March 17, 2014

 

Hey Everyone!!

 

Well it has been another week here in Parrilla... and sadly my last!! I have transfers! But the good thing is that they are not sending me very far! They are sending me to Grijalva! haha.. It's an area here in the same stake. So I wont be that far away. 

 

It has been a good week, We have been in a dry spot for a couple of weeks here! We have been working so hard to try and figure out what we can do to lift us up from this low that we are in. We have been working a lot with the members in the ward and they have been taking us to there friends and neighbors that they know and it has really helped us a lot! We had a really good lesson with Shabata and her family. We taught about the Book of Mormon. It went really well and she and her sons took the teaching really well! And at the end of the lesson we invited them to be baptized, and they accepted! We invited them to pray about the things that we have taught them so they could know for themselves that all of this is true! 

 

This has been one of the best areas that I have had in my mission. I have loved the members, It sucks so bad to have to leave here! It feels like I'm leaving home again. haha. I feel like I am leaving family that I have here! So many things that I have learned in these 6 months that I have been here and so many people that I have had the opportunity to know and love. I am so grateful to have served in this area! I hope so bad that it can continue to grow! 

 

It kinda sucks to say that I am leaving but there is nothing that I can do about it! I have realized that the work is not about where you are, how you feel, or what you do. Because the work is not ours. It is the Lords. I want more than anything to do the best that I can while I can. Time is flying by, and the last thing I want to do is leave behind something that I could have done!

 

Sunday in Church, we had 5 investigators that came with us! It was really good! Of that 5, one of them should be ready to be baptized in the next week! Too bad that I am not going to be there, but that's not what matters! Today in the morning, we had an activity in the church with all of the ward and investigators. We played soccer and basketball, and I taught them how to play football!! haha. It was way fun! A really good way to end the time here in the area and to be able to say bye to everyone! That part sucked pretty bad! Haha.. The sisters started to cry! They all wanted to hug. But as bad as I wanted to give them a hug back, we cant! haha! I am going to miss it here! But really excited to get to my new area. My new comp with be Elder Nevitt. I hope that we have a ton of success in the next transfer!

 

I love you all! I think about all of you all the time. I have heard that all my brothers age guys are heading out on their missions, So crazy! Good luck to all of you and Just know that you are doing the best thing that you could be doing in this part of your life! I love you all!!

 Elder Liljenquist  ADDDIIIOOOOOSSSS

 

March 10, 2014

Hey Family!!

How is everyone! I miss all of you like crazy! It was a pretty good week this week! We have been working pretty hard in our area! And especially with our investigators. It has been another up and down week! So many good things but also a couple things that sucked! Haha.. the weather this past week was another hot one! haha.. The rainy season here is offically over and all the people can talk about is how hot it is going to get! Its kinda funny. They all complain so much about the heat! And when it was cold, they were all crying for the sun to come out! Haha... Who knows what they want!

We have been working a ton with they family that I talked to you guys about the last week. The mom's name is Shabata… haha. And she has 3 boys and a husband that is mas or menos interested! But they are a great family! The oldest boy who is my age, is not that interested either! But we have been working with him. The part that's good is that he has the hots for one of the young women in the ward! haha. So, I mean if that's the way he comes to church ,it's alright with me;) haha. The mom is really progressing well. We presented the B.O.M. She accepted it and we explained everything about it to them. Yesterday the mom came to church but none of the family came with her. Looks like I am gonna have to start taking the young women out to work with us so her sons will come!! 

We are still working with Claudia and her family, It looks like that it's not going to work out and thats what I am the most afraid of. They are moving, but that's not really the problem, She still is not married to her husband and doesn't have any plans to get married to him! Gosh! I dont understand! Her daughter ( who we thought was just sick) is pregnant again!! She is 17 and is going to have 2 kids. And Emanuel moved out of the house and is working all the time. I love this family, They just have a lot of things going on inside the house that needs to be changed. It's just when they realize that we can't make them change. 

I have been trying really hard just to do the things that I need to be doing this past week. We have been working in this area for a little more than 2 and 1/2 months and not seen much progress. And it sucks! The members here are great and it's a good area in that aspect! But in this area, I feel that the people are a lot more closed than any other of my areas that I have had! I have also had a ton of hard things happen in this area. But I feel more than anything that it has helped me grow, I (like my Dad) get really stressed when things aren't going well, and I will push myself and go and go and go until I am completley out of gas. I am almost positive that's why I had a surgery here in Mexico, But the members here have noticed. And a sister in the ward shared a scripture with me in Mosiah 4 27 (my favorite scripture) that there is an order for everything and we can't run faster than our strength permits us to. I hope that we can all understand this concept. I love all of you!!

Elder Liljenquist

March 3, 2014

Hey Family! 

Well it has been another week. I can not believe how fast the weeks are going. I feel like every time that I blink, it's a new month! Well it has been a better week here in Parrilla! I feel like so much has turned around for us here! The weather just keeps getting hotter and hotter! We were in the high 90s all week this week! It was so hot! And they say that this heat was nothing compared to what is coming! Super Pumped!!!

We have been working a lot better with our ward members and with the references that they have given us. It has made all of the difference in the world! It has made me realize that we can not do this work by ourselves! We need the help of the members here to be able to push this work along!  We have been able to find some new investigators this week. We found a new family that is really great! I have gotten along awesome with them, It's a family of 5 with all boys. So that's probably why I get along really well with them! They don't belong to any church and they say that they are looking for one to go to! 

This past Thursday, we had a Seventy come and give us a conference. It was really good. Elder Vansuela came and spoke to us about the work and all the new things that the 12 and the first Presidency want to be changed! They told us that the baptisms for this mission are super low. And that the Lord expects more from us! It's really got me motivated to start working so much harder than I am! He spoke a lot about knowing the scriptures and that we should use them in every single one of our lessons. They really want us to grow more in the scriptures and to always have them memorized and to use them always! He also spoke that us as missionaries need to go and teach the members of our wards!

It has been a much better week! The roller coaster keeps moving! It's going to so fast! I miss all of you so much! And I love You all!!!

Elder Liljenquist