I felt such great peace, love and gratitude for everything, especially the Priesthood and to be able to hold it worthily.

On Friday we had a baptism for an 8 year old girl named Rachel Marquez.  It went very well, but let's just say that the day was insane, so many things went wrong, but there was a lot of laughter a long with it so let's just leave it at that..... Haha.

Yesterday I gave a talk in sacrament pretty much on the fly.  I was told to have something prepared just in case some one didn't show up.  I had about 30 min., but the Spirit guided me in what I needed to talk about and what scriptures to use and everything.  I wasn't even nervous.  I remember in Exodus 4 that when Moses was told to go forth and preach he was very nervous and doubtful because of he was slow of speech and didn't think he was fit to do the Lord's errand.  The Lord showed him signs that really all is possible through him, but he still doubted.  This is the conversation between him and the Lord-
10 ¶And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of ^aspeech, and of a ^bslow tongue.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who ^amaketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?  Have not I the Lord?

So verse 11 has been in my mind a lot with the language and has been a great source of help to me.  I remembered this and went forward with faith.  During sacrament I felt the Spirit completely envelope me and then the speaker before me I could understand pretty much perfectly.  After she was done I then got up and spoke about the Atonement and how that applies to missionary work.  I did it with no notes or anything, just completely relying on the Spirit, the scriptures I planned on sharing I felt I shouldn't and so shared others that came to mind.  It truly is amazing how the Lord works by the faith of the children of men.  The spanish that rolled off my tongue came naturally and the rest of the day I could understand most of everything that was going on.

So, for those who may be wondering how the guitar learning is going.  I have learned, "I Need the Every Hour;" "How Firm a Foundation," and I am currently working on, "The Spirit of God," which I have down, just not too quick at it yet.  It is amazing how much we can truly fit into our schedules when we just plan properly and space things out smartly.
 
For lack of time I have, I strongly encourage you all to read and feast on the word's of Enos in the Book of Mormon because there is so much wonderful information in that chapter on how we can truly keep our baptismal covenant we made with the Lord; to stand as a witness of Jesus Christ at all times and in all places.  I have come to love this chapter more and more and I have pondered it.

I would like to bear my testimony on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I pray that the Holy Ghost will be with me as I do so and carry this testimony to your hearts for truly it is the most important event that ever has happened or ever will happen in all time and eternity.

For I know that it is the source of all joy and a well of living water for us.  It is the fruit that Lehi saw in the vision about the tree of life.  It is the very bases of all Christian beliefs and doctrine.

All those reading this, I want you yo know that I know with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World.  He is the Messiah, which means the anointed one.  He was chosen to be the Savior of the children of men and he is the only one who could have done what He did, which was to take upon himself, not only the sins of the whole world, but also the sicknesses, infirmities, and everything that we go through in this life that just is not right.  Whether that be sadness, depression, anger, pain and whatever else affects our happiness.  This burden was so intense that it "Caused himself, even God the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit- and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink-."  I know that this event happened because I have used the Atonement in my life and have felt the love of God, which love causeth my soul to rejoice and share this wonderful message with others.  For it is not only for our sins, but to receive the grace or the enabling power in order to continue on in our journey in this life until we can once again return to live with our Heavenly Father and become like Him.

I know that Jesus Christ lives and because He lives we can do all things through Him for truly "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

It is my prayer that those of you who have felt the redeeming power of the Savior to always remember how that feels.  Remember that overwhelming sense of joy and peace of knowing you are clean and I promise you that as you remember these experiences and the greatness of God and your own nothingness (recognizing you dependence on God) you will feel an overwhelming desire to keep your baptismal covenant to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places.  This my friends is the greatest source of Joy we can receive.  To use the Atonement to become clean, to use the Atonement in all things that we endeavor to do, praying with all our hearts and souls for the grace or enabling power of our Savior.

For all of you who feel your testimony in Jesus Christ is not as strong as it once was or that it is not as strong you would like, I invite you to remember your prier experiences and move forward with faith, remembering daily these things and clinging to the power of the Atonement; relying wholly on the Lord in all that you do.

For those of you that feel lost and that you cannot feel this joy of which I speak, I testify as a representative of Jesus Christ Himself that you can come to feel this great peace and joy once again in your lives as you humble yourself and turn to the Lord and apply the Atoning blood of Jesus Christ to your life.  We are truly never to deep or too far gone to where the Lord's arm cannot reach us.

Of these things I solemnly and gratefully testify, in the sacred name of our Lord, and Savior, even Jesus Christ, amen.

7/22/2013 9:38 AM

This past week there has been a lot of good going on.  On Saturday we had a Stake family day and they wanted all the missionaries in the Stake to come to help out, so we did.  It was a blast!  I was assigned to pass out Otter Pops to everyone and there was a flood of little kids from 3-5 yrs. who would come back every few minutes for another since it was so hot, but I loved it so much.  It is so hard to observe the ways little children talk and act and not be filled with a greater love and respect for all of our many blessings from our loving Heavenly Father.

During this week we were lucky to be able to meet with Camilo (Alma's son).   He had a lot of really good questions.  I am glad that we were able to answer them and shed some light on some of the things he just didn't understand why we do what we do in the church.   Concerning his doubts that arose we shared a few scriptures where the Lord tells us to prove him and his words.  We then bore our testimonies that the Lord will make these things known to us if we but ask in faith with real intent.  It is truly remarkable that we do not have to rely on what others say, but that we can find out for ourselves directly from the source. 

 

I love the Book of Mormon and love sharing scriptures from it and inviting others to come closer to Jesus Christ and to put the Book of Mormon to the test.  The best part is that I can do this with a perfect confidence because I know with all my heart that they will receive the same answer that I and many others have received.

 

I do not have much time today because there are a lot of people waiting for computers here at the library, but I do know that this church is true and I know that those who truly want to come closer to Christ and follow him can do more so by reading the Book of Mormon and the Bible together.  For the one adds more clarity to the other and a more complete witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World and our Redeemer and that through Him we can have peace and joy.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wed 7/17/2013 11:31 AM

This last week has been pretty crazy busy and hopefully I can make at least some sense since I am a little out of it today.

This week we have been on the bikes every day and they have real issues!  It is nice though to be able to get around more and be able to fit in a lot more visits.

There has been a sickness that has been going around our district.   It started with the district leader then my companion Elder Jones got sick and then I got sick because I accidently drank out of his water bottle.  So, needless to say it has been fun.  There seems to be a lot of sicknesses out here!  Anyway, we have been sweating it out on the bikes and yesterday we ended up riding 21 miles, so we are pretty exhausted, especially since there are a lot of good sized hills here.  

