CHANGE? POR FA

Santiago

Wow anotha really tough week but we still here lol. I'm super sick of Santiago tbh and wanna get transfered but my comp ends his mission this week and that means I will most likely stay another 6 weeks. Maybe a new comp will change things but it has been SLOWWW. Just a lot of bad going on but still a lot of good!

We have really been focusing on our friend Jennifer and she is super cool. She loves our lessons and after every lesson says she learns a lot. She is however VERY strong in her church but is very humble to the fact that she doesn't know everything. She is completing every assignment we give her but she is very busy with her callings in her church on Sundays so she can't come to our church. 

Not too too much to talk about haha but we making it through. Love you all and hope all is well at home. Bengals are grinding and I love to see it.

 If you guys remember, hit me w an email.

Scripture of the Week: 

D&C 25:2 “A revelation I give unto you concerning my will; and if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion”

DyC 25:2 “Te doy una revelación concerniente a mi voluntad; y si eres fiel y andas por las sendas de la virtud delante de mí, te preservaré la vida y recibirás una herencia en Sion”

The King

Randy

    8 MONTHS

Rosa and Rosalia's first asistencia

Tough week but we good lol. Always can find good in the mission so it wasn't all bad!! Rosalia and her cousin Rosa came to church which was super sick! Her cousin is super Catholic but we'll get her. Rosalia is a goat, she'll get baptized soon too.

We have been teaching this girl named Jennifer for about a week now and it has been going great. After the 3rd lesson we asked if she would offer a prayer and ask if the things we taught were true. She proceeded to give the most heartfelt sincere prayer that I have ever heard in my entire life. I thought, that is what being converted really means. She put her heart and soul into that prayer and later that night I layed in my bed thinking, wow, why can't I pray like that. I have the spirit, priesthood, Book of Mormon that I study every day, 19 years of membership in the ONLY true church of Jesus Christ. Why can't I or don't I pray like that? It's because she simply loves God. What I listed can help, but it is up to us to LOVE God. Nothing can change that but us. 

With that being said, I love you all too and I invite you to LOVE our Father In Heaven and pray to him sincerely in every prayer

Matthew 27:37-38 “37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.”

Mateo 27:37-38 “37 Y Jesús le dijo: Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma y con toda tu mente. 38 Este es el primero y grande mandamiento.”

Rosa Jr and Rosalia Jr

(their little sisters)

Our ride for the day

Facetiming with Grandad England

104 years old

 

    TRUNK

Trabajadores (workers)

Quick Week this week. I thought we were gonna put 2 fechas but it isn't their time yet ig. We have started teaching all of Chonitas Fam and they are awesome. However, they are scared to get baptized because in the Bible it says there is only 1 baptism. We explained that this is true and we only believe in 1 baptism but it needs to be with the priesthood or else it doesn't count. The hard part for the dad is that he says during his baptism when he got lifted out of the water he saw a ray of light from heaven. I wanted to say “Yes, the sun does exist.” So many of these Guaties say they have visions and have seen heaven, it's nuts. Even members say they have seen into the future. Either it's cap or they are super consecrated and receive crazy revelation lol

My comp has gotten a lot better though. We are getting along a lot better now and it's super fun to be with him now. We've been doing soccer activities on Saturdays and it’s been lit. He balls out because he played professional soccer in Mexico. And I just ball out playing goalie - lol. The dudes here get super mad superrr quick, it’s so funny. I got a punch to the chest on Saturday because I did something that some guy didn't like very much (that guy was the 2nd counselor in the bishopric).

Been gettin super trunk though ngl. Not dead, we still working all hours ofc, but I sent home my trainer. Elder Marín was basically my comp last transfer who served in the other area of Santiago and went home last transfer. My comp finishes in 2 weeks. And then Elder Richardson who took Elder Marín’s place goes home next transfer. Then all the homies in the mish go home next transfer too or the next. The mission is changing like crazy and we will receive 70 new missionaries this summer and I realized wow I have so much time left still.  But, we good, just means more time to grow.

Been studying a lot about mental strength and how to resist temptations from the adversary. It's been super sick and I have learned a lot. Remember that we have bodies and Satan doesn't and because we have bodies we are stronger than him in every way. Satan knows our weaknesses and loves to attack them. So focus on making your weaknesses strengths and then Satan won't have any power over you

Los Quiero

Scripture of the Week:

D&C 93:29-32 “29 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. 30 All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. 31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. 32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.”

