Life is Good

This week we had a ward bbq!! Crazy story - one of our investigators, we got him a ride but he didn't understand I guess, so he walked all the way across town to come on his own a half hour early! Then on Sunday he came to church after just having a seizure! Dude is a total stud but has some weird beliefs right now about omniverse and reincarnation and stuff like that that we are helping him understand. Also at the bbq was one of our investigators named Kaddie. She lives with a member we recently helped reactivate and has slowly but surely been learning. They came and had a great time, 

The bbq was Hawaiian theme - big thanks to our sisters, so Elder Riding and I joined in by hula dancing and they loved it - we've got good hips. ;) 

Lydia, the member, because she has no car her sister brings her and has been loving church! She says its that one church she doesn't feel judged in and can already see the blessings of it in her life. So she plans on continuing and coming each week no excuses! 

Also this week we found a family that is from Nigeria! They pretty much speak English and they are my favorite people ever! We taught about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and when we introduced the Book of Mormon to be another testament of Jesus Christ they got VERY interested and VERY excited! So super excited for them! 

Lastly, we are now teaching a young man who fixed our plumbing, dude is a stud! He grew up a "jdub" but has since been "black-sheeped" as he calls it. He sold magazines in Provo for a long while and loved Utah and loved the Mormons so he said he is totally down to try it all out. We are super excited to be teaching him and his girlfriend. 

So the work is going amazing and I love it in the great white north! Sorry it's short I spent a lot of time trying to get these photos to work... Love you all and talk to ya soon! 

Doing service.

Love Texas signs - Amish ahead.

Mobile xray 

The struggle is real!

Crazy, Crazy Week!

Ok, little milagros to start. Last week we were reading emails and Emily's wouldn't load and then none of the photos were anywhere. So I tried everything to fix it, finally Elder Riding says dude say a pray so I do. Instantly they all pop up and start working! Today we needed one more quarter for laundry and had nothing! So he says a quick prayer, I throw out an amen, walk out to throw away trash and boom there is a quarter just out of the corner of my eye, walk back in and we are good to go! And this morning at 5 I rolled out of bed said a prayer and included asking for energy to work out. Start have a great work out. My comp was struggling and said he felt sick so I told him, bro say a pray helped me this morning. So he does, starts working out and says man I feel all better. So just three but amazing testimony builders to us this week that the Lord provides and always hears our prayers no matter how small the matter! God is great! 

Next thing up, Elder Riding and I woke up at 3AM did our daily lifts and immediately got ready and drove down to McAllen it was so awesome, mostly because I took a baby nap in the back;) The mission president is the absolute best! I can't even explain to you how awesome that meeting was! He taught us so deeply that my brain can't even wrap around all that he said. I am still thinking a lot on what he said! I am extremely grateful for that! :) Listening to him speak has given me a lot of motivation and desire to dig even deeper in the scriptures to learn them and to understand them. His understanding of them was awesome! He basically taught us that in order to bring people to the fold we must first help them understand the why by showing them the destination - La vida eterna then the how they can obtain it then we help them get there! BOOM! Let's go baby! He of course went into things so crazily awesomely deep that I would need to be in person to explain! :D 

Ok crazy new investigator story. So last week during our mormon.org hour this guys sits down and the Spirit says get out! So we leave but I had a prompting to give him a Jesus card that said hope you have a great day man! He runs after us and we are walking very fast thinking we are about to die in a library when he catches us and says thanks that card really helped a lot. Fast forward a couple days I'm on an exchange with the ZL's and I'm picking up pennies when I look up, there he is, the same guy on the street. So we talk to him teach him a little bit and set up a time for him to meet us at the church the next day for a tour. He ends up coming and walked across town to get there. We give him the tour he said I don't even know why I'm here.... not the first time I've heard that... So we tell him we can get him a ride for church if he wants he said we really don't have too etc. Fast forward a few days - Elder Riding and I are walking down the road knocking doors when this lady answers and we teach a little, set up a time to come back, and all is well. As we turn to walk away, up walks her son ... the same guy!!!! So we say hi, he's shifty as always, but slowly warming up to us. Well appt falls through with the fam and we sort of lose contact. Sunday rolls around and a new convert goes by to pick him up and he comes! He comes to church!!! Once again he says he doesn't know why he's even here but he likes parts of it and slowly warms up to it little by little bit more! Well the reason he came was because of the Spirit and church is the place he needs to be!:) Man you can see little changes happening already. I'm so excited to help him receive that full joy and light of Christ in his life!!! 

There are sooo soooo sooo many more amazing stories I could share and milagros from this week but I've got to go! I love you all and this work is the work of the Lord. So to all who aren't members just give the Book of Mormon a chance, open it and read and then pray! 

Papa Bear ... how NOT to ride a bike. ;)

Doing service for members.

Got hit by chew from a drive by shooting - turned into a great new family we are teaching!

Feliz Dia de Amor Todos

This week was crazy! 

