Continue On

     This week i hope to find you all in good hopes and cheerful hearts. These past few weeks have proven to be a great time of trial and probation. As we pass through trials of faith in our lives, and times when just "hoping" isnt enough; i pray that you will CONTINUE ON. The Lord desires that we become perfect in him. but the metal does not become purified until passed through the refiners fire. We as humans and children of God, need to be purified to obtain the Celestial Kingdom. But we should not forget the principle of Grace in our lives as well.
     As we push forward and CONTINUE ON, we show our faith in God, we show that even though we cant see the light at the end of the tunnel, we know the Lord will eventually illuminate our paths. Endure well, and dont stray from the course which the Lord has plotted. We know where we should be going and what we should be doing, so CONTINUE ON! Before we came to this Earth, we knew it wouldnt be easy, we knew it would hurt sometimes, we knew we would fail from time to time, but we knew that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we would be saved NONETHELESS.
     Be worthy of His grace and saving power. CONTINUE ON. I promise that you will feel hope, peace, and assurance in your hearts, as i have felt it many a time. I know you will all make it through. I love you and hope you all have a great week.
Siga Adelante!

The Consecration of One's Life

Dearest Friends and Family,
     I hope to find you this week in good spirits. This week we had our Multi-Zone Conference with President and Sister Russell. President Russell talked about the 3 kinds of missionaries. The "Social", the "Honorable", and the "Consecrated". As he shared this message I found that there were many things that i did that took me away from being a consecrated missionary to being just an honorable one. As I came to the realization of my weaknesses and my bad habits, i made goals to overcome and sanctify my mission. Today I wish to apply a little bit of what i learned to your life.
     "Consecration"- to dedicate or sanctify, to reach beyond righteousness. The Law of consecration is when men and women dedicate voluntarily their time, talents, skills, and goods for the edification or building of the Kingdom of God. I want to ask a question, How many of you NOW live the Law of Consecration? Now, many of you might think, "But isnt that a law that we will live much later in life, like the millenium?" Teachnically yes, but as servants and disciples of Jesus Christ we dont want just mediocrity, we want to be the BEST. Being just "Honorable" is good. But being "Consecrated" is of the Kingdom of Heaven.
     The scripture says to serve with all of our "heart, might, mind, and strength" but how many of us only serve with our might and strength but not with our heart nor mind? The Lord expects much of us, in fact, "all that we are". As we give all that we are to the Lord we give him everything. you might think, "But thats too much" or "I dont have that kind of time". The Lord grants unto us sacred promises when we give all that we are. As we first seek the kingdom of God and its justice, all these things are added unto us. For blessed is that state of those who keep the commandments for they are blessed in all things both spiritually and temporally.
     I pray that you will consecrate your life unto the Lord. Make His will, Your will. I promise that if you do this the Lord will not only bless you with a good life, but a life that will make you like Him, but everyone around you for generations. I love you all and pray for you always. May you find greater peace and happiness in life as you dedicate it to Him.

Spiritual Strength

     Family and friends, i just want to express my gratitude for the many prayers on my behalf. i feel the power of your love in every step i take. This week we were privileged to hear from our Prophets and Apostles who live in our day. I hope you listened with real intent and that you gained the fortitude to continue on in Faith and Strength.
     I was not able to see very many sessions of the general conference, but i just want to express my love for the conference. although i was could not understand much of what was said as it was in spanish and i sat in the very back of a chapel filled to the brim with people. i loved the spirit that was felt there. At the close of the Sunday morning session, the song "The Spirit of God" was sung. As i listened i was overcome by the feeling of love and peace and began to cry.
     I know that what i felt was the Spirit of God and that he loves me. Heavenly Father knew that maybe i did not need to hear the conference to feel His love but to just be there and to feel His presence was what i needed.
     I know that the Lord answers each and every one of our prayers. Be patient and the Lord will give us what we need and more to keep pressing forward. I hope that you will find continual meaning in Gods Word. And continual strength throught the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Idania

This week we had a Baptism! The girls name is Idania. She is daughter of a less active member. At first she was shy with us but she actually loves jokes and riddles and we spent lots of time riddling one another jaja. but she does better than me because the riddles in spanish are a little different than the ones in english. I just want to thank you all for your prayers and your support here in the mission. I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!