DyC 93:29-32 “29 También el hombre fue en el principio con Dios. La inteligencia, o sea, la luz de verdad, no fue creada ni hecha, ni tampoco lo puede ser. 30 Toda verdad es independiente para obrar por sí misma en aquella esfera en que Dios la ha colocado, así como toda inteligencia; de otra manera, no hay existencia. 31 He aquí, esto constituye el albedrío del hombre y la condenación del hombre; porque claramente les es manifestado lo que existió desde el principio, y no reciben la luz. 32 Y todo hombre cuyo espíritu no recibe la luz está bajo condenación”

Trabajadores Pt. 2

    

LAX cause I miss it!

    PROGRESS

San Pedro

Wow super sick week for me.  It was a big learning week for everyone with conference obviously but for me personally I feel like I was taught a whole lot of lessons.

I loved Elder Renlund's talk and his story. I'm sure you all heard it, but if not you guys gotta go listen to it when it gets on the gospel library app. I learned a lot from the story he shared. It made me think about how far we all have left to go. We can be missionaries, life-long members, bishops, seminary teachers, etc, but if we don't progress EVERY SINGLE DAY, Satan wins. If we aren't progressing, we are losing. It is so easy to forget to consecrate and focus ourselves on the Lord. As a missionary I have realized there have been days that I have not progressed. I probably taught a lesson or two those days and probably invited people to come unto Christ without doing it myself. I did it because it is my job to do it and not because I wanted to grow closer to Christ. So just because maybe we don't take steps away from Christ, the world will take us away little by little. Our church responsibilities don't do much for us if we aren't “progressing” towards Christ. We have to do the things we do out of love for Christ and because we want to. Not because we should or because we have to, but because we want to. 

For the work though, we are making progress with 2 girls named Chonita and Rosalia. They aren't related or friends, just two different people who are learning. Chonita believes the Book of Mormon is the word of God and we need it to answer things from the Bible. She also believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he restored the original church that Jesus Christ established on the earth. However, thinks her Evangelical pastor has the authority of God and that her church is true as well. Not sure how she believes both but we'll get her baptized. Rosalia is awesome. She was not making progress so I told her I was dropping her from teaching lol. That night she said she couldn't sleep and realized what we were teaching was right and that she needed to come to church. She watched all of the conference on Sunday and half of Saturday. She'll get baptized soon too hopefully. 

Pray for these two if you get a chance

Love you all and hope you guys can take this to heart and grow towards Christ. It'll bless our lives more than we know. Los quiero mucho

Scripture of the Week:

Enos 1:27 "And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen."

Enós 1:27 "Y pronto iré al lugar de mi reposo, que es con mi Redentor, porque sé que en él reposaré. Y me regocijo en el día en que mi ser mortal se vestirá de inmortalidad, y estaré delante de él; entonces veré su faz con placer, y él me dirá: Ven a mí, tú, que bendito eres; hay un lugar preparado para ti en las mansiones de mi Padre. Amén"

Chicken and my Fam 

Pop grinding

    BAPTISM!

Veronica and Maria's Baptism!

Super sick week this week.  Gonna keep it short because I am a day late and don't have much time haha.  

Maria and Veronica got baptized!!! The dad gave us permission to baptize them so we finally got it done.  Only took about 3-4 weeks lol.  They were so cute and nervous for their baptism but it was so awesome.  They are super sassy too and love to joke around with me and it's almost as good as having Oakley around.  But Oaks is the goat and she can never be replaced!  Speaking of nieces and nephews, all of my best friends are growing up so insanely fast.  Millie and Huddy are running around like crazy now and Cal has a crush in school.  I hear she's a Latina and only speaks Spanish.  Cal my boy ... we gotta take off the goggles soon.  

Overall though a great week.  My companion finishes his mission soon and is a little less motivated than Elder Grutzmacher and Elder Barber but I work with what I got.  The New Testament has been my best friend lately and it is sick reading it for the first time from start to finish.  I am only reading 3 chapters a day but it is super fun to read.  A little repetitive on the stories but I still love it.  Again, I invite all of you guys to read the scriptures and prepare for General Conference!!  They are the word of God and it is so necessary to read them!  Don't be like Guatemalans and say you'll do the things I ask and then don't do them.  Just do it, it will bless your live I promise. 

Scripture of the week:

Luke 9:62 "And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kindom of God"

Lucas 9:62 "Y Jesus le dijo: Ninguno que pone su mano en el arado y mira hacia atras es apto para el reino de Dios.:

Getting ready for the baptism!

Cutest kids!