"Halo familia mía,
Bueno, esta semana yo no sé que decirles tampoco. Esta semana fue muy larga y un poco aburrida. Pues, no hay mucho que quiero decirles y no sé si hay algo que les gustaría escuchar o saber. No obstante, voy a pensar de algo vamos a ver que pasará.
Okay so what do I tell you all? This week was really another slow one. We did a lot of contacting and we were rejected by a lot of people, but hey that is what happens in the mission. There really is no reason to get discouraged, but it is just not fun to tell y´all that we did not get a ton of productive work done. Although there were some very good moments in the week as well.
So the church is trying something new. At least here in South America. We get a list every three months of less active members that maybe still live in the ward boundaries. Our job is to go to their old addresses and look for them. They are usually not there or do not exist. So we are then to talk to the people who live in the house and see if they would like to learn more about the Gospel. After we are to contact six more houses in the street to find out what happened to this member and see if we can find new investigators. So, we did it this week and while we did not find any members or new investigators I am sure that this new program is going to help us a lot in our area.
This week we also had a baptism. Hermana Rosario whom I have spoken a little about in other letters got baptized. She was so excited. When we got to the part of the river where we were going to do the baptism she was getting in the water before we were even ready. We told her to wait just a second and she did not want to. Finally after more than 20 years of knowing the missionaries she finally gained a testimony in the Book of Mormon and entered into the covenant of baptism with her Heavenly Father. We have seen such a difference in her and her family. Her 22 year-old daughter has never wanted anything to do with the church and now she is even starting to progress little by little. She even went to her mom´s baptism. So, missionaries never give up on an investigator. Sometimes we do have to drop them for a little while but go after those old investigators. There is a reason they talked to the missionaries in the past. They are looking for a better life. Focus on the Book of Mormon and it will bring miracles. We do not convert the people. The Spirit and the Book of Mormon do. Remember that and I promise you you will see miracles in the mission and in you investigators´ lives.
The rainy season also ended this week. We have had cloudless sky's for the last three days. I am not going to lie. Though I did not like knocking doors for endless hours getting soaking wet without any luck, I am going to miss the rain a ton. It was fun while it lasted and it reminded me of the monsoons in Arizona. Well, all things come to an end and new better things come forward... right?
This week was also fast Sunday. It feels like we have fast and testimony meeting every two weeks. The weeks are really just starting to fly by. This week I fasted for the same thing that I fasted for earlier this month. I am doing all that I can with my comp to find a family to baptize. I have faith the the Lord is going to bless us with a family to baptize in April. I have such a strong testimony of the fast. I know that if we fast with faith for something righteous our Heavenly Father will always reward our faith and give us what we need.
While we were in the sacrament meeting I felt the Spirit so strong. I do not know if it was because of the massive migraine I had or because we did not have water that morning to bathe ourselves. However I felt the Spirit so strong and I was kinda emotional. Then the Sacrament hymn was I Know That My Redeemer Lives. This is one of my favorites and I got very emotional at this point. I thought a lot in the message that this hymn gives. Halfway through the meeting I had to get up to bear my testimony. I bore it only on Jesus Christ and I made a fool of myself as I could not help but weep at the pulpit. I can no longer think about all that our Saviour and Lord has done for us without being emotional. As we get closer to the Easter season I would like for all of you to think in all that He has done for you. And I want you to know how I feel for Him.
I still do not have a perfect knowledge of what the Saviour has done for me and I have a long way to go in my knowledge of Him, But I do know a few things. I know that almost 2,000 years ago the Son of Man whom we call Jesus of Nazareth was about His Father´s business. I know that in this time He had performed miracles and helped hundreds even thousands of people, but He was about to perform the grandest and most important miracle of them all. He was about to give His life (which was incapable of being taken by the hands of a mere mortal) in the all atoning sacrifice to save all mankind from the sins they had, were and would commit. Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden in a way we cannot imagine. He who was and is a god pleaded with His Father to remove His burden from Him. It could not be done and He then willing bled from every pore of his body. Days later after a grueling an insulting trial which was held illegally was convicted of crimes He DID NOT commit and therefore sentenced to death. He did not put up a fight for He knew what He must do. He then was cruelly mocked, spit upon, beaten and lead to that dreadful hill they call Calvary. Here He was nailed to a cross and left to die by the cause of man. This however did not happen. In a struggle I do not and cannot fathom the Father took His Spirit from His Son. The Lord knew that He must suffer this trial. He did so triumphantly and the Spirit returned to His bruised and beaten body. Here in this moment our Redeemer knew that He had conquered sin, He had saved us all, He had brought mercy upon all of His brothers who would choose to follow Him. I know that Jesus the Christ did these things. I know that He three days later was resurrected. He beat the one thing that had never been overcome. He Who once was dead now LIVES. I know He lives and I know that we will one day live because of Him. I know without a doubt that the man we call Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the Redeemer of Man, the Creator of this World, and the very Christ. He lives I know He lives.
I love you all and I hope that this Easter you all remember what took place on this miraculous Sunday and what it means for us. I also hope you eat lots of good food and get super fat."