Christmas Miracles!

Received December 8, 2010

Dear Family and Friends!

Thank you so much for all of the great letters and emails that you sent this week. It was so incredible to hear of all of the great things that are happening back at home! I am thankful for the miracle that grandma and grandpa had and I am extremely thankful to hear of the incredible miracle that has happened back in the ward. What an incredible experience to be able to share and to be able to experience! I wouldn't expect anything less from the life of Brother Howe. I remember that one of the first activities that I had as a priest in the 6th ward was a hike to a waterfall near P.G. When we got to the top of the waterfall, Brother Howe jokingly asked us if he should jump off. I can remember Jesse Fowlke told him that he could do it and he would probably be able to fly and gently land upon the ground. He is truly an incredible man. And it is obvious that there are still lives for him to touch. I was so grateful to hear that there was enough faith for him to be able to receive another huge miracle. As dad was retelling me the experience, I began to tear up. I cheated and hurried and read the end because I couldn't bear to hear that Brother Howe might have died. But the part I read was, "It was the closest thing to a Lazurus experience that I had ever witnessed." My heart jumped up and I was so thankful to be able to read about the incredible miracle that we all had received! That is great news. I hope you know how much I love you Brother Howe! I am looking forward to our hike in a few months! Thank you so much for being such a great example to us all! I hope you know how much I love you and appreciate you!

This past week has just been incredible for us. We have been a little stressed out because transfers happened this week. But we were blessed because they came and they went and now all is well. We have some new missionaries in the zone and sadly Elder Turner will be going home. How sad that he will be home just in time for Christmas right? But we are really excited for the new blood that we have in the zone and we know we are going to see some incredible things start to happen.

A few of you mentioned that you had been praying for Andres and Alexia and Andy and Diego. I wanted to thank you for that and testify to you that I know that your prayers are being answered by a loving Heavenly Father.

Last Tuesday (as I think I told you) we were able to go over with President Alvarado and we had a great lesson with them. Towards the end of the lesson Andres mentioned that they were both feeling a little anxious about the baptism and they weren't sure that they would be ready by the 18th. It was great to have President Alvarado there because he testified to them that he knew they were ready. We set up a follow-up appointment and we were going to take the opportunity to be able to come back and explain a little bit more of why they were ready.

We sat down on Thursday and we explained the gospel of Jesus Christ. We had fun drawing a picture of a bridge over the water where some scary water animals lived. We said that the bridge the gospel to help us get safely to God. It was great to be able to just teach the kids, but to teach in such a simple way that we would be able to clear up the parents doubts without them knowing it. As we went through each step of the gospel and explained how it is a process -- faith repentance, baptism, gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end, which means we do it all over again. The spirit was so strong and Elder Varner and I were both so amazed! The kids were learning and they were loving every second of it. We knew that it wasn't because we were doing anything special. The spirit was testifying to them of the simple truths that they were being taught. Towards the end of the lesson we went through the steps of few times and told them that we too, knew that they would be ready for baptism. We testified that baptism would lead them to be able to go to the temple. They talked about having such a strong desire to go to the temple and to be sealed together as a family. We told them that they could do it and they would be ready a year after their baptism. When they heard that they were so excited. I told them that they could come and have a white Christmas in Utah and we could all go together. They LOVED THE IDEA. So, Mom and Dad, I hope its OK but next Christmas we might have a few visitors with us for a few days :) Needless to say, those doubts about not going away have dropped considerably.

Last night was going to be another big test. Last night we were blessed to be able to teach them the word of wisdom. And we were even more blessed to be able to teach with a very strong family from our ward, the Ortiz family. This family is like a perfect match because they both have two little boys who have A LOT of energy. Anyways, it was a miracle that they were able to come with us last night because their witnesses added something to the lesson that we wouldn't have been able to give.

We sat down and went through the five things: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, tea annnnnnnnddddddd coffee. It was pretty funny because as we said the last one Alexia screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" and put her face in the Book of Mormon. Andres just threw his head back and started clapping his hands and laughing. It was all in good fun because Alexia was laughing along with us. She screamed "I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO SAY IT!!!" Apparently she likes coffee. But what came next was one of the most incredible demonstrations of faith that I had seen in my life.

She knew that it was going to be hard. She kept talking jokingly about how everyone would have to stay away from here for the next few days as she would go through the withdrawals. But she never once doubted that she would be able to do it. It was great to be able to have Hermano and Hermana Ortiz there with us. Hermano Ortiz talked of prayer and about how this would be a great opportunity for her to gain an even stronger testimony, She would come to find and even stronger conviction that this truly is the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. He told a story from his mission of the only Puerto Rican that he taught in California. He said he lived way out in the middle of no where, about 2 hours from the nearest store. When Hermano Ortiz and his companion taught this brother the word of wisdom the man left the room. While they were talking with the man's wife he ran away with all of the coffee. He said the man stopped talking to them for the next few days. But he eventually was moved by his testimony and gave up the coffee and got baptized. He and his family were later sealed in the temple and now his great-grandchildren are members of the true church. Apparently this story gave them an idea because what happened next was incredible.

We read scriptures in Ether 12 and in 1 Nephi 3 about trials of faith and living the commandments. Then we committed them to live the word of wisdom. Andres laughed and said "if Nephi and his brothers had to walk thousands of miles in the desert to follow the commandments, I think that I can quit drinking coffee so that I can follow God's commandments." Alexia also showed so much faith. She got up and got her canister that they used to keep their coffee gave it to us, telling us to get rid of the coffee. Andres mentioned that we should take the coffee maker as well. We took advantage of that opportunity. By the time that we left the house we had a huge container of coffee, a coffee maker, and the last of Andres' beer. (Don't worry mom and dad, we got rid of it all.

