Waiting for that October rain
Sorry for last weeks email, we didn´t have time to write but it all good because I will write alittle more this week.
To start off it´s getting super hot here. The fan we have just blows hot air at night so at times we sleep on the cold tile floor to give us some relief.
The work is picking up here in Aguas Claras. We went to the cartório and put in the papers for Sandra and Julio. 27th of Nov they will be married and the family of 3 will be baptized on the 28th. We are really excited for them and we can´t wait till they are married it´s going to be such a special event.
One of the many miracles we had this week was when we were lost in a part of the city that we have never been. We asked a family that was sitting on the street and they told us where our destination was. As we were leaving a young girl said that she knew are church. As we started to talk alittle bit more we discovered that they had alot of interest in the church but the missionaries that were teaching them were transferred. They lost contact and that was the end of the story, until we found them. Sandra(mother) has a serious problem with smoking. In 15 mins she smoked 6 cigarettes. We are going to keep working with her. Her son already has a baptismal date and will be baptized in 2 weeks(31 de Oct) It was amazing how the Lord put them in our path. We were lost in the middle of no where and the Lord showed us the way.
We have marked 2 other marriages but they are wanting to get married in Dec. We are excited and we are going to keep preparing them to get baptized. I love this area so much because we are finding alot of families that are reading the stuff we are leaving with them and going to church. I know that because of this these families will be blessed.
This week we planned on bringing 20 investigators to church. It was set in stone, rock solid. On Sunday we were sad because only 11 went because of the day light savings time chaange. Half of the ward showed up late or didn´t even go. Luckily we have next week to get at it. I´m loving every second here on the mission, my comp is awesome. We play around alot but we are working like dogs. The time is passing so fast. We have 6 weeks together but it feels like I got here yesterday.
Elder Xavier is going home this week sadly. His mission finishes on Friday. We played soccer today for the last together. I´m going to miss him alot because he truly was a great friend and example. The mission will miss his presence as one of the best assistants to the President ever.The good news is, is family is coming to visit his areas with him and....I´m going to be able to meet his family and eat lunch with them! I will be at his wedding when I finish my mission.
Happy Birthday Dad. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me and my family. I know that I am who I am because of the way you taught me. You are a true role model to me in someone who is humble and caring. I know that because of your example my life is better and happier than it would be without you. Although you never played basketball with me again because you are scared to lose you have always been a loving Father. I can´t wait to have my kids and treat my kids the way you always treated me.
I just have time for this but thanks everyone! time flys to live it up and be productive.
Com Amor,
Elder Seth
There is no time to write today. Congrats Vanessa. That family was baptized! Found great people. I will see if I can write more tomorrow!!! Love all of you guys!!
This week was a blast. Running place to place, having to do splits with the members to visit all of investigators. The rushed life, is the real life. I´m loving every second of it.
To start off the family of Anderson will finally legalize there marriage on the 8th! We are so proud and excited for them. They are so ready to be baptized on the 10th! They have already invited all of there relatives and friends to watch there baptism, it will be a great time to show the outside world how special the church is. They also moved in to there sweet new apartment and after they took us to a sweet restaurant where we ate a lot of Picanha. They are going to help the Church so much with there love to serve others.
We marked a baptismal date with the Family of Vitor and Lorenna for the 7th of November! Lets see if there already married. The next visit we will give the low down on Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. I hope they will leave these things behind because of their desire to be a happier family. We are praying alot for them.
Sandra and Julio are going to do there paper work for their wedding on the 8th! We are finish a marriage on the 8th and starting a new one. I´m so excited because Sandra said´´I´m tired of wasting time, I just want to get baptized´´. I can´t wait to see there family of 4 get baptized. The ward is helping so much in making them feel apart of the family. They are just having a few struggles with money but nothing the Lord can´t solve!
Conference was amazing, I loving hearing the words of the prophets that are called to give us personal guidance. I felt inspired many times about things that will help me be a better person. I´m downloading the talks right now so that I can listen to them over and over again, so that I can remember and apply these things in my life.
We are super happy and we are visiting less active and reactivating them. We visited a family who hasn´t go to church in a really long time(15 years). She is married and has 5 kids, no one was baptized yet. We are working a lot with them and they went to conference this week! I´ll keep you guys posted.
Times out but the fun keeps going. Thank you for the emails everyone. I´m sorry I haven't sent pictures, my memory card is being fixed by a member. Next week I´ll send them.
Love you guys!
Com Amor,
Elder Seth
Miracles to say the least. This week was so busy and so eventful. The work here is catching on fire in our area and all the members want a piece of it.
