September 12, 2016

did you get all the pics

i have a new companion now his name is Elder Hidalgo he is a great kid and from Quito but i asked if he lived in the Quito mission and he said no he lives in the Quito North mission, bummer.  But im excited cause i get to teach him how to be a Zone leader!!

I asked where his previous companion was transferred to:

to a zone called Orquilias,  it was my first zone when i started the mission

ya we are close did you get all the pics that i sent or did they not come?

oh well i will have to send them later but i have to go now i love you guys

Pictures never came :(

September 5, 2016

Well this week president wanted us all to make a basic plan for lesson 1 the restauracion.  We always have to make lesson plans for the investigadores but acording to their needs.  but this one was a little more general it was just a plan.  We had an entire week to study it in our personal study time and in our companionship study time.  At the end of the week we ended up perfecting it with just the right scriptures and just the right questions at just the right time.  We practiced and used the plan many times and feel great about it.  Ive never been so sure in my entire life that God exists.  I have no dout that Jesus is my savior, Redeemer, and my friend.  And i have no doubt that when i prayed to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet the Holy Ghost testified to me that he was and that i should share these things with all the inhabitants of the earth.  I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify that Jesus is my savior, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the church of Jesus Christ is the kingdom of God here on earth.  I am so happy for that.  

Andres is really progressing, we visited him yesterday and talked about faith and repentance.  He said it is going to be tough to repent for all the things that he has done but is determained to do it.  He really has reconized the love of the father for him and really wants to be more happy and knows that he must repent.  He said he wants to have more faith and learn more.  We talked about one of the ways to gain more faith is reading the book of mormon and finding a place to read, he said is going to look for a place to pray and read were its a little more calm and there are less little kids running around.  

Well that is all for this week and really love it here and it is a really pretty place here in Ecuador and there are so good people to talk to.

August 29, 2016

well im sick today so i dont think im going to write another letter haha but thanks mom for the letter that im going to print and the great talk im going to download from dad.

i hope im fealing better by 6 today cause we have 3 really important lessons haha and i really cant miss them
alright i have to go i love you guys and hope all have a great school year sorry we didnt talk much and mom i really really really like you letter I almost cried reading it.

keep doing what you guys are doing

Josh found this!

August 22, 2016

Well this past week i think have i felt the spirit in teaching alot more. not sure why its all of a sudden super strong but i really have.  Yesterday was church and we invited a kid named Andres to come cause we told him that if he wants to turn his life around then this is the way to do it and it will bless him.  We expressed to him that Jesus Christ has provided a way to be happy in this life and in the next. We testified that this is the way that he has set, and through this church he can learn more about the plan that God has for him, then we invited him to be baptized and he said he felt that he should and that he would if he came to know that it is true.  He really wants to start studing at the university so he can get a job and a family, that is what he says he wants, he took a test to see if he could get in and they havent called him back yet and its already been a month so he is worried.  We promised him that he would get the results if he came to church so he said he would come. He came! and really early. he came at 830 and the church starts a 9 haha plus south america is famous for starting things really late. So we ended up starting a 915 so he had a good 30 minutes in the church alone before.  but he had a great time. he stayed all 3 hours and learned alot about adam and eve and how opposition is nesecary in this life.  We are going to visit him on wednesday and im super pumped!!! cause he is going to put a baptismal date!.

 Our other investigador is named Joseph he is a great 14 year old kid. we have known him for a while now.  He really liked the restauracion (restoration) when we taught it to him He has only attended church 1 time but he really likes the book of mormon. and wants to be baptized but hasnt recieved an answer yet to know that it is true.  He has a baptismal date for the 10th of september so he can attend a little more.  We taught him the word of wisdom yesterday and he says its going to be tough cause he really likes coffee but im praying for him so he will be alright. 

well thats pretty much the bigger news that has happened during the week.  My personal study has been great lately.  Our president is always telling us to study the natural being of God like his attributes and i understood alot but this past week my eyes were opened.  I really realized the phrase I am a Child of God is really great.  It helped the people realize their potential.  Image if we weren't children of a heavenly father we would have no direcion to our lives, we would just be wandering creatures looking for the most pleasure possible with the least amount of pain.  But God gives us an end,  I am a Child Of A GOD, i can inherite a kingdom in heaven!  That is something that we have to teach first because if we dont the people do not understand why there are prphfets or why there is a plan of salvacion, why Joseph Smith had to restore the true church and if he had not done that we would all surely be damned cause we would all be lost and without direction in life.  Well i definitetly love God cause he truly has shown me the way.

