April 20, 2009

Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas!

Hey guys, how is everything going for everybody? thanks for all the letters and everything. Well this week was great. As always, as JR says "Attitude is Altitude" just gotta make everyday amazing. we worked real hard this week and had some amazing days numberswise. But we wanna get people into the waters of baptism. We are really praying hard and trying our best to find those who are ready and elect. We spent some pretty long days contacting this week. With not too much success but what i learned was that maybe not contacting to find people, but by doing this its showing the lord that you are willing to work, and he will bless you for it. And that is exactly right, two times this week we spent all day looking for people, cause the investigators we do have its hard to schedule with them cause there work is so off and on.. So we were looking all day for people and taught a few, but at the end of the night just before it was time to go home, we kept pushing and kept knocking, and we were blessed. The last house we went to for the night we were able to get in and teach two brothers and the next day a group off three guys. It was great and the spirit was strong and they seemed interested. Because of our diligence we were able to find these people. We have set up return appointments with them for this week so hopefully all will go well there!

Scripture for this week. Luke 9:24 its amazing! read it!

But also we are still trying rel hard with the people that we have preparing for baptism, they are not progressing too well. So we are trying our best to get them to church but its hard when alot of them work on sunday. But all will work out if its meant to be.

Also this week its funny actually really since i have come here i have been meeting alot of people from chiapas mexico! where Tuxtla is... haha so i say Hey!!! i was there and we start to talk about it its great. I knew i was always meant to teach the people of chiapas... Maybe just in the united states...

Also this week we had stake conference but its amazing in AZ we drive 3 min to the church but here we have to drive an hour and a half... So we get rides with the members, we tried to get a van with a bunch of hispanics to all ride together to conference together but it just didnt work out. It was amazing to see the sacrifice that the saints here made to get to stake conference. Also Myrtle beach ward choir was singing in it.. and they didnt have alot of men in the choir. And someone let slip that i sang at general conference.... So they asked me to sing... So i did sing with the choir but it was great i love to sing hymns. The talks yesterday were amazing as well. They have such strong testimonies. Its so true when the lord commands he will have a humble people. These people are so humble, but yet so amazing, and strong in spirit. The spirit was so strong.

Oh and dont worry Mom im taking time to enjoy everyday. i Love being in the service of my savior. Just the thought alone takes away my pain, i feel so good. The spanish is coming along day by day, i still have lots to learn, but i know that with diligence ill learn. I love this mission, i feel like there is so much more that happen that im forgetting to tell you... but oh well ill just tell ya next week. Wow this week i will have one month since i have been back out. Crazy! its flown by! Man thanks so much for everything guys, i love you all. I know this is the true church, this week satan was really trying to get me to think about my beleifs and question them, but as i pray and pray i get a stronger conviction of what i know and my heart burns with the love and knowledge that i have. I know this is a true church lead and guided by a true and living prophet who recieves revelation from our father in heaven for this church. I know that we can be healed of any sorrow sickness affliction anything through the saviors atonement. I think of his hands and how he suffered that pain for me, for all us. How the pure love of christ has changed my life. I love my savior. I love you all so much. Reach out to our neighbors give them the gift of the gospel.

Love always,

Elder Michael Riding