Temple Dedication

Hello my dear family!!

The temple dedication was AWESOME!!! A real nice set of journal entries for sure. The cultural event we were able to watch via satellite and that was really cool to see all the dances of Northern Peru. Piura was one of the first groups and we didn't get the web page set up to watch it until it was about half way in the Piura performance. But they represented real well and it was fun. We got J there and a couple other less actives we got starting to return, so it turned out nice!

And the temple dedication was a real wow. To walk into the stake center was great. They prepared it to be as if it were the temple, and boy did I feel it. And when they started the dedication and said the prayer, WOW. Seriously I have REALLY missed the feeling of the temple. But I felt it there. When I get home one of the first things I plan to do is go to the temple.

President Uchdorf and Elder Bednar came to Trujillo to dedicate it. President Uchdorf was really great and talked a moment about father's day. Because yesterday was father's day, he talked about how yesterday was a perfect day to remember our earthly fathers as well as our HEAVENLY father through this special event. A new way to look at Father's day, wouldn't you say? :)

Really great talks, an amazing prayer, the spirit was way strong! And it was nice to see several recent coverts there as well as a big group of my old Tambo Grande friends showed up!

Well, about the missionary work. A couple of our progressing investigators left town without telling us... one to Chimbote, another to Chulucanas, another to Lima.... bummer deal there but hopefully they contact the missionaries there! 2 of the 3 I think will be living with LDS members actually!

But we got our Nicodemus progressing (E, but just like Nicodemus approached Jesus, E came to us). He is a top notch young man who wants to join the church and we got him reading and praying and he is doing real well.

J will be having his baptismal interview Tuesday, and his date is set for Saturday! This week we got him working on getting a testimony of Thomas S Monson, and I think he got it! We watched that video "On the Lord's Errand" of his life, and we all walked out filled with the spirit. J walked out super edified, so that was a really great lesson. He should be great and set for Saturday!

We got a couple others this week to set baptismal dates. We have a family that is super awesome but the father now is getting sent all around town for spinal problems that have recently come up, so hopefully we can get a hold of them this week! O and his family could be our convert family! Pray for O's health and that we can get a hold of them!

well, I am going to start sending some pics now! Love you all!! Have a great week!!

Elder Russell

Some photos from last week's house building service project