And unlike Mckay we didn't carry it with us into another church on the way home). It was a fun night and we all had a lot of smiles. But the faith that I saw in a mother giving up something that truly keeps her running was amazing. She did this that she could be baptized so that her family would have the opportunity to be sealed. It was a great blessing and a complete jaw dropper to me. The faith that I saw in that family last night was just incredible! I'm not sure that I would be able to do what they did last night. But they did it, and they are chosen.

I know that the spirit is real. I know that when the spirit touches are hearts a real change occurs. I have seen this change happen over and over again in my mission and it is happening so strongly with Andres and his family. They are changing so much and they have caught the vision of what God truly wants for his children in this world. They are doing all that they can. They are sacrificing many of the things of this world that they enjoy so that they will be able to go to the temple in a year to be sealed and become an eternal family. A lot of times we let little things get in the way of the blessings and miracles that God has given us, or that God has made available to us. I wish you could all see and experience what I had the opportunity to see and experience last night. Jesus Christ lives! He loves us! He humbly gave His life so that we could be able to live with Him and our Father again. He never once in life sought for glory or for honor, only to do what His Father asked. I love Him and I am thankful for His example. I know that He lives and I know this is His church! How blessed we are to be a part of it all!

Raul is doing great, He is loving the Book of Mormon. We are working with the family little by little. We were able to get a For the Strength of Youth pamphlet and we gave it to the wife to read! She ate it up. She has a new fire to listen to us. Which is great because that fire kind of went away for a while. But Raul and his family continue to progress and I can see the power of your prayers working here!

I hope you know how much I love you! Thank you once again for all that you do! I hope that the Christmas season is treating all of you well!

I love you so much, family and friends! Stay strong and know that I love you. I know I'm not so great at writing back right now and I am sorry. But I always love to hear from you guys! You are my strength and the fuel that keeps my going.

Have a holly, jolly Christmas week, for truly this is the best time of the year!

Yo Soy un Pavo ahora

Received December 1, 2010

Buenos Dias Mi Querida Familia, y mis Queridos Amigos, Les Amo,

I hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving this past week. Thank you so much for your emails and for your love and support. You are always so willing to give me this love and support and you will never know how much it helps me. It was really neat to see all of the gratitude that was coming from all of your emails this week. It was sure a great holiday week and it was a great chance to be able to reflect a little deeper on all of the blessings that we have received from our loving Heavenly Father. I hope you know how much I love each and every one of you and how thankful I am for you!

I can't believe that it is already December! Christmas in Puerto Rico is apparently a huge deal (I was in Aruba last year so I missed the Puerto Rican Christmas! There aren't a lot of lights up yet (which surprises me because everyone is preparing to get their lights up). Here in Puerto Rico, everyone has cement houses. They build with cement because they are stronger than wooden houses so they hold up well against the hurricanes. And they don't need insulation because its always around 85 degrees here. Actually, as I am writing you at this very moment I can look outside and see the beautiful Puerto Rican sun. Ponce happens to be the hottest part of the island. Today there are clear blue skies and the nice ocean breeze is gently swaying the palms fronds back and forth on the palm trees. Seeing all of that I would say that it is about 90 degrees out there and we will probably be in the mid 90s today. Ahhh (sigh) . . . I love it. How was that blizzard by the way?

Anyways, as I was saying about Christmas lights, basically people here have cement houses and they paint them every year after thanksgiving in preparation for their Christmas celebrations. They celebrate Three Kings day here and so the Christmas celebration goes on long after the 25th. In our Zone Council that we had on Monday, President Alvarado mentioned that the Christmas seasons lasts until the 16th of January here . . . well at least that's how long the kids are out of school. Usually the party lasts a little longer.

Anyways, it was a great holiday and we are looking forward to another great Christmas season. The thing that we are looking forward to the most is the chance that we are going to have to find some solid families this holiday season. We are gearing up to work the hardest that we ever have and we are really excited for the miracles that are going to be coming about in the next few weeks! So keep us in your prayers. We need families here so that we can build the church and grow it where it needs to be. The only way that will happen is with divine help.

For Thanksgiving we were able to visit three families. We were so big! We didn't eat anything for the next two days! Like i mentioned last week, it was a little strange to eat three Thanksgiving dinners and not have a single potato! I'll have to show you how it goes for Thanksgiving dinner here when I am with you all next Thanksgiving. In Puerto Rico the main part of the meal isn't mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey. The main parts are arroz con gandules, renado de plataneau, y pavo. (rice and beans, plantain stuffing. Oooh! it is Soooo GOOD! Of course there is turkey as well. Needless to say it was a crazy, fun Thanksgiving! But it was also a great day of work.

We were able to visit Raul's family in the morning and had the chance to eat with them. The best part of the experience was sitting down with them and reading the story that President Monson shared with us in October conference. We have been working with this family so much the past few weeks. Raul is just doing great but his wife is having a hard time accepting that God has called a prophet in our day. She keeps saying that if he was a prophet he would be predicting huge world events that would be coming in the future. It was a really neat experience to gather with the family and talk about gratitude. I love the part of President Monson's talk when he tells us that we need to be grateful people. He told us that we need to show gratitude, not just say we are grateful. To have gratitude is good. But to live with gratitude in our hearts is to touch heaven. It was such a sweet experience for us to share with her a powerful testimony from a living prophet, it was incredible to be able to stand before the family and bear testimony that the counsel that President Monson was giving us was hundreds times better than any prediction of world-ending events. I know that President Monson is a prophet! I know that what he shared with us in conference comes directly from God. I have tried to apply those teachings to my life and I have seen an extraordinary difference in the way that I feel when I truly live with gratitude in my heart. I know that this is something that is going to help us during these difficult times that are passing in the world. But more than that, I know that he gave that talk because we are going to need to be that kind of people for the difficult times that lie ahead.

