NOVEMBER 13, 2017

DAN MIGHT BE GETTING MARRIED, BUT SCOTT’S GETTING BAPTIZED!!!

HOLA HOLA COMO LE VAN?

What another crazy busy week here in the tierra prometida! 

First of all, CONGRATS TO MY BROTHER WHO IS TOTALLY GETTING HITCHED THIS WEEKEND. I am sending my love all the way from the sunniest of all the states! Have such an awesome time! 

We started off the week with our very first ward Book of Mormon class! it was so awesome. Everyone loved it and we feel like it’s going to help this ward grow and maintain everyone a lot more. I even learned a lot. It was super great for Scott and our recent converts to come and understand a lot more. (also, a sister in our ward from the Philippines got scared that I was going to leave so she made me some super yummy ponset and brought them to us during the class and it was incredible and it took me back to living at the Hickory place house across from the Ignacio's).

We saw a really awesome miracle this week. We were out knocking and absolutely no one was interested. We kept saying "someone has got to be cool here" because we felt so inspired to knock there. Sure enough, after a knocking a few buildings a man named Dimitry opens up. He starts to tell us about how on Sunday he found out that his father-in-law is a member of the Mormon church and that his nephew is going on a mission soon. He explained to us that all his life he has been trying out all these different churches and within the past few years he just decided that none of them were true. He continued to say how on Monday he went and prayed to Heavenly Father just like he normally does and he got the overwhelming sense that God wanted him to go back to a church and then the very next day we showed up. It was incredible. He came to church for the first time in years this past Sunday and really loved it. Yet again I am amazed at the way the lord uses us to perform his work. 

We also saw an incredible change in Scott this past week. Everything is just "clicking" for him right now and it’s amazing to see the way that his entire person is changing. The change has really come for him as he has been able to apply the gospel principles that we have been teaching him. He finally gets it. He is so excited about his baptism this upcoming Saturday! He calls us all the time just to talk about it. We are so excited for him! 

We also had MLC this past week and we talked all about goal setting. I have realized that goal setting isn't just a principle essential for a successful mission but rather for a successful life. Realistic goals, big or small help us to grow and really "take the reins" of our life. It was super awesome. 

On a different note, this past week there were a few days were it just dumped rain (not really anymore than normal). On one particular night we were on our way home from the top of our area driving a long a really busy road. We crossed an intersection and out of nowhere we see all these cars getting over really really fast. All of a sudden we see this giant puddle (maybe a small lake in California) on the side of the road. We tried to get over but there was a semi truck on the side of us and so we seriously had no choice but to run straight into it going 40mph. So we did. The car just wouldn’t move haha. We were just sitting there screaming, the car was trying its hardest to swim itself to safety, letting out the most worrisome car groans. Finally, we pull to the side of the road and it turns out something ripped of the bottom of the car and something weird happened to the tires, but we made it home with a piece of the car just dragging down. We took it in the next day and all the guy could say was "oh, wow." when he looked under the car. but all is well! We are back in business.

The stake also had a missionary boot-camp for the youth this past weekend. We got to take a few of them out with us knocking doors and boy was it quite the experience... I’m not sure if it was the most uplifting experience due to the fact that some Hatian man started bashing us and screaming horrible things about Joseph Smith while one of them was testifying of the truthfulness of the gospel. Not to mention that a few minutes later two men pulled up in a car and started following Sister Dimond and I around asking us to preach to them about God and making horrific comments about our "temple" aka body... So needless to say that God was trying to teach either us or them something about a mission. 

I had an incredible study this past week in the Bible. I spent the whole week in Mathew 23-28 where it outlines the saviors last few days on earth and his crucifixion. I have never felt the spirit so strong while in personal study before. I was brought to tears as I learned about what had happened and really dug deep and studied it all.  It been my biggest goal of my mission to just "know" my Savior more and this past week I made leaps and bounds. One of my favorite quotes I found this past week is from President Howard W. Hunter, it says "It is important to remember that Jesus was capable of sinning, that he could've succumbed, that the plan of life and salvation could've been lost, but that he remained true. He was perfect and sinless not because he had to be but rather because he clearly and determinedly wanted to be." 

May we all just spend more time thinking about the Savior, using his atoning power in our lives, and relying upon his strength. I know we each have Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior. He knows us and loves us and because of him we can repent and become better. 

I LOVE YOU ALL and pray for you every day. 

PLEASE DANCE A LITTLE EXTRA HARD THIS WEEKEND AT DANS WEDDING FOR ME. I will be partying it up at Scotts baptism and the ward thanksgiving party!! WOOOO!!!!  

1. All you can eat sushi buffet 

2.Zone Activity on the intracoast 

3. We told one of our member we are trying to eat healthy and he went out and bought us a whole bunch of food so we could try out his new diet.... Its working!