I am still in Bridgeport and have not been transferred.  Alma is still not baptized.  It will happen, I am pretty sure, but things just keep coming up.  Her husband is in the hospital still and probably won't be able to go to her baptism, but she still knows the experience she had and we are keeping in touch with her.  Because of this whole ordeal though we started to teach her son Camillo again and we got his interest.  We stopped by trying to meet with Alma and she wasn't there, but Camillo was.  We met with him and got to know his beliefs more and then asked him some questions that got him thinking.   He expressed how since there are so many different religions it is hard to know what is real and what isn't.  We then asked him a question and taught him and bore testimony that he could find out for himself by praying and asking God.  We showed him how to pray, and some ways that the Holy Ghost could manifest the truth to him.  We then shared part of the restoration about Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon came to be.  We invited him to accept the Book of Mormon and pray about it.  We got down on our knees right then and there and he asked God if he should read it.  The thought, "give it a shot" kept coming to his mind and we then explained to him that is one of the ways that the Holy Ghost can tell us what we need to do.  He is reading it and we are going to meet with him tomorrow.

We got another investigator who is a girlfriend of one of the youth in out branch, her name is Kayla.   Our district does a prayer list for a week until our meetings and so each companionship chooses one person they feel that we all should pray about and come up with some specific things to pray about for that specific person.  It is amazing to see the results.  All the people we have prayed about have progressed as everyone does their part.

The Lord truly does hear and answer our faithful prayers especially when we are all united in purpose.  I decided to read the Book of Mormon in 50 days in Spanish and so a lot of my free time goes to that, which honestly isn't much free time.  So my guitar learning will have to wait a little longer.

Everything is going really good.  I am getting to know my companion more and we are starting to be able to work a little better together.  On Saturday we went to a baptism for the Sullivan family.  A family I have really only had the chance to meet with and teach twice, but have become really close to them.  They are such a wonderful family and it was an amazing experience to see all of them get baptized together!  The spirit that was in the room was incredible and then that same day they were all confirmed members in the church.  All the missionaries were invited to confirm the mother and her daughter as members and that was a pretty unique experience.  Every time I hear the words "Receive the Holy Ghost" I feel the Spirit so strongly and my love increases along with greater gratitude for the Priesthood. 

I would like to bear my testimony today to all of you on prayer and how beautiful it truly is.  I know that prayer truly is direct communication with our loving Heavenly Father, and that through it all we can come to know for ourselves that we are the sons and daughter of God and that we can turn to him always for our support.  I know that it is through our sincere, faithful prayers that miracles happen and that we come closer to our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ.  Some of the most precious experiences in my life have been though truly praying to my Father in Heaven and how grateful I am for this.  When we truly "Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.." miracles happen.

 

I know that this church is true and that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that we have a prophet on the earth today who is Thomas S. Monson.  I know that all those who desire to know these things for themselves can ask God in prayer and receive that witness for themselves.  I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 7/8/2013 10:44 AM

For July 4th we did service in the extremely humid heat, then we came home completely exhausted and dead, planned a bit, then went up with all the missionaries in our district and ate at a member's house.   Played volleyball, basketball, then went with the Sullivan family to play ultimate frisbee and watch the fireworks.  It was really, really nice. 

This past week there has been a lot that happened, too much to write about!  I think I want to focus on yesterday.

 

We confirmed Milena, which was an awesome experience.  After sacrament we taught the youth. a last second thing since their teacher wasn't there.  That was awesome.  They just got back from a Pioneer Trek and had a good experience.  In short, we related that experience to them being pioneers today and helped them see their potential.  As we spoke I felt the Spirit speaking through us so powerfully! After that we had a lunch with a LA and we are teaching her and her daughter to get them ready for baptism on the 26th of this month (it is very hard to have a full fast in the Spanish program!).  

 

We got to ride our new bikes that we got last week (they are old, and in very bad shape due to previous accidents) and we rode everywhere.  We stopped and talked to a man named Kenny who waved us down, and he was interested.  All the things he was saying to us lined up with what we believe, but he didn't want a Book of Mormon, but accepted a Pamphlet. It was a nice little discussion we had.  Then we continued to visit with some of the Potential investigators we have.  I don't think I have ever sweated as much in my entire life as we did that day.  We finally got an appointment for this week, so we are so excited.

 

We met with a bunch of people on the way home and are currently working with a couple to help them get married so the lady can get baptised and the man get the Priesthood.

 

We are starting a Bible study class as well and are working to get it advertised so we can get all people, members and non-members to come to it and hopefully spark some more interest.

 

There is a lot of good stuff happening here and transfers are coming up =/.  I hope I will be able to stay a little longer, but if I get transferred, then oh well, it will be where I need to be. 

 

I am so grateful for all of my many blessings, and I can see that the Lord is helping me learn the language so quickly, more quickly than I ever could on my own.  As time goes by, and when I don't worry about it, I am just speaking more and more spanish and understanding more and more.  It truly is remarkable.

I want to bear my testimony that I know that this church is true, I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that he lives.  I know that this is His church and His work and that all who come unto Him can come to know a peace and joy they couldn't come to know otherwise.

 

I know that those who believe in the Bible and are willing to read the Book of Mormon and ask God if it is true will find out for themselves of its truthfulness.  I ask you to please put to test my words and find out for yourselves these things.  I leave this with you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 7/1/2013 10:48 AM

This last week seemed like we had no time to do missionary work because of all the different meetings we had and things to prepare for, but it was an awesome week!  We met with a referral we received from the sisters who are so awesome.  We were only able to stop in for a few moments because they were super busy, but we were able to use the priesthood and give a blessing on her house and family.  Her house was truly a refuge from what is going on outside in the world and she is an awesome lady.  She has the light of Christ so much already, I hope she will be willing to learn more and be able to add to that light because if she does then man, she will be awesome!

 

We had interviews with President Packard and a training by the traveling Elders on Zion.  It was all very, very good, especially meeting with Pres. Packard.  He is truly an amazing man and the love he has for everyone and the knowledge of the gospel and his ability to follow the Spirit is a great example to all of us.

 

A lot of the stuff that we had planned and set up this week seemed to fall through and there was a lot of walking, but that is how it goes sometimes, but it's always worth it, especially when the Lord puts us where he needs us to meet someone he has been preparing. It seems like we run into so many people and have to pass them off to the English Elders, but it's awesome because it is all the same work! 

 

We spent all day Saturday prepping for Sunday, since now every 5th Sunday we have to pretty much take care of classes and everything.  We spent all day prepping for our talks in sacrament, selecting the videos to watch from the missionary broadcast 2 weeks ago, planned for a branch Family Home Evening and then the baptism that night for Milena Lopez.  It was a long but awesome day.  The sisters were at the chapel also for a little bit because they had to practice a musical thing they were performing on Sunday, so we got to listen and it was very moving and beautiful.  I am so grateful for people who develop their talents and skills and share them with people.  I wish I did more of that when I was younger, but there is always time!  (by the way, this is random, but on P-days and when there is free time that doesn't interfere with the work I am learning how to play the guitar from Elder Lefthand). 

