Where in the World is Elder San Diego?: May 2015

Monday, May 25, 2015

Time For A Change!

¡Hola!

This week was awesome! On Wednesday Elder Flores got called to be a trainer this next change so that means I'm getting changed. I love this area and I didn't want to leave, but I know the Lord wants me in another area and has many blessings and miracles prepared for me and my new companion as long as we work hard and are exactly obedient.

Eduardo Hernandez got baptized this Saturday! He's a really awesome guy. When we first started teaching him he had problems with almost everything from the Word of Wisdom, but he was able to stop all of those things. When we taught the Plan of Salvation we promised him that if he followed that plan and got baptized and confirmed he'd be able to be with his little sister again though the ordinances of the Temple. That was his driving force and desire that helped him to overcome his sins and repent. I know that as he prepares himself in this year he can be a great missionary if he desires to serve! Our other investigators are all lined up to be baptized in the coming months. Elder Flores and I have been almost meeting the mission goal of baptizing each week and we've been able to set an example for our Zone. I know that as we continue forward doing everything we can the Lord will bless us!

We got permission to go to the beach this morning and it was awesome! We played beach soccer and I got some really cool seashells! I'll send some pics of them next week!

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

It rained on Friday so I got on the roof and took some cool shots of the volcano.

Eduardo Hernandez's Baptism!

On Friday it rained hard and a TON of these flying ants called zompopos got into
the front room of our house so we killed them with OFF! and swept them outside.

Familia Campos

Hermana Juana (investigator) and Hermana Juana (member)

Familia Batres

Familia Crespin

Elder San Diego and Eduardo Hernandez

Tony Campos, Elder San Diego and Daniel Fernandez

Familia Alvarado

Arizona graffiti

Familia Melgar-Menjivar

joke: the bargain is called "la manita" (the hand), but if you
put it together "lamanita" is lamanite in Spanish, haha!

We went to the beach...and we all ordered soccer jerseys styled after the USA team.

This says it all!

Monday, May 18, 2015

According To Their Faith!

¡Hola!

This week has been great. On Wednesday we had a meeting for Zone Leaders, District Leaders, and their companions and we learned a lot more about how we can use the Book of Mormon better, how we can find more investigators by using our Area Book, and how to do better Baptismal Interviews.

Eduardo Hernandez is going to get baptized this Saturday! We're still working with all our other investigators and Juana Bonilla is going to be next! All of our investigators have been having trials and I know that Satan doesn't want them to get baptized, but I know that they can overcome it and that Heavenly Father is willing to work miracles in their lives according to their faith if it is His will.

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego

We went to this town called La Flecha (the arrow) and hiked to find some ruins.
We didn't find an entire city, but we got some cool pictures of the San Vicente
volcano and a couple of ruins of an oven and some pilas (pools).

Elder Flores and Elder San Diego taking a break in the shade.

San Vicente volcano

Check out this HUGE tree!

water that would have fed the pools

an old oven

an old pool

This was a cool site to visit!

Monday, May 11, 2015

Ana Gloria's Baptism!

¡Hola!

This week was awesome! On Tuesday we went to Familia Doblado's house again and this time we made baleadas!

On Wednesday in the morning we went to clean up Familia Rivera's property a little and take some corn husks that they didn't need to Mama Lidia so she could use them for fire.

On Thursday we had the opportunity to attend the temple. It was a great experience as always and I was able to feel a little closer to my family being in the temple the same day as Eric and Clara got sealed. That night a member family invited us to eat dinner and they got us pizza, but the husband wasn't home, so we took the pizza to Elder Lloyd and Elder Medina's house.

Saturday was crazy because the other Elders had an activity and we had the baptism and both weren't as well planned as they could have been so we were going up and down Zacate all day long. Everything turned out well in the end though.

On Sunday I had the opportunity to give a short talk in sacrament meeting and the Bishop wanted me to talk about baptism, but I felt like I should talk about charity instead. As I thought on what the Bishop talked about regarding mothers and the intermediary hymn we sang: "As I Have Loved You." I laughed a little to myself as I thought about how mom really has always been an example of charity, especially with us kids! The best thing she's ever given me is the blessing of having been born in this Gospel and giving me counsel along the way.

I know that as we have true charity as our Savior Jesus Christ, sharing the Gospel will become a natural part of us and a priority. Jesus said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." He also said: "Peter (we can put our name here), do you love ME? Then FEED MY SHEEP!" In our Gospel Doctrine class we watched the Joseph Smith movie and I know that as it finished the Spirit had testified to each person in that room, investigators and recent converts, that the Restoration is true and that Joseph Smith sealed his testimony with his blood.

Later on that day we went to the church building so Elder Flores could talk to his family and while we were there a snake went under the door into the Bishop's Office! Fortunately, it was small and wasn't poisonous and we had the keys to get in there. We used brooms the get it out and then Elder Medina stepped on it. After he killed it we took some pictures and then I threw it out on the street. The funniest part though was that a guy was coming up the street in his car and he saw when I threw it and purposely ran it over and then backed up onto it again. Then he smiled, gave me a thumbs up, and drove off. The scriptures completed, ha ha! "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; and he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Moses 4:21)

Ana Gloria Moreno finally got baptized! We're still working with our other investigators so they can be baptized and we have two for sure. One is Eduardo Hernandez, he's 18 and he used to have a ton of problems with the WOW, but we've seen a huge change in him. We did a pre-interview and all of his answers about how he gained a testimony were awesome! He's going to be baptized the 23rd and the other, Juana Bonilla, the 30th. We just need to keep on working and finding new prepared people. I know they're out there!

¡Levántate! ¡Podemos hacerlo ahora!

Love,

Elder San Diego