Help From on High

     What an excellent week we had full of hard work and miracles!
This week i got a new companion. His name is Elder Gomez, from Guatemala. He is a cool guy, and super humble. i think we will have a great transfer here in Diriomo. This week was filled with challenges but also miracles. I know that the Lord knows and loves every single one of us individually and personally. Every week here in the mission, we spend the whole week exciting our investigators to go to church on sunday. but ALWAYS something weird happens and you see one by one your investigators fall in their commitment to the church.
     This week we did just that and when sunday came NOBODY was home. neither was the couple who we were going to baptize this next week. well if they didnt go to church i didnt have my baptisms the next week. so I started to panic and get upset. But i knew in this kind of moment i needed the Lords help. I needed a miracle. So i prayed and i prayed with all my heart that the Lord would have mercy upon me and my companion that our Investigators would somehow showup.
     As i finished my prayer i felt a little bit of peace within my heart, just enough to get my head straight and go see if my other possibility for baptism was ready to go to church. We went to look for her and we found her ready to go. That helped a little bit with the stress. i then had a decision to make, just leave and go to the church (which was far away and we had to catch the bus the church had rented) or, go back to the house of my possibilities and wait for them. i had a strong impression to go back even though we would miss the bus. As we returned, we found that the couple had just arrived and were getting ready to go to the church.
     As i sat down about ready to cry from relief of so much stress, i immediately offered a prayer of thanksgiving to my God. I knew in that moment it was only through his power and mercy that they had returned to their house to go to the church. I know that the Lord watches over us and blesses His children who are obedient to His commandments. Seek His help in all things and NEVER forget to show immediate gratitude for the blessings we receive. I hope and pray everytime i write to you that you learn and apply something from my experiences in your own life. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Overcome the Adversary

      What a week it has been! i hope everyone had a great week! This week i spent in a trio with another companionship that i serve with in the same district. it was really challenging but i found that sometimes my companions wont be so awesome and im going to have to learn to be more patient. And lucky enough, i get a new companion this wednesday so hopefully we can get this ball rollin and baptize some people. I also have this one family who are progressing really well and have gone to church 2 times already! They are so hilarious and have a little baby boy named Moses. I hope and pray they will make their goal for baptism this 26th of September!
     I heard recently and i cant remember from where that the best way to gain a testimony and to become converted to the gospel is through the bearing and sharing of ones testimony. I know that as we hold strong to our beliefs and be loud about it that we will be able to draw closer to the savior and farther from the adversary and his temptations. Dont let the people around you take advantage of you. Be quick to shun evil and all unrighteousness in all its forms. Be examples of true believers of Jesus Christ and not those hypocrites who draw near with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. I know that this is the restored Church of Jesus Christ in these last days. I am so grateful for the opportunity every day to proclaim its truthfulness and to testify of the divinity of Him who is mighty to save. Be bold. Hold nothing back and always remember to stand up for Him no matter how bad the persecutions may seem. I pray that all of you find joy in serving the Lord and being His disciple.

Hazel

     What a wonderful week we had! I hope everyone had a great week! This last saturday we had a baptism. Her name is Hazel. She is a young woman of 15 years and she is so great! as they say in nicaragua "Pilas". This week i found myself having to work hard in my area, since my companion cannot walk, i worked a lot with the Zone Leaders. But as i worked to manage my area, i learned many things.
     This week i was thinking, how is it that we change? from a character we have been our whole lives to someone more, someone BETTER. As i reflected upon this aspect of life, changing onself more christ like, i found that its not easy. We need to act and not be acted upon. we cant wait for situations to change us. we have to change the situations that we face. The Lord expects much of us and he requires many times that we change, as we are humble and prayerful, we can accept the Lords will and let him mold us into a BETTER person. Many times the changes are not easy and we have to go through a refiners fire. Just remember that the Lord sees all and that whoever he wants you to be is better than who you are now. I am grateful for your love and support. Remember to be prayerful and obedient to all the Will of the Lord. I love each and every one of you.