"Come Unto Christ!"

Hey guys!

Elder Avery and I had a good week. We put two baptismal dates this past week with a mom, Maria Elena, and her son, Julio, who Elder Avery had been teaching since the time he got here. They have already been ready to be baptized for a while now just that the mom wasn't married but today her and her husband went and got married and now she is able to be baptized. When we went over to teach them we shared our testimonies and watched Thomas S. Monson's final address from this past conference and a few Mormon Messages. Those simple yet spiritual video clips invited the spirit in a powerful way. We testified of the divinity and truth of this work to them and set the baptismal date for Sunday right before church. They are happy and prepared to receive the fulness of the gospel and all the blessings it brings.

This week one of the most spiritual experiences I had was during the baptismal service of Hermana Gonzalez and Hermana Alvarado. They asked me and my companion to serve as witnesses at the baptism so we went to help them out. When we got there they were finishing up the last touches of the baptismal program when I noticed that there were family members of the girl who was going to be baptized present who were not yet members either. I asked Hermana Alvarado if she or her companion already had a talk prepared for after the baptism in which to use and apply the six steps. She told me that she actually forgot about that and in turn asked me to do it. I accepted and while meditating on what to say, the scripture from Matthew 11 came to mind saying:

        "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I felt strongly the impression to share with them that scripture along with Alma 7:14-15. As I shared those scriptures and my personal testimony after the ordinance of baptism I felt the strong influence and presence of the spirit and I directed all to give heed to those feelings and testimony they were receiving from the spirit. After the baptismal service was done, I had the chance to talk to those family members and encourage them towards following the gospel and obeying the truth through following the Holy Spirit. Hermana Alvarado was super excited afterward and thanked me. She said that the people who were not yet baptized weren't married and didn't want to be married and thus could not receive the ordinance of baptism. She said that while she was talking to them after the baptism they said they felt many amazing manifestations of the Spirit in them and that they now want to be married in order to be baptized and start to form their own eternal family. I felt humbled by this experience and delighted that my testimony was a help to them to strengthen their resolution to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know that if we come unto Christ, He will give us rest. In the times we live in, there are many problems and challenges that we encounter and face. Sometimes we feel weighed down with the burden of life or stressed or burdened with the sins and mistakes we have made, just wondering if there is a possible way out. I testify today that there indeed is a way out; that there is a solution. I testify that it is in and through our Lord, Jesus the Christ. If you are weighed down with burdens, come and leave your burdens at His feet. If you cannot find rest unto your souls, learn of Him, and He shall give you rest. I know that He has power to heal us. I know that if we follow Him, we will find the peace and blessings we desire for ourselves and our families. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

This week should be a good one! Elder Avery was unassigned today as Zone Leader and sent to another area while I received a new companion, Elder Durrant! If you remember the Christmas Primary Program that I helped organize and direct, it was Elder Durrant who helped me and is with me in that picture. Well, we are going to have a great week and I hope you all do too!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Elder Avery and I at the Mission Home for a Zone Leader meeting.

Teaching The Plan Of Salvation

Hey guys,

Elder Avery and I had an alright week. For me there were only a few highlights this week. 

We found a mom, Maribel, and her daughter, Elizabeth, this week who were given to us as references. We visited them and talked a bit and found out that a few years ago Maribel's husband died and they really wanted to know if he was alright. We started to teach them about the Plan of Salvation and about the trials and misfortunes we face in this life contrasting it with the glory and marvelous light given through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When the Spirit was present we identified it with them and taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We invited them to be baptized and Elizabeth accepted and her mom said she would really like to to be able to have peace in her life but didn't accept a set date. We are working with them and hope to baptize them this week. We also went to visit an inactive member on Saturday and ended up meeting her husband's family who are not members. We had just a few minutes to share with them and decided to offer a prayer with them. The prayer was offered and the Spirit was felt strong and the mom of the family said it was exactly what she needed at this time. We identified the Spirit with them and invited them to obtain more through learning more. We will go this week with them and are super excited to have lots of success teaching that family. Have a great week!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

"I Know It Was The Holy Spirit That I Felt"

Hey folks!

