March 30th Ready for Conference!

Quien cree que marzo ya se va a acabar? yo... pues casi no pero que puedo hacer? ni modo...

WHO IS READY FOR CONFERENCE????!?!?!?!? I am :) and also some investigators que están con ganas!!!! (that just sounds a lot better in Spanish) We were in the Gospel Principles class with M_, her son F_, and L_ ( a new investigator they found this week while I was in a different area for divisions) and we were talking about Prophets and how there are prophets today and I started to mention general conference and that it is going to happen this week and M_ had already whipped out her notebook and was copying down the times of the sessions and when I told her that the session at 6 was only for men she looked kinda disappointed.... :/ ha ha she was so excited :) She is really into the whole true church thing :) I just get happy thinking about how she was in class and being there at church and everything :) Her son F_ is alright but not nearly as excited as she is. M_ is like 40 something I think, maybe a little older, she has 6 kids but only three live there with her, C_, D_, and F_. The others are older and married and all that jazz. Their ages are 6, 18, 16 respectively.  C_ always goes with his mom and is just a funny little kid, he is always drawing like deluxe stick figures of me or my comp or whoever else is around and well just a great little guy :) me cae muy bien.

This week I didn't really get to work in our area very much because of my trip to Tampico (I went in one of the nicest buses I have ever seen, like better than first class in an airplane) and we also had divisions twice so it was kinda weird but this week I will be here for the whole week so we will be able to work well :)

A little bit about L_, I don't really know her but she showed up to the church like a half hour early (not because she thought it started that early) and when it all finished she asked my companion "so you are going to come visit me tomorrow right?" so she is pretty excited too. She is the daughter of an investigator that we already had but she just started living with her mother because she was living in a different city or something but now is there with her and we have an appointment with her and we are going to see how it goes :)

C_, well we are going to kinda leave him in the hands of the members for now, he didn't show up to church so well, I think he just needs a little bit of time to get everything all figured out.

Well that is a little about this week I hope you enjoy reading it and I think we will have a recording next week... I love you all :) BYE!

-Elder Sampson

p.s. Do all you can to be ready for conference so you can find the answers that you need in this moment, they will all be there for sure!!! :) Isn't it just great to be in the true church? :)

March 23rd 2 Investigators at Church!

Pues, estoy cumpliendo otro mes en la mision... es un poco raro pensarlo...

Pues, Elder Mendez y yo pudimos trabajar muy bien esta semana :) nos estamos conociendo un poquito mejor y nos llevamos bien.

Algunas noticias de la semana.  Encontramos a 16 nuevos, trabajamos más con los miembros y tuvimos 2 investigadores en la capilla!  Ahorita estoy muy animado. La hermana M___ C___ está con ganas!! Asistió a la iglesia con su niño C___ y pues está muy animada :) nos contó una experiencia que le hace pensar que la iglesia es la verdadera :) hace algunos años estaba con sus hijos y alguien estaba en la calle vendiendo cacahuates y salieron a comprar algunos. Ella empezó a hablar con el señor que estaba vendiendo y platican de Dios y ella hace la pregunta ¿cual es la iglesia verdadera? y el señor dice, "la que está allí bajando la loma." Resulta que hay dos iglesias en este lugar, una capilla de nosotros y una iglesia catolica... pero ella nos dijo que sabe que no es la catolica y cree que es la de nosotros :) hay una hermana que nos ayuda con las lecciones con M__ y su familia y después de enseñarles de la gran apostacía y la restauración pregunté a la hermana ¿como ve a ellos? y me contesta "sí," "pero, ¿sí que?" "sí se van a bautizar." :) :) :) me hizo muy feliz cuando me dijo eso porque lo estaba pensando y estaba aun más feliz cuando llegó a la capilla :) (jajaja pues no la ví cuando llegó pero después cuando me di cuenta :) )

La otra persona quien llegó fue C___  el... no quiere aceptar una fecha aun pero está asistiendo entonces es algo... :) vamos a seguir trabajando con el y todo pero ahorita estoy más animado por M_ y sus hijos (aunque no asistieron...)

Well that's all I've got for now... Love y'all :)

-Elder Sampson

Translation

Well I am completing another month in the mission and its a little weird to think about...

So Elder Mendez and I worked really well this week.  We are getting to know each other a little more and we get along well.

Some things that happened this week... We found 16 new investigators, we worked more with the members and we had 2 investigators at church! Right now I am really excited. The sister M_ is very excited!!  She attended church with her son C_ and he is very excited.  She told us about an experience that started to make her think that the church is true.  A few years ago she was with her kids and someone was in the street selling peanuts and they left to buy some.  She started to talk with the man that was selling and they talked about God and she put out the question "which is the true church?" and the man said, "the one over there down the hill."  Turns out there are two churches there, one that is ours and one catholic...but she told us that she knows that it is not the catholic and believes that it is our church.  There is a sister that helps us with the discussions with M_and her family and after we taught them about the apostacy and restoration,  I asked the sister, "what do you think of them?" and she answered, "yeah" but "yeah What?" "Yeah they are going to get baptized" :)
That made me really happy when she told me that because I was thinking the same thing and I what made me even more happy was when she came to church:) (ha ha because I didn't see her when she got there but after when I realized it:)

The other person that came was C_, he doesn't want to accept a date to get baptized but he keeps coming so that's something:) We are going to keep working with him and all but right now I'm more excited about M_ and her children (even though they didn't attend church...)

