¡Bienvenidos a Zacatecoluca!

¡Hola!

This week I got changed. Now I'm in Zacatecoluca in San Vicente and my companion is Élder Zuñiga from Guatemala. I'll miss Chinameca and everyone I met there, but I know that the Lord has called me here in order to bless His children (D&C 100:4). I was kind of bummed because Élder Chamorro and I had a lot of people lined up to be baptized in the coming months, but I know that as Élder Zuñiga and I are diligent and work hard we can improve the area and achieve even more of what the Lord wants and expects of us. 

Right now we've got baptisms set for this Saturday and next Saturday for Manuel and Maria Moreno who are brother and sister. We're also working with Familia Escobar. They're having family issues right now, but I know that as we help them keep their commitments and learn and apply the Gospel and the Atonement to their lives they'll be able to overcome it and one day be an eternal family enjoying all the blessings Heavenly Father has to offer.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

 last p-day in Chinameca we made tacos! 

Witnessing The Miracles Of The Lord

¡Hola!

On Tuesday we were able to visit the family whose son died with other members to give them blessing of comfort and counsel and to have a small meeting to teach principles of the Gospel. It was a great experience to be able to testify of the power of the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation and help them to be comforted.

We've been working with our investigators so they can keep their commitments and the commandments in order to receive a testimony from the Spirit and a desire to be baptized. We hope that Familia Bernal can be baptized this coming Saturday, or, if not, in the coming weeks. It'll be a memorable experience for Hermano Bernal to be able to baptize his family! A lot of our investigators need to get married and we've set their baptismal date with them for February 14th, Valentine's Day! What better remembrance for them than the day they got married and baptized!

Yesterday in church all of the youth and adults were able to watch a video presenting the 2015 Area Plan which is focused on helping families form a habit of daily personal and family prayer and scripture study, Family Home Evening every week, paying a full tithe and a generous fast offering, and working on family history work. We know that as they apply it it'll help boost the spiritual level of the members and help them increase their desire to share the Gospel from the blessings they'll receive. As we work together members and missionaries we'll be able to hasten the work and witness the miracles of the Lord.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

Enmanuel's Baptism

¡Hola!

Everything went well with the funeral last week and this Tuesday we're going to visit the family to comfort them and help them be fully active in the church. They live far and sometimes it's hard for them to come, but we know that as we help them realize the blessings that come through obedience and sacrifice they'll make the effort.

We contacted a new family this week and they were really receptive and had a lot of good questions. They didn't come to church, but if they keep their commitments they'll come to know that what we teach is true.

This Friday we had a Multi-Zone meeting and Presidente y Hermana Vasquez talked a lot about Christlike Attributes, especially patience, diligence, and obedience. It was great to reflect on how we can improve personally and as a companionship, and as we do so we'll be able to achieve great things and have the Lord work miracles in our lives and all who live in our area. Their daughter Melissa also got called to the Temple Square Mission and she'll leave in June!

Enmanuel Ulloa was baptized this past Saturday! It was a crazy experience because we got to the church to fill the baptismal font but there was a problem with the water system and there was no water in the building! We thought we might have to cancel the baptism, but we ended up doing it in Jucuapa. Everything turned out well and now we're working to get his parents married and baptized.

Familia Bernal are the next closest to being baptized. This Sunday was the first time they stayed all three hours of church and they liked it a lot! Hermano Bernal is making sure that they're reading and praying and they always have Family Home Evening each week. Their date is set for the 24th and as we keep visiting and helping them I know they'll be ready!

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

 Elder San Diego, Elder Villalobos, Enmanuel, Francisco Ulloa (his Dad) & Elder Chamorro 

Happy New Year 2015!!!

¡Hola!

Happy New Year 2015!!! This week we finally got permission for Emanuel to be baptized this Saturday! We were also able to start teaching Francisco and Leonardo's wives a little. Both Francisco and Leonardo want to get married and be baptized and we hope that their wives decide to be baptized too. Leonardo's cousin is making progress with the treatments she's having and we hope that if it's the will of God she can get better. José doesn't have the support of his family to be baptized, but we hope that just motivates him even more to show his family that he'll change and endure when he's baptized. Familia Bernal accepted a baptismal date, but the wife is a little tough. We hope that she softens up and that at least the daughters can be baptized, but it'll be better if all of them do.

Last week an inactive younger member got killed and today we're going to the funeral to dedicate the grave at request of the family and in behalf of the Branch Presidency because they live in San Miguel and have to work. I'm sure it'll be the most spiritual experience of the week. We hope that maybe it'll open up the family to accept the Gospel because only the dad is a member. I testify of the Atonement and that through it Christ holds the keys of death and hell and the redemption and exaltation of all souls both living and dead if it so be that they repent of their sins and accept the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. I know that if he repents and accepts the ordinances that will be performed in his behalf he will be an heir of eternal life.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

¡TACOS!