Working with Members

Dear Family,

Wow, it was great to hear from all of you! And it was great to see the pictures from your adventure Mom and Dad! I am a little jealous! Ha ha naahhh, who am I kidding?! You guys should be the ones that are jealous! Because I'm in paradise over here serving the Lord! I love my mission so much!

Okay, onto my weekly letter! Well, first off it started off a little scary because last Monday on the news they were reporting a big earthquake to happen Wednesday, but that it could happen any day during the week. So that scared us a little and our district leader called us to tell us to prepare 72 hour emergency kits just for safety. So we got everything prepared and were ready! We continued on with the day and week just waiting. About every house we stopped by they were all watching the news and everyone was telling us to be careful this week with the predicted earthquake. My companion has experienced a couple earthquakes before and he told me some of the signs of when an earthquake will happen and how we can recognize the signs with the weather and everything. One thing that he told me and other members is that when they know a earthquake is about to happen they will cut all the lights in the city for more safety. So! with this knowledge I felt pretty prepared and we continued on with the week until we got to Tuesday in the night . . .we were walking and then . . . pow! All the lights in our city went out!!!! I thought it was the same sign that my companion taught me so I started freaking out a little bit and was squeezing my companion and asking him over and over what we should do!! Ha ha, but it's okay everyone! It was a false alarm! Ha ha, the lights went out because the police were looking for someone and there was a helicopter going around looking and using night vision to look for the people! so yea! You could say I had a bit of a panic attack! But it's alright! Ha ha, but since they cut the lights we couldn't work anymore so we were in the church the whole night basically.

Now onto to our lessons! Monday we taught the family Basso who are less actives that we found working with the registry of members and we were trying to teach them about the Restoration, but their daughter was really obnoxious and loud and it was hard to teach with the Spirit. But we had an awesome experience! Right when my companion started to recite the words of the First Vision it went completely silent! Everyone was paying attention and was listening. Right when he started with the First Vision if was as if we got hit by a brick wall by the Spirit! It was such a cool experience! I know that the Restoration happened! I know Joseph Smith prayed and restored the gospel! And I know the biggest and most powerful tool we have is the Book of Mormon and the First Vision! I know that Satan will try everything to distract people, but the power of the First Vision is unbreakable! I love the Restoration and the Book of Mormon!

Tuesday we did a lot of contacting trying to look for less actives. We have the list of members which is about 1000 and right now we only have 89 people attending. So there are a ton of less actives. That is probably one of the saddest things I see in my mission--to meet someone and to see that they have forgotten completely about this grand gospel that we have and how they came to know but they completely forgot and don't or can't recognize the spirit anymore in their lives. I know this mission isn't a high baptizing mission, but I love the opportunity to see someone come to recognize Jesus Christ and to feel the Spirit again in their lives!

Wednesday we had no lessons and it was a hard day. We are still struggling on finding new investigators so we decided to go visit the members. We visited and taught the presidencies of the Young Women, Young Men, Primary, and Relief Society. It was great to motivate them to work with us!" We received a lot of referrals that day! So that day and a little bit of Thursday were basically dedicated to the members!

Friday was another day with helping the members. There was an activity planned for Friday to have a ward dance, but the member in charge did not come prepared! He called us in the afternoon and we helped him the whole day prepare for the activity! At the end of the day I was exhausted!! We made about 1000 sandwiches and cooked a lot of meats and we decorated the church. It was great to be there with the other members and the strengthen our relationship with them! We all feel really comfortable with all our members now! And we have their trust!

Saturday was an awesome day because I finished the Book of Mormon this time. I completed the Book of Mormon another time in my first sector, but I was reading back and forth in English and Spanish. But Saturday I finished the Book of Mormon again, but this time completely in Spanish! It was incredible! I love the Book of Mormon soooo much! I know it is the word of God! It is incredible to me to know that we have such a loving Heavenly Father who lets us read and receive revelation throughout his holy scriptures! I know this gospel and the Book of Mormon are the word of God without a doubt!

Also, we had a district activity to watch the movie of the life of Thomas S. Monson with our investigators at our church! It was awesome!!!  

Yesterday was the highlight of the last week! I know we have been struggling with finding new investigators and so after the transfers meeting (which, no, I don't have transfers woo hoo) we returned to our sector and as we were walking in the street I was thinking about Preach My Gospel and about Chapter 9 on how to find new investigators and right then I got an impression in my mind of the title in the chapter of Talk with Everyone. I then looked around and to our left there was a group of 7 young adults about in their 20s. My first thought was to not talk with them because they are in their partying years and looked liked it too! But I knew that we had to talk with everyone! So after passing them I got the impression again and decided to follow through with it and we turned around and started to talk with them! And they were the most receptive contacts I have ever made in my mission!!! It was awesome! We basically taught all 7 of them the Restoration in the park. We started off just telling them that we are missionaries and we share a message about the Restoration of the Gospel. And then one of the women looked up and was really surprised and asked us, ´´what do you mean restored?´´ And from that point we taught them the Restoration and it was awesome! They were all listening and were all asking really great questions! 

And they told us that they don't have everyone in their ´´hangout group´´ with them at that point and that normally they all meet there at the park. We set an appointment with them for Friday and they are going to invite all their other friends too! It was a confirmation to my testimony to always, always, always!! listen to the still small voice! I know maybe that not all of them will continue with the lesson, but I know we will find at least one new investigators with them! I'm so excited! I know if we really listen to the Holy Ghost we can be guided to follow God's Plan! I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost in my life!

And another thing that happened Sunday was that we taught Javiera and her less active mom, Claudia. Every time we go over they are never really sure if they want to continue listening to us and we never really knew why. This time we were really direct with them to find out the why. And between our lessons their neighbors molest them and argue with them and try to convince them that the Mormons are bad and from the devil. They tried to changed their minds of what is most important. It is sad to know that people are so against this great and true Church. We reassured them that in the course of our lessons they will receive hard trials because they are becoming closer and closer to their Heavenly Father and that every time when someone is drawing closer to God, Satan wants you to go the opposite direction and will try everything to make it not possible. It was a great lesson! And normally we always have a hard time with Javiera to pray, but after explaining this and promising them a ton of blessings and raising their desire, we asked her to pray and she asked us, ´´When?´´ And my companion told her, "When you want to," which normally if you responded with that response they won't pray right then and there, but I know the spirit was strong and she just looked up with a smile and said, ´´okay right now, Dear Heavenly Father . . . . ´´ Ha ha, it was awesome to see her pray! She is progressing really well right now!

Also before I end my letter, I talked with the elders in Padre Hurtado and they gave me a letter from Valery, my golden investigator, and she wrote and told me that she is going to get baptized! She isn't going to tell her parents because they are really against it, but she knows it's the right way and she also said she is reading ´´Our Legacy´´ about the life of Joseph Smith and is reading in 2nd Nephi 23 right now in the Book of Mormon!!! She is awesome! I wrote president today to ask for permission to attend the baptism service! Let's hope and see!

Thanks for everything! I love you all! I am ready to start another transfer with my son! We are doing a ton of work and I love every minute of it!

Love,

Elder Cowan