Dearest Mother,
Lots of things to say and little time as usual but I will try to fit everything in. I might not be able to write a separate email to the lot though so I will include what I can in this one to you if that is okay :) First to answer your question: yes summer is coming up and it is getting warmer which is nice :) I am going to freak out when I wake up Christmas morning sweating because of the heat haha. I have not received any letters yet :( I think it is because I do not get any of them until a zone meeting or a transfer. That is pretty lame but I am thinking that is the case. And since you asked ;) ...I need....ha actually nothing I don´t think. I am getting by okay with the things here although it is difficult at times to buy things like shampoo and contact solution and such because we only have a certain amount of money and things here are pretty expensive. But it would be hard to send stuff like that I really don´t know when I would get them so I think I am fine. Yes, I am fine ha. Thanks so much mom. I sure appreciate everything you do. One of my old comps is in Peru and she writes letters every week to her family and I don´t know how she does it! I don´t even know where to send letters here or how the system works or anything! I am very unlearned in many things and I hope it does not affect my future to much haha.
So here is an important question for you: Did you also receive my blow dryer and previous planners from my comp in WA? Because she was going to send those as well. Also another question, how is my dad doing? I know I don´t email him specifically and i probably should but it´s tough to do everything. Just wondering how he is and if all is well :)
Now I want to respond to some of things in your letter. Goodness I am so glad Celeste is okay and that things worked out and that people listened to their feeling and the promptings of the spirit! That sure is a miracle and I am thankful that you shared that with me. Tell Celeste and Nellee both that I love them so much and that they are still two of the greatest angels in my life. Is Nellee still planning on a mission!!!????
I am glad Kams b day was good! That girl better watch it or I am going to cry buckets of tears worrying about her. I am glad she is being a good girl though. Where is she finding these guys and why are there so many of them?!?! Oh how I love that girl so much and hope that she will continue to be a good example to her friends. I want to have lots of fun adventures with her and Kendyl after my mission and I hope that they will not be too cool for me. I miss both of them and Joel and Shaun like crazy haha. The pic of Joel shucking the corn was hilarious the other week and I just wanted to hug that boy so badly!! What a handsome silly young man he is haha.
And oh my goodness Tonia Bennett is such an angel. Her reply was ever so sweet and I do not feel deserving of all the blessings I am receiving! I am trying my best but still I lack so many things and Heavenly Father is just so loving and merciful. But not everything here is daisies and roses each day. We have seen many miracles but we also have very hard days. I just don´t like to write about the difficulties and hardships because we are asked not too and also because the good things outweigh the bad anyway. And the tough things are just part of this experience and always help in the end. But I will say this, remember Julian? I don't even want to write about this because you and Tonia both mentioned what a blessing it was to have the experience with him. And it was a miracle I know it! But the news is that we have not seen him since that day that he accepted to be baptized on the 15th. I don´t understand it and hope it is not anything we did because honestly it was a miracle and the spirit was so sweet while we were teaching him. I don´t know what happened but I have been praying to find him and get in contact with him. So that has been very rough on us. One thing I have noticed on my mission is the intense power that Satan had. Of course God´s power is stronger and perfect and I have seen that power on my mission as well. But I have also seen the power of Satan more on my mission than any other time in my life and it is so hard. I know that missionary work is how the Lord´s kingdom is going to grow and that Satan knows that as well and he is trying so hard to stop it. I learned something new about faith this past week and how strong it is. So as a companionship we have been praying to find people that are prepared and ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have fasted lots, prayed lots, and done lots in order to find these people. And here is the thing: God knows where these people are. They are His children and He knows them perfectly. He knows what they are doing, their circumstances, everything. He knows where they are. And of course He wants them to have the Gospel and accept Him and the Lord because this is the only way they can receive eternal life. And this is His work and glory. I know that if God wants something to happen, it will happen. But I have also learned that we need faith. In 1 Nephi chapter 7 verse 12 it says: Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him. This scripture says that He is able to do
all things according to his will...if it so be that they exercise faith in him. God has a will and a way, but we need to have faith in the things we are seeking. We have been seeking people who are elect and we are only going to find them if we have the faith to do so. I want to hurry tell a few experiences. We are teaching the Salcedo family. This family was another miracle and I really hope that something happens with this family! Something meaning baptisms and the lot! We had a cita with an investigator but he was not there. A man looked down at us from the building and asked who we were looking for. We called up to the man that we were looking for Miler. He said that miler was sleeping. He asked who we were and so gladly and trying to talk loudly because he was maybe two stories up, we introduced ourselves as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I asked his name and he told me Jonathan. He said that he was going to come down. We waited for a bit and he came down and talked to us and invited us in. We were with a member so we were able to enter. We met his family. He has a wife but they are not actually married, and three children. One is in Peru and the other two live with them. One is 9 and the other 6 I believe. We taught them the first lesson and towards the end my companion and I just started crying and I didnt´t know why except for the fact that I felt the spirit so strong! We hadn´t really taught the lesson too differently than normal but I felt different. And it was because of this next part of the experience I believe. Jonathan told us that when he was up on the balcony and we were down below, he felt somethings inside of him telling him to come down and talk to us. He said that there had been many other people like us (maybe different religions) come to him but he never had allowed anyone into his home until this night. Oh my goodness I was just blown away once again at the work of the Lord. This was a miracle! And I don´t tell it to boast and hope it does not sound that way. It was ALL THE LORD AND THE SPIRIT. Jonathan felt the spirit telling him to come down, it had nothing to do with us. We are only instruments in the Lord´s hands and He does everything. He makes the changes in people. I love this family so much! Maritza who is the mom just had her new born baby yesterday and we went to visit them in the hospital! It was so great and was a wonderful experience. I want to tell more about this family and will do it next week because time is up! But I know that it is the Lord that is allowing these miracles to happen and although there are many hard times and rough experiences, He always blesses us with things like this and I am so thankful! I need to do more for Him because I do not feel deserving of the things He has given me. I know that this is His church and gospel and that people are going to change because of it.Love you all so much and thank you for everything! Especially your examples and testimonies that have stayed with me and helped me on my mission greatly.
Love,
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