September 10, 2012

Hey family

So I don’t have much time to write, we got to the church late but I’m have had the coolest week here so I have to share lots. Here it goes. But first thanks for all the letters and the updates on everyone. Tell Tania I just got all her dear elders and it was so good to hear from her. Tell her not to work too hard. Tell Jake I wish I was there to help him get ready for a mission we could talk for hours on how amazing this experience is.

Ok so first off last week I told you about Carlos or at least I hope I did. We found him in the street, he can’t walk very well but his has such strong faith and we have been teaching him so much the last week and every time has been with the spirit and it’s great to see him progressing so fast. We had him pray the last time and he gave the humblest prayer I have ever heard asking the lord to help him know if this message is true. I know he will get an answer because he is doing all that he is suppose to, God has to answer his prayers ... I love seeing the joy we bring to people.

Ok and Magdolena is doing really well too. We have taught her a lot this week and she is reading and praying. She will take a little longer but she said she really likes everything we are teaching her. I will see if I can get a picture that Hermana Baird has on her camera. 

I have a great story I want to share with you guys!!!! One that touched my heart and made me realized how blessed I am.  Me and Hermama Baird were teaching Magdonlena and a member came and dropped by to give her family a movie that he promised to give her and I realized that the movie that they were talking about was the story of John Tanner our ancestor. I got really excited and was trying to tell them in my broken English that this man was my ancestor. Hermana Baird helped me. you need to know that this movie was this members (his name is Calors Martines ) favorite movie and the moment he understood that I was this man’s flesh and blood he came over to me and shook my hand with both of his. He looked me straight in the eye and he looked at me in a different way. It was kind of unnerving. He had awe in his eyes. I was able to tell him that the promise that the prophet gave to John Tanner was still in effect today that we had never begged for bread. This man with his hand still in my was trying to fight back tears.......I was so taken aback and touched by his feelings. You need to realize that her money is a big deal and too see John Tanner give all he had to the church to what he knew was right. His faith was so great he gave all to the church and was left to beg for food for his family. People here can relate to that because here everyone has at least once had to beg for food in their life. This man was so touched that the promise of the prophet was fulfilled and that we had never had to beg for food.  I realized the great heritage I come from and the legacy of faith and diligence to the gospel that we have to live up to. I realized I needed to have greater faith and I wanted to have the same faith that John Tanner had and wanted to sacrifice all I could to serve the lord. Jake just remember what kind of people you come from and when you are on a mission how much people will look up to you because of your ancestors and we need to live up to the legacy that they have left for us.  We come from a rich inheritance with amazing promises and blessing for our family. I thought it was an amazing experience. I hope you all realize how blessed we are and how amazing it is that you are a living testament that God speaks through the prophet and that he keeps his promises.

Ok so that was my week!!! I love it. I am not going to lie I am jealous hearing what you all are doing. Fall is my favorite time of the year and I miss the colors and the cold and the mountains and football ...American football......everything to do with fall and harvest and aww.. I have to stop ha ha ...everything is just hot here. I love the thunderstorms though, they are awesome. But i am glad that mom and dad could get away for a little bit that sounds like a lot of fun.

Jake is collage! I still can’t believe that.. How do you like high school Nathan?  I heard that Timp beat PG. congrats that’s...cool… I guess… hah basketball starts up soon yes? Are you excited? Tania sounds super busy I hope she is not working to death. Maren, how are doing? What classes are you taking what boys are you dating? I heard you and Tania went on a double date and that made me really jealous. How did it go? Tell me all! I want to hear everything you all can write me on dear elder so it makes it easy. I love you all!!!!

My testimony about faith has grown this week, that if we just show a small amount of faith to the lord, we see great blessings and that increases our faith. Many times the blessings don’t come in the way you want them, but they do come ... do we recognize the blessing that God gives us? I am working on that because when we find these blessing our faith is increased so much. I learn so much as I try to teach other people. I realize that the gospel is so simple, and we just need to do the simple things that we teach the investigators every day.  Missions are so cool hah Brothers do everything you can to get on one they are the funnest things ever!!! Don’t miss it.

Oh and don’t worry about me and the parasites, I just finished up my medicine last night and I feel absolutely normal. I will be going to get tested again in a couple of weeks to see if they are all dead but really I feel great and it does not affect the work at all. I think it was because I have been taking the medicine that mom gave me that I did not get sicker than I have...... but I do still need your prayers because down here they are having an epidemic of Denge, which is a really bad sickness you get from mosquitoes. They are having a hard time keeping the mosquitoes down and many missionaries are getting this sickness. There are 3 types and one is really dangerous.... and I am not going to lie, I get bit pretty much everyday so if you could pray that I won't get bit my a mosquito with denge I would appreciate it, hah.  

 Okay I am going to try and upload the picture now, I hope it works cause this picture is funny the woman is Magdolena and the man is her father. Her father broke his shoulder and she broke her foot kind of funny. The little girl is Naomi she is so sweet. I love her to death, she is 7. Oh and I will try and send you another picture of Mercedes and Rony... Rony is the one that is gay...he just moved back to Nicaragua witch is sad cause we can’t keep teaching him. We never got to teach him the law of chastity but he promised to look up the missionaries in Nicaragua and we gave him this same picture because he wants to show them that he talked to missionaries before.....if you can’t tell in the pictures I am really tall down here, everyone is so small here I feel like a giant. On the buses many times you have to stand up and when I did this last week that I realized that I am the same height or even taller than all of the men down here, it’s crazy, it will be wired to come back and be average again.

Well got to go, we are going out for pizza and then we’re going to watch the best two years as a Zone... fun fun.

Know that I love you all and I miss you tons, but know that I know this is where I need to be that I am meeting the people I am suppose to be and that feeling is the greatest feeling to know you are doing and saying the things you know you need to be. It’s a good feeling ha.... well anyways I love you all! Have a great week and brothers and sisters you all need to write me. I am pretty sure I gave you all an assignment to tell me one thing you learned this last summer and I haven’t gotten anything from any one. Ha! I hope to hear from you soon! Love you!

Hermana Ale or pull I just realized that my name means pull down here it’s on all of the doors ha kind of funny

Family so something just happened, we just got the news of who is changing this cambio and my trainer who is not done training me yet is leaving!!!! I will be getting a new trainer and I have no idea who it will be. I feel so bad for Hermana Baird, she has been here her whole mission and she has been working with so many people. Evelyn is getting baptized next month and she planned her entire wedding and baptism around when the next combios were when we thought that Herman Baird was leaving so now she won’t see him get baptized and also another investigator she won’t get to see get baptized!!! I am so scared. I have no idea where everything is without her. Pray for me this week!!! Please!