Overcoming Trials With The Guidance Of The Spirit

Hey folks!

We had a great week here in Arbolillo. We had the baptism of Maribel this week and we have really seen a miracle happen in her life. For a really long time and since the time I have known her she has had a problem with alcohol and she couldn't stop drinking. We would work with her and talk and after going good for a few days she would fall into it again and she didn't show too much commitment during the process to stop. This week however we talked with her about how she wanted her life to be and what kind of goals she had. She recognized that drinking did not make her happy and that it only caused unhappiness and sorrow in her life and for the first time I saw her and heard her express her sincere desire to stop drinking and have the guidance of the Spirit in her life. She was changing and said she had committed with herself right before we went to visit her that day that from that moment onward she would never drink again. We were very happy and with the guidance of the Spirit helped her have an even firer resolution to follow the Lord. We gave her a blessing and since that day she has had many temptations and opportunities to fall but has overcome and resisted. When she told me all about her trials and how she has overcome, it made me so happy to see someone fighting and doing all in their power to be able to return to the presence of our God relying solely on His power.

We had lots of other great experiences this past week and look forward to the baptism of Maria Elena this weekend who is the mom of one of our recent converts, Julio. We have an elder with us for a little while named Elder Solis who is waiting for his VISA to Argentina where he will be serving. He's way fun and I don't think I have laughed so much or so hard in a long time. Needless to say we all are doing great. We also went to the temple this week! Yay! It was the first time I have been able to go since I left the MTC and it was a good feeling being able to go and be in the temple for a little bit. Have a great week! Love you all!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Last Mission Conference with President & Sister Trevort

Happy Birthday Elder San Diego!!!

Hey guys!

Elder Durrant and I had a great week. We baptized Elizabeth, Angelica, and Paulina this weekend and the Spirit was amazing in each of their baptisms. I asked them how they felt after their baptisms and they responded that they felt really good and happy and lots of peace. I asked them what it was and they said that it was the Spirit. I told them to write down their feelings and what they experienced to have that memory with them forever. Angelica had a special experience on Sunday during her confirmation. She said she felt something really strange during the confirmation that felt like a warmth and heat that started in her head and went down through her whole body out to her hands and that it felt really good and comforting. I again told her,"Do you know what that is?" and she said,"The Holy Spirit." It was a really neat experience for me to hear her experience and have her know and identify how the Spirit talks and testifies to her.

Me and Elder Durrant also got to perform the baptisms of a couple that the sister missionaries married and baptized. It's that same couple I talked about a few weeks ago when I shared a message in the baptismal service of the sister missionaries and they got excited to be married and baptized.

On my birthday I was looking in the mirror and what did I see? Three new white hairs I had never seen before. Yup, I sure am getting older and wiser too. But it was good. I got a few small gifts from some sweet members of my ward and one sister in the ward bought me a cake. It was a really calm day and actually really great because we started the day with Angelica and Paulina's baptism! So it was good.

We also had our last mission conference with President Tervort this past week. He will be ending his mission in a week and will be off back home to Utah and we will get President Hall from Idaho as our new mission president.

I also got to go back and visit my converts in Xalostoc and it was really great seeing most of them and leaving my testimony with them one last time before I leave Mexico. Everything has been great and will continue to be! I love you all!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Angelica and Paulina's baptism!

Birthday cake

The sister's baptism!

Called To Serve - El Salvador San Salvador East Mission!

Hey everybody!

First off, congratulations to my little brother, Michael, for receiving his mission call! He will proudly serve the Lord in the El Salvador San Salvador East Mission! Yay! He will report to the Mexico MTC September 4 which is in my zone and right in front of my area actually. It's kind of weird thinking that once that day comes, my parents will be completely alone by themselves for a few months since I'll be back at BYU and both my brother and sister will be on their missions.

Anyway, we had a great week here, me and Elder Durrant. At the beginning of this week we went with Maribel and Elizabeth and checked up on the last commitment we left with Maribel to say a prayer and repent of everything she has ever done. She said that she did it and that she felt very calm and peaceful and felt that she was loved and forgiven of everything. We taught them a little about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited them to be baptized and they accepted! They are going to be baptized this Friday and are progressing and preparing every day. We taught them about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ a few days later and invited them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and ask if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Elizabeth said she did it and that she felt a warmth in her chest that extended to her stomach and that tickled a little bit. I asked her what that was what she had felt and she responded saying it was the Spirit.

We were going to have Angelica's and Paulina's baptism this weekend but Angelica had to work so we changed it for this upcoming weekend and they are excited and progressing greatly! 

We had Stake Conference yesterday and it was just swell and we got to sit our investigators right up front. Tomorrow we have our last Mission Conference with President Tervort. It will be very emotional probably but very good nonetheless.

We had a great week and will have a greater one this week! Hope you all do the same!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

 Me and Elder Durrant with President and Sister Tervort

The Benemerito! Soon to be the new Mexico MTC!

Milkshake mustaches!

Following Christ's Example To Be Baptized!

Hey guys!

Elder Durrant and I had a great week. We baptized Julio this Sunday and it was a really neat experience seeing him make that sacred covenant with God to always follow him. 

This week we received a reference from a member in our ward of a family that had just recently moved into some of the apartment complexes in our area. We went with the family and taught them the first night about God our loving Heavenly Father and the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can have a surety that they exist and love us since they were feeling confused about God and religion and the reality and importance of it all. We went back the next day and followed up on the commitment we left with them to pray and they said that they felt good as they prayed and that they did really feel like He loved them. We taught about the guidance God gives us through prophets and about the Restoration of the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The spirit came strongly to the lesson and we identified it with them and taught about how we follow Christ through living His gospel and we invited them to be baptized. They accepted, went to the baptismal service we had Sunday morning, and stayed for church and left very excited and enthusiastic to follow Jesus Christ in that way. 

It was a really cool experience and through service that me and Elder Durrant offered we found some more investigators and are in the process of reactivating some more members and receiving references from them. 

Everything is great and we are doing well. Have a great week!

¡Ten fe y se obediente!

Todo mi amor,

Elder San Diego

Julio's baptism!

Elder Durrant bought a mariachi suit!