Solid Week in Texas

So I thought I'd feel you in a bit on the peeps here in La Joya:) 

We taught a lady this week named Maria De Los Santos, what a perfect name I thought being that the name of the church in Spanish is La Iglesia de Jesucristo DE LOS SANTOS de Los ultimas Dias. So when we were first teaching her we had stopped to look at our map and I looked up to find an address when I saw her standing outside her house. So I waved and she waved back, and I had the thought come to me, "you prayed for the Lord to put people in your path", well we all know that was the Spirit! So I told my companion, "Come on Elder Newns we're going to talk to this lady!" So as we began to teach about the Book of Mormon her face lit up and she said there are prophesies of other books coming forth in the Bible and we told her yes this is the fulfillment of that prophesy! Well the next time we went back we sat down with both her and her husband and as we taught she would ask us to look up random scriptures in the Bible that would testify of the message of the Restoration. She would say things like "you see it testifies that there would be an apostasy and that Christ would restore the truth again in the last days." Well I think that about did it! Her family is amazing! 

That same night we had the thought while driving to go visit Ever, an investigator we hadn't talked to in a bit. Well turns out that very same day he had left the house, after getting hooked on drugs in Mexico and then being caught under the influence driving here in America the family was left with little ones, a mother and family members that were enduring a lot. Well God lead us to them and we were able to share a message of Christ and of hope. Well God had answered their prayers and it was amazing. Ever's sister said the last prayer and it was so filled with the Spirit! They came to church on Sunday and they loved it. The tough Mexican mama said she had come to church just to accompany her daughter but said she left really being accompanied by her daughter that when she was there all she felt was love and peace. 

It's been an amazing week! Sorry no photos but I hope that the email makes up for it just a tiny bit:) I love you all and know that God hears and answers our prayers in his perfect timing! 

Week Went Good

We were led by the Spirit into a sister who was not on our list but apparently was a member of our church. She said she had only not been because her car had broken down several months ago and she had no way to fix it! Well we jumped on it real quick! By the end of the week the members had rallied together and she was driving herself to church in her brand new minivan with all her family (who are not members) in tow behind her. Watching this sweet old sister take the sacrament again was the greatest feeling! Truly a new light and a new life has entered into her life again since the start of the week when we found her. God truly is working miracles. :) I love you all and will write more next week take care! 

We cooked a super bomb meal for the sisters!

My papie, me and mijo.
(Translation: that elder that trained me and the elder I am now training)

Mijo Came!

Well this week was dope. We white washed the area and they left us zero notes... lol so picking Mijo up and bringing him home to a big surprise was hilarious. I'm in La Joya, finally near my district, it is the best thing ever! I'm training Elder Newns - just stepped off the plan last week and he is super great. The Lord has got me this time, new area (and they left us nothing, but its really just a clean slate;), three greenies in the district and so on lol lets just say this last week might have been a slight bit stressful lol. But life is all good:) 

Chavey & I with our new trainees who were MTC comps.

Elder Newns is great! The guy's down to try anything I love it. To quote him this week on how some Mexican candy tasted "This tastes like packing peanuts covered in dirt! I really don't get this whole chili thing here.." Lol I love him. 

This week was great we got to have another MLC (mission leadership conference) and so I got to listen to Prez open los cielos for a couple of hours - it was amazing! This week we saw a lot of tender mercies from the Lord. The second day we couldn't even figure out what our area is so we called a member and managed to get there off most of a map that we found. Well we sat and ate with them and as we talked three other families from the ward at different times just walked in and turns out they are some of the most bomb members of our ward too! One even said after conference she had felt inspired to share the gospel and had a friend that she wanted us to teach! 

We also walked right into a less active member this week and invited her back after months of being away from the church. Miracles like that happened all throughout the week so it was a really great blessing. There is a ton of work to be done here but the Lord has given us the tools to make it happen and I know He's behind this work! I love you guys and please share the gospel this week!

Cleaning a member's car before the transfer.

The wonderful Torres family.

My work area.

Conference Was Dope!

Well Conference was dope!! So please APPLY or there is no point to the conference. This last week was sweet. We went by every former investigator that had ever been to church which meant records that went back to 2004 but hey they might still live there. So we did it and we went by everyone we could. Well we knocked on the door of one and this young woman came to the door and we started talking to her. Well she was off to work so we asked for just one scripture to bless her day before work. She agreed and next we went from a scripture to sharing a lesson and her deciding she wanted to be baptized. So we came back to teach her later that night after work. We sat down with the whole fam and began teaching. Turns out she had been to church before and wanted to be baptized in the past but better yet her brother was baptized years ago when he was dating a member and we had no record of it so we can help them all out and she really wants her brother to start going back too. on top of all that in the middle of the lesson she asks, "Part of baptism is repenting right?" And we responded of course, to which she says "good because that's something I really want to do! I want to close out the old chapter to my life and begin a new one, I'm older now and I feel like I really know what I want".  To quote my comp "Frijole!" It was awesome! So we left her with a Book of Mormon and invited her to church. Two days later we go by to knock her door before church and she had read and was already getting ready for conference and says, "oh I'm bringing a friend too is that ok?" Um heck yeah that's ok! It was sick! She loved conference and is going to be baptized in a week or two, I'm sad I won't get to be here to see it but it was an awesome week with Evelyn!

