Burdens pass away

Elder Patterson and I had another good week here. We were able to try out some new ideas that went really well for us. Each week we teach a little more and we are learning a little more each week. It's cool to see the sector growing and progressing. So the big news of this week is Elizabeth. She came to church last week for the first time with her cousin. She asked a bunch of questions and was really interested. A couple days later we met with her and talked with her in her house. It was a great lesson. As we were getting ready to teach and introducing the subject, she interrupted us. She said she already knew that the church was true. Awhile back while she was with a doctor, the doctor gave her a book of mormon and told her to open it and she would find what she was looking for. She followed his advice and found exactly what she needed. She accepted a baptismal date. She is SO awesome. She is like our mom and is always trying to spoil us :) We went to church yesterday with Magdalena. She really enjoyed the church. She stayed the whole time and by the end of church she was talking to everybody. It was like she had known everybody for a long time. We had a lesson with her after church. The lesson was fantastic and Magdalena started crying when the member gave his testimony. She has problems with divorce and she needs to get married but things are looking really good. So we heard a really cool story from one of the families that we visit this week. The story is that the grandma was taking care of her granddaughter. the grand daughter got sick and the grandma didn't know what to do or how to help her. She said a prayer and realized that she also started getting sick. She went to the doctor the next day and got medicine. She took the medicine and gave some to the grand daughter also, they both got better because they had the same disease. The only difference was that the grand daughter was unable to get help. We were actually able to relate it to the atonement pretty well. Dallin H. Oaks One day all of these mortal burdens will pass away and there will be no more pain (see Revelation 21:4). I pray that we will all understand the hope and strength of our Savior’s Atonement: the assurance of immortality, the opportunity for eternal life, and the sustaining strength we can receive if only we will ask

Valuable lessons

Elder Patterson and I had a good week here in Conchalì 14. Our second week here. We were able to meet almost everyone and we now know our sector really well. We were thinking about the best way to work here and so we decided first to talk with the bishop. So at the beginning of the week we talked with the bishop. He told us about the goals that the ward has and what they are doing to reach them. We were able to talk to him about what our mission wants to do and how they want the ward and the missionaries to work together. It was a really successful meeting. We left being on the same page and with new ideas on the work. We had a goal to visit every leader in the ward and ask them how they were doing and how we could help them. We were especially looking for families that are part member part investigator. It was nice to talk with the leaders and gain their trust a little better.  One of our investigators is named magdalena. She is from Peru. She is really awesome. Her situation is a little complicated between her and the dad of her son. She had talked with the missionaries before and is really open. We're hoping that she can progress. Also we had a miracle on Sunday. One of the members brought her friend to church. In gospel principles she was asking a bunch of questions. We set up a lesson with her this week.  We have been visiting the Briseño family often. They were less active for awhile but now they are going to church and always recieve the missionaries. The best part about going to her house is we read the scriptures verse for verse. They have a 4 year old daughter that doesn't know how to read but she wants to participate. So when it's her turn she gives her best guess on what the verse says. She always says the funniest stuff about her family, animals, and favorite foods. Ok one more story. So our toilet broke and was leaking so we had to call somebody to come fix it. We told the guy when he came that the toilet was broken. He went into the bathroom to go look at it. After awhile we realized that he was using the bathroom. We told him the bathroom was broken and he was like yeah yeah don't worry about it. And then for like 10 minutes we heard the shower going. Afterwards he taught us that we can still use the toilet we just had to flush with the showerhead. The next day he came and put a new toilet in. But I'm just grateful for learning valuable lessons in my mission :)  Romans 8  24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. I love you guys have a great week.

All things work out

Mom I'm glad you had a great birthday! You definitely deserve it! So my new comp is Elder Blake. He is from Gilbert Arizona and he just graduated high school and he is a total stud. He already speaks really well. He is super motivated and dilligent. I really lucked out having him as my comp. Were going to have a great time here in Conchalì! We spent a lot of time this past week walking around learning the sector and meeting investigators and members. The members here are great. Almost all of the leaders here are young, like under 30 and excited for the work. On sunday we were able to meet almost everybody. We also introduced ourselves to the ward and we already feel really comfortable being here. Our first day here we ate with a woman named Maria Soledad. We started talking to her and she told us about a lot of hard things that have happened in her life. She told us that the biggest question she has is why it is so hard for her to be happy. I think that is a good question for a lot of people. I guess I don't have a perfect answer but it made me think of this scripture. Something so great about this gospel is the hope and light that it brings.  DC 90  24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, andall things shall work together for your good, There is a lot of work cut out for us here, but that is what we want! I love you guys have a great week!  Jeffrey R. Holland Today I declare from this pulpit what has been saidhere before: that no love in mortality comes closer toapproximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. Mom I have so many memories of you showing kindness and starting conversations with complete strangers in my life.   I saw you pay for someone's groceries more than a couple  times and you even let that lady cry on your shoulder,  literally,  at the passport office.   You were so kind to her and you didn't know her from Adam and I thought to myself if I can be a missionary like my mom is to people I will be a success. 

Now I see

The big news of this week is that we had changes. I got transfered to Conchali. It was sad saying bye to everybody, I'll talk about that later, but I'm excited about the change.  Cristina and Juanito were going to have their baptism this sunday, but we decided to change it because of general conference. Cristina finished up her plan successfully, we were so happy for her. On sunday night we passed by her house one last time to say goodbye. We both cried a bit at not seeing each other again when we've grown to love one another so much.  I just told them I was so grateful for them and that my heart was so full of love for them. I'm so grateful for my mission and for all the relationships I have been able to make here.
General Conference was so nice. I loved being able to hear the prophet and the apostles. General Conference is literally better than Christmas in the mission. There is always such a good feeling with conference.  Looking forward to a great change here in Conchali. I heard a song on the radio in the taxi  on my way to the new area called this girl is on fire.   I felt the fire of the gospel burning in me and I promised God I would finish my mission on fire.   I can do all things.......... Thanks for all your love and prayers. Have a great week!  John 9  16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.  25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.