HAPPY EASTERS!!! (Mexican accent)

My new companion is awesome. We only speak Spanish even though our native language is Swiss. Elder Coulter likes to be clean and obedient! Hot dang! We knocked on a whole lot of doors this week. The area was divided, and we got the half that Elder Juarez and I didn’t work in too much, so it was basically like starting over new, but we are going for it. Elder Coulter is a good worker and we’ve got to set the example for the zone. We are working hard, but it made for a very tiring week as well. You know you’re tired when you fall asleep (I usually call it meditating) in a lesson and studies and Priesthood meeting.

I invite all those who have gotten a little away from the church, or a lot, that they come back. It just is the best thing in the world. Also, for all of those that haven’t entered in, it is the time to do it. This is the way to happiness. It just makes sense. I love you so much!!!

Zone Industrial

Charity is born of the spirit

This week we were talking to a sweet old lady and she started describing the beautiful feeling she felt inside. The spirit was strong and I began to really feel the love that Heavenly Father has for his children. Charity is born of the spirit. I loved feeling it. Another day we watched the testaments with an older couple. They were balling, especially the man. He couldn’t describe what the emotion was inside of him, so we told him it was the spirit and they both accepted dates for baptism. The spirit has so much power to help those we teach. On my end, I really feel more strength, physically and mentally, when I feel the spirit. I love it!

An invitation to all.....

This week we attended a Baptism Extravaganza that President Tervort planned. We rented a small bus and headed with about 12 Elders and the investigators to the Visitor’s Center. After we had a tour and watched a quick movie we made it back to the church and 4 wards in the zone baptized 8 people - we had 2. President Tervort talked and the spirit was just beautiful. There was awesome support from the wards (over 100 people came, 18 or so were investigating). The stake President and leaders were so happy, and I was just as happy. There is nothing sweeter that seeing people change their lives and accept a start to a new life. A life in which one can find true happiness, happiness that lasts much more than this life, happiness in a family that is almost impossible to fathom. I have experienced and have seen the joy that comes from living this gospel and changing every day to be better one. There is no other way to find true peace or happiness. We do have a loving Heavenly Father; Jesus is the Christ, the Son of that loving Father. Christ suffered for us all and then gave His life that we might live. Through His Atonement we can find peace and happiness, we can be strengthened, and in the end, we can obtain an eternal happiness that is not found anywhere else. I love this gospel, which is in Christ, the way, the light, the first and the last, our Savior and Redeemer. This is my testimony and nothing can shake me from it. I know it is true, and it is an invitation to all to know and experience the same joy I have found.

Bread makers to the rescue....

Well, this week was quite sweet. Saturday night I was with a district leader, Elder Barben. He is hilarious and very insistent with the people. We were swapping some chat with some people in a bread shop. A teenager, who was high, came in and gave me an angry look, bought his bread and then began saying some not too nice things about gringos. He gave me a little hit with his bag of bread on the chin and the bread makers all came forward and got him out of there. The cool thing is that the whole time I was just super calm and just felt sorry for the kid. Wrong choices ruin lives and turn people into something they are not meant to be. I just felt sad for him. Elder Barben was about to hit him, but all is well in Zion.

A living prophet of God

Well, I picked out some main points from conference:

*Pres Monson is awesome

*Tithing

*Get married (that’s a little hard to follow for me right now, oh well)

*Priesthood

*Dieter F Uchtdorf texts people about airplanes

*Jeffrey R Holland didn’t swear in this talk or wave an ancient BOM (still good though)

I love, love, love conference. Pres Monson is a prophet of God. You can just feel it. I loved explaining to people what they were going to see if they came - a living prophet of God. I got to tell the people about it and then experience it. I just know this is the true church with the guidance of God through his living prophet. The spirit makes the church a living church and gives us power we’d never have alone. I love it all.