12 Agosto 2013, Guasave Mexico

Mi Querido Familia,

Hey! Well things are going pretty good here as usual. I feel like I´ve been learning a lot this transfer. There have been some challenges here and there but I´ve realized lately that every challenge we have in life can serve for our own good. In addition to challenges, I´ve also seen some of the best blessings throughout my whole mission! I´m excited for what the Lord has in store for me and have a testimony now that HE always completes HIS promises! We´re the ones that sometimes don´t complete so well, but the good thing is how willing he is to forgive us when we turn to him with a broken heart. It´s amazing :).. It´s weird thinking about how fast this time will be coming to an end but I know I´ll always be able to apply the things I´ve learned at this time. I´m excited for this week and know that it will be one of my best.

I´m glad everybody has been doing well at home. Summer time is a great time of the year to get together with the family, work, and play. The weather here has been pretty crazy lately. It´s super hot all of the sudden and then it rains, then it goes back to be hot, and right now it looks like it´s sprinkling. Today it has been a pretty cool day though so that´s good. Guasave has been needing the rain too.

Our investigators and the members have been doing pretty good too. Unfortuantely, Hugo and Uva, still haven´t decided to get married. We trust that the Lord will help them decide what they´re going to do and for now we´re going to rely on the help members can give us and continue encouraging them to keep the Lord´s commandments. One of the cool experiences we had this week is when we were talking to a lady in a little store. We were teaching her a little bit and a kid, named Luis Carlos, came and tapped me on the shoulder. He felt embarassed afterwards when he realized I wasn´t the person he thought I was. He told us about how the missionaries used to visit him and his family. Later on we stopped by and met his mom, Flerida, at the door she told us that she wasn´t really intersted at this time and we mentioned that her son had told us about them. As soon as we mentioned her son she said okay and told us to pass on in. We taught Luis Carlos (he´s 11) a little bit about who God is and why we should obey him. His mom listened while we taught him. We invited them both to church after teaching a little more and said that we´d pass for them on sunday. When we passed by sunday morning nobody left after several attempts knocking on the door. We went to church as normal and the second hour of church Flerida, the mom, walked in to our class to our surprise. She had brought Luis Carlos and her older son Oscar too.. During the class she payed attention well and told us her experience about when we arrived at her house. She prays pretty frecuently but the night beforehand she said she had prayed a lot more sincerley that normal. She begged the Lord to help her and her family and that she could know what path to take for their happiness. She recognized later on that us arriving to her house the next morning was an answer to her prayers. She had no idea that we had talked to Luis Carlos the other day.

I´m thankful for the experiences the Lord has blessed us with like these. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers and have witnessed the ways that He works. He can help us many ways but a good amount of the time he blesses us through the service of other people. Each and everyday that we choose to serve someone we can be that angel that Heavenly Father sends to help us in our struggles.. I pray that we all can serve on another and trust more in God than in our own talents and habilities. Have a great week! I love you all and appreciate your prayers, love, and support.

Love,
Elder Carlson

P.S. Photos: Lunch with an hermana in the ward, Our ward mission leader invited us to eat carne asada on sunday!

 

5 Agosto 2013, Guasave Mexico

Mi Querido Familia,

Well this week has been quite eventful and there´s been some good changes going on in the ward and in the mission work. We had our meeting with Pte. Munive tuesday and it was really fun. We had a good time together and then afterwards started having our different subjects we were going to talk about. I enjoyed the plans we made to work more with the members and a good reminder of how we should be obedient. I know that we are more happy in our lives when we are obedient to God´s commandments. I think one of the best blessings that we can recieve from Heavenly Father is a clean conscience. It doesn´t mean we´re going to be perfect but I know that the power of the atonement is real. I know that Jesus Christ can help us to change any error or mistake we have made. It´s that love that we continue trying to teach our fellow brothers and sisters, whether they´re members or a man standing in the street.. At the end of the meeting I got the chance to bear my testimony along with a couple other missionaries that are going to finish the mission together with me. I could feel a special spirit and I know that the Lord pleased with us. The challenge now is to continue applying everything we have learned, and to keep on searching for spiritual experiences even one day when we don´t have a missionary tag on. We can always have it on our heart. And that promise is for everyone, inculding those who haven´t gone on missions for the church.

My companion and I have been doing well. I´ve learned a lot from him this transfer and I hope I can learn a lot more. I know everybody has special gifts the Lord has given them, and we can even help people to recognized the gifts they have or can develop.. Our zone meeting went pretty well too and all the missionaries left with a good spirit. Sometimes those meetings start out and you can see where people are at emotionally and spiritually by the countenance on their faces. I was worried that a lot of them are discouraged right now. I think the practices we did helped them to realize the potential we can achieve and remember our purpose here as missionaries.

I´m proud of all the good things that are going on at home and love hearing about all the activities going on. I know that their is no greater joy that we can have, than with our own familys. The joy can only be greater and eternal if we strive to practice righteous principles and teach one another to do what is right. Keep enjoying all the time you can together with your families.

Hugo and Uva are doing well but they still haven´t decided when they want to get married. Hugo wants to but the mom, Uva, has been skeptical even though their family relationship has grown distinctly. We keep praying for them and are going to do all that we can. I think everyone will have a few moments that the spirit inspires them what to do. The Lord is never that far from us, but He waits for the moment that we humble ourselves before Him and fall into His arms... I love you all and I know that Heavenly Father has a perfect love for his children.

Keep it up.

Love,

Elder Carlson

P.S. Photos: We got to go bowling with President. And play some ping pong. Here´s the guys in the Zone Guasave.