NEW transfer!

Dec. 1, 2014

 Well transfers have once again come and gone and (drum roll please) we stay the same! We were hoping to stay together for at least one more cause we feel like we have a pretty good thing going here. It is so crazy that I have already been here for 6 weeks though, it pretty much blows my mind how fast time is going! Well this week we didn't teach too many people it felt like but Mara was baptized! We saw a really big change in her and now we are really going to focus on the family, because the mom is a strong active member but the dad and a few siblings don't go, so as we teach her the lessons again we will try and get the whole family participating! The stake also has a temple trip planned for the recent converts from each ward and we are going to send her on that! So one week after being baptized she will go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead! Just like Facundo! That is what we hope at least. Well this week I finished the Book of Mormon, and so now I am in Ether. Mormon and Moroni's lives seem pretty sad to me, they watched their whole people be destroyed and were the only righteous ones. I am so grateful to live in a time where living the gospel doesn't require me to stand so quite alone. Even though it is tough I always have a ward, leaders and my family to back me up, what a blessing! I also ended John in the Bible so the four gospels. I feel like that through reading those I have gotten to know my Savior a lot better, probably be a good thing to read this month for you guys (hint hint) and now am started in on Acts which is really cool. I really do love the scriptures and look forward to my personal study times and companionship study times to share what I learned. If we share what we learn we retain it better maybe something you could try is talking about studies around the dinner table or something or allow a time in family home evening to talk about what you are learning in your personal studies. That way; one, mom and dad can make sure everyone is doing their studies haha and two, you can all learn from one another. Just an idea I'll throw out there. I am really excited to work in this Christmas season and help others to get to know the true meaning of Christmas. May God be with you 'til we meet again over internet.

Love,

Elder Andrew

feliz día de acción de gracias!
November 24, 2014

Well that is a much longer name than Thanksgiving! And they don't really eat turkey here haha. I am really thankful for my family and for the support you all give me as I serve this mission. Well this week was another packed one. We are trying to do good follow up with all the new investigators we found and still find a few new ones. We found a cool new couple by doing follow up with someone we had contacted my first week in the area and couldn't speak with us in the moment but this week let us teach them. I think we at least tried to get in contact with all of them and some worked and others not. The family of six turns out the dad doesn't want to listen to us so we will see what is up with that this week. We passed by Gustavo a few times but he never had time to let us in but is still reading and praying. On Saturday we called him to remind him to go to church and he didn't answer. Then he sent us a text later saying that he had drunk a lot, didn't feel good, missed his family and would go to church. We told him that we would go pick him up for church and he sent back "okay, en el nombre de jesucristo, amen" (okay, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen) so even though he was pretty drunk at least that shows he is praying and remembers the steps haha. Well he didn't come to church but we are going to teach him today. Mara is on track to be baptized on Saturday, the bishop got to know her and we talked with the leader of mujeres jovenes (young women) so that they could all be there at the baptism, so things are hopefully coming into place for that. The ward is working a lot and that is super important, even though we might not see too much progress with our investigadores (investigators) yet (I say yet because it is just a matter of time before they are all ready for baptism #ibelieveinmiracles) but the forces of the ward are starting to get more organized and starting to show. Missionary work that lasts is done with the members, so it is always a big plus to be on the same page/team. I did the same thing with the sacrament yesterday and it helped me again, that really is the key to just focus on Christ. Well something cool that I got in my email is a huge thing that the church is going to be doing this Christmas that will start pretty soon. "He is the gift" its called so keep your eyes and ears open for that. It will be a great chance to share the gospel in this Christmas season! Oh so that you know we found Ulises and his family again they seem fine but even though they promised to come to church they didn't, so I wonder if there is still something we can't see that is going on over there. (the dad is not back in the picture) This Sunday we also did divisions with the young men's organization to visit inactive young men (apparently on the ward list there is like almost 100!) and it went really well. It is surprising the power that the youth really do have, for that very reason "let no man despise thy youth" the Lord calls the young to do great works. Maybe that is something you could suggest to do, Dad, with the deacons. I don't know if there are any inactive boys in the ward but if there are you could not only help them, but also their families. This work is so marvelous I really do love it and I hope you can all look for new ways to join it, and help out our brothers and sisters to listen to these eternal truths!

I love you all. Sorry if this letter was all over the place,

Elder Andrew