16/10/2017
Date
October 16, 2017
Area
Guayaquil
Companion
Elder Martinez
16/10/2017
Hola Familia y Amigos,
The week has gone well. We have had ups and downs but all for our good. We are working hard to help strengthen God´s kingdom on Earth.
The past week we put several high goals to achieve. We have been working to complete them. We were working hard this week to be able to do it but we fell short. We are not discouraged but we are going to work harder this week. We invited about 10 people to come to church with us but we had 0 come. It was a little sad but the bright side is we know how we can help our investigators. We know they don´t understand the importance of the church attendance and that their testimony will grow as they listen to us. We have been working hard with someone named Johny Tama. He is a 60 year old man. He is recently divorced and his children are all living in Europe. He is looking to start a new phase in his life and remembers when the missionaries passed by his house when he was 16 years old. He accepted our visits and is learning right now. He tells us that he is reading about 30 minutes each night. He has come to church one time with us. He is wanting to receive an answer. I know that the Lord will answer his question to know if this is the true Church and if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He is progressing slowly but is progressing! We need to find a better way to help him. He is such a nice person and has real intent. We will be seeing him taking steps toward baptism soon. We also received a investigator from a different sector. He lives in our sector and was going to get baptised soon. His name is Axel. We will be meeting with his soon and helping him meet his goal. We have been working with someone named Paul and Ana Zoraya. They are interested in being part of the church but it has been difficult to help them carry out reading the Book of Mormon.We have plans to pass by his house and read with him several days a week. We haven´t found too much success working with the members here but what we are going to do is work by our own efforts and with the members. We are going to teach English classes starting this week. We are also doing Family Home Evenings where we invite 5 or 6 families at a time to be a part of it.
Also this week I have learned several things from the scriptures. As we read in Romans 6 we come to understand the symbolism behind baptism. We understand that as Christ did we are no longer subject to sin. The natural man dies and we are born again. It is a death that we do one time because as Hebrews 9 explains that in the past in temple ceremonies it required a sacrifice every year in a special room in the temple. But when Christ came he performed one sacrifice and it was complete or in other words perfect. It was eternal so that we wouldn't be subject to the death of the body and the death of the spirit. As we remember that it was an eternal sacrifice we realize that even as Christ died we promise to be dead to sin when we are baptized. We literally show that we are not going to live in sin but live in righteousness. I love in Spanish when it says in Romans 6:12 "no reine pues el pecado en vuestro cuerpo" or "sin does not reign in your body". Sin doesn't own us. Now the question is does sin still own us?
That question made we think a lot and I reflect a lot on my personal sanctification or my personal righteousness. As we come to understand these doctrines we come to love them, live them, and then teach them. I love learning about these simple doctrines that offer much guidance and much more motivation and meaning to living the gospel. I know that I have a lot to learn and a lot to experience but I want to continue growing spiritually and in knowledge as I read the scriptures.
Scriptures: Romanos 6; Hebreos 9.
Questions:
1. Have you done anything fun for pday? A: Today not really. I got to help in the office a little. We got called in to the office today to help out.
2. Are you still going in and helping in the office a lot? A: Sometimes. I receive a lot of calls from the office asking how to do things. It is often times in the middle of a lesson or personal study :-/
3. Do you feel like you are getting to know your area well yet? A: Sort of... It is gigantic!!! We walk a ton. We are getting to know it better but we still get lost.
4. Have you found a new apartment? A: Yes but we are waiting for President to inspect it.
5. How are your feet doing? A: They hurt :)) I believe that it will be another couple months of bad ingrowns until they finally fix the problem. I am not sure. It doesn't bother me to much.
6. We love and miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A: Love and miss you A LOTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. We love and miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The week has gone well. We have had ups and downs but all for our good. We are working hard to help strengthen God´s kingdom on Earth.
The past week we put several high goals to achieve. We have been working to complete them. We were working hard this week to be able to do it but we fell short. We are not discouraged but we are going to work harder this week. We invited about 10 people to come to church with us but we had 0 come. It was a little sad but the bright side is we know how we can help our investigators. We know they don´t understand the importance of the church attendance and that their testimony will grow as they listen to us. We have been working hard with someone named Johny Tama. He is a 60 year old man. He is recently divorced and his children are all living in Europe. He is looking to start a new phase in his life and remembers when the missionaries passed by his house when he was 16 years old. He accepted our visits and is learning right now. He tells us that he is reading about 30 minutes each night. He has come to church one time with us. He is wanting to receive an answer. I know that the Lord will answer his question to know if this is the true Church and if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He is progressing slowly but is progressing! We need to find a better way to help him. He is such a nice person and has real intent. We will be seeing him taking steps toward baptism soon. We also received a investigator from a different sector. He lives in our sector and was going to get baptised soon. His name is Axel. We will be meeting with his soon and helping him meet his goal. We have been working with someone named Paul and Ana Zoraya. They are interested in being part of the church but it has been difficult to help them carry out reading the Book of Mormon.We have plans to pass by his house and read with him several days a week. We haven´t found too much success working with the members here but what we are going to do is work by our own efforts and with the members. We are going to teach English classes starting this week. We are also doing Family Home Evenings where we invite 5 or 6 families at a time to be a part of it.
Also this week I have learned several things from the scriptures. As we read in Romans 6 we come to understand the symbolism behind baptism. We understand that as Christ did we are no longer subject to sin. The natural man dies and we are born again. It is a death that we do one time because as Hebrews 9 explains that in the past in temple ceremonies it required a sacrifice every year in a special room in the temple. But when Christ came he performed one sacrifice and it was complete or in other words perfect. It was eternal so that we wouldn't be subject to the death of the body and the death of the spirit. As we remember that it was an eternal sacrifice we realize that even as Christ died we promise to be dead to sin when we are baptized. We literally show that we are not going to live in sin but live in righteousness. I love in Spanish when it says in Romans 6:12 "no reine pues el pecado en vuestro cuerpo" or "sin does not reign in your body". Sin doesn't own us. Now the question is does sin still own us?
That question made we think a lot and I reflect a lot on my personal sanctification or my personal righteousness. As we come to understand these doctrines we come to love them, live them, and then teach them. I love learning about these simple doctrines that offer much guidance and much more motivation and meaning to living the gospel. I know that I have a lot to learn and a lot to experience but I want to continue growing spiritually and in knowledge as I read the scriptures.
Scriptures: Romanos 6; Hebreos 9.
Questions:
1. Have you done anything fun for pday? A: Today not really. I got to help in the office a little. We got called in to the office today to help out.
2. Are you still going in and helping in the office a lot? A: Sometimes. I receive a lot of calls from the office asking how to do things. It is often times in the middle of a lesson or personal study :-/
3. Do you feel like you are getting to know your area well yet? A: Sort of... It is gigantic!!! We walk a ton. We are getting to know it better but we still get lost.
4. Have you found a new apartment? A: Yes but we are waiting for President to inspect it.
5. How are your feet doing? A: They hurt :)) I believe that it will be another couple months of bad ingrowns until they finally fix the problem. I am not sure. It doesn't bother me to much.
6. We love and miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A: Love and miss you A LOTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. We love and miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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