Lots of Awesome Changes!

This week has been super crazy! A bunch of awesome things happened! So yes we had lots of changes! Elder Salmons went to the area right next to my previous area and is now the district leader for that area! My new companion is Elder Elias. He is from Peru. He’s really cool. His grandfather is Chinese. He is really funny and we are getting along great.

Also, our district leader was transferred as well so they had to pick a new district leader for this area. And guess who it is… ME! I’m super excited and happy, but it’s a lot of work and a lot less sleep. But it’s going to be a lot of fun. My district consists of me and my companion, and 3 more companionships. The other 3 are all sister missionaries. Ha-ha! It’s going to be kind of weird, but they are working really hard and we are going to have a lot of success this month! 

Yesterday I went and had a lesson with the sister missionaries and one of their investigator couples. They accepted to get married and to be baptized! It was really cool and I had to interview the man. He passed perfectly and is super ready to get baptized. 

This week has been really cool. I am really happy and excited to be district leader. I will be able to help a lot more people! The pictures are of me and the ''Trebol'' which means clover, us going up a mountain on a big water tanker truck, me in a cave we found, and a really cool tree that looked like something out of lion king.

I love you guys and hope you have a good week!

My New Companion Elder Elias

Me and the Trebol

Going Up the Hill in a Tanker Truck

The Lion King Tree

Cool Cave

Amazing Week!

This week several amazing things happened. My mission president spoke in our ward. It was really great and I think his words helped our investigator, William. He’s a man who isn’t ready to commit to a specific date. We had a lesson with him on exchanges yesterday, and he is beginning to change. The Elder that I was with on exchanges was Elder Gordon. He shared something with our investigator that our mission president had once said. He said that when people cut off the tails or ears of dogs, they do not do it gradually, but instead they do it all at once. (Everybody has dogs so they can relate to this). I like that thought a lot and I think I will share it with some of our investigators who want to change gradually.

On Monday we had an amazing experience…something that has never happened to me. An active sister told us that she felt that we should visit a less active family that we had never visited. So we decided to go right then because we didn’t have any other appointments at that time. We arrived at their home at about 8:40 PM and talked to the wife and children. Her husband then came home early from work. Usually, he comes home at one or two o'clock in the morning, but that evening he came home early for some reason. We briefly spoke with him, and after a few minutes, he told us that he’d had a dream two days earlier in which two missionaries came to visit him. Then he told us that WE were the missionaries in his dream!

I was so thankful that the spirit guided that sister to tell us to visit that family. We will continue visiting with the family to help fully reactivate them. It was an experience I will never forget. It helped me understand that the less active people are very important in our work, and we want to  begin to revive and help this neighborhood.

I also had the opportunity to help with the baptism of Brother Roberto. He is the investigator of the sisters. We baptized him last Sunday. Since he is unable to walk, it took 4 people to baptize him. It was a really wonderful experience.

Well, we had some amazing experiences that were so unforgettable! I'm out of time. I love you guys sooo much! Elder Hoy       

Missionary Fun!

Missionary Power!

Missionaries "on the rocks" 

Brother Roberto's Baptism

 

 

Elder Quentin L. Cook!

This past week was pretty much the same. Elder Salmons became ill on Friday night and could not work a lot on Saturday. It was good for me because I had to do everything and it made me stronger in our companionship. It felt great to serve him and others and it helped me realize how important it is to serve our fellow man. Also I was able to study a lot that day and that really helped me a lot.

Our investigator Juan Antonio Ramirez, who is still waiting for papers regarding his identity,  is progressing a lot spiritually. He always has good questions. On Tuesday we had a super good lesson and were able to answer his questions.  He still thought Jehovah was Our Heavenly Father, but using the book “Jesus the Christ” and some other scriptures we could help answer his questions. He's super strong and it is truly a miracle to see his progress. He was a pastor for another church for a long time before and he spoke very badly of the church and Joseph Smith.He already has a calling in the ward. I didn’t know if that was even possible, seeing that he isn’t baptized, but he's very happy and gets there early every Sunday to help.

We also had another very powerful lesson the other day. A member, a convert of 11 years ago, shared her testimony with our investigator. The spirit was so strong and testified to me that members are so important in the work of salvation. I see small miracles every day in our work and they’re helping me a lot in strengthening my own faith.

