...as though I am wearing the helmet of Salvation

Exchanges and today's picture March 11, 2015

I AM HERE!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!!!

(Elder Hefner e-mailed at 1:30 PM...he usually emails at 5 PM but I had told him that on P-Days I am glued to my computer waiting for his e-mail...I asked why so early...)

because we are in another part of the Island visiting Elder Flores old areas ... lol I am sending my experiences now and SUPER SPECIAL PICTURES AFTER!!!

Wearing the helmet of Salvation

So this week has been amazing.  I have finally felt as though I am wearing the helmet of Salvation. My mind and Spirit is being protected from all that is around me and the work is flourishing. We had so many experiences this week that I can´t begin to describe them all now. Let me just tell you two experiences though. The first was with a man who is less active and hasn´t come to church in awhile. He is a recent returned missionary and so is his wife. We had TWO strong appts fall through and the Spirit told us someone else needed a message. It was in this moment that this brothers name popped into the head of me and my companion at the SAME TIME. We immediatley went. I opened up my scriptures and it was as if my scriptures fell open to DyC 50 to the favorite scripture of Shelly Rowland. I gave it to him to read and he then started to weep. He began saying how tired he was. He works all day and studies at night to support his new family. My comp began teaching him and he felt our message of truth. We then did the laundry for the house and helped him clean. He came to church the next Sunday. Yo tenia el mensaje sobre familias y ahora el y su esposa quiere volver a la Iglesia. (My message was about families and now him and his wife want to come back to church)

Giving Service

We had a noche de hogar a su casa ayer con Luis Duverge nuestro recento converso y el espiritu fue muy muy fuerte.(We had a Family Home Evening in the house of Luis Duverge, our recent convert and the Spirit was so strong) 

Luis cooking the Platanos (Plantains) ! Btw i love platanitos (Sweet Plantains) now... lol 

...and making MOFONGO (delicious entree made of plantains) FOR SCRATCH with Luis Duverge and his son... They make their mofongo with chicharon (pork skin) in it... and not the hard kind like just straight pig fat..: SOOOOO GOOODDD lol

Mi segundo experiencia fue con un persona en el Calle. (My second experience was with a person in the street.) He walked up to us and said hey I am a member of your church and I want to come back I just don´t know how. Will you please come by and teach me... He lives only 5 blocks from our house... We are teaching him now and he is coming to church Sunday... We also have about 8 new investigators... There is so much work to do and not enough time to do it in... I am not kidding when I say that every five houses is a inactive member... the ward list has 800 people and only 80 go to church every Sunday.. The Lord is hastening his work...

A message to dad

Thank you so much dad... I CAN´T even tell you how strong the Spirit has been with me this week. Pero en serio mi Padre Celestial tiene mucho amor para mi.(But really, my Heavenly Father has lots of love for me) Yo se esas cosas es verdadera. (I know this things are true.) I love the mission. The Lord is answering every single one of my prayers. He promised he would in my Patriarchal blessing TWICE. The Lord keeps his promises. I would be a liar if I didn't say that i am exhausted. I LOVE IT THOUGH. I was praying not to be homesick and now I can't imagine going home. I am being given a love for these people that I never new existed in me. I walk into homes and I feel like I am home. The love these people have is incredible. I honestly don´t want to go home. I am loosing myself to the work... Thank you so much for the words you have given me. Honestly I know every missionary says this but I really feel as though I was born to do this work. Not only for now but for the rest of my life like my patriarchal blessing says... I promised my Father in Heaven before this life that I would and right now I need to learn how to in order to take the Gospel to ¨Every Kindred Tongue and People¨ I love you pops I am glad you are doing great now. The Lord was only testing your heart for the callings you will soon receive. Only the Men with the Strongest hearts and the Strongest love for the Lord can and will lead his church. Talk to you next week!

The District making Papusas (Just homemade tortillas with meet and cheese rolled into a ball and smashed and fried)  from Guatemala! SOOOO GOOD. Elder Clase had HOMEMADE SOFRITO!!!

Elder Hefner celebrated my birthday

MAMA WE CELEBRATED YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! With a match as a candle... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA We had a fiesta last night listening to Nashville tribute band and eating cake! It was legit! lol Happy Birthday mama I love you!!!

Elder Hefner

I cannot describe the many emotions I felt when I saw his early e-mail. I felt happiness and sadness but above all I felt so much love. Love for my son, but more so love for our Heavenly Father. He helped with Elder Hefner's homesickness by allowing him to receive the same message from both Tim and I. We both felt prompted to remind him about wearing the armor of God. Tim said on his email to Elder Hefner (which I did not know about at the time):" Stand tall this is a battle that you are fighting in a literal spiritual battle put on the breastplate put on the helmet... Put on the whole armor of God and you will be successful."  And I said to Elder Hefner: "Elder Hefner....the Spirit has guided you every week...it is not going to be easy....but I know you can keep going...think of ways out of the ordinary to keep going...I just remembered my vision of you with the Armor of God at the Temple...Put that helmet on my Elder! You are a stripling warrior!!