Very sick, but it was a really great week

I was sooo sick again last night and this morning. I´m probably losing a ton of weight here in Vallegrande, I think that the food here is really dangerous. I´m just constantly sick here. But it was a really great week. We worked a ton and met tons of new people. In the last two weeks we have found a total of 26 new investigators, meaning new people we met and taught a lesson, and then put a time for another appointment. That is a ton of new people by the way :D We were lacking a bit in people to teach so we put some goals to find new ones and have had tons of success. Well the difficult thing here is to find all these people again. The second lesson is sooooo hard, but if we get that, we for sure will be teaching them a lot. Working with just 3 or 4 is way too little for us here. The assistants hound us for lessons every week. We have to teach a ton :D

Many people here cannot read

My week was really good! We saved a family this week! A family of three that were less actives. They have been coming to church three months straight now! Since I got here we started working with them, and the father, named Limber, finally got a calling as the second counselor of the Elder´s Quorum. He is so excited to work to do activities (soccer), he´s been a huge blessing for us here. So we had a really good week :)

He wants to get the youth activated more than anything! The interesting thing here is that the kids and the youth of my generation are educated pretty well, but so many parents and grandparents here can't even read. It is a bit dificult sometimes to share the Book of Mormon when no one can even read it! Yeah just contacting works the best here, knocking doors :D

It is crazy - 8 months. Time flies!! Have a great week! :)

Search diligently, pray always, and be believing

One of my very favorite scriptures! D&C 90:24 ¨Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if you walk uprightly and remember the covenants wherewith you have covenanted one with another.¨ It´s just so great! Ahh I love the scriptures. Maybe I´ll just study religion and study scriptures forever haha. I have such a strong testimony of how great the blessings are of studying the scriptures daily, truly, ¨feasting upon the words of Christ¨ :) 

Just thought I´d share that today :)

Elder Illanes (my new companion) was born in Santa Cruz, but moved all over the place his whole life. He lived in all the areas of Bolivia at some point, and even in Brazil for a time. He was supposed to go to Venezuela for his mission, and I don´t know if you heard, but they have taken all the missionaries out of that country, and all the missionaries that were supposed to go there were transferred to other missions or just stayed where they were. Elder Illanes is really great though. He has the most incredible stories! He has lived a pretty incredible life to this point. 

I heard there were political uprisings of some sort, and that it wasn't safe for any missionaries to be there. 

Yeah that fell through (baptism). This week was a little rough for us, we had so much hope and good things happening, and it all just seemed to crash down around us this week. It´s been a little cold but not too much. But the cold will return. :D ahhhhhh at church... No just more problems. haha this branch is a bit difficult. but we´re praying! 

Some other personal stuff...

That´s so crazy! I can´t believe Christian Hansen is back! haha that was so fast. Cara's going to chile no? Same place as lyndie! Lyndie is doing good by the way. We write each other every other week or so. :) It´s really fun to write lyndie, we have always been great friends and it's fun since we´re both on a mission right now :D

So we had an emergency transfer, elder cardenas was super sick here in the cold, and he left this last tuesday. My new companion is named Elder Illanes, and he is the best! So awesome. He´s from Bolivia, and we get along so well. I´ll have to send pictures next week.

Oh yes I´m learning lots of great things here hahaha Missionaries are way responsible, it´s a great opportunity for me to prepare to be frugal and smart with what I have :) 

(Josh said something about getting married when he gets home, so I asked him more about it):  Depends on what President Willard tells me as I go home, and what the Spirit says :) I´ll obey. But I think probably pretty fast actually... I´ve thought about it a few times and the thought actually scares me to death, but the counsel normally is that I do it, and yeah it´ll be hard for a while, but as long as I and my future companion are faithful to the Lord, we will be incredibly blessed! I know Dallin got married fast because that was the counsel he received. :D Obedience is key in the work of the Lord ;)

Spiritual Thought of the Week

Here´s the spiritual thought for the week :) also to understand, Tally
gave me a story about how our life is like a car ride where we are in
the passenger seat, the Savior drives.
I think the Savior is teaching me some things. haha not just some
things, exactly the things that I need. I´m starting to realize that
really I´m the investigator here, and Heavenly Father is the master
teacher, teaching me the perfect things I need in my life to be
converted. Giving me companions that show me who I need to become, and
molding me in exactly the way I need. I think of all the faults that I
have, and then see the challenge or blessing God is giving me to
change :) It´s quite amazing. I haven´t really been discouraged, but
thank you so much for the words of courage :) I´ve just been
reflecting a lot on the experiences that I´m having so that I can
change. That´s my ultimate goal, that I can always remain faithful and
happy during whatever challenge that comes my way, and follow the
Lords will in whatever He has planned for me. Heavenly Father is the
best! He loves us so much he kicks our butt so that we can be happy
and strong :D I know I´m being prepared by the Lord for future
service, so I´m happy :) But something that is amazing, is that really
i´ve been seeing so many miracles here. I forgot to mention that last
week haha but really it´s true. So many people are accepting the
Gospel here that I never thought would. Its so beautiful! I have such
faith that really the Lord does His work. We just invite the Spirit
through our obedience and love :) If the Lord doesn´t want me to have
three hundred baptisms, then ok! haha Each and every one of us has a
part to plan in the great plan of Salvation. God calls us to do His
work, it isnt ours. We just go for the ride like you said :) And we
get to decide how enjoyable of a journey it was; did we play games?
Did we laugh together? Did we share the Gospel and Love? That´s what´s
important, and we´ll end up doing exactly what God had planned for us.
:)