"All Good Things Must Come To An End!"

¡Hola!

Well, this is it. It's been a long road, but at the same time short. It's amazing how time flies. I still can't believe I'm coming home next week. Haha, I'm still between wanting this to last forever and being ready to move on and start the rest of my mortal life and the eternities. These last two years have taught me so much. They've been filled with joys and sorrows, successes and failures, weaknesses and strengths. What I've come to learn is that each experience serves to strengthen our faith and allow us to grow. Heavenly Father knows best more than anyone what we need and He puts us in situations that, if endured and understood well, edify us and help us to become more like Him and His Son Jesus Christ. What I would tell any young man or young woman preparing to serve a mission is that it won't be easy, but it'll be worth it. Heavenly Father expects us to consecrate ourselves to Him and His Work, to submit ourselves to His will in ALL things. It may seem impossible, but remember, "...with God[,] nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37). I've had some difficult companions and excellent companions, and I've learned something from each one of them. Each of them even if they haven't realized it, has taught me to develop the Christlike Attributes contained in the Scriptures and Preach My Gospel: faith, hope, charity and love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence, and obedience. The mission really is the university for life and if we are humble, we can learn to become like our Savior Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father lives. He loves and knows each and every one of us. His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of each one of His children. His Son Jesus Christ is our Creator, Savior, and Redeemer. Through Him, our Father presented His Plan to allow us to return to His presence and receive the blessings of exaltation. He sent his Son to teach us His Gospel and give us a perfect example to follow. He sent His Son, His ONLY sinless Son, to atone for OUR sins, to know how each of us would feel and what we would experience, to free us from the chains of death and hell. He, through His Son, called twelve Apostles and gave them power and authority to teach His Gospel, administer ordinances, and work miracles. He, through His Son, called Father Lehi and guided him to the Promised Land. He sent His Son to visit my fathers, the other sheep who were not of the fold in Jerusalem, to fulfill His covenant to them and to do the same among them as He did among those in Jerusalem. He preserved the record of my fathers through His mighty hand and appeared to a fourteen-year-old boy with His Son Jesus Christ to call him as a prophet and restore His Gospel to the earth by revealing that record and making known the covenants and promises to the House of Israel and all those who desire to be part of it. He called and prepared ME since before the world was, to have the privilege of being born in the Gospel and to grant me the blessings of His Restored Gospel. He called ME to serve His children, my brothers and sisters, in this beautiful country of El Salvador and show them the path that leads to eternal life. And so, here I am. I know that these things are true, and I testify of them in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

 night shot of San Salvador from our neighborhood

 My Birthday!

 my last Zone Conference!

 we made "panes con frijoles y crema" (bread with beans and cream) for our investigators and members for the temple activity.

  Oscar Reyes' Baptism!

 pictures of another Torogoz!

Keep Them Guessing?!?!

¡Hola!

This week was interesting to say the least. I'll tell you more when I get home. Haha, I'll probably write one last blog entry when I get home and title it "What I Couldn't Talk About While I Was On My Mission."

To be short, Elder Gonzalez and Elder Santos had a baptism last week and they and we are going to have one this week too! The Sisters are also going to have a baptism on August 15th!

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

We made quesadillas!

Elder Gonzalez and Elder Santos baptized their investigator Elias last weekend!

Our Zone Leaders got us cookie plaques!

To celebrate my and Elder Villalobos' birthdays we had a zone
p-day today and we played volleyball, soccer, and ping pong!

We'll Hasten HIS Work Togther!

¡Hola!

This week was great. I had divisions with Elder Gonzalez to see if two of their investigators are ready to be baptized and both of them are going to baptized this week! All they have to do is cover a few certain points with them and then I'll interview both of them. 

Elder Ortega and I are going to have two baptisms this change. One of them is Oscar Reyes. He's changed sooo much since we met him and started teaching him. He's honestly probably one of my best investigators I've had on my mission. He truly has a desire to learn and to repent of all his sins. We've really come to be his friends and once he gets baptized I know that the Lord will richly bless him as continues forward in the path of the Gospel. 

The other possible is Inez Hernandez. The only thing that's preventing her from being baptized is her fear towards her family. Her family is all Catholic and they live in a city called Ilobasco except her sister Raquel who's the oldest and a member and lives here in Ciudad Delgado. Honestly the mom and the family shouldn't be too much of a problem especially because she's supported Hermana Raquel since she joined the church and even attended her sealing in the waiting room of the temple. She's also had experienced the miracles and blessings of the Restored Gospel with the missionaries. For example, she was sick in the hospital once and couldn't eat anything, but the Elders arrived and gave her a blessing and the same day she left the hospital and was able to eat. We're still working with Inez, but I know that with our faith, prayers, fasting, diligence, and obedience that she'll overcome her fear and be baptized.

On Saturday we continued with the Soccer Tournament, but two teams didn't show up so the other two won by default. While we were there we got a call from a sister in the ward to go and give a blessing to a non-member. We got there and they explained to us that the daughter has epilepsy and that they took her to the doctor in the morning and ran all kinds of tests and everything came out fine. As a result of the epilepsy she's had emotional problems. When they got home, as the time passed she started to get mad and thought that her family was talking about her and that they hated her. Then, all of a sudden, she slipped into a deep depression. When we got there she was trembling and saying over and over "Ya no tengo nada" (I don't have anything anymore). I was touched by the situation and felt compassion for them. We gave her an anointing and blessing and after we prayed and fasted for her. They're probably going to take her to see a psycologist. I know that everything will be fine though.

