April 15, 2013

Buena’s Dias Herman’s, Hermanas, Papa, Y Mama,

Ha-ha this was a beautiful week here in Tampa and things are just going to keep getting even better! Yep Manny is getting baptized in May and now so is his son. President has not been able to come with us lately because of transfer preparations but now that that is over he should be coming. Garridos are going a little slower now. They have very catholic backgrounds and it is gonna be a bigger jump than they expected. They also have some family issues (a 22 year old anti-social daughter who does not want them to join who only wants to spend time with them on Sunday), But aside from that the Hermana is starting to really read the Book of Mormon and the father is just swell. However the coolest part is their little daughter named Alexa. She is super smart and loves us! She is 4!! However she sets up all her dolls in her room and teaches them about Joseph Smith and Nephi and Lehi and Alma and how we have to be baptized and repent and how we can be together as families if we are good. On top of that she doesn’t watch little kid movies anymore because she prefers to watch the Book of Mormon stories (the still life pictures with narration) or listen to them on the radio. So her mom and dad are always hearing about Nephi and the barca, Ammon and the brazos, Moroni and the planchas. Pretty cool right?? hahaha She is soo special! Oh she acts out all our family nights too! We once did this activity where I got up and did a little jig singing "Quiero Bailar" and then had everyone try to copy me exactly. Well there is a cough at the beginning so we were always saying "casi hermano! pero no fue perfecto" or "oh so close but it wasn’t perfect. So one day this little girl is

teaching her dolls and doing the jig and everything and her parents walk in on her and somehow they got her to do it later on film so we could all see it! haha It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. As for the transfer calls we just got-- I am staying here for the next 6 weeks and Elder Durrant is staying too but we are getting a third companion who is a new missionary waiting for his visa to Argentina. So we are super excited and get to pick up our baby tomorrow! And my son (Elder Russell) is having a son (training) so I will have a grandson!!!!! Being a ripe old age has its blessings. Now I can spoil the lad and leave him to papa. hahahaha Can’t wait to actually be old!

As for our week we were able to meet and exceed all of our goals except for sacrament... We were somehow just very blessed and things just worked out very very well. However I had the phone when one of our favorite investigators Flavio called and pretty much told me we were a sect and that he could never believe in our church and that he had prayed really hard the night before because we had passed by--and he had a question come to his mind so he set out to find it. Well he called some missionaries that served in Puerto Rico quite a few years ago that had been the ones to start teaching him and to our beautiful luck they have gone off the deep end and are now Baptist pastors, BOTH OF THEM. Well they most kindly led him to much anti-doctrine and many a beautiful website that led him to believe that we are a cult and we have nothing but lies. I graciously took it and kinda told him that if he believed everything on the internet then we would have to come by and show him our horns, and a couple other things people like to say about Mormons. It ended up terribly but he said we could still come by we just couldn’t invite him to church nor talk about the Book of Mormon nor Joseph Smith nor anything like it. So we being called to work with they who are ready and humble of heart and poor in spirit will have to visit him occasionally now. Anyways asides from that we set 6 baptismal dates this week, 4 with the Hernandez family and 2 with Manny and his son. Then we found Isalivett who is super interested and is 11 and now she is reading the Book of Mormon and having her mom read it too! Pretty cool. She understands more than anyone I know. She comes over to the Hernandez home every time we are there so she can learn too. Because her mom is a little less interested. We also met a woman named Diana who has had probably one of the roughest lives I have ever heard of. She is from Mexico and had to go through so many things. I can’t believe she is still normal and believes in God. But it was probably one of the most special opportunities for me to be able to tell her that the message we share brings peace and comfort to those who are willing and ready to hear. She wants to learn soooo bad! She has some awesome stories about crossing the border too. Like after much happening she was alone in the desert bleeding and being chased by a dog when the border patrol lady called off the dog and told her which way to go to make it. She then realized she couldn’t go on any longer not having eaten or had anything to drink in a long time. She said she stretched out her hand and said "God I am in your hands, I cannot do this, carry me please." She said she closed her eyes and felt something guide her. Well she ends up in a city two hours drive from where she was. She had no idea how she got there. Just closed her eyes and pleaded. She then was reunited with her children and able to come here to Florida. She has been through sooo much more. I felt so much love and caught another glimpse of what the Savior had to suffer there in the garden as He performed the infinite atonement. We also just got introduced to a new Cuban family who was referred to us by a member. They had been really looking for a church and when Enrique (the son of the member) came to their house they asked what religion he was. He told them Mormon so the dad went online and found much info and then proceeded to ask Enrique who clarified some of it, The dad went back to the internet and then the next day or 2 we show up and for some reason I felt inspired to tell them we don’t believe in more than one wife and that we don’t worship Joseph Smith. We then gave him a mormon.org card and told him to go there without knowing about any of this. He was super grateful and super excited to know more about us. They asked us to help move some things but that they would then love to have us over to teach. So super cool experience eh? The member called and told us that later that night. But asides from that we had some great lessons and a couple other cool experiences that have really helped settle me for the last full transfer before the extension. I am super excited and I love this work.

Hope you guys are all having lots of fun and getting ready because I am coming home soon!!! I love you with all my heart or as the Spanish say "con todo mi corazon!"

LOVE, ELDER OLIVER