December 7th, 2009

Familia!¿!¿?¡¡¡

This week I think has been my hardest and worst and best and easiest week at the same time! It’s crazy, I know! We really did see many miracles this week.

First off the lady Hilda we are teaching that has been in Buenos Aires for the past two weeks got back finally and she had read the whole book of mormon on her trip! I was kind of blown away. But not only that she had a list of things she needs to do and towards the top of her list was get married to the man she is living with and be baptized! AHH! I love it when Heavenly Father does all the work for you!!

But it wasn’t easy! We have finally got sun this week, two days in a row! My first time not having to wear a suit jacket. But now that its here I realized I like the cold better as a missionary... haha. We start our fasts on Saturday after lunch, and it just so happened that no one was home, no one wanted to let us in, and all of our appointments were falling threw and i was dieing! The past two weeks had been tough and this week was going to end even worse... Or so I thought. I really was starting to wonder if we were doing any good just doing our dumb contacts that our president is making us do. Then the blessings started to flow =) We found two new investigators in a row. Taught them each the first lesson and it was awesome! Then we ran into a guy that we had been teaching before but had told us to stop coming back and that he was never going to change. But when we ran into him again he looked so much better! He was clean shaven and was wearing clean clothes and told us he had cut his smoking down from 2 packs of cigarettes a day to 10 a day. We talked for a little and we told him we missed him and then went on our way. I really didn’t think of it much because I still didn’t think he wanted us to teach him, but he happened to show up to our church the next day (which we could never get him to do) and then he told us the rest of the story. He told us how at his other church he never felt loved and was really depressed when we ran into him the day before and then when we told him we missed him and he couldn’t stop thinking about that. He also had cut his cigarettes down to three by forcing himself to just stay on the bus all day (you can’t smoke on the bus). But that was way awesome!

Also, another one of our investigators came to church yesterday for the first time since I have been here (and he has been an investigator that long) We then did a F.H.E. that night with his family and another member family and it was amazingly strong! We watched the movie finding faith in Christ and then played some games.

Me and my companion are also planning a Family Home Evening for the whole Branch this Friday. We have been trying to get the Branch to do activities for a while now and now they are happening! The members have become awesome all of a sudden! We first had a very productive ward counsel meeting (which actually was productive and started on time!) this week. Then on Sunday they announced our Family Home Evening in sacrament! Then in Elders Quorum this Sunday we planned it and planned who we were going to invite and we also planned a Christmas Activity for the 19th!! Then we talked about all the people that needed to be visited and i really was awed. We didn’t even have to tell them!! I also got a family to invite one of our investigators over to their F.H.E. tonight! The Branch just seems more animated to help all of a sudden!

It all made sense to me when I read a scripture in Alma 12 Sunday morning that I couldn’t stop thinking about:
27 But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end.
28 And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;
29 Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.
30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.

The very last sentence kept coming back to me!!

This is the last week of this transfer and I really hope I don’t get transferred now. My Trainer thinks he is getting transferred though which isn’t good either because then I will get someone who can’t help me with the area for a while. We will see what the Lord wants.

Got to go. Love you all and thanks so much for your support!! Good luck with finals, don’t write me till your done with them Rachelle!

-Elder Tryon