The family really enjoyed the story that we shared and the mom made a really cool observation about the light in the story and how that light was the Light of Christ in our lives. She said she thought about how, as long as we have that light, all will be well. I thought that was a way cool insight and I just wanted to share it with all of you!

We continue to work with Andres and his family. Andres is so excited about baptism. Last night we passed by with President Alvarado and it was so special to see President Alvarado testify to Andres about eternal families and how special it is for him to know that he is going to be with his kids for time and for all eternity. He brought something to the lesson that Andres needed to see and feel. Andres has been searching for the truth his entire life and he told us last night that he prays to God every night and thanks him that he has finally revealed to him the whole elephant, and not just a trunk or an ear. If you don't get that you might have to look back a few emails. But this man is doing great and we are so excited for what lies ahead of us all.

I want to end with a story that we talked about in Zone Council. President Alvarado talked about a man from a concentration camp in world war two. He was a Jewish professor who worked at a university in Poland. He said that while he was in the concentration camp the Nazis performed cruel tests on him. They performed sterilization tests on him while he was awake (among other things) and the professor said that in that moment, in the darkest lowest point of his life, when everything - absolutely everything - had been taken away from him, he found the last human ability. That ability was to be able to choose . . . agency! He said that while the Nazis would perform the experiments he would keep a picture in his head of him standing in front of his class. He would be in front of his students telling them, and testifying to them, about the things that he had experienced in his life. Especially those things in this concentration camp. He said that in that moment he realized that what makes up our lives is not our surroundings or the conditions that surround us, but rather, what makes us who we are are the choices that we make and the attitude that we have. No one can make us feel bad or depressed or angry. Nothing around us can cause us to have bad lives. Our lives can be governed by the choices that we make on our own and the attitude we choose to have. In our darkest moments, we can find the greatest light.

I just want to testify to you all that I know that this is true. I have recently felt this in my life. And I just want to tell you all how much I love you. It can be hard to stay positive when your surroundings are crumbling around you. But when you have a great support system such as family and friends who are always there for you, it makes it so much better. I want you to know how much I love you guys and how thankful I am for all that you have done. But even when you haven't been here physically, I want you to know that there you have been a constant in my life for these past 18 months. You have often been the "something" that has helped me to get through dark times. That support and the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. He lives and He loves each and every one of us. He is carrying me, and helping get through some of the hardest things that I have ever had to deal with. His atonement is real, and I know that through Him, we have the power to decide for ourselves. We can decide that even though everything around us can be bad, with His help, and His strength, we can feel good! We can feel peace.

I love you all and wish you a happy week! I'm not sure when finals are but I know that they are coming up! So good luck and know that you are always in my prayers.

I'm So thankful for all of you! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Received November 24, 2010

Dear family and Friends!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

I want you to know how thankful I am for each and every one of you! I am thankful for the kind and loving people that you are! I am thankful for the love and support that you show to me every single day. Whether its a letter from best friends, or a post card or a package, or a prayer or a thought, I know that each and every one of you are doing so much for me and I want you to know how extremely thankful I am for that. I know that being thankful requires a lot more than just saying it. Love is a verb and it requires our action. I know that! If any of you have ever felt that I have forgotten you, or that I am not truly thankful for what you have done, please, please, PLEASE do not think that! I love you all so much and I am sorry that I have not been able to show my thanks to you in the way that you might like or need me to. I truly do love you guys and I am thankful for what you do -- so very truly, happy. THANK YOU! FOR ALLLLLLLL THAT YOU DO!

It was a little shocking to open up the emails today and and catch bits and pieces of how mom will be coming out of surgery. That was a complete shocker to me. I'm not really sure what is going on with mom and why she has to get surgery on her leg, but I want you to know mom that I love you and I care about you so much. I really do hope that everything will go well on your surgery today. I want you to know that the second that I found out that you were going to have surgery I began to pray for you! I know that everything will go well today and I wish you the best of luck. I love you mom! I am so thankful for you! I know that everything will turn out just the way it needs to and that you will be back on your feet in no time!

This past week has been an adventure for Elder Varner and I. It was just another one of those missionary weeks. We got a lot of work done. We have seen a lot of progress with the investigators with whom we are working and we are really excited for what lies ahead of us. But as for big amazing stories, I think that those are still in store for the future. I can, however, give you a quick update on the families with whom we are working and how things are going with them.

Andres and Alexia came to church this past week and it was so awesome! We told Raul and his family that we would stop by on Sunday morning to help wake them up and they live right by Andres and Alexia so we decided to stop by! They were all up and getting ready to go at like 7:00! We were so pumped! I know that doesn't seem like a big deal to you guys (yeah, I know that you all get up early and get ready for church and all of that) but here its a big deal for people to get up early on Sundays. That is usually the only day that these people have to rest. But they are absolutely loving church and what they are learning. They keep on telling everyone at church, and all of their neighbors, about their baptismal date. They are looking forward to it. I know that there is a blizzard warning up there in Utah right now. I hope that everything goes well, that you are safe and protected, and that there isn't a lot of damage. But right now, it looks like we are going to have a blizzard of our own down here pretty soon. That was a really really bad joke. I do apologize.

Raul, had a baptismal date scheduled for this Saturday. As we have started to work with the rest of his family the progress of our teaching has slowed down a bit. But anyways, Raul is set. He is so ready and excited to get baptized. He is working right now to quit smoking and its going to take a little longer than we all expected. Yesterday we had a fantastic lesson on prayer and he was really excited to pray after we had finished the lesson. He was always afraid to pray around us and we couldn't figure it out. But we were blessed yesterday and the spirit truly touched him and he was ready to pray. It was awesome! We continue to work with the rest of his family. They all love it. But they are progressing a lot slower than the dad. We are working to clear up doubts along the way. But the key is that this family continues to progress and we are looking forward to (hopefully) watching the entire family get baptized next month. We are excited for a very, very white Christmas.

