Elder Goode and Elder Cardona, his current companion
A group of missionaries at one of their meetings
An Elder Braxton has come to love
A couple of Elders in his current Zone of Talagante
I did choose a verse. I let the Lord guide that one. I opened my
scriptures and read until I felt that I needed a verse and I ended up in Alma
30:8 in Spanish it says ¨Porque así dicen las Escrituras: Escogeos hoy a quién
sirváis. Which in English is ¨Because thus saith The Scriptures: Choose ye this
day whom ye will serve. I really like it and it has been helping me to make
even better decisions and to be better now. Every action and decision centered
in Christ and reminds me to think that way to choose better so that I can be
better.
Right now we really don`t have investigators that are progressing.
We have many that have potential or difficulties or that aren`t married that
know that the Church is true but more than anything I am working hard and
looking for the miracles that the Lord is preparing and special people that He
will put in our path. We need more than anything to renew our pool of
investigators, but I know that the Lord is preparing miracles. We have a couple
investigators that are fairly special, that are Walter and Daniela. They aren`t
married, but they are very united. We haven`t been able to visit them much,
because they work a lot, but they are interested in learning more. We can
usually share one time a week with them and they are slowly moving along. We
are pushing towards them reading for themselves and praying to know if the Book
of Mormon is true. We have an appointment with them today, but we need to call
again and verify if they still can. We are going to be reading with them today and
hoping that they finally decide to pray and seek their answers and what path
the Lord wants for them. They have awhile still before they could be baptized,
but it is a process.
Thanks for all that you do and I love you so much and for all that
you do. Elder Holland´s talk really took me out.... I love you so much and it
is hard to have heard that talk, because most of the time on the mission we
just emotionally disconnect from home and family and go work and share and love
the Chilean Family all around us, but that talk was very powerful. Thanks for
all that you have done and sacrificed and always been doing for me and my
well-being I really appreciate it.
You are welcome! I really appreciate your gratitude.
That has been very evident in your letters lately. Thank you.
I like your verse. It is a good one and will help you in your
work.
I hope that Walter and Daniela will continue to progress. It
is hard when they are not married to change their opinions about
marriage. Keep trying. I am sure there are many others out there
who need your to reach out to them. Keep searching and you will find
them. Open Your Mouth and speak to everyone that you see and the Lord
will help your path intersect with the right people. Keep praying that
today you will meet someone who the Lord has prepared. I know you do
these things, but continue in faith. A lot depends on the Lord’s
timing.
I need to listen to Elder Holland’s talk again. I remember it
being a lot about the impact of mothers on their children, but several people
have gotten other things out of that talk, so I need to listen again and see if
I missed something. I think you almost have to emotionally disconnect or
you would be homesick all the time and unable to work. Time is going
quickly and you will have those connections again, soon enough. Know that
you are loved and cared about and that we pray for you several times each day.
You are always in my thoughts. I wish I could be there as a little bird
and watch you go through your day. I know you are doing what the Lord
needs you to do and you will have an important impact on many lives into the
eternities. I think about the impact that Carlos’s little boy will have
on others and it makes me happy to know his life will be better because of
you.
Thanks Mom. I still haven`t heard from Carlos or Soley.... I have
been waiting, but nothing has shown up. Also I am free from the other issue of
pictures for a little while. I hope that helped make your weekend even better
having all of the pictures from my mission. Some of them are things like
information or other things that aren`t very important. If you don`t need the
details you can delete them if they aren`t anything important.
I am happy to write to you each week. It helps me to examine
my week and see what I have done and what I could have done better. It is
also a form of a journal. I have shared some very spiritual things with
my missionaries in letters. Clain probably got the most of that since I
was serving as RS President while he was out. I am sure it is hard when
your companions don’t hear from home. That is why I always try to send
things for them in your packages.
I have received quite a few photos from Ulices, but I hope that
there are more to come. I think he has put three bunches of about 30
photos in. I have then moved them to my laptop at home. I am sure
there has to be a few more because of the numbers on the photos. Please
talk to him and see if he is able to send them all. Maybe they are not
all copying because of space issues.
I look forward to many talks with you when you get home and hope
that you will open up and share much more about your mission than what we have
had in emails. I am grateful that you write each week, even if you don’t
share all the stories I keep asking for. I know special things are
happening to you all of the time. I hope you recognize that they are
special are recording them in your journal. 20 was an interesting time in
my life and yes we should talk about that and what big decisions and
temptations may be coming up in your life. For now, focus on what your
Mission President teaches you to do and all the things we tried to instill in your
heart before you left and you will be just fine. You are a Boy Scout and
You are Prepared to serve. .
