Week 53

Well, I will just say, I have had a great week. I have learned a lot.  We have seen great success in the work and we have also seen miracles happen. Wednesday we had a conference with Elder Martino of the Second Quorum of the 70.  He promised amazing things to the missionaries and he is very animated in helping us missionaries. He is an area president. He has told us and promised us amazing blessings of success and how to really achieve the success we want. For the mission and after! First off, he told us to work with less active families whom have been through the temple, so we can get them into the temple again. We need to find 5 of those less active families and have them reactivated by the end of 3 months. He promised us personal blessings of having a planner even after our missions.  That if we plan our days like we do on our missions, HE PROMISED we will make 100,000 dollars more in our lifetime here. AWESOME!!! We learned of ways to find families and truly help the wards and branches. So, this weekend we applied it. We worked hard, hard and yes hard.  As of right now we have 10 people who are preparing themselves for baptism and we have a young couple who is trying to get married and than be baptized March 12. I can truly say without a doubt, THE SPIRIT DID EVERYTHING!!!! All my companion and I did was just carry it and teach with it and the people were touched by it. We even will see more people prepare themselves to enter the waters of baptism this week as we will teach them. We have been finding families and receiving references from the members. Working with the members, and also helping the less active return to church. The counselor of the Stake Presidency said he would be ashamed to be a member in this ward, seeing how the attendance is.  Then he said, ''I would be ashamed also being a missionary in this ward.'' That struck me, not by offense but really accepting that there is more work to do with the members and to help them. 'BUT HOW?' was the question. We talked with the Bishop and with the ward mission leader of how to manage visiting the people and seeing them enter into the chapel again.  We found the 5 families that we will work with and also priesthood holders who will return to church again next week.

We just had 87 attendances in the sacrament meeting. My goal is to see over 110 this next week!! Check it and remind me to tell you the attendance of the next week for you all to see, Elder Taco and I get along so well, it is incredible!!! We just love working and just express the desire for the work everyday.  We will be seeing more people accepting the gospel in their lives this next week. Our mission president was really happy seeing all the dates for baptism in the zone; he said in his 2 years as president, he has never seen success like this in this zone. All the areas are just doing great. I know with out a doubt this is the Lord, he is literally doing it all. I haven’t really taught many lessons in Spanish in my mission, before this transfer, and I rarely spoke it. I just spoke q'eqchi' and was trying to master the whole language. I was humbled and made to work in this new world. I know with the obedience and the faith we have seen the fruits of the labor, but we can always be better. I am never satisfied. I know the Lord is never satisfied, so it’s the time to push more and more.

My time here in the capital is short…President Torres and Sister Torres told me.  They said, ''The mountains miss you elder, and don’t worry, you will return there very soon.  You just have to train.'' With that said, I know I have to make my all here, and give my all to see the success in my short time here.

I have a very spiritual experience I want to share with you all. The first time we taught Felix I told you he didn’t think he could go to church, because he can’t walk and he has bad health. I remember promising him that if he goes to church he will be closer to his wife as he was when she was here on the earth. He was happy and then accepted to come to church.  Well we passed by his house and as we asked him what he thought of church he looked at me and said, ''Remember when you promised me if I go to church I will be closer to my wife?'' Then I remembered. He continued, ''I just had a dream about her, and I haven’t had one in a very long time.'' Then at the point of tears he said, ''Thank you.... thank you.''

I love you and let this be a reminder that Christ speaks promises through us.