Monday, December 29, 2014

Ok, I am going to start off with Christmas.  I forgot to tell you something.  Ok so I told you all how they shoot off the fireworks at midnight and all that.  But during all of that the sky lit up and it was seriously like almost daytime.  It was so bright.  The whole sky lit up.  Anyway, I think some electrical tower got hit by a firework or something and it exploded and there was a big flash.  I am telling you this story because it is funny.  People after were saying that it was the end of the world or that it was from aliens.  And there are all these pictures of the flash and people say that there is a figure in the flash and all this stuff but it is just funny because they think ET is here or something.  

It was so great to talk to all of you on Christmas!  It was weird, kind of like a dream.  Like this is my life here in Perù and to see all that and the snow and everything it was kind of like this is real?  Like you just get focused here in the mission field and kind of forget about your bed at home and cars and snow and all that stuff.  But it was great to talk to you all.  If you can, send me some snow because it is only getting hotter here.  At about 10 in the morning, or 930, it is already burning hot.  but hopefully I get a nice tan.  

This week teaching was kind of slow. and I am expecting the same type of thing this week.  Everyone is either out of town or they are buying gifts or they are "busy".  So we didn't get in a lot of houses this week.  And these past couple days we have been trying to make appointments with people and they all say oh ya, after the parties.  So I am thinking that it will be difficult to get in the houses.  but hopefully we can get in some.  

Yesterday though we had a great lesson.  We went in the house and one of our investigators, who is 27, was sad.  Like normally she is all happy to see us but we could tell something was wrong.  And then I remembered what mom told me at the start of my mission.  I just need to smile.  (that was back then because I couldn't speak spanish.)  Now I can speak spanish but I just started smiling like really big.  And I kept it the whole time.  And every time she would look at me she would start smiling.  Smiles are contagious.  The spirit was really strong in this lesson.  We talked about the Book of Mormon.  And when we left she was a lot happier.  You could see it in her face.  It was awesome.  

And last night I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish for the first time.  Afterwards I did what Moroni tells us to do.  I prayed to know if it was true.  And bam, my chest just caught fire.  I already knew that the Book of Mormon was true and that it is the word of God.  But this is part of enduring to the end.  We always need to ask and read and pray and go to church because this is what builds our testimonies.  Knowing that the Book of Mormon is true changes everything for everyone because it means that everything is true.  This gospel really is for everyone.  And I am glad that I can be an instrument in the Lord's hands for these two years to help people find the truth.  

I hope you all have a wonderful week and a happy new year!!