Baptism

So this week was super cool, mostly because of those two baptisms! The two baptisms were [J] and his Father [V], haha man they're some of the coolest guys ever, and at the baptism [J] stood up and bore his testimony and said "I testify that this is the true church." It was sweet! Haha though I admit it was kind of an interesting baptism. Elder Salazar baptized [V], the father, and he had to be baptized four times... Haha super bad, the first time his elbow didn't go under, the second time his leg came up, the third time it all went well and he left the water, but then Elder Salazar realized something even the witnesses didn't notice, somehow he had baptized him with his left arm to the square! Yeah, so they had to go back in the water and re do the baptism! It was crazy, but they're incredibly solid and they already feel like they're a part of the ward. Unfortunately [J] will not be marrying his girlfriend, she now wants nothing to do with him, despite the fact that she has his child. Nevertheless he's faithful and strong, but facing a lot of trials in his life right now. Luckily the Lord blessed him with the Gospel just in time to help him out. We also had another interesting run in with a [ member of a different Christian church], but it was honestly one of the most powerful lessons I've ever been in, partly because she was humble enough to listen to us, and partly because Elder Salazar and I were very united and the spirit guided every word that was said. We used scriptures we'd never used before, and it was one of those times on the mission where you could truly feel that your words did not come at all from yourself but that you literally spoke as inspired by the Holy Ghost. The difference is incredible, and the spirit was incredibly strong as we testified of the reality of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies. It was an experience I don't think I will ever forget, and it made me more grateful that the Lord has given me a powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and that I have the opportunity to bear it daily. This week we also have the opportunity to have another baptism! [J----], a man that has been incredibly prepared will be baptized this Sunday, man he's so cool! He's from Mexico and loves the church, he already looks like he's been a member his whole life! The Lord has really been blessing us! Oh, sickness update, I got better after a few days, but I ate literally only Saltine crackers and a little applesauce for like 60 hours. It was not enjoyable, but luckily we were still able to work.

slightly sick

Well, this may be slightly short since I'm feeling slightly sick, yep, unfortunately it is now the second time I've gotten sick on the mission. Last night we got home and I just threw up, threw up again last night, and then threw up this morning, hopefully it passes before tonight... Anyways, the good news is that we're going to have two baptisms this week, we taught another super prepared lady named [D] is really searching! It was super cool, she'll be baptized on March 11! It's been a super miracle filled week, we're just meeting all these prepared people, we randomly had two member referrals come to church this Sunday, and the family that backed into our car also came to church. It's super incredible! Man, Elder Salazar and I are just amazed at how much the Lord has been blessings us. We literally do nothing and all these incredible miracles happen! [J[ and [V] also accepted the Law of Chastity this Sunday even though it means he'll have to separate from his girlfriend, he accepted it right off the back and he's super excited to be baptized this Sunday. Once again, just incredibly prepared people, I stand all amazed! I've really received a testimony of the scripture in D&C 123:17, it's become one of my favorite scriptures! Other than that we also had zone activity today, which was weird, haha we planned it all, which was weird and pretty cool! I've decided I do enjoy being Zone Leader, after the first few weeks, the planning passed and we've been able to work a lot in our area as well as see the change in the other missionaries which has been a cool blessing. Like Dad said, it's another opportunity for my love to grow, it's been really incredible! 

An intense, and super super fast week!

