Week #88- recognized the spirit testify!

This week was awesome. I was able to go back to Carapongo for a few baptisms. I was finally able to baptize Belen. It was amazing, after she was baptized, she stood in the water for a few minutes crying as she recognized the spirit testify to her that this is true. She later told us that after I had left her husband didn’t want to receive the missionaries anymore and he actually threw them out of the house. He did not want to give her permission to get baptized, but she told us that she had a lot of faith that he would change. And he did. She talked to him and the whole family talked him in to it. This family is amazing and I am so happy that I was able to go to her baptism. I could see and feel her happiness and her testimony in her baptism. I was also able to baptize another investigator that was there. They had 3 baptisms that day so it was even better. I know that they are strong converts to the gospel and that this will help them forever. They have strong testimonies and will help their families to do the same.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #87- maintain a good attitude and to focus!

This week was pretty good, I’ve been more focused on helping the people here, now that I am getting used to it. My companion has helped me a lot to maintain a good attitude and to focus. I am getting to know my area little by little. Yesterday we did divisions and we were able to have a successful day. I was contacting with a member and when I told my companion where we were contacting, he told me that I should never go there again because it’s dangerous, so I still need to figure out where I shouldn’t go, but everything has gone good so far. I have seen that we need to focus more on investigators; many of our lessons are for less active members and recent converts. I want to concentrate on our investigators and finding new investigators. This should help us have more success and we will be able to help more people.
Love, Elder Monson

Week #86- Emergency transfer to San Luis & New Companion: Elder Alvarado!

This week has been a little hard, with Emergency transfers on Friday and everything, but our area had 2 baptisms on Saturday and I am getting used to the area now. My area is named Canada in the zone San Luis. The area is more city and there are a lot of people that know English here. It really surprised me. The members are really nice and help a lot. The area is a little bit more dangerous, but I’m not too worried. My new companion is Elder Alvarado from Peru and is really funny. He is from my group. It has been a little hard leaving Carapongo, but I know that with time I will get used to my new area and my new companion. This area has a lot more people to contact so it gives me more energy to contact everyone so that we can help them come unto Christ.
Love, Elder Monson

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