 

So, back to Saturday prepping...after much praying I felt I needed to speak about our baptismal covenants and also about building Zion.  All day I tried to put things together and I just wasn't satisfied.   I then woke up early Sunday to try and finish and get things on paper.  I remembered about my experiences prepping my farewell talks before my mission and got on my knees and prayed with everything I had sharing my righteous sincere desires.  I felt the Spirit and very peaceful and that everything was going to be ok. During sacrament meeting as I partook of the sacrament I felt the Spirit wash over me completely again giving me the peace I needed.  I got up with my scriptures and a lot of note cards that I might use if the Spirit directed and also had True to the Faith or en espanol Leales a la fe.  I expressed my gratitude and then paused and relied wholly on the spirit.  I was able to talk about the baptismal covenant and what it means to build Zion and why it is important.  It was truly amazing to see the Lord helping me through my weakness in the language and truly as the scriptures say, make weak things become strong.  After me Elder Jones got up and talked and that was awesome as well.  It all tied in perfectly and he let everyone know the things that we as missionaries are here to do and why we are here.  After that Hermano Borjas our Branch Missionary Leader got up and talked on the same things and really backed us up.  We were all unified and didn't even know what the other was going to talk about.  It was amazing.

 

For Priesthood and Relief Society we watched the videos from the broadcast and that was awesome to have the Prophet and the Apostles back up the words we said last Sunday in branch counsel, when pretty much everyone thought we were joking.  So, it was an awesome Sunday.  There were a lot of people excited afterwards. Now we just have to figure out how we can get out there to visit with everyone!  We then had F.H.E and it was a nice turn out and there was a lot of food!

We got a ride by Hermano Borjas to the Trumbull building where the baptism would be and we got ready for it.  I practiced over and over again in Spanish what I needed to say to baptize Milena.  I was fine and had it down.  Then the time came and for some reason I got really nervous once I got in the water.  Then as my heart was pounding I almost forgot everything lol, but it came and it was a successful first one.  When I said those words I honestly can't even come close to explain the way I felt, but there are no words to even come close.  There is so much power in those words.  We had almost 40 people there and pretty much all the single adults from New Haven came down to support Milena since they met her once before at institute.  It was a great day.

 

This morning after my study I studied the hymn books and the songs in them and how beautiful they are and the scriptures they came from.  I love the introduction to the hymn book and I encourage all of you reading this to read it and do as it directs, for there truly is so much power in music. 

I would like to bear my testimony that I know with all my heart and soul that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Church of Jesus Christ restored in its fullness on the earth today along with the Holy Priesthood of God.  The same Priesthood that Christ and his disciples used to heal the sick, raise the dead and give comfort to those who were in need of comfort, it has been restored along with the Authority to use it.

 

I know that we are all here on the earth for the same purpose and that all who have received the wonderful blessing of coming to know of the truthfulness of the gospel have the sacred responsibility to share it with all other people so they to can come to know what we know.

 

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer and knows each and everyone of us perfectly.  I know that he truly did take upon himself all of our sins, sicknesses, infirmities and everything we go through in this life that is unjust and just not right and suffered for all of these things which caused himself "  even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might ^bnot drink the bitter cup, and shrink—" 

D&C 19:18

I know this because I felt his love in my life and his redeeming power.  I know that He lives and because He lives we truly can overcome anything that is put in our life that seems too big or too overwhelming if we but turn to him.  I know that all people can come to know this for themselves and come to feel what I have felt IF they read The Book of Mormon, ponder the things in it, and then with real intent and all sincerity ask God himself in mighty prayer if it is true, that they WILL receive an answer testifying of the truthfulness of it.  We can apply this method to all things we do.  Should we come to a cross road and need to make a decision we can ask God and he will guide us.  I know these things are true with all my heart, soul and mind for I have done them myself.

 

As a representative of Jesus Christ I invite ALL to come unto Him, to learn of Him.  I promise all who do this and the things I have bore witness of, WILL come to know that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God, the Lord and Savior of all the World and will come to know that this truly is his Church restored on the earth today; that the Book of Mormon is true and that we have a Prophet on the earth today just as in times of old whose name is Thomas S. Monson.  I leave this promise and my love to all of you in that sacred name, even the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 6/24/2013 12:53 PM

I'm glad to hear that girls camp went really well and you had a good time there.

 

Sounds like you had a really good time with Grandpa.  I miss them. I got a letter from Grandma about the card I sent her.  She is so loving, I miss her so much!

 

You will need to send me pics of the pics Uncle Paul and Aunt Janice took while on their trip to Italy.  I would love to see them.

 

Yeah, it is so cool about Alma and Milena getting baptised.  Plus, Milena's family is warming up to us which is good and will help open the door to getting their whole family into the church. Hopefully.

So, for as this last week......we were very busy!  A lot of things fell through, but there is always something to do.

 

We started teaching a 9 year old boy who wants to be baptized (we got permission from his mom).  His name is Bebo.  His grandparents are members so he comes to church with them sometimes.

 

We still have a lot of people we need to visit with from the lists we got from the branch, so we went ahead and started contacting them (or trying).  There was an inactive lady who lives right around the corner from us.  There was about 10 people out in front of her house hanging out on the stairs.  They said she lived there and that we had to yell to her to get a hold of her.  So we did, she replied, but didn't come down.  While we were there we started talking to the people outside her house and they were curious about who we were, so we told them.  I started talking to an old man who was in the Vietnam war and who believed in Jesus Christ, but man was his heart hardened, lol.  I thanked him for his service to our country and he started to give me the story of his family.  After talking to him we talked to a single mom with 2 kids and ended up giving her a pamphlet on the Plan of Salvation.  It was a good little discussion we had.

 

On the walk home we ran into two other people.  One guy drove by and pulled over asking us for the cards of Jesus and told us why he stopped us.  He was invited awhile ago to our church, but lost the address and so we gave it to him; got his number and will follow up with him.  It was pretty cool, and it just goes to show you that as long as you are doing your best and planning your days the best you can the Lord will put people in your path because he knows where you are going to be and when you will be there.

 

We then ended up talking to a homeless person who came up to us and started talking about things I wasn't even sure he knew he was talking about.  He didn't like the people who lived in Bridgeport, he made that very clear.

 

After this we ran into a bunch of people drinking and a lady called us over and wanted to get our number, a Book of Mormon and a card because she was curious about our church.  She also loved my name for some reason and the fact that she guessed it was Italian....

