Week 57

Hola Everyone!

It’s been a good week here in good ol paradise! We’ve had the chance to find some new people and teach the gospel to them which is such an amazing opportunity that we all have as members of the church!!! I absolutely LOVE sharing the gospel with others and I think to myself why in the world didn’t I share the gospel so much when I was at home! I think the main reason is because we are almost all members of the church. Ha ha.

Anyways, just a couple of experiences that I had this week! So the first one is we were able to find a family and we have been teaching the daughter and wife for about a month now. But this week we found the father of the family home so we got to talk with everyone! Anyways, their beliefs were a lot different than ours and we taught them really with all of the energies of our hearts. It was really tough because they were saying the Book of Mormon is not true and a lot of things that I didn’t like to hear. But we were able once again to testify so firmly that the Book of Mormon is TRUE and that it is the Word of God! We felt the spirit so strong!! I know as well that they were able to be touched by the spirit too. We put another appointment with them and they accepted!!

The second experience was we have been able to start teaching the class to prepare yourself to enter into the temple!! It was so awesome because I was able to ordain the brother to the Melchizedek Priesthood and now we are able to help them get ready to enter into the temple!! It’s such an awesome experience to be able to help others with the knowledge that we have! Goodness, and we are so blessed with the knowledge that we have of the gospel and of the Plan of Salvation and EVERYTHING. Because I know so many people that are lost with what they have studied and what they have been taught!!

I want to share my testimony with you all that I KNOW that Jesus is the Christ and that He leads and guides this church. I know that God lives and that He loves us. And because He loves us, He called once again a prophet here on this earth!! I know that through Joseph Smith the gospel was restored and that through the ordinances and covenants that we make and KEEP we will return and live with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ again! I also know that through the Atonement and ONLY the atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved!! I love you all so much and I hope with all my heart that we can keep fighting the good fight!! Have an amazing week everyone!!

ELDER BLAKE

Week 56

Hola Everyone.

I don't have much to day this week. It's been a good but tough week that is for sure!! One really quick experience I want to share!

So on Thursday, we went to Zone Conference and we had to travel about six hours round trip. It was a good trip! Our President taught us something that I LOVED and he taught us about how we can teach the Book of Mormon better! So on Saturday, we had an appointment with a new investigator and we applied basically exactly what our President taught us! We told him we want you to start reading in 1st Nephi and we told him that there are 642 pages (Spanish version)! We asked him in how much time do you think you can finish the Book of Mormon. He told us 1 month and we testified with POWER that if he read the book and did all he could to know that it is true, he would receive his answer!! We felt the spirit and I know that he did as well! We ending putting a baptismal date with him for the 13th of October and I know he will be baptized that day!!

I love this gospel. I know with such a surety that it is true! I know that through the atonement if we use it correctly, we WILL be forgiven of our sins!! I have so much hope thanks to this gospel!! I love you all so much and hope you all have such an amazing week!!

ELDER BLAKE

Week 55

Hola Everyone!

This week was a really good week. It's a dang tough area that I'm in because finding people to teach is super, super tough! Usually they like to hear the Word of God and then we make another appointment with them and then they're not there or they don't want anything to do with us. It's tough, but also a good thing. As D&C teaches, "many are called but few are chosen." We can quickly tell who are the chosen people here in the mission field!

So we started out the week super awesome in our District Meeting! We were able to all share our testimonies with the missionaries in our district. The spirit was strong! The spirit helped me recognize that yes, I'm a good missionary, but that I can be a lot better missionary as I try harder and harder this next year and the rest of my life! I know that I'm not a perfect missionary and the spirit helped me learn and recognize that very well this week. But he also helped me recognize that it's not necessary to be perfect, but to do all we can on our part to be better and to become better every single day! Just like in sports. I remember so much how we were always progressing and trying to do better than we were yesterday, because if weren't progressing, we weren't going to be able to beat those teams that were progressing!! It's the same in this life. We have to continue progressing so that we can beat Satan - Every - Single - Day!!

To finish up the week, we received a new Branch President here and it's President Lucero - the member that I confirmed the Melchizedek Priesthood to. He hasn't even completed a year as a member and they called him as Branch President. It was so dang awesome and I felt the spirit very strong! This Branch needs a leader and a big change so that they can progress and the Lord blessed us with a new leader!!!!

Also this week, despite all of my weaknesses and wrong doings, I was able to feel forgiveness for my sins through partaking of the Sacrament. What an experience that was!! I love you guys all so dang much. I know this church is true and I know that the only way we can return and live with our Heavenly Father again is through the ordinances and covenants that we makes as members. And as we learn in 2 Nephi ENDURE TO THE END!!!!!!!!!!

ELDER BLAKE

Week 54

Hola Everyone

Well, it’s been a good and bad week here. We sure are working really hard here, but we can’t find many who want to listen and learn about the Gospel. Although we did find an AMAZING family, a mom and her daughter, that are loving what we are teaching them. They know the Bible like you wouldn’t believe, but we have promised them that if they will read the Book of Mormon they will come to know the TRUTH,! Since the day we gave them a Book of Mormon the mom has been reading it and it makes me so dang happy, especially to be able to teach her!! We went to visit them the other day and she had so many questions about the Introduction and why did Joseph Smith say that it was the most correct book. And I absolutely LOVED responding to these questions!!

Teaching is something that I have absolutely learned to LOVE - not just teaching, but teaching the Gospel. Goodness it’s such an amazing blessing and to be able to help others come to know the truth. I have seen the Gospel change the lives of so many people here, I can’t even believe it. It’s been a miracle to see it change so many people’s lives!! I’m so grateful to be a member of this true church and I know that as we hold FAST to the iron rod, we WILL be able to live with our Father in Heaven again!! I love you all so much and hope that you have an amazing week!

ELDER BLAKE