 

Rob found Caleb's church building on Google Earth.  Caleb said:

ya its a pretty nice building. There is a even nicer one that is the stake center its gianorimica.  also another bigger one in the island thing that separates guayquil and Duran. Its called Samborondon.  450 members asist there every sunday it is insane. The stake center is in a place called the recreo i think

well i got to go now i love you guys a ton and tell the family that i love them too

oh and can you send me a pic of the house they are building

maybe if you can some pants too i really like the light gray ones

August 15, 2016

Well sorry i havent written in a while it has been kinda slow this past month but im doing alright here!! I love Duran! in 2 weeks we are going to hold an activity thats called discover the book of Mormon!!! Im pretty pumped about it cause we only printed 200 invitacions!!!! and we are expecting the city to come!! haha now im just kinding but we really did print 200 invitacions and gave them to members on sunday so they could help us.  And this ward though!! We are going to bring it back to life here!! All the members are stoked about the activity and they all want to do somthing! This past week milagros happened!! I was reminded this week that i need to be patient with the people that i teach and love them and work my guts out so they can progress.  I also was reminded that i need to look for the chosen people of the lord. the people that want more light and truth in their lives!! The people with holes in their hearts that need to be filled.  And i learned to love!!!  I have to love the people that i teach like christ does!!  If i dont, im not representing him!!  I know this month is going to be the miricle month! As a zone we are going to have 13 babtismes on the 27th!! I know they are going to be babtised!! we are tring to follow up everyday with these 13 people until they get babtised!

Well that is basically what is going on here in Duran!!!

So last week i printed off 3 letters that you wrote for me and the one from dad and the one from Josh.  And im pretty dang sure you we all inspired by God to write me the letters.  Cause I learned alot from them! You taught me patients and dad taught me to look for the people that will actually look for god in their lives. and josh taught me to love and we fought 9 new investigadors this week!! i was pretty sick!! cause i feel like 3 angels sent from God answered my prayer!! Thanks guys

well i have to go now cause its getting late so i love you guys and hope you guys have a great week

August 8, 2016

thanks for writing me mom it actually has been a kinda rough week.  I feel like i should be doing more but i dont have time.  its literally been hard to pray im so tired. i keep wanting to fall asleep.  And i know i shouldnt just focus on the numbers i feel like they are bad and im not doing everything that i should sometimes

alright ill try. ill do my best dont worry.

well this week we had to present an activity to the ward council that we are going to do about the book of mormon.  The participants will go to the year 600 bc and find lehi and he will send them to laban to get he plates but it will be really fun if all goes well.  But that means that everyone has to do there part like perfectly so it all works out haha and the zone we have to do better.  its just been hard to find time to do all the things good

well i have to go now i love you guys like every week hope you guys have a good one

August 1, 2016

No full letter today:  Here is the basics of the conversation.

I asked Caleb if he knew an elder there who has a cousin in Cedar Hills.  And we asked what he wants for his birthday...

"ya i knew him i was really cool. and no i dont know what i would use. like ties maybe and pants would be the most useful"

I asked if he had found people to teach...

"yes we found 5 but we will see if they really want to progress

no mom i know what i want for my birthday. The cuad in spanish. they just barly came out and i really want one

also i need the recipe of no bake cookies we want to make a bunch for the sisters that give us food.  

and it would be awsome too if you could put my name on it. Elder Blackhurst

also i need you guys to think of a time when it was been super super hard economically and you guys really had to turn to the lord to fix it. cause  there is a lot of people here that have that problem and it is really tough for them.  its tough for me too cause i have not really ever had to deal with that so im just like uuuuu hang in there i guess. so i thought well i know a really really good couple that i imagine has had problems and challenges like that and its u guys.

 

ok well i have to get going now and i love you guys a ton and i hope allyssa had a great week"