 

So, there have been a lot of pretty fun and awesome street contacting moments and even more yesterday of which I wish I had time to write about.  I love the people here so much and they all love us, they call us, "The Jesus People" lol.

On Sat. we had language training by Pres. Packard's cousin who serves as mission Pres. in Chile and it was mostly about how we can work with the culture.  We also learned a lot of really cool things that I am excited to apply when we meet with people.

 

Yesterday the Melendez family came to church and when I saw them there my heart filled with joy!  I love them and was so grateful to finally see them there.  After church there was a broadcast from the Marriot Center in Provo, UT about missionary work and it was awesome!  Oh, also on Sunday Elder Jones and I got to teach primary about baptism and repentance.  Oh how much I love those little kids.  They are so awesome!  There is truly nothing greater than to hear them answer, when asked why they want to be baptized, and hear them say, "because I want to follow Jesus..." oh what precious words. 

My heart is filled with such gratitude at this time for all that the Lord has done for me and is doing for me.  I can feel my heart expanding more and more each day and hopefully one day like Enoch, my heart will have expanded as wide as eternity!

 

To all of you reading this I would like to bear my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer and that he loves us and has a plan for each and everyone of us and that He lives.  We can come to see a glimpse of that plan and of our true potential if we but turn to him and do as he would have us do.  I know that as we read the Book of Mormon and ponder the teachings in it and pray and ask God with all sincerity of heart if it is true, we will receive an answer that it is true.

 

I ask, can you receive any greater witness than from God?  When you come to know of the truthfulness of it would you then decide to follow God who is your Father in Heaven who created you and who is perfect, who knows all things, who has all power in both heaven and in earth and who loves us beyond our ability to fully comprehend, or would you decide to turn your back on him?

 

I testify and bare record that there is nothing else in the world or in this life that can even come close to knowing of the love that our Father in Heaven has for each of us.  By deciding to choose him and follow him we can receive everlasting life and spend time and all eternity with our families and those whom we love.  I testify that if we follow him by repenting of our sins, being baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood and has the Authority from God, by receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to then end, we will continually progress and become more and more like him.

 

I plead to all that are not members of the church to put these words to the test.  Come and partake of the joy, happiness, love and knowledge which I have come to know and cherish in my heart and soul.

 

For those of you who are members of the church I encourage you to do all you can to remember the covenants you made when you were baptized to show God you would follow him by joining his church; taking the name of Jesus Christ upon you; to... "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those in need of comfort," to "Stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places," and to serve God and to keep his commandments. 

Live worthily to have the Holy Ghost with you at all times and in all places for that is such a great blessing in our lives, for it is through the Holy Ghost we can come to know the things of God, those things he wants us to know, have the ability to help others and truly endure to the end.  Look for ways to have it more abundantly and I promise you by the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood which I hold and as a representative of Jesus Christ that this will be one of the greatest blessings in your life for you will come to know true peace, and joy.

 

"O that thou had'st hearkened to my commandments-then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea."

I leave these things with you in the sacred name, of Jesus Christ, amen.

Fri 6/21/2013 1:25 PM

I don't have too much time this week to write about how everything is going, but it is going really well!

We have two baptismal dates for Alma - 7/713 (the one who was investigating for 9 years!) and for Milena - 6/30/13 (the daughter of Mariah who was baptized 2 months ago.   There have been a lot of awesome experiences this past week, but I want to focus on one for sure and maybe two.

For those of you who do not know, as missionaries we have a day once a week where we plan for the up coming week.  It takes a lot of time and is very tiring, but very worth it!  There is a lot of discussing; praying and a wonderful revelatory process.  After much time we were able to receive guidance on what exactly we needed to share with Alma for our visit.  It was on Moses 7, the part where Enoch asks God why he weeps.  We felt we needed to link it to the love that she has for her family for her to try and comprehend, in the smallest degree, the love God has for her. 

When it came time to go and meet with her we arranged for a sister who will be leaving on her mission soon to meet us there and help us teach.  As we taught through the Spirit, doing the things that Heavenly Father inspired us to share and teach, the Spirit was very present and took over!  It was awesome!  Alma finally opened up to us and expressed her fears and concerns and we were then able to address those concerns and fears.

Next thing I know, the Spirit took over and with the Spirit speaking through me I stated, "Alma, we are representatives of Jesus Christ and holding his Holy Priesthood, the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, we promise you..." and then gave promises which I cannot remember.  Never at any time in a lesson or in my life did the Power of my calling hit home and the Power of the Priesthood hit home more than at this moment and especially after this visit.

After the promises that were stated, we then continued and invited her to pray right then, on her knees, with us to know if Heavenly Father wanted her to get baptized, and then promised her right then and there that if she would do it right then she would receive that answer.  She accepted and we got down on our knees and we explained to her that after the prayer we wanted her to take a few moments to ponder how she felt.  We prayed and remained kneeling waiting for that confirmation.  We then proceeded and asked her how she felt and she replied that she felt a great calm and peace.

The Spirit was so strong right then and my soul was filled with such joy I cannot come close to explain.  I then, with such a great love and eyes starting to tear up said, "Alma, that is the Holy Ghost confirming our words to you and answering your question."  We then extended a date and she accepted joyfully.  I cannot even come close to explain this experience or try to share the love and spirit that was in that room at that time.

I want you all to know that I know that Heavenly Father knows each and everyone of us perfectly and knows exactly what we need.  This experience is a witness of that, and after 9 years Alma finally has a date and an experience that she knows she can never forget.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and knows each and every one of us perfectly and knows exactly what we need.

 

I know that we ALL can come to know his great plan for us through striving to have his Holy Spirit with us at all times, in all places and doing our very best to always follow the promptings we receive from it.

 

Oh how great a cause we all have to rejoice, for He who overcame death even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has restored his Church fully on the earth which includes His Holy Priesthood!

 

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that it is only through his Atonement we can overcome all things and once again return to live with our Heavenly Father.

 

Last of all, I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves each and everyone of us so much more than we can ever come close to comprehending.

 

I leave this testimony with you all in his sacred name, the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 6/10/2013 10:02 AM

Elder Jones mi nuevo companero. El es awesombroso. He is awesome!  It is still weird having a new companion especially since Elder Hawks and I got really close, but I know the Lord put us both together for a reason and that reason, I don't know yet, but I will. He is really cool, but a bit different.

I have been working him to death!  We have so much stuff to do it is crazy.  The other day I listed everything out that we needed to do, it really hit me hard!   So much to get done!  I have been praying hard lately about it and the Lord has been helping me know what to do.  I love that I can always rely on Him for added strength to keep me going when I physically can't.  His grace truly is sufficient.  I am learning more and more what it means to lift with feeble knees.  I am so grateful for that though.  It takes me beyond what I think is physically possible and shows me even more the greatness of God and how we as humans can truly not even come close to comprehend all the things God does no matter how hard we try or how much we think we know.