To start off we are teaching all of families who are look for a better life through following the steps of Jesus Christ. Our days are chalk full of visits, at times we have to run to the next appointment so that we don´t show up late.(have to be super professional in this area.) It was awesome because we are using the technique of getting to know the people, gaining there confidence, and the leaving a powerful message.
This Sunday the Lord helped us bring 15 investigator to church, and the best part is that we didn't pick anyone up. They all went by themselves. This is when you know that you are teaching people with desire. When they wake up early, put on there sundays best and take the kids to church on Sunday morning. I couldn´t stop smiling with joy this Sunday.
Also we have been working a lot with less active members so that they can return to church. We were able to bring back 9 less active to church this week! 1 family hasn´t gone to church for 2 years. We will do everything we can to get 3 of them on missions! I´m so grateful for the spirit and the power it has to soften the hearts of men. Through this power people have a desire to return to church.
We are finishing up the marriage of Sandra and Julio this week! they asked if we could be witnesses at their marriage, one of the best questions and honors I´v ever heard in my life. Everyone is really excited to see this family get baptized.
The Anderson family is going strong still, they are practically already members, they will be married on the 8th and baptized on the 10th.
We have Vitor and Lorenna a golden family who wen to church. The lesson was perfect because it was about what happened after death. Lorennas Mom died a few months ago and she was super close to her. We have a family night with them today, I´ll keep you guys posted.
Something that we are doing that is making the biggest difference is what we are doing with members. In the past missionaries have passed through here and were just talking about all types of things. My comp and I are just talking about the work. We talk about our investigators, their needs, where they live, what activities we are planning ect. This gets the members attention and gets them excited. Then we leave a message, as were leaving the house they give us a reference of a friend they have been holding on to for a long time. I wish I knew this in the beginning of my mission. The members take serious the missionaries who take the work serious. through this you gain respect, help, and confidence of the members.
I´m loving it here. the area is amazing, the members are solid gold, and my comp is the best. We are super excited to see more miracles this week!
I can´t wait for conference this week, I know is will be a conference that we will never forget. I know that we have a prophet that lives and guides us. This work is a work of miracles. I know this through my personal experiences. At times I wish time could slow down so that I can cherish all the moments I´m passing.
I love you guys and I´m happy here to say the least.
Com Amor,
Elder Seth
To start out I would like to start off by talking about my new Comp, Elder Montes. he is one of the most humble, loving, pure, and friendly guys I have ever met. He is from a small poor city in Peru. He taught English before the mission so that he could pay for his clothes and shoes to come on the mission. He loves playing basketball and is always smiling. He never speaks a bad word about anyone and always looks at the good in others. One of the best things is that he isn´t prideful. He is hungry to learn and be a better missionary. Poor guy has had many health problems with teeth, sight, skin, ect. At time his parents didn´t have the money to pay, but he trusts in the Lord. He has never complained about his situation, I only know because I don´t stop asking questions. i´m really going to enjoy our time in Aquas Claras. I have alot to learn from him.
This week was fantastic. I was able to visit the members and our investigators. I´m really excited because the member are here to serve and help. A majority of them are living in good conditions so they are able to spend more time helping with everything.
the investigators we have are awesome. They are families!!! It was always a struggle to find families in my other area but here it´s way easier. We have 4 families that we are working on. One family is getting married on the 8th of Oct and will be baptized on the 10th. We found them because there son went and studied at Australia, he was baptized. And now his entire family will be! Miracle.
My new zone is a little different from the other zone. In this zone we have 2 areas that were opened up recently. It´s hard because the trip is 5 hours to visit them. But luckily they are really great Elders and I trust them alot. I´m really excited to met new areas and Elders. Things are starting to pick up here, we had 8 investigators that went to church this week. We just need to keep visiting them until they are ready to be baptized and find even more.
Time is short but thank you everyone for the support. I am happy here. there is no other place in the world I would rather be. I know this work is sacred.
Com Amor,
Elder Seth
This week one of the the best weeks of the mission. A week a gratitude and a week of thoughts.This past week was the last week in Gama, my home for the passed 6 months. I really felt that the members and the people I taught were apart of my family. It was a sad moment to say bye to them, but I know that the Lord will bless them.
Where to start. Well that family that I said we threw the coffee away was baptized. We did the interview of the Father first, then as the Mother was being interviewed he put on the white clothes and was waiting outside the door with her baptismal clothing. It was perfect. Then within 10 minutes of finishing the interview they were both baptized. It was such an amazing experience to see the progress of this family, and until they were finally baptized. They will continue progressing in the Church, raising there family in righteousness.
