Study the Scriptures Daily

Hello my dearest family!

Well this week was a good one! It was the 5th week of the transfer (So this next week is possibly my last one in Tambo Grande...) and Elder Plata and I had the biggest number of less active member lessons and new investigators we've ever had together. So I felt real good about that one. We did good on getting out there and doing our part. But dad, you did ask if there was anything I needed. Maybe a cattle prod. Because we still got some people who won't come to church. hahah

This week we started the Sacrament Meeting with 26 and in the end we had 34 in the Sacrament Meeting. So, better. But my goal is to break 60. My highest attendance I have counted was 59. When Elder Plata first became my companion I told him I wanted to hit 80 in attendance, so we are going to work really hard this week. I want to hit a good and very high note.

Mom, yes that is the name of that fruit!! Pepino! (see below) And I find it delicious. :) I now have two new pictures of fruits to send you. Hopefully next week since today "la tortuga" as they call it here (the internet) is super slow... But I have newly tried out Maracuya as the fruit (it is really common as a juice so I have drank it before but as the fruit it looks like Granadilla and the taste is SUPER strong! I also ate a fruit my companion said it is really tasty. It is called tuna and is a cactus fruit.  It was pretty tasty. :)

Today I finally did a little more shopping. I have been eyeing these tire sandals. I will be honest, those flip flops we bought are not the best of flip flops. And these tire sandals are said to last a lifetime, all for 6 soles. A little over 2 bucks, you can't complain with that one! haha

I was once again able to give a talk in sacrament meeting! (I seem to get that chance a lot, don't?) And the theme they gave me was the conference talk by Elder Russell M Nelson about showing your faith. One thing my first companion Elder Inocente told me was when you teach by the spirit you just get filled with scripture references and doctrinal points you hadn't even thought about before. And boy did I feel it!! I ended up giving a talk to magnify a couple points from my talk from last week. But the main focus was that we NEED to read the Book of Mormon and pray EVERY DAY to receive faith and testimony. I was reminded of something Elder Grow of the Seventy taught us when he visited us in the Multi Zone Conference. It was along the lines of this: Obedience qualifies us to feel the spirit. The spirit is what testifies of truth and allows us to gain a testimony. Without obedience we cannot recieve a testimony. Without Obedience and without a testimony, WE ARE NOTHING.

So I taught that. Not many people are reading as faithfully as they should. And, this applies to all who read this, We need to Study the Scriptures daily.

I honestly feel like I have become so much more bold here in the mission. Bold and Blunt. Because some people need that to understand. So I am rather pleased with that progress I am making. But don't worry, I am still the kind and loving Collin Russell. :) haha

The T family is coming along bit by little bit. M received her answer!!!!!! WOOO!!! She told us "I went into my room at like 11 o clock last night and I prayed, and I felt something in my heart! I really did!" And I was just FILLED by the spirit!! It was a bummer deal we only had 5 minutes for that lesson before the Noche Misional we teach, but tonight we plan on having a stellar lesson with the family. L also told us he plans to be baptized before the end of July! Which is awesome that he wants to be baptized, but tonight we have to explain to him that he hasn't come to church enough yet and needs to make changes in his life so he can keep the Sabbath Day holy. The plan is to help put a new baptismal goal with him tonight. I am super pumped because hopefully we can commit M to the same day! We'll see :)

So this Noche Misional I just mentioned is something here in Tambo Grande they have always done. For a while it was hanging by a string and nobody would ever show up and it was just not working. But starting 2 weeks ago, Elder Plata and I made the assignment to read 5 assigned BOM chapters and now we do Jeopardy with them, and we are getting some serious attendance!! It competes with Sacrament attendance, and like half of them just wont come to church!! So we are working to use this activity to get them back to church! It sure is fun. :)

This week we found some great new investigators, so we are going to get to work with them! We are really trying to find the golden investigators that we KNOW are here just waiting, we just gotta look hard! We are going to keep working on some of these new ones and keep working on finding! The work keeps rolling here!

Well, all is well here in Tambo Grande!! It looks like I might be transferred this next Monday, so I wanna end with a good note and have everything totally ready that the next missionary can just rock and roll! I dont want to leave. I sure love these people. They are awesome. :)

Well, I love you all!! Thank you all so much for all of your help and prayers and support! I was feeling some serious prayers coming this week, this week I started a little discouraged and weak but when you work hard things work out! And thank you all! I love you all!! Keep reading the Book of Mormon and Praying to receive inspiration! That is how we grow in faith!

Con amor y felicidad,
Elder Collin Russell

Jumping for joy with Elder Martinez

 A pepino...

 and a coconut! :)