Merry Christmas!

So Christmas was fantastic! Got to talk to the fam - whoop whoop, see all the crew at our mission wide conference and eat fudge at Christmas time for the first time in five years (wrestling demanded healthy eating). I'd say it was a success;)

Christmas aside, we had a really fun adventure this week with an awesome lesson learned - it goes well with Emily's letter this week:) So on the 25th we had had some commotion and people were running every where all day trying to fit all our schedule in. One thing our president says is "Don't do stupid things" so one of the gals ended up kicking down their door to get inside to get their keys which they had locked inside and the car keys tambien. Fast forward to the next evening as we (Elder Moss and I and two of the sisters) left from our dinner appointment to head home for the evening the sisters received a call from the other sisters. We got home to receive a call ourselves to head over to their place. What had happened was someone had broken in to the apartment while they were out and of course that only required pushing on the door hard and when the other sisters had come home they had walked into it, turned around, and ran out screaming. So we had been called to the rescue armed with a golf club, a metal bar, two hands, and an elder with PVC pipe to the recue. To our heart break the robbers had left and no action ensued... Nothing was really taken just all messed up and a few small things gone. Members came over to help with the door and the whole thing was sorted out. Right about now I feel I should say mom don't call the mission office all is well ;)

The initial lesson learned is don't do stupid things. But after we talked about it a bit, a greater lesson was learned. There is no reason to fear! One, we are on the Lords errand and if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, where we are supposed to be all will be just fine. And two, and also something that goes hand in hand with what I've been studding this week is our relationship with God. It is so crucial to know that God really is our literal Father, making us His children. In 1Nephi 21:14-16 it says "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea they will forget yet I will not forget thee." and it goes on to talk about this more. God listens to all and sees all. He is always mindful of us and his hand is about us I know this to be absolutely true! So pray and look for his hand it is there. Love you all!

CCM district reunited!

Two Elder Harkers in the middle

Back with Elder Stewart again! (comp from CCM)

Making homemade egg nog.

Rousing game of golf on Christmas Day.

The San Benito missionaries.

Lesson Relearned

So there is a quote I love that says, "He who thinks he can and he who thinks he can't are both usually right". I've always loved this quote but it's the lesson that was relearned this week. 

Our mission President always says "Disfruten su mision no es para sufrir" meaning enjoy the mission, the mission is not to be endured. Likewise Christ commanded us to "be of good cheer". So if a door gets slammed in your face, it's the best doors that's ever been slammed in your face. If you get hit by a car, well it could have been a bus. If members cancel, well great now we can go share the gospel some more. It applies to all things in life. When we have this attitude we can progress far faster than if we are determined to be caught up on every small little thing that comes our way. This is a principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As a companionship this last week we tried to make it a focus. Any negative comment had to be resaid in the most positive light possible, we smiled more, we acted more outgoing. I would have to say this has been the best week of the mission so far and we've grown so much closer as companions!

But the greatest example of the light of Christ, the joy of the gospel and the simple choice just to follow the commandments and be happy has come this week from one of our investigators. His nic name is PePe and when Elder Moss and I first met him he was the most solemn person I've ever met. He wouldn't look us in the eye, or talk or anything! But he shook his head yes we could come back. Slowly he has changed over the last couple of weeks and he has changed completely. Now he reads, plays with his daughters, prays, invites us in for food, talks smiles and laughs, his eyes show that light! So choose to be happy and pray!

Enlightenment

This week has been a rather grand and enlightening week for me. During the zone meeting we had the opportunity to practice the whole process of teaching an investigator from beginning to end. Elder Moss and I worked with another companionship. As the role plays continued, I began to see some blatant problems from the younger causing the Spirit to be hindered and the lesson from being successful. Upon one of the later short role plays I began to give him some feedback that might help, like we do after each short one. As I expressed how I had dealt with these same problems at the beginning of coming here I realized what  I was doing! I was literally asking him to take the mote out of his eye while the beam still sat in mine! This was a very harsh realization for me. I began to see how prideful I have been from day one of the CCM and I didn't want to admit it to myself that this was true. How imperfect and far off from seeing the truth I have been! 