The Sisters had an activity in their ward and we watched the movie Meet the Mormons. If you haven't seen it you should.

Yesterday we had a training meeting for our two wards and our Zone Leaders came and taught them. I know that as we continue working together we'll hasten this work!

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

We ordered Wendy's...yum!

Elder Ortega and I went to the Casa de Cultura (culture house) and took some pics 

As I Give My ALL, I Will See And Work Miracles!

¡Hola!

This week was great. On Tuesday we had a Multi-Zone and we learned a lot about how we need to improve as a mission. This week we organized and had a Soccer Tournament on Saturday for young men. There aren't a lot in our ward, so we told them to invite their friends. It went great though! Two teams of six each showed up and only one from each team was a member. We hope even more show up next week now that we know how we can improve the activity and then we're going to invite all of them to learn the Gospel, attend church, and be baptized.

We're still working a ton to have new investigators and baptismal dates because it's been a little tough, but I know that we can do it as we continue increasing our work with the members. Things have been improving little by little and I know that we'll be able to achieve many things these last few weeks!

This week we had the opportunity to give four priesthood blessings. It's always a blessing and privilege to serve others as the Savior did, to be His hands and help and heal others in their times of sickness and affliction. I know that the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood is real.

Oscar Reyes is going to be baptized August 8th! He's had a long road in his life of mistakes and trials, but now more than ever he truly understands what Heavenly Father desires of him and what his purpose is in life, and that grows with every visit we make and every doctrine and principle we teach. I'm grateful that the Lord has heard our prayers concerning him. Before, he used to be the least positive investigator we had, and now, he's the most positive. 

I know that the Lord truly prepares the hearts of His children through His Spirit and His angels and as we do EVERYTHING we can to live worthy of and follow the Spirit we will be guided to those who are prepared to receive the Gospel and repent of all their sins. The weeks are winding down, but I know that there's still a lot to do and I know that as I give my ALL I will see and work miracles.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

a river near Cuidad Delgado

last p-day we went to a member's house and made pupusas

there was a lizard in our backyard

Helping People to Feel The Spirit.

¡Hola!

This week was great! We had changes, but only a few had changes in the zone woohoo! 

We've been working with the members a lot more and we've been able to see results. Our investigators have been able to feel the Spirit more and their desires to learn more, repent, and be baptized have grown. One of our investigators Evelyn Moran used to smoke 10 cigarettes everyday before I came to this area and now she hasn't smoked at all for 6 days! Oscar Reyes and his future wife Beatriz are working to meet their goal to be baptized August 1st. All they really need to do is stop drinking coffee and get married. Once that happens they'll be the first couple I'll have married and baptized in my mission! When that happens I'll definitely need to come back in a year to attend their sealing. 

We're working with another couple as well. Their daughter is a member and apparently the dad got baptized before, but they can't find his records. Luckily our good friend Élder Villalobos, my DL while I was in Chinameca, is the Secretary of Records in the Mission Office right now, so he's going to see if it really happened or not. Either way, we're going to baptize at least the mom and help them all to prepare to be sealed as a family! 

We still need to keep on improving and I know we'll acheive all our goals by working with the members!

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

our last p-day in the zone 

 there's this place called Mounstros and they have shakes and pizzas

 we made tacos...again!

The Power Of The Priesthood And Our Faith Brings Forth Miracles!

¡Hola!

Sorry I didn't write last week! Anyway, the most important things that happened last week and this week are these:

Last week we had a Mini-CCM for all the Ward Councils in our Stake and Presidente Vásquez was there to talk to and train them. It was a cool experience and our ward councils actually learned and left with the determination to hasten the work.

Last p-day our half of the mission got to go bowling!

This week I was once again able to witness and experience the power of the Priesthood. Élder Ortega was sick and had a fever and a bad headache. He asked me for a blessing and I gave it to him and the next morning he was fine. I know that as we worthily exercise the power that He has given us we literally become His hands and through our faith He is able to work miracles in our lives.

One of our investigators Oscar Reyes was really depressed and lonely because his girlfriend had left him for another guy. As we visited him and taught him the Gospel we were able to promise him that if he would diligently read, pray, and attend church he would be able to know the truth, all of his righteous desires would come to pass, and everything would be all right. He decided to put it to the test and it came true. The other guy that his girlfriend went with started treating her badly and she decided to come back. While she was with the other guy he took her phone away so she couldn't talk to anyone and last week Sunday for the first time in four months she had her phone and Oscar was able to talk to her on his way to church. When he got to church he was so happy. On Saturday she finally came and yesterday both of them came to church even though she's gone to another church! I know that as we teach both of them the Gospel they'll be able to repent and desire to get married and baptized and be sealed for all eternity.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

 last p-day we got to go bowling!

 our last district meeting of the change

We had an activity/training meeting with Presidente Vásquez for all of 

the Ward Councils in the Stake and we called it Mini-CCM. All of us got 

laminated  pictures of our countries' flags and put them on our plaques.