I know. It will be a great time and there will be many important
decisions that will all be coming very quickly when I arrive home. I understand
those details and they are many. I will share many experiences afterwards.
There was a time of around 6 months when I made the mistake of not writing my
journal because of time and it has become a regret and I have fixed that detail
and am writing at least a half page everyday. I don`t have accounts of when
Carlos was baptized or when Camila either because it was during that time. It
is a regret but I am doing all that I can now to change that.
I have many years of regrets for not writing. I wish I had
done better and had journals to go back to and read from. I keep trying to make
it a new goal, but time always seems to get in the way. I need to try to
put the most important things in place in my life and let some other things
go. Only, I don’t know what to let go.
If you can, try to write about what you felt when you were working
with Camila and Carlos now, while you are still on the mission and while the
details are more fresh in your mind. It is harder to remember the longer
time goes by and the older you get.
Thanks for all that you do and writing always. I have had
companions where they never had emails and it is hard to have to see them
writing a little bit and trying to act normal even though they barely have
received anything. One of my companions almost never received anything from his
mom or family... I am glad that I get yelled at if you don`t hear anything. It
is an expression of love and for all the rules and lessons that you have taught
me over the years. When I come home I am going to be waiting for those talks
about when you were 20 you went through certain things. That will help me a lot
and I really pay a lot of attention to the counsels that I receive from you and
Dad. I am grateful for those. They stay in my mind and come back to me when I
need them. The Lord has provided that blessing in my life to be able to
remember the counsels from my parents.
I found this on lds.org today. It might help you share the
prophet’s message with the people you teach. He basically taught what you
are out there trying to live. I think you are doing a great job.
I sent him an article called Invitations from the Prophet that
outlines what President Monson talked about in his two talks.
Here is a link to it. https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/october-2015-general-conference-invitations-from-the-prophet?lang=eng
Thanks for sending that. It helps. I had written on all the talks,
but that helped me to remember the details and to think on what I need to do
now and follow the Spirit´s guide of what things I can improve now.
I will try to get Curtis to speak with Soley and Carlos and see if
he can figure out what is going on. I hoped that they would write to
you.
Curtis interviewed for another job today as Head Custodian at
Odyssey Elementary. I hope he gets it, but I will be sad when he is no
longer at WPJH. I have really enjoyed having him here. He helps me
a lot and does it so willingly. They are pretty sure they will get the house,
so that will be lots of work to do, but I think they are excited to pitch in
and make it a nice home. They have lots of ideas and it is fun to see
them so excited about it.
I love you so much and I am so proud of all you do.
I can imagine. I really miss the special moments with Curtis and
Clain.... It will be special to have them again when I get home, but there is
time before that event even though it goes by so quickly. Thanks for the
support and help. I am out of time and need to be going. I love you and it has
been nice to have more time to write today. I had fewer emails than normal. I
love you so much and am trying to do all that I can to write as much as
possible. We are working hard to help everyone we meet. There are many special
members here for me that will be joining my special group of friends from my
mission. They are few, but special.
I also loved the talk where it focused on 2 questions. One was
along the lines of asking The Lord what I lack now and the other asking what we
are doing well and what we can do better. I really enjoyed those details. I
liked the talk about the potter`s wheel and centering our lives in Christ so
that things can continue. If we aren`t centered in Christ everything always
seems harder or that if falls apart which makes sense because it does our
spiritual lives fall apart if we aren`t living focused on Christ and His
Atonement. We can only be changed in and through Him. He is the power that
allows us to become when we let Him change us.
Many key details have been stuck in my mind and I am grateful for
the Conferences because they are helping me to teach better and remember more
key doctrines that the Lord needs His children to understand and understanding
them more helps me to bless them through example in all that I do and as I
share them clearly and powerfully.
Yes, it was an excellent conference. I felt the spirit so many
times as I listened. Dad would look over and I would be wiping the tears
away. He would ask what was wrong and I would just say the spirit touched
me. I love having that feeling. Not all the crying, but knowing
that the Lord is speaking to my heart and trying to communicate things to my
spirit. I have loved Elder Rasband since the first time I heard him speak.
I am glad he was chosen as an apostle. Elder Stephens knows so much about
the welfare of the church having served in the Presiding Bishopric and that
will help him to always consider the needs of the people. I felt that
Elder Renland has a very tender heart, like yours. He will be much like
President Monson, ministering to the widows, and needy. I believe he has
a handicapped daughter, just one child. I would like to learn more about
her.
Have a super great week. We love you and we look forward to
being with you again, but I would not want to cut this special time in your
life short. You need all of these experiences and they will bless your
life forever. If I could reach through the computer, I would give you a
huge hug and kiss.
Love always and forever,
Mom
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