This week Kayla called us asking if we could visit her Wednesday morning. We said that we would. then after 2 hours she called and cancelled say that she couldn´t receive a visit. felt a strong prompting to visit her anyway that morning when I woke up, and I told my comps that we would go anyways. When we got there everything was normal, until she bursted into tears. We finally calmed her down and figured out that she was having alot of difficulties with her Ex-husband and her family. When I heard these problems my mind was filled with a scripture that gives hope to those who are in need. Mosiah 24:13-14 ´13 And it came to pass that thevoice of the Lord came tothem intheir afflictions, saying: Liftup your heads and be of goodcomfort, for I know of thecovenant which ye have madeunto me; and I will covenantwith my people and deliverthem out of bondage.
14 And I will also ease theburdens which are put uponyour shoulders, that even youcannot feel them uponyourbacks, even while you are inbondage; and this will I dothatye may stand as witnesses forme hereafter, and that ye mayknow of a surety that I, the LordGod, do visit my people in their afflictions.
In that very moment she said that she felt a peace that everything would be alright because she is doing that the Lord wants. It was a testimony builder to me of how the scriptures are about to give comfort to those in need. She will be baptized and I will ask President if i can watch her baptism!
I don´t have alot of time but this Sunday was my favorite Sunday on the mission. We had the primary presentation. During this time of the primary kids sing and sharing the things they have learned I was about to learn a memorable lesson. I was able to see the simplicity, humility, and love in the children. In that very moment in the sacrament meeting I finally understood the counsel of the Lord and his prophets when they say ´´Be like a little child´´ I was about the feel the God like traits that children have and that we need to apply more of this in our lives. The innocents and love they have for other is the same way God is. I now understand more about the way God wants us to be and I have a strong desire to be more loving and pure because of it.
I know this Church is true and that the things taught are the only way we can return to the presences of our Father in Heaven. I had so much to say but sadly time it out. I hope everyone can remember that God visits us in our difficulties if we say strong in hes gospel.
My new area and new comp is a adventure that I can´t wait to experience. Thank you all of the love and support.
Com Amor,
Elder Seth
These photos are of member and my recent coverts that I was able to help to be baptized! We also ate burritos for the first time in a year!
The 1st week of September.
Well this week was excellent to say the least. I was able to feel the spirit really strong and I was about to see the others feel its presence too.
This week I did a 3 day trade in Santa Maria North to see how they are doing. It was a great experience to be with Elder Josephson and Elder Barreto. They are great Elders that are trying to do everything right to be the best missionaries they can be. When I was there we were teaching a family. They were having alot of problems with coffee. Finally I couldn´t stand it anymore. I stood up and we threw out all the coffee in the house. We explain that it´s so much harder to fight temptations if we are always in places that tempt us. The father was totally for the choice to throw it out, but the wife's face looked like she had been stabbed in the back. Finally she realized that what we were doing was to help her and her family live the Lord's commandments. We bought substitute for the coffee and she said that it is basically that same thing if not better.
If everything goes right, they will be baptized this next Saturday!!! I love doing these trades but it´s sad that I can't see how they progress until they are baptized.
When I returned back to my area I was about to see more miracles. When I went to teach Kayla on Saturday she was vacuming everything so that I wouldn't have to suffer from my cat allergy. Her son said that she spent an hour before we showed up cleaning the house for me. I felt really good thinking that someone I´v meet only two times would spend so much time cleaning for my comfort. Lets skip to the good stuff. So were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is Faith, repentance, BAPTISM, Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. The lesson was fantastic, I was with Thainá(recent convert), and Cleriston(other recent convert). I was about to explain each principle and they testified about what I said and how it changed their lives. It was really spiritual to say the least. And at the end it was time to invite to her to be baptized. In the moment I had a battle with my brain and my heart. My brain was telling me that it´s too early for her and that she will just say that she has already been baptized. But my heart was telling me that she need this invitation right now. For 30 seconds I was silence until my heart finally won the fight. The same invitation that I have done with countless of people was said one more time. With out hesitation Kayla said YES. I was so surprised that I had to ask if she understood my question. Then she responded YES I will be baptized in this church. I had one of the biggest grins on my face when she said yes. I was so happy that I was able to hear the whispers of the Holy ghost and then act upon it. I love being apart of situations like this one. where people show there faith by following the prompting of the Holy Ghost.
I´m loving my mission and it is flying by so fast. I´m so grateful for the people I know and the experiences I am having!
This past week I download the general conference talks for 1995 the year I was born. I was so interesting to here the talks because they are about the same things that are said recently. They just were said in a different form and 20 years ago. This was a strong confirmation to me that this church doesn´t move that its doctrine in firm.
Love you guys!!!
Com Amor,
Elder Seth