Elder Johnson and I had a great last week together. We went on divisions this week with Elder Ferre, Elder Lopez, Elder Ross, and Elder Ceron to help them out in the work and give them a little extra boost of success and we had some really neat spiritual experiences with them! When I was with Elder Ferre we passed by a family who he had met the day before from being inspired by the Spirit to knock their door. We went over and talked with the mom, Sandra, and her daughter, Karla. We started talking about their lives and getting to know them a little bit and we got talking about trials and challenges of life and why we are called to pass through such difficult situations. We started to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how through having faith, we have a hope of a better future and that how through repentance we free ourselves from the guilt and shame we experience from falling into sin. The Spirit testified with force of the truthfulness of our message and we identified the Spirit with her and continued to explain that through baptism we are renewed and cleansed. We invited them to be baptized and they accepted with surety and joy.

Elder Johnson had a neat experience with Elder Ceron with a guy named Maximino who had contacted us in the morning right before the divisions. They went over and entered into his house and he came out with the Bible and another book from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Apparantly he confused us in the morning for being TJ's but in the end all he wanted was for someone to help guide him to have more faith in Jesus Christ and learn more about Him. They started to teach about the Godhead and when the Spirit was present they explained baptism and invited Maximino to be baptized and he accepted! He went to church with us this past week and got to sit in the front row at Stake Conference and is preparing to be baptized this week.

Also, when I was with Elder Ross on divisions we were heading up the hill to go see some inactive members when we ran into a kid named Farith who was on his way back from the store to his house. When we saw him he smiled at us and said "HI Elders!" so we asked if his family were members and he said that his mom was. Taking advantage of the situation, we asked if we could go to his house with him and share a message. He said we could so we went with him to his house and met his mom who had recently been inactive. We found out that Farith was not yet baptized and that he loved going to church when they went about a year and a half ago. We taught about the importance of following Christ through baptism and when we felt the Spirit we asked Farith how he felt and he said he felt a lot of peace. We invited him to be baptized and he accepted and will be baptized this week.

Elder Johnson and I had the opportunity to baptize a girl named Jaqueline this past week. She is the sister of a recent convert and had expressed desires to learn more about God thanks to her sister being a member missionary. We invited her to the baptismal service we had last week for Judith and afterwards told us that she wanted to be baptized. We passed by with her all this past week and taught her everything she needed to know and helping her identify what the Spirit was. Her baptism was great and when sharing her testimony after she came back in the room she said, "I know this is true and I am so happy for having had the chance today to make this promise with God. When I was baptized, I felt something in there that I think was.... no, I know it was the Holy Spirit that I felt." Hearing her testimony was one of the best experiences I have had here in the mission. 

President Tervort called me the other day and asked me to move over to the zone right next to us called Arbolillo and to be the zone leader there. So now I have a new companion who I know from when I was in Centenario named Elder Avery who is from Panaca, Nevada so it's all good in the hood. Anyway! Elder Avery and I are ready to make miracles happen here in Arbolillo! Have a great week!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Jaqueline's baptism!

Jaqueline's Family

The Pure Love Of Christ

Hey folks!

We had a great week and many spiritual experiences. One of them in particular has been my favorite this past week and maybe even one of the greatest I have had in my whole mission. 

