Hey everyone!

Here we are again, another week and another post. Truth be told not a lot of out of the ordinary things happened this week but I guess there are still some things to write about.

First things first, we are having a baptism this Sunday for our investigator named Jacinto Valle. This man is amazing. He got a copy of The Book of Mormon a little over a  week ago and he is almost finished with it. Not only that but he also has read ALL of the Gospel Principles book, recorded it, and listens to it all day (or when he is not working). It has been a truly humbling experience working with him. I never realized just how much I've taken advantage of the gospel until I met him. His baptism is Sunday evening and it is going to be really special for sure.

We also had our President interviews this past Tuesday which were really good. It is such a blessing to work with such inspired leaders like President and Sister Beck and our Zone Leaders Elder Bingham and Elder Miles. The 4 of them really know how to get you motivated and spiritually re-energized for the work.

Also this week we were blessed with the wonderful opportunity to watch the dedication of The Gila Valley Temple in Gila Valley, Arizona. I cannot fully express my love for the temple and for the powerful blessings we recieve from the covenants we make inside it's sacred walls. I look forward to being able to attend more often after my mission. But, until then, there are souls waiting to recieve the gospel! :)

I guess in other news he had some pretty epic denials of tracting this week. Some of the harshest I've had on my mission actually. Ironically, not a single one of them came from a Hispanic. I cannot BEGIN to express how much I have for English Speaking missionaries. There work is very tough. It has been an incredible blessing to work with the Hispanic culture and I look forward to having the next while to work with them.

Well everyone, I believe that is about all for this week. Sorry it was so short! We do recieve transfer news this next Sunday so next blog will have the news!! I hope every one of you know just how much you are loved by our Heavenly Father. We truly are his children and I know he wants us to be happy. I love and miss you all dearly and are in every one of my prayers. I hope and pray that every one has a fantastic week and remember, Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel!! Hasta proxima semana, iQue Dios les bendiga! :D

Hey Everyone not in South Phoenix!! :)

First things first:

JUST A REMINDER, IF YOU RECEIVED A LETTER BACK SAYING THAT THE ADDRESS IT WAS FORWARDED TO WAS WRONG, IT'S OKAY. JUST RE-SEND THE LETTER BACK TO THE MISSION HOME AND I WILL RECEIVE IT. There was a mix up in my address when we moved but now it is all taken care of. Please re-send the letters back to the mission home!

Alright, now that that is taken care of, what did you all think of the pictures? Did you enjoy them? I certainly hope so! :)

This week started off great, trailed off a bit, but ended on a fantastic note. All in all, it was well rounded and the work of the Lord progressed in our area. To put a highlight on a few things, these were some of the many miracles that happened:

1: We had a killer Monday! 2 Member presents, 1 other lesson, 1 referral received, and 1 new investigator. I don't think I've ever had a Monday that good my whole mission. We were just so grateful at the end of the day for the tender mercies that Heavenly Father gave us at the very start of the week

2: The second experience happened Thursday night with our investigator Maria Mendoza. Our mission has been putting an emphasis on doing lessons inside the church or at a members home so we took Maria to the church. A member couple, the Bencomo's, came to our lesson and helped us give her a tour of the church which ended at the side of the baptismal font. There we had a lesson where we reviewed The Restoration and answered some questions she had about her beliefs. The spirit was incredibly strong in the room and both her and the members just bonded like glue. We were not able to extend a baptismal commitment but we feel like is is miles closer to entering the waters of baptism. Members, never underestimate the power of your presence at a missionary lesson. You are the key to success.

3: Experience 3 happened while Elder Giles and I did Assistant splits up in Monte Vista on Friday. It was an interesting day but spiritually powerful. We found this man named Roberto that, basically, called us his angels. Long story short, he has been prepared for a long time for the missionaries and now, he is found. Secondly, we were doing some stop bys before some church lessons we had that evening and we were...criticized in the harshest manner by 2 drunk "gentlemen" on the second floor of the apartment complex. We were really sad for the incident but we knew that, if it happened, it was Satan trying discourage us. We didn't let that happen. Our last lesson that night, we prayed a miracle. The assistants have an investigator that they committed to pray about Joseph Smith to see if he was a prophet and, while we were in the restroom, he told Elder Crandall that he prayed, didn't receive an answer, and he wanted to know why. As a result, our lesson consisted of diligence and prayer and, right there in the church, we knelt and offered a prayer. And we stayed on our knees for 20 minutes until he looked up at us and said "How do you feel? Do you feel good right now?" We responded "Yes" to which he replied "...I do too..." It. Was. AMAZING!!! I have only felt the way I did at that time a few instances in my life. I know that Heavenly Father truly does answer our prayers.

