Week 89

Hello to all of my family and friends! It's been another great week here in Villa-Celina! 

Lot's of things were going on this week so I'll see what experiences I can share with you all today!

Well! The most important first!! BAPTISM!! WHOO! On Saturday 2 little girls, Camila and her sister Wendy, were baptized Whoo!! It was a very nice baptismal service, a little put together last minute, but it all worked out, the important part is that they got baptized. We've been so packed with all of the things these last 2 weeks because the ETM's have been with us, but it went well! WHOO!! 

 

One of the things that was most surprising. Last week we found Gabriela and her family, like I said, and she was really great! We gave her a Book of Mormon and we told her to read it! So when we went back the other day, sadly she had not read. But had found some "interesting" things on the internet about the Mormons. She had several questions about our beliefs and practices because she found it very very weird and not good. So we explained a few things to her and we have invited her to read the Book of Mormon and to ask God if it is true several times. We haven't been able to teach her this week, so we're still waiting to see what will happen. But, she is still very interested. Good things! 

We've been finding lot's of people this last week, as we've had the ETM's with us. It was a good experience, but it's nice too to be comfortable once again living only the 4 elders in the same pench. Also it will be nice to meet the people that Elder Garcia has found. 

One of my favourite parts of the week, on Thursday we had a special training with the Asistents for all of the stake of missionaries. We got together here in our church, and we talked about how we need to follow the Spirit, we need to find by the Spirit. If we don't follow the impressions of the Spirit we won't find the people that the Lord want's us to find. Then For 2 hours we all came over here to our area and we worked and contacted a ton of people and we tried our best to follow the impressions that we felt from the Spirit. We worked on not putting excuses and not ignoring it, and it was a very pleasant experience, I've noticed as I follow the impressions that the Spirit gives to me, I can feel the next impression much easier, but if I ignore one, the next one is harder to feel. I know that the gift of the Holy Ghost is a gift from God and as we follow what he tells us we find more happiness and joy in our lives.

As well! HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! WHOO!! For our fourth of July celebration we bought a pizza and we ate it! MMM.... Not quite as tasty as the classic hamburgers grilled by my dad that we would eat, but it was still good! 

Anyway's! That was pretty much our week! I love you all and hope that all is well where ever you all. There's been lot's of rain this week so we're enjoying that you know it!

-Elder Slack

Week 88: Cashing it in!

HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WORLD!!!!!!! 

I'm back once again, it's incredible how fast the time is flying, it's Monday once again, and here I am to give you the best and greatest from the World of Elder Slack! It's been a wonderful week this week so we've got some great experiences to share!

This week we were with the ETM's! Whoo!! Do you remember back to a few months ago where I would go to a ton of different areas and all that????? Well, now instead of me going to the area of other missionaries, other missionaries came to my area! Whoo!! It was a great week to tell the truth. We were here this week with Elder Haak, from Wyoming, and Elder Figueroa, from Chile! So we were able to t0 do a ton of work this week with the ETM's. It was great! 

One of the greatest miracles, happened on Saturday, All week we were looking for, talking with and finding a ton of new people to teach, it was incredible! On Saturday I was with Elder Figueroa, we went and we found 2 new families!!! One family of 7 people who are really really great, they were all paying attention and it was awesome. The Sosa family! And the other family was a reference from a member, he said that she has been asking for a while for the missionaries to pass by her house and teach her a little bit, and this time he passed the refferrel along and we went on by when we had an appointment. Her name is Gabriela, she is super super super prepared! We had an incredible lesson with her and her mother and her son. She said "What I really want is a church where we can all go together as a family, be happy, and that is the true church of God." :D What more can you ask for? Well, it just happens that that's exactly what we've got here for you!! So we invited her to pray about the Book of Mormon and we invited her to be baptized when she recieves her answer from God that it's true! We fond 10 new people to teach in one day! WHOO!! I know that God blesses us for our obedience.

Side note, on Thursday night I decided to live on the edge a little bit and try a little bit of weird food that they sell here on the street, it was basically a big fried dough. Well, Friday morning I found out that that wasn't the best idea I've ever had. Talk about food poisoning. Whoo! So I was in bed all day with stomach pains until it all finally decided to come out when I drank some Sprite in the night time and well... It came out the upside not the downside if you know what I mean! Haha! But! Don't worry, I've been eating with a lot more care these days so we're all good now. Few! 

One of the great things that I have learned to apply a lot more this week was something that was taught in the World Training for missionaries. One of the things that Elder Bednar said twice was that all things are 1 in Christ. Many times as members of the church we try and look at things as all different steps, first Faith, then Repentance, then Baptism, etc. etc. one after another, as some sort of checklist. But it's so important to remember that it's all one, without Christ there is no Faith, without faith there is no repentance. We can't talk about the Gospel as separate points, we can't talk about Repentance with out the next thing being Baptism, it just doesn't work. This week I've seen how true that is in the lives of the people, we as missionaries don't do a whole lot of good if we can't talk about the Gospel as one. Really it's all very simple the Gospel, but we have to be willing to accept it in our lives. We need to accept Christ in our lives!

We had Interviews with President this week as well, it went great! Tomorrow I'll only have 2 months left here, I can't deny it! It's so incredible how fast the time has past and I'm so happy that I can be a Missionary and Representative of Jesus Christ. I'm determined to keep enjoying the missionary service until the end! I hope you all know that I love you all! :D Until next week! 

-Elder Slack

P.S. 

We made Fried oreos this week! WHOO! And we found these little tiny eggs in a store, we bought them to see how they are! They taste like.... Well.... Small eggs! And here's a photo of our companionship this week in Celina!