We did have one pretty cool experience this week. We made a visit Sunday to help some Elders in our zone that have been struggling. They were quite a ways from reaching the goals that they had set for the week. Their goal was to teach 13 lessons. When we got there Sunday we had 6 hours on to do it. We walked in and we knew that there was no way we were going to be able to do it alone. We got on our knees and we went to work. I don't think that I have had a more productive six hours in my mission. I saw a change in those missionaries for which have been hoping and praying for so long. It was so great to see them start to see that the Lord was going to bless us with a miracle. When we got to the end of the night, we met up with my companion and the Elder with whom he had been teaching. They told us about how, in the last lesson of the day, the lesson that was going to reach their goal, they were able to set a baptismal date with the family. We were so excited for them! They have been wanting this for a long time. Our problem has been that we couldn't figure out how to help them see that the Lord blesses us when we do what He asks us to do. On Sunday we saw a huge miracle for them as they were able to see the blessings that flow and come from diligently, and prayerfully, working hard in the service of the Lord!

Thanks all of you for telling me about your Thanksgiving plans! (hahah!) I am sure that you are all dying to know what we will be doing tomorrow to celebrate the holiday. Unlike last year when I was on Aruba for Thanksgiving, here in Puerto Rico they actually do celebrate it. Los Puertoriquenos love their food! And well . . . .so do their missionaries, (hahah). I am really excited to see a big chunk of the culture tomorrow. But once again I am most excited to get to see people remember all of the blessings they have received from the Lord. When we remember Him, He blesses us. I am hopeful that the appointments we have tomorrow with our investigators will include hearts soft enough to see all that the Lord has done for them so that the spirit can enter their hearts and we can make some huge progress. As for our actual plans . . . we have a lot of appointments tomorrow to eat! I think that we are going to get fed about 5 thanksgiving dinners. (hahah). I am not looking forward to that part of the day but it is going to be a great day celebrating it in a way that you only get to once or twice in your entire life. I am pumped! A lot of families are going to be together tomorrow as well. That idea has us licking our chops and getting pumped to get out there and find those families that God has prepared for us!

I know what tomorrow represents. I am so thankful that we have this chance to remember our Heavenly Father and remember all of the blessings that we have been given. Once again I want you to know how thankful I am for you. I will do better at showing my thanks. But as I try to find the time to do so, please be patient with me and know that I love you! I want to leave you guys with a list of some of the things that I am thankful for:

I am thankful to be a part of my Heavenly Father's work. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares for each of us, His children, individually. I am thankful for a loving Savior who was willing to die for me. I am thankful for early prophets and early pioneers who were willing to give up all that they had just so that we,their children, could have a fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the knowledge that has been restored! For a remembrance of the perfect gospel and a perfect plan. I am thankful for each and every one of you, my family and my friends. As we start to turn our thoughts and feelings towards Christ and His birth, I will never be able to thank Him enough for what He did for us. I love Him! I know He lives! I know He died for us so that we as families would be able to return to live with Him once again. I love this work! And I am so thankful to be a part of it!

I hope that you have a Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Enjoy the turkey! We are going to have turkey too! But they don't have mashed potatoes here/ In Puerto Rico we get arroz con gandules! (mmmmmmm lo mejor)!

Buen Provecho a todos!

Les Amo con todo mi corazon, Que Tengan un feliz dia de accion de gracias, o como se dicen aqui! Feliz Thanksgiving!

I love you guys so much! Have a great Thanksgiving!

All the love in the world.

We're Going to Have a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Received November 17, 2010

Dear family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your letters and your emails. I received something all throughout last week and today. But most of all, thank you for all of the prayers and all of the thoughts that you have been sending my way. This past week we had our Zone Conference and Elder Varner and I were in charge of planning it. I have planned big things before but for some reason we were really stressed out about how this conference would go and whether the plans that we made would work. But as we got closer to the day I began to feel more and more confident and I know that it was because of the prayers that were being sent on my behalf, so thank you so much! You have no idea how much it meant to me.

We are doing something new in the mission. We as a mission are going to study a Christ-like attribute every single day for the next few weeks until the new year. We are also wanting our families to participate in this study with us too! This week we are studying hope and next week we will be studying charity. I have only had one day to study hope so I'll share what I find with you next week. But please, study with me! And then share with me what you learned! Even though we are far apart, this is something that will be so fun! I am really excited to see the things that you guys learn too! So yeah, have fun studying :)

Yesterday was the zone conference and it turned out great. President Alvarado talked about the restoration of the gospel and most specifically the restoration of the keys of the priesthood. We separated into groups and searched through the Doctrine and Covenants to try and find all of the crucial events that occurred during the restoration. It was an incredible experience for all of us. Our testimonies were strengthened so much. The best part of the day though was when we got to watch the Joseph Smith movie just after we had gone through all of the miracles that had to occur for the restoration of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. It was an absolutely incredible experience and I know now more than I ever have before that Joseph Smith was, and is, a prophet of God. What he said he saw he truly did see! He was the prophet called by our Heavenly Father to restore every last piece of the pure gospel that was lost. I know that because of that restoration it is now possible for each and every one of us to be able to receive what God has prepared for us. Those saints and the early leaders of the church went through so much for us. They were willing to give their lives so that their children's children would be able to participate in the fullness of the gospel. The first section in the Doctrine and Covenants talks about how the weak things of the world will carry this gospel forth. I want you to know what a privilege and a blessing it is to be a weak thing. I know that I am weak but miracles are happening. And it is because the message I share is the truth. This is God's work! I see His hand in it every single day!

