April 10, 2017

mom, your going to make me cry.  I think ive gotten that same promting... its not that ive lessend the love i have for them but im defitevly not focusing on increasing the love i have for them

ya you almost made me cry...

hey ive got to go im really sorry i didnt say any thing

April 3, 2017

Hola Familia

Hey guys this week has been great! I absolutely loved General Conference!! We actually had a few conferences this week.  2 zone conferences, leadership conference, and the general Conference!! haha full conferences.  But i cant lie a lot of spiritual experiences!! In the leadership conference one of the bigger points that we touched was what are we doing as leaders to help the companionship's that are not getting along.  We showed a demonstration of a companionship teaching but not getting along.  my companion and i got to do the demonstration.  My companion was teaching and on the projector behind us it showed my thoughts.  they were  thoughts about the experiences in the week that were not so unified.  For example in one picture i was cooking and my companion was reading a cook book, in another picture i was ironing and studying Spanish at the same time and my companion was playing with toys.  but in when i started to teach (i started off by saying what my companion wanted to say was... showing that i really didn't trust in him) the projector showed the my companions thoughts.  me sleeping, my companion cleaning. me eating pizza and my companion filling the area book.  it was super funny...  So the point of all this is that we CANNOT just think in our heads, "oh he´ll never learn" or "my companion is just disobedient and i´m going to be obedient". It doesn't work like that.  It always effects our teaching always!!  The holy Ghost does not reside in un holy places.  Holy is his name.  

I really loved that you guys both mentioned elder Rasbands Talk.  I really enjoyed it too!! It funny because he basically gave the same talk when he came to visit us.  It was very inspired, but the cool part is, is that he dove into the doctrine a little more with us.  He basically explained that there are a few influences that persuade us to make decisions, whether they be good or bad.  The Holy Ghost, The Light of Christ, The Natural Man, and the Devil.  Sometimes its not necessarily Satan that is persuading us to make poor decision, or just not make good ones. It is sometimes our natural man that is an enemy to God.  And other times its not necessarily the Holy Spirit promoting us to make decisiones, but it is good influences that surround us.  

I´ve been reading the book of Mormon lately and it was in 1st Nephi 4:12-14. The Lord dramatically tells him to slay Laban. Nephi being a just and righteous man that truly loves righteousness and hates sin said no. but i love how the Lord desided to place the word ´remembered´. One of the main purposes of the Holy Ghost is to remind!! Ive literally heard words just like the ones Nephi heard!! He was just reminded to keep the commandments!! and then in the verses the follow he thought then he knew then he obeyed!! The questions that we must ask ourselves now are, am I thinking (meditating) about, knowing, and obeying the ´reminders´ that the Lord is giving me?  That is what the Lord does that is how he works.  He allows us to choice whether we are going to obey him or not.

I really love this work! Im really grateful that the lord letts me be here!  I hope the lord keeps his promise and keeps reminding me of his commandments! Cause i got a bad memory haha.  i love the gospel and love what it has given our family and i love you guys a lot and love the Lord!! I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet!! 

Have a great week

 

oh and read the living Christ!! the apostles mentioned it twice in the conference!! that means something!!

 

read it as a Family

i got to go bye love you guys

March 27, 2017

the week was pretty nuts.  Something im doing with the book of mormon lately is marking all the attributes and cariteristicas of God and of a leader. there are a ton. In almost every verse in the Book of Mormon has at least one attribute.  

Here on the mission ive learned to study to understand the true God.  Because when we understand him and know him we are truely converted.  If i could give a missionary just one tip before his or her mission i would tell him KNOW GOD. Be like him. ive honestly learned so much from that. and that is something that President Riggins has stressed for almost 3 years now. and it converts missionaries. 

this week we went to Quevedo Sur, and Milagro. and Ventanas for a meeting haha so much traveling.  I think i was in a bus for at least 12ours this weeks. but it gives me time to reflect and study

March 20, 2017

hey family Im doing good over here i really love it here.  We couldnt find this week, its kinda sad cause we need to be finding more but thats alright.  We are really looking for the less active families that have members of the family that are not members.  that is ideal because more baptisms come out of partial member families!  

We are about to have Zone conferences again. Im pumped we are going to talk alot of teaching because the mission has gotten alot worse at teaching.  And the mission numbers show it.  In may we had over a 100 convert baptisms, now in December we had less than 40. but we found more in december, put more baptismal dates, and there were more people attending church. So its the way we are teaching them.  According to the interchanges that we did with the zone leaders we saw a reflection of that. Even some of the zone leaders are struggling in the way they are teaching.  So these zone conferences are really going to be focused on that!! thats exciting.  Also we did 2 interchanges this week one was with Duran norte and the other in Quevedo norte so in my last 2 sectors.  It was fun seeing all of the people again.  I kinda feel sad because do you remember Medardo?  Well we found him and it looks like he is not taking the right roads. he picked up the habit to drink again. I really feel sad for him but on the other hand i really feel happy.  because i know that my savior died for him and that makes it so he can repent and jump on the right road again.  A video really brings me a lot a peace in my mind. its called why we need a savior. it came out christmas 2015. 

