Monday, January 30, 2012

This week was good. We had a baptism. Her name is Ana Franshezka...crazy way to spell the 2nd name. It's like Francesca. She is turning 16 soon. She was absolutely awesome to teach. She kept the commitments, she came to church, she always had questions and good ones, and overcame challenges. The Lord prepares people. I like her baptism because she was a JW before...not like hardcore because she left because she thought it was dumb that they don't do Christmas or birthdays. But she had taught with them before. She also told me some interesting things about them as well....anyways...back to the topic. She fits in well and she will strengthen the YW here--there aren't that many. We are teaching the rest of her family as well, but the parents have to get married and come to church more. Hopefully in the future the whole family will be baptized. Ana is an awesome person and I know the Lord placed her in our path.

The next changes are Feb 15th...I'm pretty sure I'll be leaving, but you never know. Maybe 5 changes in Zaragoza will happen.

This week we also had a multizone. I remember we talked a lot about our own conversion to the Gospel. Like Pres. Glazier said...¨I love the converts because I'm a convert. I was born in the Church, but I'm a convert.¨ And that really made me think--just because you are born in the Church doesn't mean you are good to go. You have to do everything that an investigator would do and be converted yourself. Really we all are converts to the Church...and if we aren't...we need to go through the process and become converted.

We also talked about how our purpose that we have as missionaries (help other people come unto Christ by faith in Him and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end) is really the purpose of God as well. We share the same purpose.

It was a good multizone. I got the last package with socks and pop tarts and fruit snacks and goldfish and the family card and calendar....fun stuff...

I hurt right now. We played soccer today. I was playing defense and honestly idk what happened. I jumped somehow (I was so far away) into th e ball right as Elder Murdock kicked it. Apparently I did it in such a way that it was cool to watch because I kind of took out Murdock as well and stayed standing (and all the other missionaries were like...woah) But it hurt...haha I stopped playing for a minute. It still kind of hurts. I wish I had a video to see it. Everyone said it was super cool. They didnt score, so its all good. Fun story, huh?

Anyways...that's all I got really...love you

Pictures taken at the volcano:

Pictures from an "American" meal that a sweet family served them:

Monday, January 23, 2012

Dad is a bishop...R1 is gonna be fun! Thats cool that the Spirit was indicating that stuff for awhile..that's like the story the MTC president told about before he was called as a Stake President. He woke up one night with that feeling but shrugged it off as a nightmare...haha...but later knew it would happen.

Its kind of weird that you can work on my room and it makes sense because I will be home soon...ish...

This week we had the meeting but it was only with Elder Clayton and his wife and Elder Amado and his wife and the mission presidents. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to hear Elder Nelson, but I did hear him last Sunday.

Elder Clayton testified about how we are in the spot where the Lord wants us to start and then also said that maybe he doesn't have a message for us....but the Spirit does...so we should pay attention to the thoughts and feelings we have. Then he let other people bear testimonies.

So the wife of Pres. Cordon (santa ana/belize) talked about how the Lord is the source of all blessings.

Pres. Cordon told us to trust in the Lord and and to put all of our faith and hope into him. It will give us the energy and desire to work.

Sis. Glazier kept it short and sweet...God loves us

And Pres. Glazier said right now we are preparing for our eternal companions and we show our love of God with our service.

Sis. Amado talked of how music brings the Spirit and that we do have good people here in El Salvador. They are just confused by false traditions.

Elder Amado said we can improve by having more communication with the Lord, more personal revelation and more joy with what we do. And the the Book of Mormon is the compass to help us.

Sis. Clayton said the experiences we have will stay with us forever and we have help from heaven when we are in the Lord's work. And she shared 2 Nephi 4 with us. We need to count our blessings, cultivate an eye thats ready to see miracles and trust in the Lord.

Then missionaries asked questions...

How to excite the members (more recent converts and less actives)? serve them and remind them of their feelings at their baptism.

A stronger testimony of the Atonement and Jesus...2 Nephi 28:30 and 3 Nephi 9:20...and don't look to repeat spiritual experiences. A testimony is found in the bearing of it (Elder Packer said that). And have faith like Nephi; keep the commandments, pray, be clean.