This has been  really tough for me this week. It was like I was Alma seeing all my faults before the Lord! I realized the reason for us not having people at church or baptizing was not any fault other than me. I had been teaching how I wanted to teach with little regard to the Spirit or to my companion. I thought I was a good teacher and I was seeing progress but I was not seeing God's divine plan. And the whole time both Elder Moss and the Lord have been so patient with me. We had been doing really well on everything previous to this week but getting people to come to church has not been going so well. 

It is a goal to bring four people to church every week so they can be prepared to be baptized. This week after being humbled by the Lord and really trying to make every decision by the Spirit and do want He wants to be done, a great difference was seen at church. A family of four who were taught by missionaries over a year ago came to church out of nowhere, having not been invited by any missionaries or anything . I know the Lord prompted them to go to church this week. It is only after we humble ourselves and repent that the Lord can poor out blessing upon our heads. 

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. It forgives, it empowers and it gives us hope for the future! I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father's divine plan for each of us. That He loves us enough to bring us down in humility and raise us up in Him. We are not perfect and He knows this better than anyone else and He provides us with a way to become perfect like Him and rejoice in His love and glory:) I love you all, know that God is forever mindful of us and provides a way.

The District 

Our mission van

Seriously sweet Santa pinata!

The Lord's Protection

I was on an exchange with another Elder and we were biking along trying to get to an investigator’s house, then this lady blows through a stop sign barely missing my companion and plowing into me. :) So as we sat in the first lane with me on her hood the lady got out going crazy in a good way but losing it non the less. This was my big moment how do I react. Honestly it was the coolest thing ever. I've been waiting for someone to kidnap me or threaten us or something so I thought this was good lol. :) I tried to show this lady how Christ would act so we made sure she was ok assured her I was fine introduced ourselves and taught her a little bit. Then we got her contact info set up a time to come by and helped her on her way it was awesome!

Typical sign posted everywhere

Fun thing number two; I got bit by a dog this week! So there are dogs everywhere and this one which was actually a member’s dog which is normally nice but went all crazy on me when we came for dinner haha. That was awesome! I think it thought I tasted good. ;) Mom I'm fine no worries. But all teenage boyness aside, this was really a cool week to see that this is the Lord’s work and He watches out for us and protects His children.  

We were in Bentree (the place with the Mary). As missionaries every day we set goals for things that we will get done in the day; to hit out weekly goal, to hit our monthly goal, to hit out three month goal, to hit our yearly goals. We had a lot to do still and 30 minutes to make some miracles happen after a day of everything falling through. So we in essence split up with our members and went to work. Problem here is my member speaks zero English, and we are talking to people who also don't speak English, and you could say I don't exactly speak fluently yet. ;) So we go to find the brother of an less-active member who I've never met and I don't really know where he lives. I end up seeing the member from the street and he waves us in. There are some guys with him and I've met one but don't know the others so I start using the best Spanish I can muster and begin to find out who everyone is and teach. They take it slow to start but begin speaking faster and faster, over each other too, and I begin to get lost so I prayed that my comp would magically find us and save the day. Not one minute later Elder Moss shows up! Then the conversation goes crazy but Elder moss says nothing. The brother of the man we are looking for begins to bear a powerful testimony of why he knows his brother needs to be baptized. He had said he would in the past I guess. It was incredible. They all either became teary eyed from his testimony or straight up began crying. As we left from this house the oldest man stopped me and said 'Usted es nino... Keep it up!"

The Lord answers prayers and the power of a testimony is real! The Spirit knoweth all things and beareth record of all things. This work is not the work of man but of God. He truly has His hand in all parts of our lives. I know the lord is mindful and loves His children. He works in mysterious ways but He always comes through even when there is only a half an hour left. I love you all don't forget to pray!

Mary in a bathtub?