Wow, so this week disappeared, but it's good to hear that you guys are doing well! Man, so this week was awesome, number one because we worked a ton, number two because there was a baptism, and number three it was just sweet! So Thursday I was on exchange with Elder Morris, I think out of all the things I will enjoy doing the most as Zone Leader it will be going on exchanges and just getting to know the other missionaries and trying to help them in every aspect of the work. It was a good day, though it might have been a little boring for Elder Morris since he doesn't speak Spanish. But, we had some pretty interesting experiences. I had an opportunity to teach a [gentleman] and that was interesting, especially since I didn't have a companion to back me up, but the spirit is always the best companion, and while I definitely don't know the Bible as well as that guy I know my testimony, and it has been one of the things I've always been able to be confident in on the mission, I know that when I speak the spirit will bear witness of my words, and so it was with this man. No matter the citations in the Bible or any scripture, attempting to prove your point, there is nothing more powerful than the witness of the spirit, and while I could not answer his every question he also could not stand before a testimony built on the rock of Christ. It was really cool to just see the power of the spirit work on that man despite his hardened heart.
We actually had a lot of cool experiences this week, but I'll just hit the highlights. We had two super incredible miracles of meeting two other people that are extremely prepared. This Saturday we met an investigator from the Sisters in another ward that actually lives in our ward boundaries and will now be coming to our ward. Man, he is incredibly prepared, and while he hasn't yet accepted a baptismal date he is already sharing the Book of Mormon with his mother and friends, and he has a witness that it is true. He came to church on his own, just incredible, he will be baptized very very soon. We also met another guy named [V], haha he's the father of [J], the other really prepared guy, and I don't know, maybe it just runs in the family but he is extremely prepared. J brought home the Gospel Principles manual to his house and his Dad started to read it, and when we spoke with his Dad on Saturday he had read halfway through, understood it all, and could tell us the need to be baptized by immersion because of the symbolism that it brings and the need to be at an age of accountability. He also told us about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. He's about 74 years old, but he said to us, yeah I was baptized as a kid, but that wasn't right because it was a catholic baptism. So we invited him to be baptized and he accepted without even blinking an eye, he'll be baptized on the 26th! Super crazy! Then we taught J and him about the Word of Wisdom and they had no problem with it at all, accepted it in a ten minute lesson without even a single question about it. Super incredible, and then the next day instead of drinking coffee they had some sort of postum drink. It was honestly so ridiculous! They are so prepared! Then that Sunday we also had some super cool experiences. The old lady [investigator] was baptized!!! Ha ha the elder's there had to boil water to make the fount even relatively bearable but she was baptized and she is loving it. For some reason she really likes me and gave me hugs... Yeah, I'm not a huggy person and it's against mission rules, but it still happens to me a ton for some reason, haha but luckily she's an old lady  Then we had stake correlation, it was honestly a very interesting experience to experience a meeting at the stake level, sitting there with President and the Stake Presidency. It was cool to see how the church runs and how the flow of information works. Hopefully some of the problems we discussed will be resolved. Though it's still weird for me to think that I'm discussing on a stake level the missionary work of the stake as well as the problems that the wards need to resolve. It throws me for a loop, sometimes I still feel like I'm 17 or 18. Then Monday I was on exchange once again, which was also cool, and this Tuesday we had our combined District Meeting as well as a night of music and inspiration. While I continue to perform poorly on the piano, somehow I've been repeatedly called back to play. The CDM went well though, and it was a spiritually and uplifting experience for all of us. Anyways, that was the week, super crazy, pretty busy, but with some incredible miracles! The Lord is pouring out his blessings, not to mention that the zone now has 17 baptismal dates, a very high number for normal, super incredible! We are just seeing so many blessings and miracles! 