Yesterday, our meeting with Quentin L. Cook was really wonderful.  I loved everything that was taught to us. I really liked what Elder Amado said.  He told each of us that this is the best place where we can serve. It is the Promised Land, and the children of God here are anxiously waiting for me to find them.  Also, Elder Amado asked us if we see our mission as a sacrifice or a blessing. I think that before I saw it as a sacrifice, but now I see and understand it, as a great blessing

Sister Cook also spoke and I really enjoyed her talk. She talked about the power of music. Since I really love music and playing the guitar and singing, I really understood when I heard her words. The spirit testified to me the power that music and the hymns can have in teaching the gospel. I realize that I can use my talents in music to bless more of my investigators.

Elder Cook 's Speech was really amazing. He read D&C 31 and likened it to us, that the spirit cleanses us when we work. It helped me understand more what I need to do. He also told us that our main objective should be to increase our own faith in Jesus Christ. It made me wonder if I was really fulfilling that objective. I realized that even though I was working and doing the things that a missionary does, I was not really working on what should be my main goal. But now that I realize that, I will start to do more to increase my own faith and I know that I'll have more success in the work. 

I was able to see Elder Martinez again and to go to the temple which was great!!! Well love you guys but I’m out of time.

Love the Temple and Elder Martinez!

Quentin L. Cook is Coming to El Salvador!

Hey Momma !  That is so cool that you got to be ushers for the VIP tours in the temple! The temple pictures you sent me are so soooo pretty. We were told about our new mission president that was called. His name is Elder Spjut. They told us a couple weeks ago. I don't think he comes until afterJuly.

But guess what!! Next Thursday we are having a big meeting in San Salvador and Quentin L Cook from the Quorum of the Twelve is coming!!! It is going to be sooo cool to have an apostle here. I’m really excited! I officially have 9 months into my mission. Time is going by so fast... only 15 more months and I’ll be back momma! Here are some pictures from this week.

Lunch anyone???

Future Missionary

Fat and Happy!

Powerful Prayer

Well this week was super normal. Not much happened. But yesterday we did interchanges.  I worked with an Elder from Honduras and we had a super powerful lesson with the friend of a member. She is one of those people that is just prepared to receive the gospel.  I’m sad that she is not in my area to see her progress. We asked her to pray at the end of the lesson and she prayed for each of us by name and was crying and stuff.  It was one of the most powerful prayers I’ve heard.  It was also  the strongest I’ve felt the spirit here on my mission. Me and the other Elder just walked out and looked at each other.  It was just a really cool experience.

We found a skatepark and I talked to all the kids there about the gospel.  Some of them said that they are going to try to go to church. We don’t have anyone that is going to get baptized any time soon but we are still working hard.

 I love you guys a lot. I got Letta’s package and I love their Christmas card they did. I miss them a lot too. I want to Skype with them on Mothers Day too because she’s basically my second mom:) But yeah,  I love you momma.  Have a good week!

Happy New Year!

Hey momma we are writing today instead of tomorrow!!! It’s because we only have 3 computers at the church and there are over 30 missionaries in our zone so it takes forever if we all write on Friday. I can’t believe it’s 2014! The people here are crazy on New Year’s Eve. We had a hard time getting to sleep because of all the fireworks and stuff. We stayed up and watched "The Best Two Years" and then went to sleep at like 12:30. Yeah, almost all the candy is gone and I’m trying to ration the peanut butter and Nutella:-) and I love that you are still the health conscious mom and got me the low sugar peanut butter. ..But NOT really ‘cuz it’s not as good as real peanut butter. 

We had a baptism this week! Big Bertha got baptized! It has been so crazy to see how she has changed! Before she didn’t want her granddaughter Monica to get baptized, but finally let her and now she got baptized! It was honestly a miracle! There is a picture of that. The other picture is of one of my friends, Elder Shumway. He is 6'6''! 

The weather down here is hot, as always. I have to keep a handkerchief in my pocket to wipe the sweat off my face every couple of minutes. It feels like I’m back home during the summer!  But yeah everything is going good here. We have a lot of potential people to  baptize in January and February. Me and Elder Salmons will probably only have a month more together. We get along well, but sometimes I want to do things one way and him another way. But we get over things quick which is good.  

I’ve been reading the Book of Mormon a lot in Spanish which is helping me to learn more of the language. I really love speaking Spanish and now want to learn other languages like  Italian and Portuguese. But that’ll be for after my mission. I’m sad I’m going to miss the Gilbert Temple open house. I love you guys soooooo much and am so soooo grateful for all of you and all of your prayers!!
Elder Today (Hoy)

Big Bertha's Baptism

Elder Shumway and I

Monica's Baptism

At the San Salvador Temple

Giving Service Missionary Style