In our ward, we are teaching the parents of one member named Cinthia. We shared a message last week with her and asked her if she knew anyone who she wanted to receive the Gospel. She couldn't think of anyone and referred us to a friend of hers who has been inactive for a while so after we wrapped up the lesson, we went over to visit her friend whose name is Abigail. We found her at home and shared a brief message with her about trials and how through the Lord Jesus Christ we can receive strength to endure our trials. While we talked she started to cry and said that she was thinking a lot recently about the need for her to go back to church and that when we got there it was an answer from God. We passed by the next day and found her sister, Judith, who was not a member. As we got talking with Judith, she said that she wasn't even sure she believed that there was a God. She listened a little more and agreed to go to church last week with us. We went back on Tuesday to visit her and planned to teach about the Plan of Salvation. As we taught, doubt entered my mind and I started to think negatively and think that she wouldn't accept or feel anything. I was in those thoughts when I remembered what we had taught the zone these past few weeks. Since she was 21 I imagined the friends I have back home and the love I had for them and then I turned that love towards her, picturing her as one of my best friends. I felt deep love in Christ sink into my heart and I started to feel the spirit testify strongly as we continued to teach. We asked her how she felt and she related to us that recently she was talking to God through prayer and that she wanted help desperately and that's when we showed up. She said she had done it before and that's when the missionaries passed by for the first time with her sisters. She said she felt it was an answer from God to her and accepted to be baptized. I felt deep appreciation for the Lord as we sat there and a huge humbling feeling come over me as I thought about the greatness of our Lord and God and the chance they gave us and especially me in that moment to be an instrument in His hand. Judith was baptized this past Saturday and since Tuesday we have seen amazing changes in her heart and spirit as she has come to know and accept the truth. 

Lots of amazing things are happening here! I love you all! Have a great week!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Judith's baptism!

"Therefore, Come And Be Baptized Unto Repentance, That Ye May Be Washed From Your Sins!"

Hey guys!

Elder Johnson and I had a great week and some amazing spiritual experiences. On Monday after our zone meeting, we went over to the house of a guy named Jose Luis. We had met him a few days before while we were walking. He was over to the side of the road drinking and said hi to us and called us over so we went and talked to him for a little and put an appointment. So we went and applied what we had taught the zone in our meeting about loving and teaching others as if they were your own family and teaching according to their needs. We talked and he mentioned how he always felt unsettled and not in peace and how he would like to start anew. We taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and about how through faith, we repent and are forgiven if we truly forsake and feel sorrow for our sins. We then taught how through baptism we are washed clean of our sins and wrong-doings and that through following Jesus Christ we receive a remission of our sins and peace through the spirit. We felt the power of the Holy Spirit in that moment and identified with him that what he was feeling (which he described as peace, happiness, and something big inside of him) was the spirit and invited him to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ and he accepted! We plan to baptize him this Sunday since we are still helping him to stop drinking. Cool thing is we have a member in our ward who used to be an alcoholic and has helped the stake out with the Church's recovery program so he is helping us to help Jose Luis to stop drinking.

On Wednesday, we went to our convert's house to try teach some of her non-member family members and we found her husband Oscar there so he listened to us. He said that he really needed a change in his life and that he would love to go to church and everything and be with his wife and kids there and feel and have more peace in his life. We taught him that through repentance and baptism, we can receive that peace and guidance through the spirit which we receive after baptism. The spirit was strongly present and we invited him to be baptized and he accepted also! We plan to baptize him this Sunday.

Also, on Saturday we had a neat experience with one of our investigators, Maria. She had previously listened to missionaries and had wanted to be baptized but her husband forbade her to. We taught her about the importance to follow Christ through baptism and how even though there might be opposition, there will always be a way for us to complete with the Lord's command if we want to and if we strive hard do all we can to complete His will. She accepted to pray for a confirmation to know the Lord's will concerning her and for courage to talk to her husband to get permission. She shared with us her amazing experience that she had that after she prayed about her baptism and for the Lord to help her make a sure decision, she opened her Book of Mormon and stumbled upon some scriptures that the sister missionaries had marked for her in her book that happened to be Alma chapter 7 verses 11 through 16. She was impacted by those scriptures and as we discussed the importance of that answer of God to her in that moment, we were touched by the spirit and she realized that no matter what, she needed to be baptized and follow Christ. She decided and is firm in her decision and told us that she will just let her husband know that she has made a decision and that with his permission or not, she was going to follow Jesus Christ. She is very enthusiastic and excited for her upcoming baptism which is scheduled for May 10.