This last week was pretty dang busy!  We had a lot of visits since Elder Hawks was going home and a lot of food we had to eat back to back.  Boston was amazing as well!  I loved it so much I could honestly see myself living there one day, maybe.  On friday it rained non stop all day and it was really coming down hard!  Luckily it was our planning day, so we got a lot done, but we kept having to take a lot of breaks because water was seeping up through the floor (we live on the bottom floor which is below ground level a little bit).  The carpet is still wet and it smells like wet dog even though we have been doing all we can to dry it up.

We had 102 people at sacrament on Sunday! The English ward only had 3 more members than us - it was cool! 

As for the awesome experiences this last week there are a lot, but really only one I wanna talk about, but I may share a few other encounters.

Sunday we left our branch after sacrament to go to the new English ward for Ana and Tyres confirmation (after a lot of prayer and counseling, it was found to be better for them to go to this ward).  It came time to get up and confirm them members and I found out up there that I was confirming Tyre because he wanted me to....I was like, "What?!"  I wish I had time to prepare before hand because I was so nervous.  Afterward the bishop commented on my facial expression when I found out I was doing it.  Anyway, I did it and it was beautiful and I am so very grateful for that opportunity.  I remember the Spirit that I felt when I said the words, "Tyre Barnette by the authority of the Melchezideck Priesthood which we hold we confirm you a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and say unto receive the Holy Ghost."  The feeling that was there was amazing!  To know that I hold the Holy Priesthood of God which is the authority, ability and power given to man to act in the name of God for the salvation of his children touches my heart in such a way I cannot ever come close to expressing my gratitude to the Lord.  To know that our Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only Church on the whole planet that holds this authority to perform baptisms, confirmations, heal the sick, give a blessing of comfort and peace, bless houses, etc. is just mind blowing and I am so grateful for that and to know how great of a blessing this is for myself, and also for my family now and down the road when I have a family of my own.  After this experience I remember sitting during sacrament and I looked over where Ana and Tyre were sitting and when I saw them partake of the sacrament my heart filled with such a love and joy I cannot express.  To know and see that they chose to follow our Savior Jesus Christ, to see them partake of this sacred ordinance to covenant to always remember him, to keep his commandments so that they can always have His spirit to be with them really hit home to me.  I remembered the first time I was able to partake of the sacrament and how much it means to me.  I love it so much and am so grateful for it in my life.

Another experience with the Priesthood ( I guess today that will be what I am focusing on :-D) - we now have two sisters in our area, the first 2 sisters in this area.  They have a new apartment and so we were asked to go and bless it.  We blessed the house that it would be a place of refuge, peace and a place where the Spirit can reside at all times.  The love, peace that filled that house afterward was so apparent.  To know we can make our homes places like this and a place where all can come in and feel that peace, that joy, is so amazing to me.

There were a lot of great run ins we had this past week, but I don't have time to write about them.  Just know I love all of you and I am aware there are those of you whom I don't even know but I love you anyway more than you can ever imagine.

I would like to bear my testimony.  I know that this Church is true and is the Church Jesus Christ established when he was on the earth.  I know that since it was removed from the earth, after all the 12 disciples were killed due to the wickedness of the world, that it was restored in its fulness in our days by a Prophet called of God who's name is Joseph Smith.  I know that the priesthood of God is once again on the earth today and that it truly is the means men are given to act in the name of God to bless his children.  I know that families can be together for all time and all eternity and through the power of the priesthood and how great a blessing this is.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that he lives and truly how great that sentence is.  I say these things in his sacred name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

For all of you who hold the Priesthood of God I invite you and urge you to strive to come to a new understanding of what exactly it is and how you can use it to bless other people's lives as Christ wants us to.  For the Priesthood is not for us but truly for blessing others and I know that as we use it worthily and with real intent and faithfully, miracles truly do and will happen.  It is my wish that we all will strive to be worthy of the Priesthood and to be able to use it the way God intends us to use it.

I hope that all the women who read this, regardless of age, will strive to have a worthy priesthood holder in their home because of the blessings that come because of it.  There is no greater blessing I know as being a son having a father who holds the priesthood and being able to use it worthily to help give me strength through blessings of comfort and peace, and to be able to do that for the whole family.  Do not settle for anything less!  There truly is much power and great blessings in store for those who have this great blessing.

I am aware that this may not be possible for some of you due to certain circumstances.  I want you to know you can still have this blessing through the members of the Church.  Call them when you need help, ask for blessings for your children and yourself.  I leave these things with all of you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wed 6/5/2013 9:15 AM

I am glad to hear that Grandma's birthday went well.  Tell her I love her.  I didn't get a chance to send her out a letter though. We have been super busy and sleep deprived, but I will send out one today for sure.

 

Today I don't have much time either because my companion is going home on Friday since his mission is over.  We are going to Boston today since we got permission to before transfers.  My new companion's name is Elder Jones.  He's been out for a year. 

So about this last week......

We have been crazy busy!  We are sleep deprived, a little bit sick, but oh how I love it!

 

We had the most amazing baptisms on Sunday for Ana Acevedo and her grandson Tyre who is 11.  This experience opened my eyes even more on what exactly Zion is.  Since Ana speaks Spanish and Tyre speaks English, and can only understand a very little bit of Spanish, we had both at the same time with both the Spanish branch and English ward there.  It was in Spanish with an English interpreter.  We all sang in our native languages, bore testimonies in our native languages and worshipped and celebrated in our own native languages as one!  There was no better example of what being united in purpose or in other words "Zion" should be like. The love that was in that room was amazing and words cannot even come close to describe this experience.  It was truly remarkable. Everyone who attended was uplifted and edified.  It was truly an experience everyone that was there will never forget.  Afterwards we conversed with bishops about what would be best for this family since there is that language barrier.  After much guidance by the Spirit they both will attend the English ward because it is best for both and especially for Tyre.  Ana will have shadow name Sister Alan who will interpret and help her learn English since she needs to anyway.  This is her calling now in the ward.  The effort all of the members are giving, to help support and do all they can to help, is astonishing.  Because of all this, the Spanish branch and English wards are going to get together more often for picnics and activities!  This is a huge step!  I don't know if everyone sees the big picture, but this right here is building Zion!   Can you imagine if every time someone got baptized if all members of the church got together to support them whether they speak different languages or not.  I am sorry I don't have much time to go into detail today but I hope that what I am trying to portray is getting across.  This is HUGE!

