"There Is No More Satisfying Substitute Than Work!"

¡Hola!

This week was a great opportunity for Elder Frey and I to give service. One of our members had internal bleeding and she had to go to San Miguel for surgery. On Friday, we and the branch went to clean her house. We were able to get a lot done in a couple of hours. Today, we're going to go back and finish up.

On Saturday, our church district went to Puerto El Triunfo to clean one of the rivers there for National Service Day. We worked cutting and clearing plants and branches covering the river. It was a great experience being able to give service and have fun at the same time. President Ezra Taft Benson's quote is true, that there is no more satisfying substitute than work.

This week we're going to have a Multi-Zone Conference about how we can increase our faith. I know that it'll help me and Elder Frey to change things. Sometimes, it's hard to have the faith we should. Sometimes Elder Frey and I feel like Mormon: "Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the hardness of their hearts."

I know that we need to increase our faith, love, and work, and keep a positive attitude, but sometimes it feels like it's in vain because people don't always want to change or do anything. I know that as we prepare for this Multi-Zone Conference, Elder Frey and I will learn and change so that we can become the world-class, extraordinary, consecrated missionaries that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ expect and need us to be!

¡Levantate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,
Elder San Diego

The Label Of Doubt Yielded To The Label Of Faith!

¡Hola!

This past week we had a Family Home Evening for the branch and it was the most amount of people that came since I've been in Santiago de María.

This week we had interviews with President Glazier and I asked him how we can have more success in our area. His counsel was that we need to change our attitude, double our efforts each week, and most importantly increase our faith. Elder Frey and I need to change a lot of things, and I know that as we do, we'll improve drastically. In his email this week, he told us about the area of Kingston in President Monson's mission:

"No one baptized in Kingston. Just ask any missionary who labored there. Time in Kingston was marked on the calendar like days in prison. A missionary transfer to another place—any place—would be uppermost in thoughts, even in dreams."While I was praying about and pondering this sad dilemma, for my responsibility then as a mission president required that I pray and ponder about such things, my wife called to my attention an excerpt from the book A Child's Story of the Prophet Brigham Young. She read aloud that Brigham Young entered Kingston, Ontario, on a cold and snow-filled day. He labored there about 30 days and baptized 45 souls. Here was the answer. If the missionary Brigham Young could accomplish this harvest, so could the missionaries of today."Without providing an explanation, I withdrew the missionaries from Kingston, that the cycle of defeat might be broken. Then the carefully circulated word: 'Soon a new city will be opened for missionary work, even the city where Brigham Young proselyted and baptized 45 persons in 30 days.' The missionaries speculated as to the location. Their weekly letters pleaded for the assignment to this Shangri-la. More time passed. Then four carefully selected missionaries—two of them new, two of them experienced—were chosen for this high adventure. The members of the small branch pledged their support. The missionaries pledged their lives. The Lord honored both. "In the space of three months, Kingston became the most productive city of the Canadian Mission. The grey limestone buildings still stood; the city had not altered its appearance; the population remained constant. The change was one of attitude. The label of doubt yielded to the label of faith."

This story really inspired me, and I know that we can do exactly what those missionaries did. Elder Frey and I were frustrated one day and when we got home, we prayed. After, Elder Frey felt impressed to open to Alma 32:2 which says: "And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of the people; for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of their apparel." When I heard that, I thought maybe we need to look in the most unlikely places to find those who are prepared. I know that things are going to change and we're going to be the ones to do it along with the members!

¡Levantate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

Restaurant in Alegría 

A Spiritual Experience That I'll Never Forget!

¡Hola!

This week was great! On Tuesday Elder Frey and I had divisions with our zone leaders, Elder Sorreano and Elder Gibson. While I was with Elder Sorreano in Usulután, we had a meeting with our district president, President Garcia, and talked about problems we're having in our branches and how we can work more with the members. Meanwhile in Santiago de María, Elder Gibson and Elder Frey visited our branch president, President Castillo. As they talked with him, Elder Gibson recharged his spiritual batteries. He helped him get excited about the work and want to change. The Spirit was strong and as President Castillo knelt to offer the prayer, he burst into tears with his hands on the ground. After that,we knew things were going to change.

On Friday, our Zone Conference was inspiring. Elder Sorreano and Elder Gibson helped us remember who we are; that we are sons of our Heavenly Father, that He has chosen us to come to the earth at this time to help Him bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, and that as we do His will in all things we will receive eternal life and have a fullness of joy. It really helped me to recommit myself to the work and have a desire to change completely. I want to think, speak, act, and have the attitude that He would have. It helps me want to change as I remember the words of Robert D. Hales that "any disobedience comes from loving Satan more." President Glazier gave us an invitation to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover and mark things about Christ, His names, when He talks, His doctrine, His promises, His works, and His blessings before our new mission president, President Vasquez, arrives. I know that as I do it I will learn more about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and increase my faith and love for Him. Also on Friday, we were able to meet with President Castillo to make a vision with goals and plans for our branch.

Sunday was amazing. In Sacrament Meeting, President Castillo went up to bear his testimony and talked about what happened on Tuesday and how we planned together. As he did so, he announced a branch council for everyone to attend and had people raise their hands to come to it. He also told them to raise their arms and say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." As we held the branch council, we showed videos from the disc you gave us and talked about how we know that we can become a ward as we work together and that in the future we can become a stake. Elder Gibson invited President Castillo to give Elder Frey and me a blessing and after he did that, we gave blessings to all the members who came to the meeting. It was an amazing spiritual experience that I'll never forget.

¡Levantate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

"Come Listen To A Prophet's Voice!!"

¡Hola!

Conference was definitely the highlight of this week. I loved all the messages and they all inspired me to repent and be better! This week I also got a new companion, Elder Frey. He's the new District Leader and has a little more time than me. He's from Provo and I know that we'll both be able to learn from each other. Elder Orr is in Ilopango in San Salvador now. I'm kind of relieved because now that we're both vets, we can work even harder to build up our branch, and I'll be there to help him be the DL. Anyway that's the update for this week. Gotta go!

¡Levantate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego