Week 101- the LAST email!

We have had a really good week. We found 2 new investigators that are really awesome and were a reference from a member. We were walking around just contacting and looking for someone to teach, when a member walked up to us and told us that his friends wanted to meet us and talk to us. He took us right to them and we taught them right there. We have since returned and both are really interested in learning more about the church. One has accepted a baptismal date and is really awesome. Members are the key to missionary work, because it makes things so much easier when they already have a friend at church, someone to support and help them when we are not there. I hope to finish strong this week. I dont want to become lazy or give up, I know that I still have work to do and that these people need this message that we have. We have a few activities this week and our ward wants to go to the temple and take everyone including investigators. The Bishop wants a lot of people to go, so that they can know the Temple and feel the spirit there. This ward has been awesome and has helped so much these last few transfers. It's sooooooo crazy that this is my last email. See you all soon!
Love, Elder Monson

Week #100- first time in a sealing!

This week was awesome. We were able to go to the sealing of our ward mission leader. It was my first time in a sealing and it was so awesome. I loved it and I felt the spirit really strong. This is the goal. We want all of our converts to go to the temple and participate in the blessings that we receive there. This is also one of my goals for when I get home, I want to stay worthy to get sealed in the temple so that I can be with my future wife forever. We have been teaching many great investigators and they are progressing really well. One of our investigators is recognizing answers to his prayers and is reading the Book of Mormon a lot. We are planning on inviting him to be baptized on the 6th of February and I know that he can make it. He is a great investigator. Another investigator that we have told us yesterday that he is prepared to get baptized after investigating for about 6 months. He knows a lot and will help the church a lot as long as we make sure that he is a true convert. Our ward is planning to go to temple on February 4th to kind of say goodbye to me and Sister Hansen. We are preparing our recent converts for this date and we believe that they will have a few names for this day. I love this ward. They are so focused on getting people to the Temple. Especially the Bishop. He loves missionary work and works hard to help us.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #99- work to find new investigators!

This week was great, we had the opportunity to go to the temple with some recent converts and they loved it. After we went the father of this family came with us to do visits and he shared his experience with everyone we talked to, even the contacts. He is a great convert and loves sharing his testimony and teaching others. We have had a lot of help from the recent converts in our area, they help us a lot to find new investigators and to help our investigators feel the spirit. Yesterday I was able to be in divisiones with a convert from a month ago, he helped so much with his testimony and his energy to help others know what he knows. I love seeing the change in people as they accept the gospel and live it. My companion and I are having good success as we both work to find new investigators. Sometimes I feel like I have contacted every house in this area but my companion pushes me to keep working and to keep trying. We know that if we do our part that the Lord will provide us with people to teach. All of this comes from the basic things, just working diligently and using our time wisely. If we do these things God will trust us with new investigators. My pensionista is SO AWESOME, she cares for us and is really funny, she helps us relieve the stress from all that we do and her food is SOO good. She is like a 2nd mom to me. I love her and I am so thankful for all that she does for me. She is amazing! 

Love, Elder Monson

Week #98- it was like payday!

This week was awesome, we were really busy, but I got to go to the endowment of one of my first converts. It was so amazing. She was so happy and has grown so strong in the gospel. She told me that now her daughter is going to get married and sealed in a few months. Her daughter wasn’t a member when I left the area. I was so happy to hear that good news. It was like payday. We work hard so that this happens so that these people and their families can receive these blessings and participate in the happiness that this gospel brings us. It all started with her being the example in her family and it has made a huge impact. Even her ex husband has gotten baptized because of her daughter’s example. This gospel has blessed their family so much. Also this week we taught a golden investigator. He accepted a baptismal date and when he asked his parents’ permission to get baptized he found out that his dad is a member that is less active. He prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true and he said that he knows it is true because his family is more united now and that he feels good when he prays. He is amazing and is going to get baptized very soon. This has been a great week and I hope to keep having more weeks like this.

Love, Elder Monson

Week #97- This gospel will change their lives!

This week was really great, we were able to teach many lessons and find new investigators that can really progress. This area is progressing daily and we should have a lot of success this transfer. We talked this week with my companion of what we want to do this transfer and we are going to focus on just always being busy. We always want to be doing something so that we can use our time wisely. One thing I want to do this transfer is to talk with everyone, just try inviting as many people as possible to listen to us, so we can have more people to teach. We have tried asking for references in church during the Priesthood class and we hope to see the fruits of our efforts and the efforts of the members. We need their help to be able to have success. The members are really helping us, especially the young men, the ward mission leader and the bishop. They are so awesome and really focused on missionary work. I want them to see the blessings that they are going to receive for helping us. This gospel will change their lives and will bless them so much. I remember when I started I just kind of did what my companion said to do, but now I want to do things right and in the best way so that these people can receive the blessings. I love these people and want to help them the best I can.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #96- ready for my last transfer!

This week was awesome. We had a really good Christmas and we ate a ton! I was surprised of how good of a week we had. I thought that many people were going to be gone and that we wouldn’t have very many lesson. I am glad that I was wrong. We were able to teach many good lessons, and really help them feel the spirit of Christmas. I loved this year, because I wasn’t focused on what I was going to get. I feel like I am still working hard and my companion is helping me a lot with that. I am ready for my last transfer and I promise that I will work hard until the end. I don’t want to go home with any regrets and I know that God expects me to work hard. I really don’t want to leave this area, but I will accept where ever God sends me. I still have a lot to learn so I hope to learn a lot this transfer, especially enduring to the end. I want to create habits that I can carry home so that I can stay close to God and to always be obedient. I love the mission and it has helped me so much. I have gone through some rough patches, but I have learned from them and I continue to learn new things each day. My goal this transfer is to learn to be more humble and accept counseling from others.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #95- we just need to do our part and we will be okay!

This week was pretty good, and we were able to find a few really cool new investigators. We have been trying to look for new ways to find new investigators and this week we were able to receive a few references from the members, by asking them at church to bring us references. We are going to start asking them every week to bring more references and we know that we will be able to find great people to teach. We were able to do divisions twice this week and I learned a lot from it. I learned to just be friends with the people that we contact and I learned to teach better. I feel like we need to gain the confidence of the people that we teach and the people that we talk to, so that they can trust in us and so they can feel our love for them. I have learned to love these people so much and I want to help them. Another thing that I learned with my companion this week is that there are many people that are going down really bad paths. It took me more than 20 months to realize it and see it like I saw it this week. It impacted me and I really want to help these people. I know that I can’t help everyone and that not everyone wants our help, but we just need to do our part and we will be okay. I am excited for Christmas this year, because I can really see the difference and changes that I have made from last year. This week was a week of learning. I love it! Transfers are on the 29th! Yesterday we taught a family that is getting ready to get sealed and we taught them about families and how they can be forever. I love my family and I am so happy that I can be with you forever.
Love, Elder Monson