How to forgive someone of a big error? Pray for strength and the Atonement

Elder Amado shared a little more after...We are witnesses of Christ and we need to serve with enthusiasm and loyalty

Sis. Clayton sang Faith in every footstep and we joined in the chorus (in Spanish)

And Elder Clayton said to pray with the will of God in mind...don't say give me this or that but...if it is right help me to do this...God will give us the blessings when it is the right time for us and D & C 42:4, 6

Thats all...fun huh?

Love you and miss you

I will die a frozen death when it gets cold after I come home...haha...

Yesterday was actually a stake conference with Elder Russell M. Nelson and we have a multizone with him this Friday, so I get to hear him twice.

We met an old guy who says he is a member but we aren't sure. He knows the church is true though. We went over the Book of Mormon with him and I was asked him...so after you read what should you do (pray) but he responds...Preach! and super fast without missing a beat! So I'm like...ok, but who do you ask to know if the book is true? His answer: Joseph Smith! Ok...hes dead. He says "oh...idk...someone like that that is still alive" I got him to say God after awhile. funny old guy.

So...stake conference...

Pres Duarte (stake pres) talked about our spiritual diet; how going to church is like Vitamin A and reading the scriptures is like minerals like copper...etc. good talk.

Elder Rivas (70) told some funny story about a motorcycle. It was the ward mission leaders and he was bishop. He caught a ride on the motorcycle because he didn't have a car and he forgot something. So they are riding along and there is some car coming fast...maybe it was a small ride cause Elder Rivas said he was like. .wow...slow down. And Juan (the ward mission leader) was like...don't worry...just have faith! They keep going and this car keeps coming fast and he's like...slow down...stop...don't worry have faith! And a third time...stop the motorcycle! then Juan says, "I can't...the brakes don't work!" haha...

Later this same Juan wanted to share his testimony with 1000 people, so he made 1000 copies of his testimony at his own personal cost and gave them out and put them under doors. Elder Rivas said with this guy as ward mission leader the attendance jumped like 280 people.

Sister Nelson talked of the power of the Book of Mormon. If you have a question go to the Book of Mormon and before you start reading, thank the Lord for the scriptures and ask for the spirit to be with you. You'll always find the answer you are looking for.

Elder Nelson. He had the Primary kids stand up and sing "I am a child of God" and "Follow the Prophet". We should teach the kids to speak to God with love and about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and the restoration of the priesthood. Teach it to them so they can grow to be missionaries. He also mentioned that today a good translator with computers and dictionaries and all that can translate 1 page a day. Joseph Smith did 8-10 pages a day to finish translating the Book of Mormon in less than 3 months. With interruptions and things like that..a constant flow of words always. Then near the end of the talk he thanked his translator and told him he could sit down. Why? as he said... ¨I would like to address the congregation in a language that is not my own¨ and then he spoke in Spanish for 5 minutes testifying of the atonement and using words that most people don't use a lot and left an apostalic blessing over the people. It was so amazing to see. We got so excited when he was like...thanks translator but I want to talk to them without your help. so amazing...

I can´t wait to see what he tells us this Friday--him and Elder Clayton of the 70. It should be good.

That's about it...love you guys...later

Well...

Lets see...this week was pretty good. We got a bunch of new investigators and a bunch of references. We had some of the new people go to church so we'll see how they progress. Speaking of Church, next Sunday Elder Russell M. Nelson will talk to us--just for the Stake of La Libertad. Then we get to be with him the next Friday as he will be doing a thing for all of the missionaries with Elder Clayton, so I get him twice in a week. :)

I'm on the top row now...wow! (I told him he only has four missionaries ahead of him on our stake board.) Crazy stuff...I'm old in the mission.

Hmm...what else...idk...haha...there was a little kid with fire crackers. He had them in his pocket and would just pull one out and light it...and BOOM! It was super loud--funny--but a little scary as he was like a 5-year-old.

Well,I miss you guys...love you

Zaragoza

Can you find it? It's not too hard....

I asked Elder Buckmiller if he had family that served in Argentina and he said yeah...my uncle...Ron Buckmiller. haha...so its the same guy. Uncle Terry knows the uncle of Elder Buckmiller. But Buck wasn't sure about the Philippines...