4: Our last experience happened on Sunday. We had gone 4 weeks without investigators at church. We devoted our whole day Saturday for church checks and stop bys preparing people for the next day. Long prayers were offered Saturday night and Sunday Morning. 9:00 rolled around...WE. HAD. PEOPLE. THERE!!! All three of us were on the verge of tears because of it. No matter what adversity we go through, all we need to do is exercise our faith in Heavenly Father, do all that we can, Pray harder, and things will work out in the Lord's time. That's not the half of it though. One man that showed up, Jacinto, is...wow....I just can't write a story (nor do I have to time) to explain all that happened to get him there. Long story short, we went to his house at 3 o'clock, checked his reading in the Book of Mormon (he received it Friday and he is already in Alma), taught him Lesson 1 and half of Lesson 2 and set his baptismal date for the 29th of this month. It was such a humbling, incredible experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to witness it.

I just want to add my testimony that this truly is the work of Heavenly Father. No matter what we go through, he is the one with the plan. All we need to do is remain worthy to be able to take a role in it. I know that no matter what we go through, every adversity carries with it a seed of equal or greater opportunity. Never give up my friends, the Lord is on the side and will bless us as long as we are obedient to the commandments.

Well, I hope and pray for you all every day. Thank you for all the prayers that are offered in behalf of the missionaries. They really do make a difference. But, until next week my friends, God's speed! :)

 

Picture Post

Hey everyone!!

Well, I decided to do a the post a little different this week. I'll just be sending pictures for everyone to enjoy. But, before I get to that, some thing IMPORTANT:

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO SENT LETTERS TO ME AND HAD THEM FORWARDED BACK TO YOU, PLEASE RE-SEND THEM BACK TO THE MISSION OFFICE. THERE WAS A MIX UP IN MY ADDRESS BUT NOW THINGS ARE ALL TAKEN CARE OF. SORRY FOR THE EXTRA POSTAGE BUT, PLEASE, RE-SEND THEM BACK TO THE MISSION OFFICE. THANKS!

Alright, picture time!

Picture 1: "Steal Proof": Accommodating three bikes has been an interesting adventure. This was our first day and we still hadn't quite figured how to do everything yet :).

Picture 2,3,4: "Rise Higher after you Fall": I had an epic bike crash about 2 weeks ago. The best part is, I'm 100% fine now and we didn't lose any pros. time. The work continued to progress!!

Picture 5: "Blown Away": Arizona IS known for it's dust storms. This one was pretty epic. It made tracting quite interesting :)

Picture 6: "Baptism...Oh how pure": This man (Karl Coles) is an amazing person. He actually played for the Ohio State Buckeyes for five years and, wow, he's just tall and awesome. A true spiritual giant among men. (P.S. the missionary 3rd from the left is Elder Neubert, my new hijo).

Picture 7: "Welcome to the 'South Side'": Well, it's South Phoenix. But, in all honesty, the place really isn't that dangerous. Hence the reason why this sign made us laugh. Don't worry folks, we are protected and we are doing all that we should to keep ourselves safe.

Picture 8: "Dirt": The after effects of the dust storm on my handle bars. Pretty awesome!

Picture 9: "Dave Simmons": So, we found this man on a zone blitz and he turned out to be one of Ray Charles' personal assistants. He also happened to be best friends with Marvin Gaye (and he has the pictures to prove it! ;))

Well all I hope that you all have a great week this next week and that I hear from some of you soon! I love you all, you are in my prayers. iHasta Proxima Semana!

Hey everyone!

I apologize but I don't have time to write a post this week. To summarize however it went really well. We found some awesome people to teach and our area is growing. Training is going fantastic and I am blessed with two awesome companions. I look forward to working the rest of the transfer with them. Also, here's a shout out to all the mothers (and women) that read my blog: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! Just remember the story of the 2,000 Stripling warriors and the things they said about their moms.You are amazing and do bless the lives of millions every day.

Okay everyone, I promise next week will be better. Have a great and safe week! Remember that you all are in my prayers and are loved. iHasta Luego!