We are doing great and I hope you all are too! Love you all!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Following The Guidance Of Modern-Day Prophets

Hey guys!

We had a very eventful yet uneventful week. We absolutely did WORK this week and I think this is the most tired I have ever been in my mission (also taking into account the fact that we wake up at 5:40am to go get big at the gym). 

But we taught a bunch of solid lessons this week all with the amazing presence of the spirit. We invited everyone we met to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ but the main theme we found in common with all of our investigators was that they feel they aren't prepared and that they won't be prepared until after a long time and knowing everything (totally not true, that's why we're given faith). But, we have good investigators that are progressing and taking everything we give them. 

One cool experience I had was that I got to talk in church on Sunday about the importance of listening to the General Conferences of the Church and following the guidance of modern-day prophets. One of our investigators named Jorge who we haven't taught about prophets yet was at church so I specifically made it a point to direct my thoughts and words toward him and his needs. After church we talked a bit and set up an appointment and he said he was really interested in learning more about modern-day prophets and receiving more knowledge from us. Cool! But yeah, well I gotta go but we are doing swell as I hope all of you are! 

Take care and love you!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

I thought this was hilarious.  Since I arrived in Mexico, I made the correct judgement that Coke is the replacement for water here.  But never had I beheld such a scene as this one!  A fridge full of Coke for all the Coke-loving Mexicans and the one bottle of water for the dehydrated Elder that comes a walkin' by.  How considerate!

Following The Example Of Jesus Christ!

Hey guys!

Elder Johnson and I had a great week. We found a lot of new investigators this week and have received many references from members and we are working really great right now.

One cool experience we had this week was with an inspired contact. Elder Johnson and I were heading to an appointment and talking about how much more effective it is to receive references from members and following the divine guidance of the Spirit than anything else when a guy stopped us on our way down the hill to say hi to us. So we stopped and talked to him for a little about him personally and about what we do as missionaries and how our message could bless him in his life. He listened and accepted that we come back to teach him. The next night we went over to his house and taught him and his girlfriend about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we explained about the process of repentance and about the Savior's Atonement, the Spirit was strongly present. We explained how the Spirit testifies of truth and the need to follow the example of Jesus Christ and how through baptism we can be washed clean of sin and mistakes and then invited them to follow His example and be baptized. They both accepted and are very excited to be able to follow through with the Savior's teachings. We plan to marry them this week and have their baptisms on Saturday! The zone is doing really great and we re all seeing a lot of success! Now we just gotta keep up with all of them to make sure we do even better!

Cool story! This morning we got up at 4:50 am to go hike this huge mountain in our area with two other Elders to see the sunrise. So we were hiking and basically bear crawling the mountain because it was so steep. But it was cool. When we saw the mountain we climbed when the sun came up, we were surprised  because it was basically just a vertical climb all the way up. So being that we were on a very steep hill, we were already "past the point of no return" so we had to keep climbing up to be able to get down. As we were approaching the bigger mountain right next to us, we found witches up there with us. Crazy! I don't have too much time to tell that whole story so if you're interested ask me about it when you see me again. So, we get past the witches and take pictures of the sunrise and go to the very highest tip-pity top point of the mountain and offer a prayer (because the tops of mountains are basically like temples and it's just cool like that) and head back down to go play soccer with the zone. Yay! Fun! 

But yeah, we are doing great and I hope you all are too! Oh yeah, Happy Belated Birthday to my faddah unit! He turned a grand 51 years old on March 20th which makes me also realize that I turn 21 this year... man, I'm gonna get old fast. Anyway, have a great week! Love you all!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Beautiful Sunrise!

Tip-pity top of the mountain