As for changes, I'm not leaving--neither is Martin. Out of the whole zone, only one hermana has changes. I'm fine with staying. I really thought I would go, so I was kind of shocked I was staying. But if it means I only have to pack my things one more time before I get on a plane...sweet! Super weird...but apparently no one changed around this time. One zone did not change at all.

New Years wasn't eventful. I was asleep...haha We have some good people right now. I think they are more positive in the fact that they don't already go to another church, so it should
hopefully be easier to get them into church than it has been with other people that we have taught. That's normally the biggest challenge.

There is seminary here--it depends on the area--but they normally go to the church to do it. It's early morning in some areas; other areas it's on Saturday or Sunday for 3 hours...haha...

well...Idk what else to say...miss you and love you...salud!!

yeah...I talked with Uncle Terry for a minute in Spanish before the call got dropped. Who knows why...I was a little mad I didn't get to talk with him (a lot) or Aunt Ann or Kyle or the Mitchells.

The dinner was good...along with the dessert..s´mores pancakes. It was like a cake mix that we added graham crackers and cinnamon in the dough and you cook it like a pancake. Then you make a syrup out of marshmallows and you put chocolate syrup on it...it's pretty epic..

You guys did family presents at night?...weird We ain't doing that next year. I think I might wake up at like 5 like I used to--my first real Christmas in a long time next year--we are opening presents in the morning!

Anyways...this week...and part of last week was pretty funny..

2 p-days ago we went to Puerto and played volleyball and all that...good times. On the way back to our areas on the same bus in the back with us were 2 drunk people...a guy and a girl...but older. The drunk guy starts singing...idk what song...and when he finishes, we all clapped and cheered. Why? idk But with the cheering it gave him more courage and he started to sing again but he was yelling and was trying to stand up but he was so drunk, he kept falling back into his chair. After we got of the bus, the drunk lady kissed all over the hand of one of the ZLs we have here as he got off the bus.

The branch Christmas party was alright. This was also like 2 weeks ago...very small...but good food. It got ruined by rain.

This last week I had a super fun day with Elder Buckmiller, our ZL (he was the ZL who got his hand kissed by the drunk lady). We were on divisions just walking around and he stops suddenly. I'm like--what's up? He (Elder Buckmiller) said--you see that guy in the dress with the short hair. He's gay and he likes me. He's seen me around and always tries to talk to me. (He also had on heels...cross dresser) We go to the street and walk around him and we get to a park. We see a statue with an arm holding an arm so we start reading it. The gay comes back...but still hasn't seen us. He's bothering someone else so Buck starts backing away and I' m trying to read faster and still keep an eye on the gay. As I'm finishing, I hear ¨jesucristo!¨ and here comes the gay. We start walking and walk faster and you can hear him following thanks to the heels...clop clop clop clop and ¨jesucristo!¨ I hear the heels coming faster so I look back and this freakin' gay is now running after us! We start running through the park and go off to the right and run across the street (luckily there wasn't a lot of traffic) and ran behind some pillars. Safe! The gay stopped and went and bugged other people. We come out and there are some guys there just sitting and laughing their heads off. They just witnessed 2 Americans getting chased by a gay. They were like--you know why he did that? It's cause he likes you... No way...ya think?

After that, we meet a member...from here...but is living and going to school in Colorado. Later this same girl and her family invite us to dinner and bought us limonade in a goblet looking thing and tortas and some weird drink...idk what it was and a bomb dessert. Her parents aren't members but they know a lot of missionaries. They are super nice. I went home full--without spending a cent. The daughter was kind of a snake...nice....but a snake...or as they say here esnake.

And we baptized someone...

Kevin Alexander Vivas Mendoza. His parents are members already and that helped a ton. He's also a little kid, but super smart and he loves us and wants to be a missionary.

That's some fun stories for y'all to get you by...love ya...

Elder Gilreath

Tie from President Glazier

templo

La Playa

Some pics from the beach. Enjoy...






These are just from Puerto. We went last p-day and played volleyball and made burgers...pretty fun. We were at a member's house who lives on the beach...and normally I think the beach just isn't crowded at all!