As for the work week things went great! Raul and his wife and their four children all came to church on Sunday. For the most part, they loved it. It is always a different experience for people but they all really enjoyed the spirit that they felt. The teenage kids are going to mutual tonight and we are going to try and get them to start attending seminary in the mornings! Raul still has his baptismal date scheduled for the 27th. We are working with the rest of the family and they are really interested in what we are sharing. We have shared some really spiritual moments together. They are all reading in the Book of Mormon and loving it! This family is sent from God and we can all feel it. The ward that we are working in is so excited to have this family to welcome into the church. I cant tell you how much joy I feel when I see this family together doing the things that I know will bring their lives true happiness. They are going through so much right now. But I have seen the restored gospel and the spirit of the Lord bring a peace and a happiness to their lives that just wasn't there when we first met them. I just love being a part of this process. This gospel changes lives because it is true . . . because it comes from Him.

The other family that we have been working with, Andres' family, were our miracles for this week. When we had gone to pick them up last week we had told them that we would bring breakfast to them the next week. They thought that we were kidding but on Sunday morning we woke them up with breakfast and they loved it! They absolutely loved church. Last night we passed by and asked them about church and how they are liking things. Andres said the part he loves the most about the church is what he saw last Sunday. One of the recent converts was ordained to be a priest last Sunday and Andres said that he loved it. It is not like the other churches where one or two people command and all have to obey. In most of the churches they have attended there were only one or two people who have the power and everyone else is just left in the dark. It is true that in the Church there is order. We have prophets, apostles, and bishops. But what he said opened my eyes so much. What a blessing it is that each and every one of us, no matter how learned and matter how old we are, if we are worthy we have the chance to have that priesthood power bless our lives and the lives of those we love! I am so glad that he was able to recognize that! It made my night.

When we asked Alexia, she said that her favorite part of all this is the way that her kids are enjoying it. They told her that their other church is so boring and that they never want to go back. She said that all she wants is for her kids to be able to learn about God and become honest and trustworthy men. She has seen how this message is going to bring that to their lives.

But by far the best part of the visit that we made last night was when we sat down to start the lesson. The first thing out of Andres' mouth was what do we need to do in order to get baptized? Elder Varner and I were both a little caught of guard, but we thumbed through the scriptures and talked about it with them. Then we invited them to be baptized. Andres accepted without a doubt. His wife also said yes, but i was so impressed by her faith. She told us directly, "you know, I know that I don't know all that I need to know in order to be baptized. And I know that at this moment I am not ready for what I need to do. But I know that this is what my Savior wants me to do. I know that this is what my Heavenly Father wants me to do. So yeah, I'll do it." We set the date for the 18th of December, and yes, you better believe it. Even though we are in the middle of the Caribbean, and its 80 degrees outside, this Christmas season Ponce is going to have a very, very white Christmas!

I am so thankful for this gospel. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Father's plan for our families. I know that life is hard and I know that we have so many ups and downs. But the thing that I have seen throughout my mission is that there is only one thing that will be a constant source of peace and joy in our lives. Its not money. Its not friends. Its not cars or houses. Its the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ and that knowledge that He did what He did so that we and our families could return back to the Father's presence to live forever!

I love each and every one of you and I hope that you have a fantastic week! Its almost thanksgiving and I hope all those preparations go well!

I love you all!

Families CAN be Together Forever!!!! November 10, 2010

Received November 10, 2010

Good Afternoon Family and Friends!

Hey Everyone,

I hope that you are all doing just great and that the week is going well for you. Dad, I was sad to hear that you aren't feeling well. I hope that you get feeling better quick! That was sad to hear but I'll be praying for you and I hope that you will be able to heal quickly and get back on your feet again!

Thanks to all of you, both family and friends, who wrote me letters this past week. I got a ton of letters and I am so thankful for that! I am sorry that I have not been able to find the time to sit down and write each and everyone of you a thank you letter for all that you are doing for me. But for those of you who have sent me letters, thank you. I want you to know how much your love and support means to me. Everything, the packages, the letters, the emails, and the prayers, all of them mean so much to me. I wish that I could thank you in the way that you deserve. But alas I have not been able to find the time. I promise you that the moment that I can find a little bit of time to write you a letter I will. But I hope until then you can understand just how thankful I am for all that you are doing for me! One day I will get to thank you, and that will be a happy day for sure.

I hope I didn't confuse you last week. I mentioned that I was training Elder Varner. But I did not mean that I was training him as a new missionary. He has a little over a year serving in the mission. I am just training him to be a zone leader. I don't know that I would be able to handle training a new missionary and being a zone leader at the same time. That would just be out of control! But Elder Varner and I are doing great. We are really focused right now and we are working our hearts out. The blessings from our Heavenly Father are just flowing and we are so thankful for all that is happening right now!

I told you last week about our new investigator Raul. We were so pumped after our lesson last week. The only worry that we had was that we might never be able to talk to the rest of the family. But after lots of prayers, we were sent some miracles this past week. We passed by a little early for our appointment on Thursday and we were able to talk to his 14 year-old son and on of his friends. We talked to him about all of the cool stories in the Book of Mormon and read with him about Ammon. When his dad arrived we all sat down and talked more about the Book of Mormon. It was so neat to see the way that Raul explained the Book of Mormon to his son. From the very first time that Raul had opened the Book of Mormon, he has known that it is the word of God. He wanted so much for his son to be able to know that. His son has already started to read in the Book of Mormon and is loving it. On Friday we were able to talk to his 17 year-old daughter. She too was very interested in the Book of Mormon and also loved the fact that God has called a prophet in our day. Up until Saturday we had been able to teach all of the family together except for the mom. Saturday night she came out and sat down with us as we were teaching. She was a little defensive after we taught about the Book of Mormon and asked her family to share their testimonies of the Book. We then we asked her if she would read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it was true. She said "why do I need to do that?" She said "I already know that this book is true. I have seen the huge change in my family these past few days. There is a joy in our home that has been absent for so long." She said, I know I am Catholic, but if this is the thing that is going to make my family happy, I am all for that!" They had all committed to come to church on Sunday and we were so excited.

