September 8th email

Hey mom!  

 This week we got to teach a lot of people! We finally have a few people who want to progress.  We need to do things to invite the Spirit. One of our investigators named Victor opened to us this week about the fact that he doesn’t want to get baptized if he’s just gonna start sinning again (he smokes and more than just cigarettes).  We shared with him about the story of Saul becoming the prophet Paul in the New Testament and the story of Alma the Younger in the Book of Mormon. We shared with him that when we truly desire to keep the commandments of the Lord and truly repent, Heavenly Father literally forgets all of our wrongdoings in the past. I think we really got to him on that. We left him the chapter of Alma the Younger talking to his son Helaman about his conversion story.  

Another investigator we found this week is named Mario. Mario and his family have been brought up in the Catholic Church.  They never go to church. He expressed to us that his family is the most important thing in his life. So we shared the Plan of Salvation that our Heavenly Father has for all of us. HE LOVED IT! He was so happy to hear this wonderful message of our Heavenly Father’s plan for His children here on earth. He promised to read the Book of Mormon every day between our next visit. He can only meet on Saturdays so keep him in your prayers that he will feel the Spirit testifying of the truthfulness that the Book of Mormon is another testament that God lives and that His Son is our Savior and Redeemer.  

I received Aunt Stormi’s package! Please tell her thank you for the 3X size 19 1/2 short sleeve shirts! Just a tiny bit too big (Ok, this is Lila….this statement is a first from my son…too big….really?)  The Elder that will play for BYU football has offered to leave behind his shirts and ties.  They fit for the most part.  So I am good for a long time  Thank you if you have already sent more! I REALLY  DO APPRECIATE IT.  

This week was Fast and Tesitmony week and our ward had a descent sized primary program. The majority of the time the CTR 6  (6 year olds) gave their  testimonies.  One kid, Pautricio (Pato for short) gets up there and just gives the sweetest tesimony I think I’ve ever heard.  

We also got a new couch in the house today. Me and the BYU Elder had to carry it about a mile but as our faces show in the picture, it was totally worth it.  

In other news, I finished reading 1 Nephi in El Libro De Mormón: In the first 62 pages of the Book of Mormon in Spanish, through 22 chapters there are 544 references testifying of God the Father, His son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.  That their purpose is one and the same…to bring eternal life to man.  This exercise was to answer a question o for someone we had a discussion with on the street who challenged that the Book of Mormon was not about the Godhead.  It has been a really cool exercise for me and and has strengthened my testimony of our Savior and the Plan of Salvation.  

I love you so much mom! I’ll be responding to your other letters…just haven’t read them.  THANKS FOR EVERTHING AND I LOVE YOU!!!!