June 30th, 2014: A week in the best two years of my life!

First of all I'm so sorry for getting you all discouraged and thank you guys for your prayers and for your positive words they boosted me up a ton.  This week was way better and I promise that I have felt the spirit so strong that it is so crazy!  I'm glad that its warm where you guys are because I am literally freezing but thank goodness I can layer up.  I have had so many spiritual experiences this week and I cant wait to tell you all about things.  Ready? Vamos!

This week was seriously so spiritual! my first experience I would like to share with you is that I received this huge answer from God.  And who would of thought it was not by some angel but it was through the word of God in the scriptures.  So last week was really hard for me right?  Well me and my comp talked it over and we decided we where not giving up just yet so we decided to walk faster study harder and focus on the attributes of Christ.   For me I had trouble with finding and receiving revelation for what to teach these investigators so I went into our room and offered up a prayer that I myself had no idea I could give.  It really was the pleading of my soul and as I was reading in the scriptures I came across one that changed my life...it is probably the scripture that I will have at my funeral and it is the best. It's in Moroni 7: 45- 47.

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

When I read verse forty seven the words, "charity is the pure love of Christ" I felt this surge of power come over me, not a forceful surge but a slow warm love and I could not help but to start crying.  The words were and still seem bigger than the other words in the Book of Mormon.  literally to me they seem like they were doubled in size.   But its so true,  charity is the pure love of Christ.  Never before have I felt such a sensation and such a verification that this work, this church is true.  I have devoted these two years of my life to charity and to this church but most of all we are hear to teach and preach.  Most of all I want you guys to know that I will always try to have this charity and love that Christ had for the people he taught.  After all we are all sons and daughters, brothers and sister so why not try to get along and help each other?  True I was one who did not follow this that much before my mission and if I offended any of you I beg you to at least accept my apology.  This was my first experience.


Another little experience is that this brother, Hermano Demayo gave me this jacket so I could look like Jeff Gordan.  haha  Yes its true it was hard to understand but once I understood I could not help but feel such a sweet sincere love for my investigators and especially for this 90 year old man who was once a sailor who cussed drank and could fight with the rest of them but now is a soft sincere man who has been changed by the love of Christ.  And yes, he sings like a sailor, loud and annoying but its better then mine so I just join in and somehow the spirit always comes.

The other is that we are now teaching a investigator who is younger.  Her name is Natalie and she is about twenty years old.  Her family were members but are long since inactive and they loved the missionaries and they accepted us with open arms.  We are having family home evenings and I am making s'mores for them tonight after the lesson so lets pray two things go well, the lesson and that I can find Graham crackers.  She is really receptive and thinks its only right that the people in the Americas had conversations with the Savior as well as in Jerusalem.  It is such a blessing.  But also she has this cousin who is seriously hard core angelic and she likes to just go to town and preach.  But for some reason her heart has been softened and she listens and likes our lessons and my comp bore his testimony and I did as well and she started crying and asking why she felt like this.  I answered with a laugh,  It's the spirit and don't worry I'm getting used to crying to. haha.  Its so great to see the power of the Lord spill through my lips and bear testimony of the true word of God.  I hope that they progress and that they will come to church.

So this transfer has been super fast and I only have about a week and a half left in the transfer! What!  Time flys when you are so absorbed in this work.  We are trying so hard and have investigators who are ready for baptism just they need to preserve to the end!  We have two that have huge trials going on right now.  One is Catalina who has been taking the lessons since my second week in the field and the other is Christian. Their trials are about the same.  The dad of Catalina is a member and wants her to take the lessons but the mom will not let her.  So right now they are praying to see whats up.  ugh.........she has so much potential its so sad to see her not able to take some lessons.  The other is Christian who has a grandma that was a member but she has had some bad experiences with some members and every time we see if Christian is home she will answer and lie to us and say he is gone and make us leave when really he is in the house.  It's so horrible to see her and to be honest it's hard to have love for her but hey Christ loved all right?

We are working with Osvaldo who was excommunicated.  He loves the church and reads the scriptures everyday.  But something happened where he was excommunicated and a ton of members fell away because they had so much love for him.  He was their bishop.......and when he fell away others where excommunicated and I heard that over half the ward left in protest and they had to even close down a church.  So it was some serious stuff that went down.  But he is doing well and we watched a Mormon message and we all cried...why am i turning into my dad?  It's Karma haha

I love you all and want you to know this church is true.  That God has not closed up heaven. You can and you will receive a answer to your prayers.  Follow Jesus Christ and he has a plan for us.  It's not hard, true some parts are harder then others but I promise it will all work out in the end.  I pray for you simper (always) .  Gracias por todos (Thank  you for everything). 
P.S.   Yes there were riots in the streets and I saw people burning stuff and crying in the streets.  This old lady was sitting in the street crying and all these kids where crying.  It was more sad.  For these people football is the way they express themselves and how Chile shows their pride.  It's like getting slapped for them.  But what can you do.  I now don't like Brazil haha.  Oh and I had this completo that was as long as my arm..........as my bro Nate would say, thats one craaaazzzzy good tortilla, or completo in this case!

Craaazzzzyyy good Completo!

P-day food.  It's about six dollars...so kinda expensive.  Also Kit Kats are way expensive.

Hey mom and others, guess what!  I'm now 159 pounds. remember I started at 184...........crazy.  The Lord really does bless me in every way. haha.  I look like a clown in my jeans.  I need suspenders.