Saturday, August 1, 2009

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hey! Thanks for all the pictures of the weekend. I'm not going to lie, the lake Tahoe pictures made me a little trunky. Looked fun, especially with the sobrinas y familia. We had a really good week last week. Many appointments and got in contact with many good people. Manuel y Manuela came to church and Eduardo also. Anet didn't come but she is still going good. We've been feeling that the less actives know how to get back to church, so instead of trying to help them we'd just do the same with all members and have them do missionary work cause that is what will help a lot. I have some baptismal interviews I have to do for the other elders tomorrow. I'm looking forward to them. A mother and her two kids. Almost like the ones I did before. On Monday we began getting calls from different members of a non-member that needed help and wanted a blessing. We went by and talked with them a little and I guess she has been really depressed lately and she was just crying and so before doing the blessing I read Alma 7:11-13 and there was a lady from another church there and she had a scared look on her face when I said "it wasn't in the bible", and the members say that this lady is trying to get this woman to follow her but we'll take care of that. But anyways I read the scripture and that invited the spirit and also to help her realize that Christ suffered these things and you can turn to him for help. Gave her a nice blessing and we are going back today. Hopefully all goes well and that she feels better. Manuel and Manuela are good. Their kid just has a bruise now. They are cool kids. This past week went super fast! Probably one of the fastest weeks ever. I really don't know what happened. I'm falling behind a little on keeping up with journal entries so that's one thing I need to improve on to remember all this stuff and time.Thanks for everything. Take care! Later!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Hey! This past week has been amazing! With Anet already planning for baptism on the 29 of august we have been able to help her and we had an amazing lesson with her on Monday. We had a prayer and while elder Montez was praying it is as if the Lord opened my eyes in how to start the lesson, I simply started by reading Mosiah 2:41, about how those who keep the commandments are truly happy and blessed beyond measure and it opened things up to go ahead and teach the commandments and help her begin to follow them. Manuel and Manuela are doing great. We had an appointment with them Wednesday night and then on Saturday. On Saturday they committed to be baptized on the 29th of august! The same day as Anet if all goes well. They are super cool and humble as well. Really right now I am learning from our investigators probably more than they are learning from us. They all came to church and enjoyed it, well maybe not the baby of Manuel and Manuela. During sacrament meeting he hit his head on the bench super hard and was crying super loud. I couldn't see him but after the last prayer, I saw him and he had the biggest goose bump I have ever seen, let alone on a little kid. They went and put ice on it and I think he was fine. Yesterday we had 6 lessons. It seemed like everything just went perfect and smooth. Taught an awesome new investigator named, you guessed it, Maria. It was a great powerful lesson, the spirit really guided us in that lesson, and she was super ecstatic about learning. I think she understood it well also. We have her again tomorrow actually so hope all goes well. Love you all, and take care! Later!

2 Nefi 1:15

1 Nefi 20:16

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Hey! On Saturday we had a great spiritual lesson with Anet and she committed to baptism on the 29 of Agosto. She is super cool, wants to be baptized but isn't married and her spouse doesn't want to listen and doesn't really support her. She came to church and also another awesome family, Manuel and Manuela, who has the kid with half an arm. We have an appointment with them today and we feel like we can give them a baptismal date as well. We'll see how it turns out.The other day a drunk dude came over to us and started talking with us. He was cool and reminded me of a drunk Michael Jackson. But it is always fun to get drunk-man wisdom and the wisdom he gave us this time was: "Ha'lla at the people, if they don't listen, giv'em a reason TO listen." -Drunk-Man Wisdom 101 It is always fun to hear drunk people go off. Man I love weird people! That's why this mission is the best. It is amazing how the Lord guides His work and how things work out cause we contacted a ancient investigator while contacting in front of some stores and we had been trying to contact him for a while and we just barely taught him this morning and he seems like he will do good. Came to church a lot before and has been taught a lot but began working on Sundays but we had a good lesson about the Sabbath day and how the Lord will help him complete this commandment. So he is going to talk with his boss and see, so hopefully something works out.Hope all is well. Take Care!

Oh- p.s.- careful w/ the ping-pong table. It’s not that strong. I'll need it when I get back to dominate Brian and Anna, and well... everybody, in ping-pong like I did all the many times before. Ha! Later!

Alma 43:45-50 (read this part the other day and then you sent that title of liberty picture)Psalms 1:1-3 (one of my favorite scriptures)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hey! This past week has been alright. We were able to find 7 new investigators last week so things are going alright. We've had some good lessons with investigators and with others in the area. We have an investigator named Maria who is really cool and she seems like she will be really good. She seemed super interested and excited to come to church. Hopefully she comes. Now come to find out Magdalana was going to come to church but then her husband wouldn't let her. FREAK! We have been trying everything to get him to soften up. I contacted this guy the other day and he ended up saying he was pastor of another church and it's always fun talking with them. They are really lost! He wants us to come over to his house some time and I want to go but Elder Montez doesn't want to. We were going to go to the temple today but President Doll said too many had already asked, I guess cause he changed the rule about how now we can go every-other month instead of every three. So we get to go more often. Great to hear about Lucy and all. Crazy Daniel took a spill. Man it will be crazy to be back there with all those sabrinas running around. It will be fun.Can't think of everything else. Thanks for everything. Take care! Later! Matthew 11:28-30

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Hey! So transfer meeting this morning was super spiritual but also super hard. We were able to say good-byes and all have some last good laughs with good 'ol President Stoddard. His funny personality can't be beat. We will definitely miss him.So with transfers. They did shut down our area and combined it with the zl' and palatine, where the hermanas were, so now there are only two areas in this ward. There are a lot of cool members in this area so I am pretty excited. President Stoddard said he'll get home, do whatever, and take the name badge off, and then he paused and said, “well, maybe I’ll leave it on just for a few days more." It was pretty funny. He is definitely one that another aspires to be.Monday was like the last stand for Des Plaines, because we had many appointments and with the best investigators. On Tuesday we cleaned out our apartment which was crazy, found many more cockroaches. Ha we were able to visit some people, and packed. It definitely was a sad time cause a legend area was coming to its end. That place held many years. You should check out the statistics of the Reno rodeo cause I think it's this week if Stuart is right but I’m sure his dad was in it. This weekend Stuart will be in a rodeo competition already and then has more throughout the summer and more things. Later.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Hey! Yesterday we taught a guy who has an aunt in Guatemala who is member. He seems pretty cool and interested. He's about 25. Magdalana's husband is still not wanting to cooperate. Taught some cool people that had talked with the hermanas before but they can't read so we'll see what we can do. We had to get an oil change this week and were able to talk with a Seventh - day Adventist for a while, while we were waiting. He was cool and had a disorder with his legs and used a cane but still could barely walk. He was a cool guy though. Said he knew some Mormons and has some friends that are so I guess he is in that 55% that knows someone. The other day we were knocking some apartments late, about 8:45, and I really didn't want to go home, but as we were leaving there were some guys in a truck we kind-of passed, but I felt to turn around and talk with them. Come to find out the guy I talked with would always go out and help the missionaries in Mexico, asked if he was a member and he said "todavia no"(still not) , so I don't know what that means but he seems really cool and offered to help us right then and offered to buy us a drink or something. We have an appointment with him Saturday so we'll see who this guy really is then. I'm pretty stoked. Thanks for everything and have a fun weekend! Take care!