Received May 4, 2011
Dear Family and Friends!
I hope that all of you are doing so great. It was a great blessing to be able to hear from all of you and hear about all that is going on back at home. I can't believe that Trent went to prom already. That is so crazy to me. But hey buddy, you look great in your pictures and I hope you had a blast! By the look of things, it appears that it might have been a little cold. You'll have to tell me all about it. I hope it went well.
I just got done talking with a less active member here in the library at the university. It was a really neat experience. We just sat down and he started talking to us. "Hey elders!" he said (which is always a surprise). I was especially surprised because he just didn't look the type of person that would know the missionaries. We talked to him for a little bit but he looked busy and we are all trying to get done as fast as we can. But after he finished on his computer he came up to me and asked if we could talk for a little bit. We went and found a place where we could talk quietly and we talked for a bit about all that is going on in his life. It was a really neat experience. We talked about the basic three" prayer, scriptures, and church. He talked about how he was cold and that he knew he needed to get warm and revive his heart as far as his activity level in church goes. I told him that if he would do those three things, there is no way that he couldn't heat up. He said that he has really missed the gospel in his life and he wants to come back. He said that he would come play some ball with us today so we will see how it goes. But because I had that visit with him, I am running a little behind. So I am sure that this email will be a little shorter today. But don't worry, the sacrifice is for a good cause.
This past week was a great week for us. We have been working so hard with the families that we already have found. And with the goals that we have for our Sons of Mosiah project we are seeking more. That is all we are looking to find. Families, families, families, families . . . and this past week we have been blessed by some of the miracles that we have received from the Lord.
I think I told you guys about the family Espinal last week. They were the Dominican family that we found on the way to their friends house. And when their friend wasn't there, they invited us in to talk a little bit more. This past week we were sitting with them and Elder Zenger and I both had the feeling that we needed to talk about our purpose as missionaries and that we needed to tell them why we were there. We talked about baptism and they seemed really interested in what we were talking about. We taught them about the example of Jesus Christ and the importance that it was that we make the decision to be baptized for ourselves when we were accountable because it is a covenant we make with the Lord. That decision cannot be really following the example of the Savior and making a personal covenant with Heavenly Father when that decisions is made for us. The Domincan Republic is exactly like her, even the pets are Catholic. So it was really neat as they began to understand the doctrine and as it began to click the real purpose for baptism. There was such a neat spirit there. When we invited them to follow the example of Jesus Christ and prepare for baptism and the making of a covenant, it was just so easy. There wasn't anything to doubt. They said "of course we will prepare for that."
Once again the Lord blessed us and put us in the path of somebody who needed to hear the message of the restored gospel. A family who needs this more now than ever. A family who needs to truly know Jesus Christ and all that He truly did for us. And a family who needs to know how they can be together forever. We passed by last night and reminded them about why we were coming to visit and they all seemed really excited about their baptism. We talked about the Book of Mormon last night and the grandma was a little hesitant to accept anything at the start. "I only believe in the bible," she said. We told her to just give it a try after explaining to her what the book was. By the time we left she wouldn't give me back my triple combination. We had to show her that the missionary copy that we gave her was the same copy as my leather triple that we were taking away. She couldn't put down what she was reading. It was so great!
The Rodriguez family is doing well. We haven't been able to get all of them together again for a while. Sven people is a lot and with all of the work and school schedules that everyone has going on right now it's even harder. But things are going well. We have been able to see different members of the family at different times and things are going great. They are reading in the Book of Mormon and they saw the restoration video and are loving it. Right now we are working with them about praying together. Its crazy how shy they are when it comes to praying. Everyone here prays except they do not feel comfortable praying out loud. They just don't do it. And they really feel uncomfortable when we pray with them or ask them to say a prayer that we can all hear. But slowly and surely they are getting more comfortable praying as a family and the spirit is starting to enter more into their lives. I love it. Its the work of the Savior and I can't get enough of it.
I am really sorry that this email is so short. But I have to get going! I love you all so much! I am looking forward to talking to you a little bit on Sunday.
Mom I want you to know that you are my hero and that I love you! Thank you so much for being the type of mother who has put me made it possible for me to be in the place where I am today! I am so thankful for you mom and I hope that you have the most incredible Mother's Day morning that you could ever have!
And to all you other mothers, sisters, and daughters out there, I love you too . . . you know in a missionary kind of way.
Have a fantastic week and know that I am always praying for you.
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