 

Moving on.  For fast and testimony meeting we got a lot of people to attend since it was my companion's last Sunday.  Mariah Lopez (the lady we first baptized when I arrived) her husband and son came who aren't members and were in the beginning very distant. So this was a big deal because we have been trying to get them interested.  Elder Hawks and I bore our testimonies and the whole time before and after I was praying with everything that I had that they would feel the Spirit so strong that perhaps it would awaken a desire in their hearts.  The spirit was very strong in that room and afterwards they stayed for class, had a lot of good questions and then we met with them last night to answer more and taught the restoration.  They have warmed up to us so much they are just like our families now; great friends that respect what we are doing and want to hear more.  So we will see what goes on with that.

 

There is so much going on now and it seems that after all the hard work things are starting to speed up and blow up, which is good, but man oh man there is so much work we need to do!

 

Anyway, I wish I had more time to write about the awesome experiences this last week, but we have to get going. 

 

It is so weird that Elder Hawks is leaving.   I will miss him very much because we have become really close.  I will especially miss his musical fusion on the piano (he is the best pianist ever).

 

I would like to leave you all with my testimony.

Yo se que este Iglesia es la Iglesia de Jesucristo y fue restarado en la tierra hoy. Yo se que puedemos confiar en Jesucristo puedemos hacer todas las cosas por medio de Su Epxiacion y Su gracia. Yo se que este obra es la obra de Dios. Yo se que puedemos saber estas cosas cuando leemos El Libro de Mormon, pensar sobre las cosas y orar and pedir Dios si estas cosas son verdadero. Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador y redentor y El vive. 

For all of you reading this who are members, I beg of you to please look for opportunities to uplift another person.  Strive to strengthen your relationships with those in your ward and with all people.  All of us here on the earth are here for the same purpose and it is our sacred responsibility as members to share the gospel and help others come to know what we have come to know, so we can all  receive the joy, peace and happiness that is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the plan God made for us in order for us to know what we need to do in order to live with him again and become as He is. 

For those of you who are not members yet.  I urge you to put to test my words and the words of Prophets of God. That is simply to put to test the Book of Mormon by reading it, pondering the words in it and then asking God and finding out for yourself.  We can teach and testify all we want, but that doesn't matter because in the end you will only find out it is true after you have put it to the test.

How can you know how delicious something truly is if you never taste it-try it?

I leave these things with you in the sacred name of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, amen.

Tue 5/28/2013 10:51 AM

AHHH LUCKY!  I bet the new Star Trek Movie was really, really good!

That's great to hear about the index class!  As time goes by I wish I knew how to do family history work as it's really cool!

If you can find a pic of Porter Rockwell, Joseph Smith's body guard, would you please email it to me?  A missionary has a song about him and it is really cool.  I never knew about him until my mission - lol!    

So this last week was awesome but more specifically the past few days!  We had Zone Conference on Friday which was amazing to hear about all the things going on in the mission and especially all the new things we are doing now.  We are starting a new digital mission with the cyber missionaries we have in our area.  One of the Elders here who has great organizing skills was called to organize and help set it up.  He is literally pretty much doing the equivalent of starting a small business with the tasks he has to do - it's pretty amazing.  We also found out that one of the missionaries we have serving as a cyber won a huge hacking contest in the country and got offered jobs starting with big money, but he decided to come out on a mission first....very, very intelligent. Anyway, it's so cool to hear about all that is happening in the mission.

Then on Sunday we had 2 baptisms in our district.  One was from our branch for a 9 year old kid named Anthony and the other was Trumbulls ward for a 20 year old name Jamiel.  Then we have 2 scheduled for this next week for Ana Acevedo and her grandson Terry that we have been teaching.

Yesterday for memorial day we got to finally go to the Temple in Boston.  It was so amazing!  It is extremely beautiful and my understanding was opened so much in there and it was an awesome experience, especially because now my ability to do more than I once could has increased!   Also as we were leaving I wanted to go back to get pics and as we did this lady Elder Hawks taught awhile ago was there and she saw him and started crying.  She then said Elder Hawks!  I have something to show you and then she pulled out her temple recommend that she had been working very hard for and the love that was present at this time was incredible.  It is truly wonderful to see people's lives change from the gospel and to see them develop that relationship with Christ.

This last week we went on a lot of exchanges and I stayed Spanish speaking every time which was awesome.  I love it because the companion I was with during the exchange doesn't speak Spanish so I have to do all of it! =D.  The Spirit was present so much and I was able to communicate the things that the Lord would have me say.  I love when we prepare for a lesson all we can and we are going to take it one way and then next thing you know you are taking it a whole different way because the Spirit is speaking through you and giving you the words to say.  It is so amazing.

This week and then next week are the last I will be with my trainer Elder Hawks.  He is going home and I am sad to see him go, but excited for him to get on with the next chapter in his life.  We have become pretty close and especially lately.  We have taught each other a lot.  It sure is going to be weird once he leaves and I have to get a new companion.

This last week I have gotten pretty close to Elder Lefthand, he is an awesome Elder in our district and he and I see a lot of things the same way and want the same thing for this district.  He is a very humble elder and believes in lifting others higher and helping them have the desire to do better.

Anyway, since I don't have that much time today to go into more details about this last week I want to leave you all with my testimony.

I know that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is the Church that Jesus Christ established himself when he was on the earth and that it has been restored fully on the earth today.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God and that he truly did take upon himself not only our sins, but all of our sicknesses, infirmities, pains and everything that happens to us in this life that's just not right.  I know this because I have tasted of his love and I have felt his presence so many times in my life.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and "..oh, sweet joy this sentence gives...I know that my Redeemer Lives!"

Tue 5/21/2013 10:01 AM

This last week has been pretty dang good!  First of all I am a day late replying because we had to go up to Mass. and turn the van in because they are selling it (I already miss it because we were able to fit our whole district in it!).  We now have a brand new 2013 Toyota Corolla which is a dark gray and it is nice, but still can't replace the van.  I will be able to start driving soon which will be pretty cool since I haven't driven in 4 months!  It will be weird to be able to drive a car over here where there are some of the craziest drivers I have ever seen!

So, back to the week.....There was the flue going around which was horrible, but hey the work continues.  In order to be able to get out there and still work I had to sleep during my language study times, but it was well needed and we went out and worked hard.  We picked up a family to start teaching from a referral from a member who is related to them.  We walked to their house and I remember since I was so sick my body was aching so bad it was feeling like someone was taking a hammer to my joints BUT, there is truly great power in PRAYER :-D.  We arrived there and gave them a blessing of health and explained beforehand what the Priesthood is. It was a good experience.   They felt the Spirit very strongly.

Another experience was while we were at the home of a less active and I was really out of it and had a real bad headache, but I focused as hard as I could on them and helping them.  Next thing I know I opened my mouth and the Spirit was speaking through me and it was a really wonderful experience.