Sunday rolled around and they didn't come to church. We left to go look for them and when we showed up at their house and everyone was gone. We got a call from Raul saying that their 6 year-old daughter suffered a really bad respiratory attack that morning and was in the hospital. We passed by latter that day and we were able to visit with the family. We have been passing by the last few days and things continue to go great. Yesterday we went by with a few of the members from the ward and we were able to give a blessing to the daughter. It has been such an incredible journey. Elder Varner and I are both so excited for this family. We know that they are being led by God and they are absolutely miracles to us. We are really excited for what lies ahead of this family. I know that this Christmas season they are going to be in white. But I cannot wait until the next year where they will be able to be in white for time and for all eternity!

Andres and his wife and their two children had also committed to come to church this Sunday. They too also were a no show. We passed by their house at around 9:30 and they explained to us what had happened. We told them there was a still a lot of time left at church and we could still make it for some of the meetings. They were worried that it was going to take to long for them to get ready. We told Andres not to worry about it and that we would wait for them! It was so fun to see them all hurrying around getting ready to get to church. It was so cool because they were all smiling and we could tell that they were doing it because they honestly wanted to be doing it, not because they felt like that they had to do it for us. We showed up with them at church right before the second hour ended and they were able to catch the last part of the Principles of the Gospel class where the lesson was about temples! The next class we also talked about temples and the sealing power. We talked to them afterward and they absolutely loved church. The mom said that her fondest desire is that her children can have a place to learn and grow and to learn about the Savior and become men like Him. She really liked what she saw at church. We told them about the Family Home Evening program and they said that they would love to have Family Home Evening. Tonight we are going to their house with another member family in our ward and we are so excited for what lies ahead. Both of these families are absolute angels that have been sent to us and our ward in a time when we desperately need them.

Its amazing to me how the Lord has led us to His chosen children that are willing and ready to listen to the message of the restoration of the Gospel. People who want the best for their families and are so excited to hear about what God has prepared for them.

I'm not sure if I told you about Hermano Vega last week, but last Sunday we talked to a man who had found a Book of Mormon in his house the week before. He said that he had started to read it and he was absolutely loving what he was reading. He said that he felt that the words that he was reading were coming from God, "they are so new but they are teaching me true things that I need to apply to my life." We were able to pass by a few times this week and teach his whole family. The only thing that this man did is that we opened his eyes and he began to look at all that the Lord has given him! He is giving our message a chance and it is so amazing to see how much power there is from the Book of Mormon. He is coming to know more and more every single day that the Book of Mormon is true. We passed by the other night and he said that there is not a doubt in his mind that the book is true, seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you!

I know that this is the Lord's Church and His work. I know that He is at the head of it! I am so thankful for all that my Heavenly Father has done for me. I know that He lives. I know He is my Father. He gave His Son for each and every one of us. And if we faithfully endure to the end we will receive the greatest gift that a child of God could ever have. Eternal life with our loved ones in the Kingdom of our Father.

I love you all so much. I hope that you have a great week!

Its Christmas Time now right?

Sent November 3, 2010

Buenas Tardes A Todos!

I hope that you all are doing great! It sounds like you all had a great Halloween weekend and you were able to get lots of good sweets! Has it snowed again? Or did you get lucky? I really hope that everyone is having a good time. I can't believe that is already November. I am so shocked by that, its Christmas-time again! I felt like it was just yesterday that I had been sent down to Aruba for the holidays. And look, we are already a year later now. Holy cow!

This past week has been a crazy week for us. I don't think that we slept past 5:00 am. But this week was a great week. It was filled with successful meetings and training. We had a lot of good fun and we also learned some incredible things that we are excited to apply in our zone and to keep things moving the way the Lord would want. I mentioned transfers last week but I'm not sure if I told you who my new companion is. His name is Elder Varner and he is from Salt Lake City. He has been in the mission about the same amount of time as Ian and Cody and all of them. Its been a fun experience to try and teach somebody how to be a Zone Leader after having been a zone leader for just a month or so. But God is blessing me so much with the things that I need to say and do. Its also such a blessing to have Elder Turner there in the apartment to help us out when we can talk each evening and in the mornings before we all go out and work. Thank you so much for your prayers! I can feel the extra strength and the pure blessings that are coming from you the prayers guys offer for me and I am so thankful for that. I love you guys and I will be eternally thankful for all of the love and support and prayers that are constantly being sent my way, I hope you know that I return the same and I love you and I am always praying for you.

This past week we had some incredible experiences. On Sunday afternoon we were walking to a cita and we met a man named Raul who was about to leave his house. We were blessed when he let us in to speak for a little bit. We talked to him for a little bit and he invited us right in. We sat down and something just seemed wrong, He looked like something was really weighing him down. It was strange because I have never been able to detect that in somebody before. Anyways, we asked him what was going on in his life and he told us that he had just lost his job of 20 years and wasn't sure how he was going to manage things. He said he was really doubting everything in his life and felt so lost about why God would allow something like this to happen to him. We opened the Book of Mormon and asked him to read Mosiah chapter. He read two scriptures and the spirit filled his heart. You could just see in his eyes that the spirit had spoken to him and had taught him a simple truth as only the spirit can do. He couldn't stop asking about the Book of Mormon and he couldn't stop telling us about how good he felt when he read and how that scripture was speaking to him. We left him to read the rest of the story of the people of Alma.

