Humbling Week

Hey Mother!

Just want to share with you that this week has been a really humbling week for me! All that I have done I have done for others in ways that I never would have imagined that I would do! Now I am Zone Leader... and this week has been crazy getting to know my area and my zone!

But this week was crazy! I will start from the beginning to you can understand all of it.

Well Tuesday we had changes! And now I have a new companion! His name is Elder Niño! He is the funniest guy I know! We hit it off really well! But that same day we went to visit people that day also! I was soo lost! We live right next to the Stake Center!!

But Wednesday was a little better! We taught and I got to know some members!

Thursday was amazing!!! We had a special training with Elder Bednar! His training was amazing! I learned to much about myself and about how to treat other people like Agentes and not objects! I will never forget that experience! I also saw Elder Wallace (Note from Mom--this is a Sparta soccer teammate)! We had the training with the East Mission!! 

Friday and Saturday.... were the most stressful days I have had in a while! We had to go the building were we had to take out the birth certificates of the people that are going to get married! And we also had to help some sister in the zone move! And we had to store all of their things in our room

We had a baptism this Saturday! It was soo crazy! We had to do so much to prepare everything! And something funny that happened is that we had to return to our room to pick up something last minute! And we were in our room and I look down at the shoes of Elder Niño and he had his dress shoe and a sneaker on. I asked him what happened to his other shoe half laughing. And we just burst out laughing I was on the ground laughing so much! 

We have also bee doing lots of interviews with people who are going to get baptized--lots of divisions! 

Elder Spencer

Baptisms!!!!

Mother! 

Well today we will find out who will stay and who will leave! We think that my comp is going to go! He has 6 months here in this area! He is dying! And we think that I am going to train a newbie...again. What a privilege.  But no I am excited to see what happens! I need a change! 

But this week we are going to receive a training by Elder Bednar! That is right Elder Bednar! The 27th! I am soo excited! 

But hey enough about that! This week was awesome! Full of stories and BAPTISMS!!! 

Well to start off, one of the things that happened to us we have to back to the future like the movie... hehe.. But we contacted a lady like 3 weeks ago.. and this week we finally found her and her pareja (boyfriend). We were teaching the First Lesson like always and we invited them to baptism. They said that they would love to! And after we explained that to arrive to that point we need to keep all the commandments of God! And we explained marriage. They said that they would be willing to get married also!!! That was soo awesome to see two people with the same mindset and goals to build a family! 

We had a work visit this week with the Zone Leaders. It was the worst visit that I have ever had with them. I don't know if is it just me or what but whenever they want to do a work visit everything that could go wrong does go wrong! Almost all the the lessons fell through I was walking aimlessly through the street contacting and teaching. It was a very interesting experience. 

Well we also had some baptism this Saturday! Which was awesome! 4 people got baptized. My whole district baptized this month! And we and the sisters still have people that we are going to baptized the 29th! 

Hope you are all well! 

If I can I will send pictures of the baptisms!! 

Elder Spencer 

Baptisms!

Week Exitoso (Successful Week)!

Successful week! 

This week has been one of the best here so far! UGhh so many things to say and so little time! But I will start with the person that is going to get baptized! She is amazing she loves it when we come over and teach her! She has such big heart! We convinced her husband to come to the baptism this Saturday! He said he would go without fail! ;) We are also in cahoots with him! He are planning on inviting him to baptism this coming week! He just doesn't know it yet!! 

We are also in cahoots with a young lady! She has all the desires that a person need to get baptized! And also we are talking with the father and the mother of the two girls that got baptized a while back! Their mom wants to get baptized! But she wants to get baptized with her husband! And she is trying to convince him!!! 

Well we have been here in my area working soo hard! I can't believe that all this time has passed already! Wow where does the time go!! I don't have my USB with me so I can't send pictures! But we have been teaching sooo much! This week we were able to shoot the goal of lessons by 8! It was awesome! I feel as if everything is coming naturally now! 

I am adjusted hard core here! Everything for me is normal! Sometimes there is something strange but I am used to it! And with the language.... oh my don't get me started... my English is just down right terrible. Well not terrible.. but yes terrible. I can talk English but it is more comfortable for me to talk in Spanish! I know that is weird! 

But hey what can you do!! 

I know that what I am doing is the right thing! Even though sometimes I don't want to... because I will be honest! It is hard! But through these times I think about the JOY of God! And How great He is! And will be forever! That He will always love us no matter what! And helping everyone see that is the best blessing that you could ask for! 

