This week my prayers have been answered in every way.

Seriously I cry almost every week (presumably because of the emails he reads from his friends and family.)

 

This week my prayers have been answered in every way. 

Primero (first) we have been struggling in our area this week. It really has been tough because someone gets dropped or problems or just never there. The problem was that we weren't finding new personas. Yea we had the one family who were awesome and ready but then her in laws and land lord who are the same person, prohibited them from listening to our message. So that's a major speed bump. We are going to try and teach them in the house of a member near by. Pero they are out of town so we haven't had a chance to work with them. Pero we found dos personas quien son (people who were) prepared for us. This one house lived a menos activo (less active member) and so we talked to this lady and set up an appointment with her the next day. So we went there and she wasn't there but the mom introduced us to this 21 year old kid who said he was a member. We talked to him about getting back into church and reading scriptures, something short. Then we asked him to offer the closing prayer. He needed help started but then he poured out his heart to God. He started crying and was asking for strength to resist drugs. When we finished he told us that he has quit drugs 3 vezas and relapsed 3 vezas (times). So we gave him a priesthood blessing to give him strength to resist and follow Christ. The next day in a visit, his whole attitude changed. He was smiling and happy to see us, he was talkative, had a button on shirt and jeans too. Totally different. We just had an amazing lesson with him about sobre la palabra de sabiduría (the word of wisdom), then repentance then iglesia (church). He agreed to start the repentance process and meet with the bishop the next day on domingo. We picked him up for church at 2 and he was there till 6. He was in all the classes and he was super happy. Well we found out through the bishop that he isn't a member. That he started investigating the church but isn't baptized and confirmed. So he just turned into an investigator. He already agreed to come to conference all day Sunday. That was a cool experience with him.

Another experience this week was when we were trying to find a menos activo (less active member) again. We went to this house and this lady came out and said "oh elders are you here because of my sister?" We replied that we were looking for a menos activo after she told us where they lived my companion asked why she thought we were here for her sister. She said that her sister is in a different ward and just got baptized 2 semanas ago and the sister said she would send the missionaries to her. So we asked when we could come back and teach her. That day was Friday and we set up the next meeting for Saturday. We met her parents who and taught the restoration. She was super happy and receptive. The dad had a lot of questions and loved our presence. We extended the invitation to be baptized on 19 de abril. The lady said yes. She started crying and just said yes. The dad declined solo para aprender mas (to learn more about the church). But then they all came to church. The parents and the daughter. They stayed all three hours. They loved it and participated so much. When we met with them yesterday night the dad was asleep but the mom said that she loved the church and loved the spirit and said that she wants to be a Mormon. The spirit was so strong. Yes they have problems, but they have the desire. The daughter said that she wants us to come back every day and teach her. So amazing. Church was amazing. It felt just like home. So many people, so many investigators, so much love. The spirit was so strong. That answered that prayer of finding people.  Then hearing the story in Idaho about Dad and Jeanne´s leg pain going away was an answer to my prayers that you will be blessed for my work. I think about all of our family all the time.

I really just love this gospel.

Other than that this week has been a lot of rain and walking in the heat. It always rains when its the most sunny and hot. Last P day (preparation day - their only day "off") we went to this tour place where we got to see iguanas. Its literally just a park for them. Got to see the coast and stuff. It was pretty cool. Today I am playing soccer and probably get a hair cut. No se (I don't know). 

That's it from here. I am really missing you guys but loving it here. Its hard here but days like Sunday with the spirit so strong makes it all worth it. 

 

I love you mom

I love you dad
I love you family.
I think and pray for you all the time

Elder Luke.