Well I get a new area and only a few changes in the District I'll let you know when I know more:) Love you all!!!  

I got to eat lunch with Stewey my fav missionary in the whole world
(also my ccm compa) and sister Rivera my homie from Beeville it was great!

Macdaddy

Great to see Elder Spencer!

The great Quintina fam. 

Pena & his fam, they are the best.

Viviana, the best member ever!

The last bbq.

Un bodega.

Vasquez the homies!

Waters of Baptism!

Well this week was super! Mary and Armando and Joel all took the plunge! It was so amazing! The baptism had to be taken to the chapel because so many people came and the chapel was filled! And this is like a stake center chapel! Presidente Torres came and spoke at the baptism and it was powerful! He jokes with them that they are primos haha :) Then a member from the stake presidency spoke on the Spirit and that was amazing! He teaches Mary in institute and she loves him! Their cousin said the first prayer and their mother's sister, who is a member, the last prayer and they were so beautiful! From the moment the first himno and prayer was over, Mary had already begun to cry the Spirit was so strong! A set of sisters came and gave a special musical number and it was so powerful!!! It was like the phantom of the opera came to town or something! All in all it was such a great experience:) They love the gospel and are converts:) All three want to serve missions and are working on it already by helping their parents. Slowly but surely they are opening their hearts up to the gospel! It has been crazy cool to see the transformation in the three Torrescitas over the last five or so weeks:) 

I know that's all over the place but that's ok. Elder Chavez is the best! Alton is boppin and the work is a burnin:) This family is super cool, I know that through them their parents, their cousins, uncles and aunts that are now beginning to listen more and more and except the gospel will have their lives changed:) I love this church this is it! Yes I did wear Emily's tie with the camels on my hump day, it was the same as any other day hah:) Love you all have a great week! 

Our district

Mi compo is tired.

Learning to make tacos.

Success!

Watching The District on the big screen.

Best Day Ever!!!!!

I Saw the Prez!

So this week Mary and Joel and Armando are taking the trip down into the waters of baptism it is so great! Earlier this week Mary texted us at like 2am expressing her excitement tot be baptized but her nerves for her interview, they are so prepared it is amazing! They came to Stake conference with us and they loved it! Their last name is Torres so we introduced them to prez and his wife he was great with them! He addressed them as primos it was awesome! Then they watched a baptism on Sunday to help prepare and Mary was crying she was so touched by the Spirit. Please pray that their parents will have their hearts softened by the Spirit, their mom loves it but lacks the faith to act and her husband is a little bit of a stumbling block for his family right now:) 

One experience I want to share from conference. We are one of 3 or 5 bilingual stakes in the whole world and in the Saturday session we talked about Zion. A people and a place. the people are of one heart and one mind. The place is a place of refuge among much else and to demonstrate it they had two children come up. Colby and Kayli, both white kids. The kids then bore their testimonies in Spanish, and it was the most beautiful Spanish I've ever heard and was the Spirit strong! They didn't know Spanish, they had never spoken it but they learned their testimonies for this. The faith of a child is great! no wonder God asks us to become as little children! 

Through this I feel like I came one step closer to learning the love that God has for his children that no matter the color the race, the language, nothing matters to God - He knows us individually and He loves all his children! There is so much more I'd love to share and say but I've got to go, I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Solid Week in Alton

Well another day another dollar:) Sorry no photos this week my camera died and my charger is MIA at the moment we'll see what Walmart can do for us. 

This week was great. Mary one of the people we are helping out right now is doing super good! Yesterday she was called into work and then called us telling us what happened. Well we quickly turned to the end of 3 Nephi 13 and read about God's promise to provide if we put him first and seek to build his kingdom over the things of the world. Well when we finished she said "well I guess it shouldn't even be a question for me, if they fire me God will provide me with a better job anyways" And Mary was there all dressed up and ready for church! it was amazing to see that kind of faith from someone who is still working on on getting baptized and isn't even a member yet. 

Well I've got to go I love y'all and there is a least one miracle for ya'll for this week! Love ya keep in touch! 

QUESTIONS FROM HOME:
1. what is the best part of being a district leader (DL)? Learning and being taught by the Lord.

2. what is the hardest part of being a DL? Helping sisters lol, inspiring them the way they need it to really get it not just telling them the answer.

3. what goal are you currently striving for personally? To be humble and do the Lords will and to fulfill presidents vision.