June 3, 2013

Hello family and friends,

How are you all doing? I am doing great! It is officially now getting hot here! And now the work is getting very good. It is sooo bizarre how that works. I’m guessing that God blesses more for our actions and our effort. Yesterday we finally got things rolling super well, we got 8 investigators in the sacrament and it was pretty powerful. Especially for 2 people that were there.

La Zona de Nuevo Laredo

2 months ago we received a referral to visit this lady, we went and she wasn’t there. But her boyfriend was. We talked to him and he was member and he got baptized in another part. He has been inactive for a long time and so it was actually pretty cool to get to know him. He is a great guy named Hilario. So we invited him to church and he went. As well, he then introduced us to his girlfriend and stepson. The girlfriend is named Eugenia (Eugene in English :) and she is the one that gave the referral to other missionaries) and Ramiro is the stepson. So we started teaching them, and they were pretty quiet and kind of closed people. It was a little difficult. And we invited them to church, but they never went. Every weekend from then on, we invited them to church, and they would say yes and then not go. So this past Saturday, we invited them to come and we said that we would go for them Sunday morning. Well they live pretty far and the brother that was going to take us couldn’t, so we couldn’t go for them. So we were there at church just hoping that they would come and not just stay again, it really did feel like the last strike for them if they wouldn’t come. Well the sacrament meeting started and the first hymn started, then the prayer, and I got pretty frustrated. I went to usher the door for the prayer, and as I stood there, I said a quick prayer just for comfort and that for one miracle that the family could have come to church. Well the prayer ended, I open the door to see if anyone entered and right there was Hilario, Eugenia and Ramiro standing there smiling and I smiled so much. Seriously I think I can have a contest with the Joker in Batman for the biggest smile (according to Hilario, Eugenia and Ramiro) haha. Well that was a super cool moment, and I then regained my testimony that the trials in life are to get God´s help. I prayed in my time of trial, and it changed to be 2 changers in my life. One that this family came to church and loved it and they are now becoming happier, and two that God will always be there to help us and guide us only when we look for his help, and when we look for his help is when trials come. God would never just punish us, he just wants to help. But if we are always happy and if everything is perfect, then there is really no purpose or no glory or no hope, there is probably nothing to live for. So it was a cool experience.

As well I had the opportunity to confirm Macario yesterday in the sacrament meeting. He is a great guy and he bore his testimony. Very humble and is a gentleman. He came to church with a white shirt and a tie, and asked if I would teach him to do his tie, well I taught him, but he had the same look on his face watching as I did when you taught me for the first time dad- lost and confused. Haha But he said with time he will learn.

OH YEAH... My new companion is Elder Marecos and he is super cool. He is a funny guy and he is always pumped to work. He´s got a super cool past story and is a great convert to the church. He and I really get an understanding. He is from Paraguay and says that he wants me to take him to the states after the mission because he wants to visit Utah sooo bad! Well I told him that fine, but you gotta give me a tour of Paraguay as well. It was a deal. Haha Paraguay looks like a beautiful place, so I´ve got a numerous list of places to visit after the mish. He also talks a bit of English, he knows some funny sayings. When a person rejects us harshly or something like that, he says with his accent ``the person is going to the hell´´. Hahaha funny stuff and he says ``oh boy´´ all the time. And his accent is something very similar to an Irish accent. Pretty cool and funny. He loves heavy metal music. I like it too. 

Justin and Elder Marecos

We get along great and its fun times over here in Nuevo Laredo, and we have got so much work to do so I am pumped to get the summer rolling and the people converted to the gospel of Christ. 

Well I believe that all for now, but I will send pictures as well, I love you all! Write me k?

Love,

Elder Justin Powell