Even tho it came out such a long time ago its i still remember the first time i watched it because it really simplifies the saviors atonement so that even a little child could remember it. We showed the video to a family that is a little uneducated a while ago and here there is a lot of people like that.  I dont think Ecuador has that great of a education system.  In Guayaquil its better but either way its kinda sad.  So the people like that we need to use a lot of videos and pictures so they can understand.  We asked them before we turned it on to look why we need the saviors atonement.  We made sure they understood the question and played the video and the spirit filled the room.  I wanted to ask them the same question that i gave them from the start but i was prompted to ask just how they felt they responded that they were really grateful. we asked why and they said because thanks to him we can turn around and start over. 

 I know that we dont have to dwell on the same sins that we have committed before.  He gives us a chance to forgive and forget and start with something better. I love the savior i know that he surely loves me more than i love him because he is always focused on the goal of getting me to the fathers kingdom.  Im trying to be better everyday and i know that i have weaknesses and alot of them but i have to work on them.  I love you guys alot and just by your examples to me you guys have shown me what a true leader is and trust me more than once i have felt like a parent here hahah i love you guys so much 

March 15, 2017

It's official!!!

Monday 12 June 2017
American Airlines AA 902 Departure 12 June 10:59 PM Guayaquil, (Jose Joaquin De Olmedo)
(+)
Arrival 13 June 04:24 AM Miami, (Miami Intl) (+)
Tuesday 13 June 2017
American Airlines AA 1002 Departure 13 June 07:10 AM Miami, (Miami Intl) (+)
Arrival 13 June 09:18 AM Dallas, (Dallas Ft Worth Intl) (+) Terminal: 0

Tuesday 13 June 2017
American Airlines AA 1597 Departure 13 June 11:10 AM Dallas, (Dallas Ft Worth Intl) (+) Terminal: 0
Arrival 13 June 12:53 PM Salt Lake City, (Salt Lake City Intl) (+) Terminal: 1 - Terminal Unit 1

March 13, 2017

haha ya mom your right. i was reading my patriarchal blessing and it says that the lord will guide me AS i make these types of desiciones so i guess you're right i should just be patient. 

This week was a good week. We are teaching a family named The Sarco family. They are super great. Elder Contreras and i found them looking for members and getting to know the ward a little more. We used the directory and found this member named Jennifer. the members told us that it is a partial member family and that her parents are not members so we were like ya alright lets go.  Maximo is the dad he is a super humble guy his wife is named Rocio.  Maximo is a little shy but Rocio is not too bad.  They are super loving grandparents. Rocio goes to church quiet a bit. they knew the church a long time ago but they never got baptised cause they a not married and they were married before to other people but they were never divorced so legally if they want to be married they have to divorce and then get married. But it takes a while if the divorce is not mutual.  So they are both working really hard with a ward member that is a lawyer.  I really want them to be baptised the 15th of April. (dads birthday)  I know they can do it!! Brother Sarco attended the church for the first time.  He said he has attended a baptism but never the church.  We works so hard.  We even woke up earlier to eat breakfast with them and then we headed to church. 

Also 2 weeks ago a bulgarian canadian came to church.  He grew up in the orthadox church in bulgaria then this family moved to Canada.  and he says his mom taught him a lot about God. But then he said that he later stopped going to church.  We teach him in English because he doesnt know Spanish.  Its pretty fun this is the first time i've taught in English.  In church too i have to translate everything. He is a really bright kid. we taught him the restauracion and he really liked and surprisingly knew a lot about it. It seem logical to him that all the other churches talk about God and partially have the truth but none have authority because it was lost when the last apostles died.  

my companion is not Elder Contreras any more. my companion is Elder Hernandez. He is from Bogota Colombia!! he has a colombian accent like bad everyone here knows hes from Bogota just by the way he speaks.  its so funny.  anyway this happened 2 weeks ago its just its been busy so i have not written much sorry.  

I had some interchanges this week. i did one with Elder Acarapi on tuesday and Elder Hidalgo on Thursday.  It was fun to do interchanges with my old companions, because you can see the different attributes that they have picked up over time with other companions. Also Elder Contreras ends the mission in 4 weeks.  He is really trying to finish strong.  We still live in the same house. the house is made for 4 missionaries but we are cramming 6 haha its pretty tough haha.  

well family i love you so much i know you pray for me i think about it everyday. Thanks to you guys i know that this church is true im so glad God decided to put me in a family that supports my decision to serve the lord.
 

a leadership meeting. all the zone leaders and asistents

with my companion 

with the Sarco Family

March 6, 2017

im really sorry im in such a rush. Its hard because i really dont have time to write anymore i have to print your letters just so i can read them.