Feb 8th-- first week as a ZL

Well, this week was an interesting one, getting used to being zone leader. I'm determined to have a good attitude about it. I dislike meetings, and planning, unfortunately both of which are large parts of my new role as a zone leader. Still, the Lord blesses us wI also dislike meetings, and planning, unfortunately both of which are large parts of my new role as a zone leader. Still, the Lord blesses us with the little time we have to work in our area, and it has been incredible to see the blessings flow in the little bit of time we get each day. Right now we're especially bogged down because we have to plan for Stake Coordination where we meet with the Stake President and his counselors, potentially some of the Bishops, and President Matsumori. Haha yeah, super pressured! Then we've also been planning for Leadership meeting, setting goals and what not for the zone, and then we've also had to start planning for Combined District Meeting, it's been crazy, but good. It's really helped me learn to appreciate the time I have to work, and be what I call a "real missionary". Haha it gives you a new fire for talking with everyone and makes you use your time very effectively. It's also been weird though. Throughout the whole mission I've looked at my Zone Leaders as super incredible/almost perfect missionaries, and now I'm here and I realize that we're just normal, we actually don't know that much, we kind of pretend like we know what's going on, and we try to work hard and be good examples. Haha it's super weird to hear people say "Just like the Zone Leaders said". ith the little time we have to work in our area, and it has been incredible to see the blessings flow in the little bit of time we get each day. Right now we're especially bogged down because we have to plan for Stake Coordination where we meet with the Stake President and his counselors, potentially some of the Bishops, and President Matsumori. Haha yeah, super pressured! Then we've also been planning for Leadership meeting, setting goals and what not for the zone, and then we've also had to start planning for Combined District Meeting, it's been crazy, but good. It's really helped me learn to appreciate the time I have to work, and be what I call a "real missionary". Haha it gives you a new fire for talking with everyone and makes you use your time very effectively. It's also been weird though. Throughout the whole mission I've looked at my Zone Leaders as super incredible/almost perfect missionaries, and now I'm here and I realize that we're just normal, we actually don't know that much, we kind of pretend like we know what's going on, and we try to work hard and be good examples. Haha it's super weird to hear people say "Just like the Zone Leaders said".
Anyways it's been cool to be able to get to know some other missionaries, to see some of their struggles and really just think about how we can help them become the missionaries the Lord would have them be. It's been a very humbling experience, and it'll be a good one, though I will definitely miss working all the time every day.
This Sunday a member decided to bring her friend to church, and I have honestly never met anyone as prepared as [J]. In Sunday School he starts to explain he fall of Adam better than I've ever heard it explained by any member, so much so that the teacher asked him if he was a member. Then in Priesthood he just whips open the scriptures as if he's been reading them his whole life, and he says to me, "I feel like I've been here before, I'm just super comfortable here". Yeah, crazy! Then we went to the VC with him later that night and he said the same thing, he was literally at the point of tears, and he understood why we do baptisms for the dead the first time we explained it to him. Super crazy! It was incredible to see how God prepares people.
Unfortunately he will also still have his struggles, as well as his girlfriend. His girlfriend has a crazy life... Honestly one of the saddest I've probably ever heard, it almost brought tears to our eyes just to listen to her tell her story. Still, the power of the atonement is very real, and while it will be a process to be able to heal, I'm confident that she will one day be fully healed and be a completely different person. It was a really cool week, and it went by incredibly fast, we're extremely busy, and we're trying to work and plan hard. Hopefully the Lord will continue to pour out the blessings and we'll be able to organize our time sufficiently to be able to all the things that the Lord requires of us.