My favorite experiences this week though were during exchanges. The first exchange I was the one speaking Spanish and my companion was English speaking, so I had no one to rely on to help me teach.  I had to rely on the Lord so much more and the Lessons were awesome.  My Spanish is far from perfect, but with humor, love and a sincere desire to teach them I received help from the Lord.  They went very well and I was stretched out of my comfort zone and grew more because of it.  

As for the other exchange, I went English speaking and it was truly remarkable.  We met with the Sullivan family who I've met once before, but just connected with them right away.  Their dad has Leukemia right now and is recovering.  They aren't members, but a son of theirs is a recent convert who is now going to BYU.  We taught them about the story of Nephi and the Liahona when his bow breaks and taught them about Faith.  It was so nice being able to speak in my own tongue and communicate what at times I feel is more effective.  It was a really good experience and the love that I have for that family, even though they aren't in my area, is great.

Later we went and met with a referral we received from that family who is a friend of theirs. This lady was pretty awesome as well.  She lives right next to the water.  Her name is Liz and she started explaining why she was interested.  So after hurricane Sandy hit she tried looking for help from all the different churches and organizations that have all the commercials saying they help out. She couldn't get any of them to help her.  So being a single woman and a lot of work to do she was overwhelmed and one day when she was talking to red cross trying to get help from them a member who was passing by heard.  The next day he showed up with a bunch of missionaries and they helped her out big time.  She said they came when she was overwhelmed not knowing where to begin and very lost. They came in, took charge and didn't want anything in return.  This stood out to her, so there we were with a golden opportunity to teach her a little about our church :-D. We got to know her more first.  She was raised Jewish, but was never religious because her parents weren't.  She sort of believes in God or something more because without it life would be pointless.  She doesn't know a lot about what we believe about Jesus, but she is really a very smart person.  She said herself that it is very hard for her to understand religion because of that, but she really, really wants to understand and come to know if there is a God or not and what she needs to do with her life.  This visit was more of trying to get to know her more than anything, but we did teach parts of the plan of salvation and taught her who she is and where she came from.  Adam and Eve got to her and she said she never understood that whole story which I don't blame her because I didn't at first.  We taught her how to pray and gave her a Book of Mormon.  The spirit and love that was present during this visit was remarkable.  I felt for her because of her desire to truly understand.

I honestly don't believe in coincidences.  I really felt that I was to be where I was that day for exchanges.  It is truly wonderful to be able to be part of this work.  Probably one of the best parts of this whole exchange was to see this Elder progress and see how far he has come since my last exchange with him a month ago. He has a great gift of connecting with the people and it is cool because he said he finally understands and knows why he is out here.  There is no greater feeling than bringing others closer to Christ.  I understand the joy that was felt when Alma saw the sons of Mosiah again and to find out that they were still his brethren in the Lord and made so much progress as he did.

There are too many wonderful experiences to write about, but I am so very grateful for them all because in spite of all the highs and lows of the mission the Lord is with me every second of every day. He is my strength, my guiding light and my life.  As for myself I cannot do anything, but with Him I can do all things.

 

I know with all my heart that this is his Church restored on the earth once again today.  I know that all who sincerely seek him shall find him and will come to know what I have come to know. That He lives, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and is the Only Begotten Son of God.

 

It is to know that He loves us beyond our mortal comprehension and wants us to once again return to live with him.  It is to know that he has established a plan in order for us to do this.  It is called the Plan of Salvation and the Plan of Happiness and that Jesus Christ is central to that plan.

 

I know that those who read the Book of Mormon, ponder it, pray about it will receive an answer of the truthfulness of it.  All who are reading this ask yourselves what it would mean to you to truly know that you are a child of God who is perfect in all things of righteousness.  Who knows all things and has power in all things. Now ask yourselves what it would mean to you if after you have come to know this that you can communicate to him through prayer seeking help and guidance in all things and receiving that guidance and help from a being who knows all things and has all power.

 

Brothers and Sisters (and I call you brothers and sister because we are brothers and sisters in God) I know with all my heart, mind, and soul that these things are true.  I know that Heavenly Father loves us perfectly and wants the best for us.  I know that Jesus Christ is the only Begotten Son of God and that he came to earth, established his church and set the example for all to be able to return to live with God again. I know that Jesus Christ gave his life willingly in order to save all things.  Most important of all I know that Our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ lives for I have seen his hand in my life and continue to see it.

For those of you reading who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I invite you to put my words to the test and come to know what I have come to know and feel the joy and peace that come from knowing these things and living them.
 

For those of you who are members of the Church I ask if you have come to know these things and have come to taste of the redeeming, strengthening, and guiding love of our Savior?  If not, I plead with you to do what you need to do to rekindle your testimony.  I also invite you to pray for opportunities to share the gospel and see those opportunities when they arrive.  I promise you that those opportunities will come and as you do share the gospel your relationship with the Savior will increase.

 

Our duty is to invite others to come unto Christ.  How can we expect someone to come unto Christ if we never invite them?  Will we be naive to think that someone else will do it so I won't?  Well, what if no one else does?  Think about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed your lives and sustained you through difficult times, perhaps a loss of a loved one, divorce, or maybe just not knowing what to do next.  Can you imagine what it would be like to go through that without the knowledge that our Savior knows exactly how you feel, because he went through every sickness, pain, infirmity and everything that will happen to us in this life that just isn't right.  That because he knows this he also knows what we need to do to get through these times.

 

I love you all and with all my heart want you all to succeed.  I hope that you ponder these things in your heart and that you do them, that you may come to know and understand for the first time or the millionth time whatever it may be that the Savior did for you.

 

These things I leave with you in the sacred name of our Lord, and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 5/13/2013 9:00 AM

So, since I got to talk to you for Mother's Day I don't think there is much I can really say more, but for everyone else, and just in case I didn't share it with you, I will go over some of the experiences this last week.

First of all, the mission is so AWESOME!  I love it!  It is extremely hard work and can bring some of the lowest lows, but also some of the highest highs.  It breaks my heart when people truly don't understand the gospel and the importance of it because they don't act on the words we teach them and do what they need to do to find out.  On the other hand, when they do and when they receive those answers for themselves, there is no greater joy than that for me.

This last week was a pretty good week.  It was my companion's B-day on Wed., so we went out to eat as a district at a wing place and had a good time.

This week during our free time before bed, after we get ready for the next day, we have been trying to teach one of the Elders living with us a thing or two, so he can get back from his mission and start dating (since he hasn't before and is going home soon), so that has been a lot of fun.  Along with that, we were able to finally meet with Alma, Milena, and have one for sure new investigator and two potential.  One's name is Ana, who I might have talked about last week.  The others are Malgo (spelling unsure) and the other is Eva.

