Being POSITIVE, That is KEY!

Saludos de Cedar City, Utah!                       March 12, 2012

LIVING LARGE in CEDAR!!!

        Well the week has gone by super fast, and I still have the reality of my mission flashing before my eyes. This week was definitely a lot better than the week was last week. I think it has to do a little with our positivity. Even though things were falling through all around us, we stayed positive and we worked so hard this last week, and we definitely are starting to see the blessings. I like to think of it that we "weathered the storm", and now we are in that peaceful moment where the rescue comes into save us. The Lord is the rescuer and He provided us with some blessings and opportunities to teach and find. I am just grateful for a new week to continue to move forward and to progress.
        Well we have some pretty cool miracles to talk about. The situation with Selene, really hasn’t gotten better or worse. She still isn’t married and we really don’t know when that is going to happen, so we asked her if we could have her permission to baptize her daughter. I know that it was hard for her to say yes, because she really wanted to be baptized with her, but she agreed that we could baptize her daughter. The blessing came in the form of Selene's mother, Alma. She lives there with Selene and Jocelyn, and we have taught Alma off and on but not very consistently, and she agreed to be baptized with Jocelyn this next weekend! So the drought of baptisms will be over this next week! It was such a good feeling to be able to walk away from that lesson knowing that we are planning for two baptisms this next weekend and they are completely prepared. The Lord is truly merciful to His faithful servants!

Another miracle that we had was we found a family of five that is really willing to listen to us. The only problem is the distance to their home. They live in a place called Parowan, which is about 15 miles away from Cedar. You wouldn’t think that 15 miles was very far, but when you have a mileage limit for the month, those 30 miles there and back really add up. But they are super sincere and really ready to learn. There are three kids in the family, and they are really paying attention when we teach, which is kind of unusual. When we usually teach a family, the parents pay attention and listen, but the kids are just off in their own world. So it really is a blessing to have received this referral for this family.

This week we had a bunch of meetings. We had our monthly meeting for the zone leaders with President Leonard at his home, and then we had a leadership training the next day back in St. George. One funny thing that happened on our trip to President's house; was that we stopped at a stoplight on St. George Blvd.(one of the main roads in St. George). And randomly I heard a knock on my window. There was this random guy there yelling, "ROLL DOWN YOUR WINDOW!" I really didn’t know what to think. I thought he was either going to try and rob us, or spit on us or something. But what he actually did was not expected. I rolled down my window and he throws a $20 bill at us and yells, "Lunch is on me Elders!" and runs back to his car. It was so unexpected and we just couldn’t stop laughing the whole rest of the way to President's house.  

       At the leadership training I learned a lot about love. The whole day was just an aftermath of that meeting. I finally realized the amount of time and thought that we, as missionaries, put into our investigators. We are continually praying for them, studying for them, and trying to discover how we can better help them. The love that we feel as missionaries towards the people that we teach is a love like none other. I have shed more tears for those people I teach than I have in any other moment in my life. It was a proven fast on that Thursday as well. I felt that after that meeting I was really in tune with the Spirit and was truly seeing every person that we taught that night as Heavenly Father truly would see them. I was brought to tears that evening by some very little things, but I truly knew and felt the love of God with each person we saw.
         I also hit my 18 month mark this week! I still can’t believe that I am 3/4 done with my mission. I still remember the day I went into the MTC thinking that I was never going to make it out of that place, and now here I am, 18 months later. The mission is truly flashing before my eyes! This next week should be another week full of blessings and miracles as well.
         NEWS FROM HOME:  Mom, thanks for filling me in on things that are going on at home. I am quite jealous that you had Chicken Broccoli Bake. (Chicken Broccoli Bake is our Family’s favorite!) It makes me hungry just thinking about it! Well I still think it is funny that Chay is having "Momo withdrawals". It was bound to happen, but she will be able to get over it eventually. (Since Emma, Keith and the kids moved out, Chaylyn has been calling me telling me she “wants her Momo.”  I suggested to Chad that he will fall in love with the kids all over again.  They have changed so much in two years!  Bryson will be 5 in May.  Chay was almost 2 when he left.)  But I know that I will have no problem falling in love with them all over again. I just am scared that they will make fun of my English.
        Well I hope all goes well this week! I know that I am in the Lord's army and I am serving Him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength! May God bless all of you!

Live it, Love it, Preach it!  de tu misionero gordo,  ELDER D