When we passed by last night he told us that he had absolutely loved it. "The book is incredible!" he said. He told us of how he had just got done reading a bunch of religious books and he also felt so empty while reading them. He told us that when he was reading the Book of Mormon he felt like God was talking to him. He felt like he was learning things that God wanted him to know. He was so fascinated with what he had read. We asked him if he believed that the book was true and without a doubt and he nodded his head and said "yes." We invited him to be baptized and, on the spot he accepted without a doubt. I have never had a more sure baptismal commitment in my entire mission. This man is solid. From the very first time he had read the Book of Mormon he was filled with the spirit and he knew for himself that what we were sharing with him was coming from God. I have never felt something so good. It is wonderful to explain the pure doctrine of Christ to someone and to see in their eyes that they know what they are hearing is true. You can see in their eyes that the spirit is testifying to their soul that what we are telling them comes directly from our Heavenly Father and that what we are trying to share with them is being confirmed by the Holy Ghost, you can see the testimony is growing within him.

The spirit was incredible last night when we met with them. It was hard to leave because we didn't want to with the spirit so strong, But what has happened was so sweet. A loving Heavenly Father reached out to one of His children in need and helped him to feel His love and helped him to understand exactly what he needed to do to get back to him. Raul was ready. He had a heart that understood and he could not deny what the spirit was teaching. His baptismal date will be on the 27th, and tomorrow night we go to set baptismal dates with the 5 other people in the family :) Oh, how grand are the blessings of the lord!

We are also working with some incredible youth right now. One group that we are working with is a group of friends ages 16 to 19. On Monday we were teaching them about the plan of salvation and why Jesus Christ needed to do what He did for us. Why He had to suffer for our sins and die for us. We also taught what it is that He requires of us to be able to return to live with Him once again. I love this part of missionary work. Being able to invite the spirit into people's lives and help them feel more clearly the love of the Savior and help them understand the importance of what He did for us. We can also teach exactly what it is that He requires of us. We talked of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how the doctrine of Jesus Christ is simply that we follow him/ "Follow me, and do those things which ye have seen me do." One of the girls asked what it was that we had to do. We were able to testify of our own baptisms and our own conversion experiences. We then invited her to do the same. We had no doubt what she would say . . . she couldn't say no. We knew because the spirit was there and we could all feel it burning within our hearts, and we could see it in her eyes. We could see that everything in her mind was starting to click into place. She was experiencing the same feelings about the same gospel that she had known and been taught before this world. These thoughts and feelings were returning to her and I could see that she was remembering what she used to know! She too will be baptized on the 27th. Her sister and her friend still need to work on their testimonies, but in no time they too will have their own baptismal dates and they will be on their own path to following the Savior.

Last night we were able to pass by and see Andres once again (that elephant of a man). We read with him when Nephi sees Lehi's dream and we talked about the interpretation. We talked about the iron rod and how the scriptures lead us to partake of the love of God. This is the key to experiencing the atonement of Christ being filled with that joy that cannot be taken away. At the end of our conversation his wife came home. It was the first time that we were able to talk to her since she seemed to avoid us before. But last night she wasn't able to get by us :) When she came in, Andres explained to her what we had been talking abou. He said it is important that people in the vision just took it little by little and kept diligently moving forward toward the tree. They just needed to keep moving forward and not worry about the things that were going on around them. They needed to keep their sight on what matters most and hold to the iron rod. It was such a sweet experience to be able to take that same principle and talk about the families. We talked about how, a lot of times (especially right now in this world), people and their families become so concerned about everything around them that the lose sight of what is most important. There are a lot of distractions available to us in the world and and these are things that can take us away from what truly matters most. But if we look towards the tree of life, and we put our sight on what really matters most to us, - like for example, being together with my family forever. Then if we endure to the end and continue holding to every word of God that we can receive, we are going to get there. It was amazing to see how Andres basically told his wife the key to success in this life and in the life to come. I know that what he said to her is true. God wants our families to be together forever. As long as we don't lose sight of that and we focus instead on the things that matter most. The blessing of being a forever family will come to us as we diligently and faithfully work toward that goal.

I hope that was not too preachy to you but it was an insight that I had last night that really touched Alexia when her husband was sharing it. She accepted to take a Book of Mormon and read it with her husband starting that very night. Tomorrow night we have another appointment with them and we are really excited to invite them to be baptized as a family and get started on the path to together forever,

I love you all. I am so thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We are blessed to understand the pureness that has been restored to us about the Atonement of our Savior and the blessings that are in store for us if we will only listen to what He has asked us to do, and then follow Him. I know that the family is ordained of God. The concept of a family united together to learn and live the gospel comes from him. I know that exaltation is the reason why Christ suffered for us. He wants us to be together forever. I love him for that! I know He lives and I know that this is His work.

I love you all and I wish you the best of luck in this upcoming week!

Your loving friend, brother, and son, forever!

We had a White out on Saturday!

Received October 27, 2010

Dear Family and Friends.

I am glad to hear that you are snuggled up nice and warm in the house after the huge snow storm that passed through yesterday! And I am also glad to hear that everyone is doing well! I want you to all know how thankful I am for all of the love and support that you are sending my way. You have no idea how much it means to me and how much I appreciate it. I wish I could send you some Ponce heat. This morning at 10:00 it was about 90 degrees. We have transfers today and we took some pictures with some Elders that were leaving so I hope you enjoy.

Anyways, thanks to all of your prayers we received a great blessing this past Saturday. We were able to see Four baptisms in our ward, three of whom were Annette, Giovani, and Shantilly, the family that we have been working with. We also baptized Georgy, the man that Elder Turner and I found on the last contact of the day a couple of weeks ago. Georgy goes to our ward but lives in another area that the other Elders cover, so yeah.