The meeting with Alma went pretty well.  We shared the Jeffrey R. Holland talk about the "first and great comm." and felt we need to be bold with her, so we were and it went well.  However, she is still saying she needs to get baptized and will, but doesn't want to set a date.  So it is back to the drawing board and we are teaching her how to receive Personal Revelation to help fuel her desires and try to help her understand that the gospel isn't just about knowing the gospel, but also understanding it and the importance of connecting what you know in your brain to your heart and soul (if that makes sense).
Milena went to church and brought a friend which was really nice and right then and there I shared the restoration with him in a nutshell.  His name is Jose and we got his number and are going to try to meet with him this Wed. with Milena and her mom. 

Milena is doing good and is going to California at the end of finals this week for about a week or two, so that means we can finally meet with her now!  We have only really met with Ana twice, once for a Priesthood Blessing our first visit, for health, and the second we taught. She went to the Mother's Day activity on Sat. and loved it and took her grandson.  I will talk a little more about the activity later. She has a baptismal date on the 26th of this month and said she has been looking for something for awhile and thinks she has found it.

Malgo, I think is what he said his name was or Malo (it was hard to understand him because he was drunk).  We met him yesterday on Mother's Day on our way back home around 8ish for phone calls. He called out to us and walked across the street.  He said he needed help and needed to change through Christ.  He couldn't remember his address, so we walked him home and he invited us in.  We talked with him for a bit and he started to cry a bit because he kept saying how he needed to change and wanted to.  He wants us to come over today at 6 and so we kept reminding him about 30 times when we were with him about it.  Then after this he gave us huge hugs and was so grateful.  It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter what state people are in or where they are at in life, they can always tell the light from the dark.   It was a really cool experience and he seems like a very good guy.


The last one I wanted to talk about is Eva.  We met her actually like 2 weeks ago in Walmart (I don't think I have talked about her yet). It was funny too how we met her.  We were just in the cereal isle and we were in our proselyting clothes.  This older man thought we worked at Walmart and started asking Elder Hawks a bunch of questions and he played along, which was way funny.  Then Eva comes along and calls out, "ELDERS!"  She then says to me, "Wow, you have some muscles!" which was a different way to start a conversation, lol, and then said, "I like you for some reason."  So, it was a bit awkward at first, but she is really, really cool and funny.

Her story is that her dad or husband (not too sure) has dementia and was super active in the church, but because of his condition doesn't go, but still receives the sacrament every Sunday.  She is not a member and had the missionaries lived right next door to her. They taught her and she has read the Book of Mormon already and says she likes some things about it and there are things she doesn't like. Unfortunately, the sad part of this story is that the missionaries who lived next to her didn't follow the rules and were not living the way they should have.  They also became to buddy, buddy with her and so it is really bad.  She doesn't know how that relationship should be, so she was wanting to buy us tickets to a baseball game and all sorts of stuff.  We have a lot of work to do with her to try to correct that whole situation.  So, those were the people we have been meeting with and the rest is all less actives and members.  We are extremely busy.

So at the zoo this last week we were spray painting fencing and digging holes.  I also almost got grabbed by a lynx (well sort of), We were digging to replace a water line and the lynx cage was behind us.  Both of them were chilling next to the fence and Dave(zoo worker) said they like to reach out and grab through the fence, so pay attention.  I lost my balance, but caught myself ( was still a good distance away), but I looked back and they we on their hind legs just waiting for me, haha.  So, it was pretty funny, but guess you had to be there for that one.

We did service at Penny Lane, the thrift store, and this old lady started talking to us and so we told her who we were, what we are doing and everything.  She said that's nice and then said how she hates it when people knock on her door, because it puts her on the spot and she said she always says, "Look, I just changed religions for my husband and I don't know anything about my own religion, so why would I want to learn about yours?"   She was really funny and really nice, so it was a nice little encounter.

Then we planned a day a little badly because we accidently planned two dinners.  One was at 4 and the other at 6.  That might not sound too bad, but they loaded our plates with food, and might I add, these were not normal size plates! They were huge, very deep plates filled to the max!  The food was delicious as always, but once you hit that wall you can't taste it any more.  I got half way done with the second dinner's plate and couldn't eat anymore without going into an instant food coma.  So, I asked for a bag and they were really nice about it and then just beat ourselves up more because we didn't ask sooner!  But, the visit went really, really good and the people are amazing here.  They are so loving, and giving.

Yesterday on the way home from lunch with a member, it got really windy and this guy had a bunch of Mother's Day stuff up for sale on the side of the road.  We were about 5 feet away as we walked by when the next thing we know, there was this huge gust of wind and then I heard stuff fall.  Without a thought, like so many others would do, we just turned back and helped him out.  He was so grateful for the help.  Before my mission I probably would have just kept walking on.  It is just so cool for me to see how my companion and I, without even a thought, just automatically react to situations and end up doing as Christ himself would do. We have so many opportunities to serve and so many ways, it is awesome. Even just telling people hi and asking them how they are doing uplifts them so much and me too.

Holidays are awesome because it just provides us with another reason/way we can lift others up.   We told every woman we saw Happy Mother's Day and it was cool to see them light up, especially since before (and this is funny to observe sometimes) how they see missionaries coming and sometimes don't know what to do or how to act and so they try to avoid us doing all sorts of weird, totally noticeable things.

I love it here and the people here are amazing not just members, but everyone.  It is really cool to see how as long as we are doing what we need to do the Lord puts people in our path to uplift and He helps us find those whom he is preparing.

There have been so many times were people just come up to us without us even seeing them and they start talking to us and later tell us, "Ya know, I don't know what it is or why I came over here, but I feel like I needed to hear what you have to say and there is something different about you."  Anyway, I can keep going on and on about all the things that have happened, but these are just a few of them and I need to get going.

I want to leave you with my testimony that I know that this church is true and is the restored church of Jesus Christ on the earth today.

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and translated the Book of Mormon through the power of God.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that those who read it and do as it directs will receive a witness of the truthfulness of these things for themselves through the Holy Ghost.

I know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and because he is the same, he loves us more than we can comprehend and wants the very best for us.  As a loving parent guides and teaches a child he does so for us through prophets, the bible, the Book of Mormon, and through prayer.

I know that Jesus Christ lives and that this is his work and church on the earth today, and that knowledge becomes engraved deeper and deeper in my heart and soul every passing day as I see my prayers answered and see the lives of others change for the better and receive Christ's light in their countenances.

I know his invitation still stands to "come unto me.. and I will give you rest," and I know that as we do as he directs, to "learn of me," we can come to know him and come to know that he truly is the Only Begotten Son of God and our Savior and redeemer.

I testify of the truthfulness of these things with all my soul and with an invitation to all to put these things to the test and accept our Savior's invitation.

I say these things in the name of our Lord, our Savior, even Jesus Christ, amen.