1. Still don't have all the stuff for the apartment, lol

2. Went on a four day exchange with an elder fresh to the mission while my companion went down to McAllen for meetings.

3.Had to drive and got pulled over on the highway for making a Texas lane change, luckily being a missionary we only get warnings even when the stickers on your car are expired too, haha

4. Had no maps or mountains or GPS for navigation and managed to keep us alive and well. 

5. Killed the worlds largest spider this week (that's for mama)

6. Gave a five minute training on prayer in our zone meeting this week. 

7. Still more fit and clearly tougher than Steve (shout out to his wrestling coach)

8. Got a Valentine from the sweetest lady in the ward.

9. Broke a window while working out.

10. All is fine, all is fine - Texas isn't known for making tough windows ;)

11. Beat the 13yr old girls in Vday love scripture chase/debate this week like a champ! 

12. Best spiritual thought from the week:

I was reading in 3 Nephi 19 one day this week and something hit me. When Jesus Christ comes to the Americas it happens post resurrection. So this is a perfect glorified being we are talking about. So when Jesus comes He has just finished bleeding and suffering and atoning for all the sins of the world. He has just finished drinking the bitter cup. Well in this chapter in verses 26-28 Jesus leaves His newly called twelve apostles and prays a little while. Might I add and each time this perfect God is bowing Himself to the face of the earth, in my opinion the earth should be doing the opposite to Him. He continues to show that perfect love and respect for the Father. but then He prays for us. Jesus has just died for us and now continued to serve us in every way possible. He pleads for blessings to be upon us. The very same mankind who crucified Him too! Well to think that He even at that time would be willing to do that for me got the tear ducts going. So just so y'all know Jesus is praying for you and loves you and I am too, so have a wonderful wonderful week! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our awesome lunch!

The country walking life.

Feliz Semana!

Well this week was loco tambien! What I learned from or grew from the best was from zone exchange and my comp this week. :) The exchange was the bomb and I saw many miracles and this coming week is a three day exchange again so that will be amazing too, but the best thing came from after the exchange. 

My companion and I had been having a really great time and all doing pretty good but it wasn't until after the exchange we really got it going. We came back and for some reason it was a little tense and to make a long story short ... just had it all out and it was awesome! We went what we call "12 apostle style" where we were completely frank, completely honest, and gave our honest and strong opinion on everything. Then we heard where each other was coming from, spilled the beans on life stories - it was righteous! Then we made plans working with what we believe and know and working as a team to make things work. We came up with plans on everything! How to shop, eat, when to get up, our workouts, studies, our teaching styles, finding & working with members, Christ-like attributes we are working on, stuff we want to learn from each other, and everything! So now we are all in! From 5am to 10:30pm we work as a team and the greatest thing I learned from all of this was not planning or teamwork or something like that but the power of being honest. It helped both of us to see each other a little bit more like God sees us. Love each other like God loves us. In that little experience it was like seeing a glimpse of what God sees us as and what He wants for us.

God has a far greater plan, a perfect plan, and He wants to help us in every way He can to get us there! So I guess the choice is ours do we want to be humble with God and be honest with Him ask Him what He sees, what He wants and what His plan is for us, or do we want to go solo and let it buildup and fall short of that goal? I want to be on the same page and the same team as the Lord. So that's the invitation: ask the Lord and be completely honest. I promise He has a perfect plan for you!

Our work area and my outfit on laundry day when everything else is dirty. ;)

How they do addresses in Texas.

Beatrice gets baptized! 

Elder Stewart & I twinning (MTC comp)

Making a flag (title of liberty)

My best captain Moroni impersonation

The sisters cleaning the font for us while we did interviews - love them!

On exchange with Elder Olson

Helping members build a house.

Just Bowls & Spoons

So Elder riding and I have something great going this transfer. we plan our meals out for the week together then go shopping for it and have the lady checking us out split the bill so that way it is 50/50 and every thing in the house is equally up for grabs. I make breakfast and iron the shirts, and he makes lunch ... it's pretty awesome! Hopefully this week we will get a table to eat on, then we'll be able to eat together too:) We did finally get dishes! The office had short of forgotten about us and so we spent a week eating and cooking with two bowls and two spoons ... made for an interesting time. But we pretty much have life back on track:) 

So here's something for Dad, Tim, and Alex this week's letter in Spanish (to have a version of my Spanish to start the mission all bad like and then I'll write throughout and we'll see how it's gotten better):

Esta semana tenemos un servicio de bautismo!!!! Betrice sera entrar en el Reino de Dios muy rapido. Tabien esta semana lidia una hermana con un muy poderoso testimonio de la iglesia regrasado a la iglesia del Cordero de Dios. Ella tiene un conocimiento que esta iglesia es verdadero y que el Catolico iglesia no es verdadero pero su famlia ir la ultra iglesia. Antes semana Dios envio nos a su casa y por dos semanas trabajamos con ella. Amigas de la iglesia venir con nosotros we invite ella a regresa. Ella oro a Dios sobre la problema y recibido dos respuestas mediante unos suenos. Y todo de esto no cambiar, pero esta semana visitmos ella y compartir un mensaje de Nefi 13 versiculos 4-6 con ella y exprassado nuestros sentimientos y testimonios y hablamos con ella y damos ella un bendicion y finalamente ella decidio ir. Cuando pasamos en la manana de Domigo ella fue listo y hablo con su familia y su familia fue ayudaroso con su decicion. Ella volvido y tomado de la Santa Cena ultra vez!

Long story short for English peeps is that this Saturday is going to be Beatrice's baptismal service!!! and over the last two weeks Lidia, a super strong believer and member of the church who for the last year has been going to the Catholic church because that's where her family is,has finally come back to church and decided to stay!! Man I love the mission!

Helping a member put up drywall

A visitor on the outside of the church