Anyways, the weekend was just spectacular and full of so many miracles. On Saturday morning we had scheduled the baptismal interviews. We were on our way to Annette's house with the other elders to do the interview when we realized that we didn't have another brother with us and it would be impossible to do the interviews without another priesthood holder there. We had to scramble, but the Lord blessed us with an incredible miracle and we were able to get a member to come and be with us. It ended up being a really good experience because we were able to talk with the family before the baptism and share some really sweet feelings and testimonies. We were all so excited for the baptism that afternoon that we couldn't wait!

The baptism was just incredible! We got to sing the primary song about looking for rainbows and the spirit was just incredible. Annette was the first to get baptized. As she came out of the water I could just see such a joy and peace on her face that I hadn't really ever seen before. Its something that she had been looking for her entire life. She has gone through so much and she has been up and down and around through drugs, violence, everything. Her whole entire life all she has ever been searching for is peace, the peace that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings. As we got to witness her baptism on Saturday and her confirmation on Sunday, we saw that peace come into her life. I had a feeling of happiness come over me that I have not felt for a long time!

The most incredible part of the night was after Annette was baptized, she walked to the stairs of the baptism font and watched as her children were also baptized. Her 13 year-old daughter has also gone through a lot in her life. She just broke down in tears the moment she came out of the water. She walked over and hugged her mom in the most loving way that I have ever seen. They just stood together and wept. Then 17 year-old Giovanni was baptized and he went over and joined his family in the embrace. To see them all weep together and to see the joy that had come into their lives is better than anything that I could ever dream of. What we saw was the doctrine of Christ. This was the entire reason that He suffered for us. The family had just taken their first step towards eternal life together, and to see them together in white took me to the temple. They have begun the journey that is going to take them to exaltation and being a forever family! I know the joy that I saw by that baptismal font will only compare to the joy that I will feel in a year when they are sealed together with their deceased father for all eternity. Something as beautiful, as joyful, and as special as the gospel of Jesus Christ is just incredible to me. The ability to be together forever is the whole reason why I am a member of this church. Its the whole reason that I am still here in this mission. What I wouldn't give to be able to see everyone I love take that journey and taste of the joy that we felt, and the joy that we feel, every day! I love my Savior and I love His plan!

Last night we passed by Annette and gave her a new Temples magazine. She was there with her "corillo" her family and her friends, and they were just floored by the temple and the things that that we do there. It was so great and so special to be able to testify to them of those things. I can't wait to get working with their family and friends. This is the plan of God and it changes lives. The Savior talked about how those who listen with their ears, see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, are those who are good seeds planted in good soil. I think the thing that makes the most sense in my heart is the chance that we have to be together with our families forever. I just don't understand how somebody could not listen to their heart and follow that plan!

In our mission we have something that we call the foundation. It is a group of numbers we report that have come from things that the apostles and prophets have said will help us be the missionaries that we need to be. Its been difficult getting all of the missionaries to get on top of the foundation for these past few transfers. As zone leaders we have been going to different companionships and working with them to help them see how God blesses us when we do what the prophets ask us to do. On Sunday night we ran out to a city called Yauco to help a companionship who just haven't been able to get it. We went out to help them better understand the principle and what we are asked to do to be worthy servants of the Lord. We were blessed on the very last contact we made in trying to comply with what the Lord has asked us to do. We found to a lady named Amber.

Amber is a mother of four who has also been through much in her life. She has been searching her whole life for happiness and has turned to everything looking for it. She has been looking for it in all of the wrong places. She told us that she just got more and more angry as she kept searching for happiness. Eventually she left her family and moved to the states. She said that while she was there she woke up one morning and said that she was sick of hating life. She said that she wanted to find something more. She said that she started to change her attitude about things and to start looking for God.

We ran into her in the parking lot of Walgreen's at about 9:00 that evening. We told her about the atonement of the Savior and the blessings that our Heavenly Father has promised us. She was so happy and told us how thankful she was that God had helped her get out her house that evening. She said that she has been asking for help for so long and knew that we were sent from God to help her. We got her address and it turned out that she lived in another area of the zone. She actually lived about 15 minutes from Yauco, in a city called Guyanilla.

We happened to go to Guyanill on Monday to work with the Elders there. I was able to go with those Elders to visit Amber and her husband. Both of them have the same story. Amber doesn't speak Spanish at all but we were able to get the text of the Book of Mormon on her laptop. We read with her about the doctrine of Christ and about the atonement. They loved the message that we shared and the feelings that we were all feeling together. We invited them to be baptized and they were very receptive to it. It was an incredible experience for me to be able to see just how the Lord blesses us. The elders who have been serving in Guyanilla have been working so hard to do what the Lord has asked them to do. They have been struggling with in terms of finding people prepared for them to teach. But because they had been doing what God has asked us to do in this service, and because the senior Elders were doing what God has asked of us as well, the Lord led us to Amber, and led her to us. He allowed our paths to cross so that someone who has been praying for help and is searching for that blessing of an eternal family could receive His tender mercies. Amber has ears that hear. She feels the spirit. Amber has eyes that see. She can see how the message is going to bless her family. And she has an understanding heart. Her daughter of God spirit is recognizing an eternal truth sent by her Eternal Father and she is acting and willing to follow what he asks.

When we do what God asks of us we are blessed! How true it is! And how true is his love for all of us, His children!

I love you all so much and I am so thankful for the great examples that you are to me of this principle. Thank you for always helping me to do what is right. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for all of you and all that you have taught me. I am so thankful for that! I love you all and I want you to know tkat I am praying for you every day!

Have an amazing weekend and a Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat!