January 6, 2014

Hey Everyone!

Well its been a really good week! Last Monday I got told by my assistants that I was going to be transferred back into the area that I was in before! I was really happy! I was so ready to get out of the offices and get back to work! And especially to be able to return to Parrilla! So my new companion is Elder Gomez! He is from the Dominican Republic! He is way cool and we get along really well! Haha He is pretty old thought! 26! He was baptized like a little more than 2 years ago and decided to serve a mission and is the only member of his family! 

So this past week we have had a lot of success here! I just picked up right where I left off! The day that I got here was New Years Eve! So that day we went around to a bunch of families that I knew and they invited us to dinner!! We ate a bunch! It was really cool because it was a big surprise for the families when I walked in the door! Haha.. it was really fun to see everyone again! I love this area! My comp only has like 1 week in this area and only like 6 months in the mission and wasn't really sure what was going on in the area, so that day we basically went around and visited all the investigators and members that I knew!

So here on New Years, the people and the parties are crazy!! They have these huge family parties and invite everyone!! And they all have a huge dinner like at 10 at night then they will stay up until 6 or 7 in the morning!! And they have this weird thing that they do, they have like these huge mannequin dolls and at midnight, they blow them up!! haha... I wasn't up to see any of it! But I for sure heard it all! Music and drinks all night long!!!. The next day was so funny!! There was not a single soul in the street! They even cancel public transportation for this day just because there is no one out! Haha.. Every single door that we went to the people came out looking like they just got punched in the face! haha.. It was so funny! 

The work here is still going pretty strong. We have some really good investigators and we have been visiting all of our members and tryin to get them involved in the work! I am really happy to back working full time and not sitting in the offices! The members here are amazing and have been helping us out here a lot! Abraham is doing really good!! He got the Priesthood right after I left and has been blessing the Sacrament every Sunday!! It was so good to see their family! I have become really good friends with them! 

The week has been really cold here! In the low 60s all week and with the humidity it feels even colder! And it has been pouring rain! Some parts of the area are flooded. It has been a really good way for us to find new families to start teaching just by helping them clear their houses and clean out water! I feel so bad for some people. Some people lost everything that they have and are left with a house full of water and nothing else. It really has made me think again about how blessed we all are. I am really very grateful for all the blessings that I have in my life. For my family and my parents that have always made sure we never had to go without. 

I love you all so much! This year is the time to start again and to have a new beginning for everything. I was reading in the Book of Mormon in one of my studies in the mornings and I have been reading in the book of Jacob. In the 5th and 6th chapter. There it talks a lot about how this is the last time the Lord is going to prepare his people before he comes and what we need to do to prepare. There is a scripture in Jacob 6 that sums up what we need to do, and has also been what I have been sharing in most of our lessons this past week. Jacob 6:11...

Elder Liljenquist

"O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate,

 and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life."