Today we are going to eat in a restaurant for Pday! THanks for all the people that read this and also for all the prayers that you send my way! I feel them! 

Elder Spencer 

Grateful to Serve

This email is going to really short but I will try and put a lot into it! 

This week has been great! I know that God is helping us in all that we do. We have been teaching lots of people. And we are helping lots of families return to the Church. Specifically we are helping a family that their Dad is not a member and he has come for the past 2 weeks! We are excited to see what happens with him in the end!!! 

We have been contacting a lot recently! I feel like our efforts are being strengthened everyday that we do the will of the Lord! I am so grateful to the Lord for giving me this chance to serve! And if it be his will I will continue! I know we wants us all to continue pressing forward! But we also have to put in our part! I know He can help each and everyone of us fulfill what we need to do! 

I am grateful for this time the Lord has given me to devote myself completely to him! 

Elder Spencer 

Broken Bridges were Rebuilt

Mother,

This week has been so great! Full of experiences and full of the Spirit! 

This week we have been teaching a lot. But lets rewind for a bit... Last week we were teaching really well. But sadly the people didn't understand or something and we invited tons of people to attend church with us. And what do we get.... nothing. 

I was feeling a little bit discouraged with the outcome. That was the first time that I had experienced such a thing. I felt that I had failed God in a way not bring anyone to His Church. I felt that I wasn't doing everything that I could do to help the people understand. I started the last week a little discouraged. I was like a broken bridge I couldn't see a way to get a across to conquer this problem. 

But then I started reading The Book of Mormon. I really started to ponder and write down my feeling and thoughts and inspirations that came to me last week. I started then to read in Alma 43. In verse 4 it says that they were preparing themselves for the war. I started to ask myself. Am I prepared? And how could I prepare myself?  in the 17th verse it hit my that I need to be like Moroni and take charge of the situation that was happening. I started to read how they prepared themselves. They put on amour and wanted to defend everything they had unto the shedding of blood. 

This chapter really helped me see how prepared I thought I was. And through out the week I could see tiny miracles as the people started to be a little be more receptive to the message. 

And this week in Church.... They came!! And a message in church really hit me. A returned missionary said, ''When we are obedient we bring blessing into our lives but when we do it with EXACTNESS we can perform miracles''  I love that phrase! 

We also had the privilege to go to the temple this past week! Wow so beautiful! The experience was sooo personal! I loved every second of it! 

Elder Spencer 

Crazy Week!

Well this week has been a crazy roller coaster!! They are so many things to say but not much time to say it all. 

Well to start off, We have found 5 families that want to hear and learn about the Gospel! (That is what they say anyway) But we have been working soooo hard here in my area completing with the goals that we set. And at the same time helping the District and the Zone and Mission progress to build up Zion here in Peru.

This week we have been able to teach a lot of people and help them feel the spirit. But the highlight of the week was by far the 3 baptisms that we had this Saturday! I know that this letter is really short and doesn't have a lot of details but I just wanted to let you know that my perspective of the Gospel have been changing for the better to help the people feel the love of God through His Holy Spirit. 

The fellow who got baptized is in the middle. 

Faith Discovery

Just want to express my thanks to all of your prayers. Each day I feel them. I know that God is watching over each one of us to put us in the best situations to be able to be successful in this life. 

Well this week I have been studying a lot. I have been able to understand a lot more about the Gospel. The gospel  can enter in the hearts of the people and help them feel that God wants them to follow his teachings. I really recognized this when I was reading in Alma 32 earlier this week.

Alma 32:8  

I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.

This first scripture is really short but really powerful for me. If we submit ourselves to the will of God we will be blessed. We all know this Chapter when Alma is preaching to his town and he is helping them gain faith to praise God not only in their temples but in all places. First, the people in the town were forced to do this. He then says, 

Alma 32: 16

Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.

He then helps us to understand the faith. That it is not having a perfect knowledge. He then compares Faith to a seed. That is if we plant it and nurtuer it, it will grow. 

But what will we recieve? 

Alma 32:28

...it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

And even though the good seed has grown inside of us he says somthing very profound...   

Alma 32:29

Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

He helps us and know HOW to take care of the seed once it is planted.

41.But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

 42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

Apart from this we have been able to set a date with our Investigator that is going to get baptized this Saturday! And we also have to baptize a member again because his information wasn't found.! Pictures soon! Love you all. 

Elder Spencer