Enjoying a meal at my Pensionista's house :)
Well this
past week has been a good one! Tuesday we had a multi zone meeting, and it was
great!! There was a main focus in the Book of Mormon. Especially in how we use
it and teach about it, and very importantly in how we teach people how to pray
to know if it is true. There is so much to teach when you teach people about
prayer, and it continues to sneak up on me the fact that here people have
learned thousands of ways to pray differently or have never prayed before in
their life. As we teach that, we truly form a new bridge between the
investigator and God. We have such a profound message of eternal importance,
and it was such a great time to learn how to better prepare in how we teach
these two basic key points.
After the
multi zone meeting, I had Exchanges in Miguel Grau with Elder Toolson, one of
the zone leaders from San Diego, California! He is such an awesome missionary,
he has 11 months now here in the mission, and this was my first time visiting
their area! We had a great time together, taught well, and I already love the
people there! And Mom, a plus for you, I already got a family there who said we
could use their Skype for Mother's Day, since here in Tambo Grande the internet
would be terrible for that, so we are all set! haha A couple fun things was we
had a dinner appointment where we ate... I forgot what it was called... papa
rellena? something like that. It is like a fried mashed potato ball with
vegetables and meat inside, served with hot sauce. It is very common here but I
had never had it before! So yep, it was delish! haha I have pictures of the
occasion I will send to you all soon. :)
Another awesome thing we did was the
usage of our "Mi familia" booklets. We used it in every single visit!
Our mission is testing out something awesome under the direction of the area
seventy. Our goal is to really start using these booklets daily and begin
working with the new members and less actives to get their family history work
done and get names ready to go to the temple within these next 6 months. Our
goal is for every companionship to have at least 5 people with names ready
within these six months. That is 500 names for temple ordinances. I think that
is pretty rocking, wouldn't you agree?! So we are starting to really get on
board with that, and getting the members excited.
Well, the
Branch here is doing well, we are getting some new fresh batteries set too!!
Every Saturday the Branch has sports night where we play soccer or volleyball.
And every week it has been us missionaries and like 2 youths. But this week the
members flipped a switch or something and we had an awesome turnout like it
used to be! Also getting
word out about the Easter activity is unfolding! We have been giving out a
bunch of announcements, and we are also putting up announcements in the streets
and store windows. The activity is an Open House of the Branch house, where we
will have short activities and lessons about the Restoration, Easter, and Jesus
Christ by the various organizations. Then we are ending with everyone together
to watch the Testaments video by projector! So I really hope it goes well, the
Branch has really started to get better involved now that we are really asking
for the help of everyone! So yep, I am so proud of Tambo Grande!!
Also, the
Area Seventy sent out a letter to every ward and branch with the challenge to
finish the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. So the challenge was to
start today, so I started this morning with them! I plan to complete this goal
and also try for the same goal that Mom and Logan have about finishing the same
time it took Joseph Smith to translate it, so we will see how it goes!
I actually
finished the Book of Mormon THURSDAY!!! It is seriously the best book in the
whole wide world. I don't know if it was because it was in Spanish this time,
or that I am on a mission, but this time reading it I learned SO MUCH. My
desire to read daily was so much stronger than ever before. I now know what it
is to feast upon the words of Christ a little bit better. And that book has
changed my life and I know it can change anyone's life who reads it with real
intent.
One awesome
thing I read this week too, was in the Bible Dictionary in the English
Scriptures, under Gospel. It explains that the word Gospel means "Good
News". It also says what the good news is. Check it out! :)
And for my
Preach My Gospel reading, one thing that stuck with me was in the chapter about
Christlike Attributes. I am beginning to understand better that Obedience
cannot be forced upon. From some zone conference we had long ago, someone
explained that Obedience is an attitude. We can decide upon our own obedience,
but to try to control or force obedience upon your peers is unrighteous
dominion. We should not endorse disobedience and we should support and exhort
others to be obedient, but the decision in the end is personal.
To answer
some questions,
Alfredo is
the brother of our pensionista, he is a less active member. He has become a big
help to us in teaching lessons and with service. And Fabian is also a less
active young man who is become reactive again. He is 17 and he is always
helping us visit and teach. When I first came to the area, he was the only
member willing to help us out with frequency, so he is a great friend and super
awesome! He also loves learning English and can speak quite well!!
Well, things
are going well here in Tambo Grande! Right now a step we are working on taking
is with an investigator who has already started to cling to the Book
of Mormon, he has a great interest in it! He accepted the invitation to read
and pray about the Book of Mormon and our message, and he said if he got his
answer he will be baptized! So now we are working for that, and also to see if we
can teach his family. Because teaching the family together is where we will get
the best results and really the key in continuing to the end as a member, so we
will be looking into that this week. There is also another great family we have
found.
I wish you
all a very happy Easter!!! I will sure miss all the Easter egg hunting and
being with the family, but this is such a great time to think of Christ and
share his message. I know he performed a perfect atonement for us, that we may
overcome both physical and spiritual death. Jesus Christ is our Savior, and we
should strive daily to better walk his path and understand his teachings.
I love you
all, thank you for all your lovely emails, I always look forward to P Days for
this very reason! :) Keep reading the Book of Mormon, it is TRUE!!!
Con amor y
felicidad,
Elder Collin
Russell
~A few more photos from Stake Conference ~
with the Zone Leaders
and Branch Members...
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