Week #85- know their purpose in life!

This week was pretty good, we were able to make a few adjustments to be able to work harder and more efficiently. Our investigator that was going to get baptized is still going strong and she has a lot of faith that things are going to work out fast and in her favor. From the first day we taught her I could tell that she is one of Gods special children that will accept the gospel. She has accepted everything that we have taught her and has made many sacrifices to do so. It is amazing the change that this gospel can make in the lives of these people! I love visiting her and her family. We have seen a big change in them. They are a lot happier and they know their purpose in life. We are still struggling with her husband, but everything will come in time. Their oldest daughter skipped school this week, because she wanted to go to church with us. I love seeing people make sacrifices for the gospel, because I know they will be blessed. I was able to give a talk about sacrifices on Sunday and I hope that I could help at least one person understand what God requires from us. We had a good week and I am really excited to go to the Temple today, I know that it will motivate me even more to keep working hard. This week is the primary program of our branch, but there are not very many children here, so we will see how it goes.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #84- God knows better than I do!

This week we had many activities. We were able to go to the Temple with a family of recent converts and they were able to be baptized for 7 of their ancestors. It was their first time visiting the Temple and I could tell that they were really excited to go and that they had a good experience. I feel like I never really valued the temple as I should have at home. I have many temples close to my home and I didn’t really go that often. It strengthens my testimony to see the sacrifices of the people to be able to go to the temple even when it is really far away and it requires a sacrifice to get there. I hope to go to the temple often when I get home to always remind myself of the covenants that I have made. I love the Temple and this week has really strengthened my testimony of the sealing power of the priesthood. I know that families can be together forever. I am so grateful for the blessings of the priesthood. I am getting ready for transfers and I really want to stay, but I feel like I am going to leave. Whatever happens I know that I will just have to trust that God knows better than I do. One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Nephi 2:24 that explains that everything has happened and will happen by God´s wisdom. I know that I can trust in him. Next week we will be having a baptism and I have felt that she is ready to make this covenant with God and that she will help her family to take the same step in the future. We were able to watch both Sunday sessions in a member’s house. and I was able to learn a lot. I received many answers to my questions, especially in Elder Hales talk. I learned that I am the Pilot of my decisions and that because of that I will receive the blessings and consequences of my actions. I was able to Saturday in our branch. I got to see the priesthood session in English.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #83- share our testimonies of the truth!

This week was pretty good. We found a really awesome family that is actually married and is willing to get baptized if they receive an answer to their prayers. They are extremely friendly and want to learn more and get closer to God. The family that we have been working on to get baptized has slowed down on their progress. The dad of the family doesn’t want to accept the Book of Mormon even though we have explained it many times. He feels like the Bible has everything that we need. He says that he has prayed, but I don’t feel like he is actually looking for an answer. This week I was reading a Liahona and it talked about missionaries that had problems with contending with investigators, they learned to just shared their testimonies and to not teach as much with just evidence or scriptures. I feel like we can do the same thing. We just need to share our testimonies of the truth of The Book of Mormon and things will start to get better. His wife is ready to get baptized and has a testimony of the church, but she wants to get baptized with her family. We feel like it is going to be better to do them separately, so that she can have the Holy Ghost in her life and set the example for her family.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #82- families that are ready and waiting to accept this gospel!

This week was hard, there weren’t very many people in their houses when we went to visit them, but we were able to have an awesome experience with the Baca Family. We have been progressing slowly with them for weeks, with many doubts that they have had, mainly about baptisms for the dead and the Book of Mormon. But this week we had a lesson with them and the Mom of the family told us that she has decided that this is where she belongs, she wants to get baptized and her kids support her and want to follow her. The father of the family wants to wait a little bit longer before deciding, but I believe that we are progressing with him. He has started to attend the activities that we have and has found a few answers to some of his doubts. We are debating if we should wait to baptize the whole family together or just do it as they are ready one by one. The mom of this family is amazing, she told us about all of the changes that she has seen in her family as we have been visiting them. I love seeing the changes that this gospel makes in these people and their families. She told us that one of her daughters was striving off of the path and didn’t want much to do with God anymore, but that she has found this desire again as we have visited and taught them. I love this family and want to help them so much, and I know that this gospel will help them immensely. I have seen over and over again the impact that we make on these people and their lives. It gives me more and more desires to work hard to find more of these families that are ready and waiting to accept this gospel in their lives. I got the package this week so thank you very much. Next transfers are October 6th right after conference.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #81- investigators walk in to church!

This week was awesome, we have been working really hard and we were able to see the fruits of our labor. We had 12 investigators come to church yesterday, many of which came for the very first time. They felt really good at church and we are really progressing here. We are going to have a few baptisms coming up and we are preparing a family to get baptized as well. We are really close with this family but the Father of the family doesn’t want to accept the Book of Mormon yet. We watched the Restoration movie with them yesterday and they were able to understand a little bit better. They asked us where they can buy the movie, and they really liked it. My companion and I are debating whether we should wait until everyone is ready to baptize the whole family together, if they want to, or to baptize them separately. The mom of the family is ready to get baptized, and is really awesome. We are also working with a 15 year old kid. One of his friends invited him to church a few weeks ago and, he wants to get baptized, the only problem is his parents. His parents believe that it is really early for him to get baptized. We hope to help his parents understand that we don’t want to baptize him until he is ready and has a testimony. Yesterday was amazing; I was so happy to all of our investigators walk in to church and be able to see how it is and feel the spirit there. I really hope that they will want to continue coming to church.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #80- we are representatives of Jesus Christ!

This week was good, I was able to learn a lot about how we always need to be a light to these people, and be the example for them. This week we were able to visit a reference from one of the members of our ward. He came to church last week and we visited him on Saturday. He told us that he was really impressed by the church, and that he feels like he needs to be a part of it. His friend that brought him to church has always been an example to him. He told us that he has a few friends that aren’t really on the right path, and that he doesn’t know what path to choose. He is looking for the right path, so we invited him to be baptized. He accepted a baptismal date for this month and he came to church again yesterday. We always need to be good examples for the people that surround us, and especially as missionaries. Because everyone is always watching us and what we do. If we make one mistake they will call us out on it. And I feel like they should, because we are representatives of Jesus Christ, so we need to act like Him. This helps us to improve on our mistakes and always do what’s right. My companion is improving on his teaching every day, but he feels like he hasn’t improved very much. I need to just help him and build his confidence. I remember my training, and the things that I most remember aren’t the things that he [companion] said, but what he did. He always set a good example for me, so I want to do the same for my companion. We should be having a few baptisms this month, so we know we need to work harder than ever so that we can make it happen.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #79- new companion: Elder Lago!

This week was good. I stayed in the same area, and I am training again. My new companion is Elder Lago from Colombia. We were able to have some pretty good success this week. My new companion is a little shy, but pretty much everyone is at the start. I can tell that he is kind of nervous in the lessons, but he teaches pretty well for being new. I hope to help him a lot, so that he will be able to guide the area when I leave and so that he will be able to have success in his mission. I had never really thought of trainers being so important, but I have been thinking about it and it really will change the rest of their missions. I am going to do my best to be able to help him be a great missionary. The meeting we had with Elder Bednar was so amazing; I have been trying to apply the pattern that he used with us, on our investigators. I haven’t gotten very good at it yet, but I know it will come with practice. I learned so much, and like he taught I received revelation for me and my area that I know will help us to have more success here, and that will change my way of seeing things. I was kind of sick this week, and couldn’t talk very much or very well, but I had to keep talking a lot because my new companion doesn’t talk very much.
Love, Elder Monson