Quite the intense week-new responsibilities -Feb1st

Well, this week has been interesting.
Well, this week brought some interesting changes. I've known just about all transfer that I would be transferred, and thus it happened! However, there was some other things that came completely unexpectedly... This transfer I was called to be the new Zone Leader of the Silver Spring South Zone. Yeah, it was probably the biggest shock I've received on the mission... On call out nights we receive the transfers in a voice mail from our zone leaders, however, if we're training, changing leadership, or any other cool thing president also calls us and extends the call. Needless to say I was not expecting a call, and then the phone rang. Yeah, it was crazy... I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, what I'm supposed to do, or why I've received this calling... It's been one of the more overwhelming times of the mission for me as of yet, and God really seems to be pushing me. Still, as I've said before, I'm confident that the Lord shapes the back to the burden placed upon it. Hopefully I can be a good zone leader...
I'll be returning to the ward where I started the mission, which will be cool, it's really strange to think that I left it about 8 months ago... Ha, though I also feel slightly disappointed with myself. This last transfer wasn't a good one in numbers for us. And president noted it as well, he said, this transfer wasn't one of the more effective ones for me. And it's true, we struggled some. It makes me wonder if I did all I could have, though I feel like I did, this morning as I reviewed the area preparing it to be passed on I realized so much more I could've done. Haha they always say we should serve with no regrets, but unfortunately that just isn't possible. I believe we'll always wish we could've worked a little harder, been a little more effective, baptized a little more, loved the people a little more, everything... But I sure did try, hopefully the Lord can make me able in his hands to do His will no matter my inadequacies.
Anyways, it's been a humbling and strange experience for me, especially since no one, myself included, expected me to be Zone Leader so quickly, but I submit to the will of the Lord, if this is where he wants me there's gotta be a good reason for it. Other cool things for this week. As normally happens when I'm about to be transferred, our solid investigator is ready to be baptized this Sunday! Luckily I'll still get to return for the baptism! We also found a ton of new investigators this last week and a half, so the area is now full of potential for Elder Palmer and Elder Sterr. I'm still not sure why we just didn't see those miracles beforehand, I just really hope I wasn't holding back the Lord through something I was doing... There were some really sweet miracles! I'm also very excited to be serving with Elder Salazar from Colombia, my Spanish is definitely going to improve, and I'm excited to learn from him, this is his last transfer, and he's now served for more than two years, so he has a lot of experience and is a very very good missionary.
Man, other than that, I guess it was just interesting to leave the area. You never quite realize how much you love [the people you have taught] until it's time to head out. They're just amazing people, and it was cool to see their progression, I hope they'll be faithful for their whole lives. I am really grateful for the time I had to serve in the city and to meet so many people and learn to love them, it was a huge blessing!

Jan 25th

So this week was a little bit better than last week! Actually it was super sweet! We had some really cool lessons with some investigators that are progressing! We have[ a] lady who was going to give up coffee, it was super sweet because she kept her commitment and has said she will not be returning to coffee. It's been very interesting to see some of these people with their struggles and difficulties. It's helped me really realize how much each person is so much of an individual. It's easy sometimes to get so wrapped up in numbers or pushing people to baptism that we forget their people with real problems, and that the commitments we're asking them to do are very serious and very much life changing for them. It's been really cool to have a deeper perspective and understanding on people and their needs, and see their great faith as they've sought to come closer to God even though it's meant great sacrifice.
Our little old lady [investigator] is also doing super well! We had a sweet lesson with her at the VC this Sunday and invited her to be baptized once again, just with three members and the sister there this time, haha man she's so funny, afterwards she comes up to me and in this joking tone says "Por que me hizo esta trampa" haha super funny, though I'm not sure how to translate that into English. Later that Sunday she said that she had a surprise for us, and last night she told us that she'll be getting baptized on the 5th of February!!! Haha it was super awesome! We were super happy for her, the spirit has touched her heart and she is more than ready to be baptized, she's one of those people that just has that light!
We've also had some crazy bold and ridiculous lessons. Haha it still amazes me at the things we can say to people as long as we have the spirit. We literaly told a man that he had to soften his heart and listen to us like 4 times during a lesson, and after reading many scriptures, not backing down, and testifying boldly, he finally did. It was super weird, but it is a testimony to me that the spirit is the one that teaches! As missionaries we truly do have an authority that cannot be denied when we are using it in righteousness. It reminds me of how James E. Talmage talks about how Christ could clear the temple and the people just let it happen though he had no worldly authority to do so. People recognize the power and authority of God when it is truly there. In short it has been a pretty cool week.
Oh by the way Mom, apparently I've changed a lot this transfer, so much so that one of our recent converts said that I would come home and you would be surprised at who I was. Apparently I'm not a little boy anymore. She said I was more serious, which may or may not be true. It's been a humbling transfer, definitely a growing one.