March 17th New Companion

Hello.... as I am sure you all guessed, we had transfers yesterday.... and well... se fue Elder Naylor... :/ pues está bien pero nos llevábamos muy bien... es un gran amigo y misionero también. But yes, he is gone now... well serving in another area. And now... my new companion is Elder Mendez!!! I actually already knew him, we were in the same ward in Mante so it's kinda interesting to be his companion now.   He is from Monterrey and so is only like 3 hours away from his house by bus.  That would be so weird... I think we are going to get along pretty well and all that so it's all good.  I will send a pic.

Anyways, this last week was good by way of having lessons and stuff but nobody showed up to church with us other than a new family that is super great!!! The only thing that kills me about them is that... they live in a different area... and so... we won't be able to baptize them and we have to pass the teaching off to some other elders... funny story about finding them... :) we got a message from the mission offices,"NEW REFERENCE" so we were thinking, "well that's cool let's go find 'em :)" so we go to the address and..... it's a bar... ha ha how funny, pulling practical jokes on the missionaries... anyways... REFERENCIA contactada,  bien hecho elderes! That was like 2 and a half weeks ago. Then one night we get a call from the offices. "Hey we have a reference for you guys," "That's great! who is it?" "M__ R___" "a poco... ya contactamos esa referencia, es un bar." "en serio?" "sí....." " pues marquele! aquí está su numero" so we call him up and ask him where he lives.  Turns out he works in front of the bar in a car wash and it actually has the same address as the bar, you've gotta love the organization in Mexico, it's great :) 

 

So we go and talk to him and find out that he has a friend that lives in Utah right now that invited him to attend the ward where he lives.  He tells us, "well I'm going to go with you on Sunday and bring my whole family" YES!!! it all  sounds great when they say that but sometimes there is a little doubt, I know I need to have a little more faith, its just that because I have heard that a whole lot but I hardly ever see it:/  and then on Sunday... we were there in the Chapel and all of the sudden I see some movement of the members by the doors... and.... They walked in!!!! It was so cool! I just felt good :) but that is also what kills me... they are going to go to a different ward and we won't be able to teach them because they actually live one street away from our area, it's just that the brother happens to work in our area... I know it shouldn't affect me very much because they will still be learning about our Savior and progressing espiritually as a family... I just wanted to be there with them helping them along... but what can ya do? nada.  I am really excited for them :) and we will just have to find other families to teach. 

 

Well that's an experience that we had this last week :) Another that we had with J___ , he didn't go to church but... we did notice a little change in him from the last time we talked... he didn't mention his work :)  He is always complaining and doubting the church because when he got baptized he thought he would have a lot of work and that the Lord was going to bless him in that way but that didn't happen so he doubts that it is all true, but what happened this time was that he didn't even mention it once! It's a good sign I think :) we will see how it goes for him this week.

Well I don't have much more time so I'll just wrap it up but... I love you all and I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Sampson

March 9th 11 New Investigators

Hello everybody!

Well, This week it was a little sad because we didn't have anybody with us in the church with us.... (one of our really good investigators was sick.... and no one else we were waiting for showed up...) but.... the up side is.... We found 11 new investigators this week!!! yay... more people to teach :) it was pretty cool... we found two families and then some other people.  I have some high hopes for these nuevos we have because they are all pretty great.  We are going to see what we can do to help them to come unto Christ :) 

There is this less active recent convert here that just makes me frustrated.... His name is J__.  The thing is that we teach him really great lessons ( I am not bragging, they were pretty good ;) ) and when we are there with him he shows the signs that he might be starting to change and then.... We talk to him again. He has gone back to his old ways of thinking and changes what we said to his convenience and we have to basically start over again helping him build his faith ( he says that he isn't sure if God exists and thinks that life after death is just one big lie that the scriptures tell....) it is kinda hard to work with him... We left some pretty good challenges with him that if he completes them... well it should help him. We had an interesting experience the last lesson we had with him... I felt like I was inspired to share a scripture with him and the questions we asked him really should help him think about what he is doing and all that but we will see what he has been up to the next time we talk to him. I get frustrated because I just want to help him and when we are there I feel so good about how it goes and then we see him again and it just didn't work out how I would like or how it should've... oh well... I really hope we can help him increase his faith.

Other teaching experiences... we were teaching another family and well, they go to a different church and are good, rational people that will think about the things we teach them and make good comments and actually respond to questions. It was a good experience teaching them and I think it went really well :)

Well that was a little bit about some of the lessons we had... I am about out of time so... I will write you next week.  I love y'all! bye!

-Elder Sampson :)

March 2nd Conocza a los Mormones

Orales.... Pues... Ya es marzo...

The time goes by so fast sometimes!!! It is really weird to think that it is already march... Just so y'all know, I (finally) made another recording! you all kept asking and so... I made one but it is actually a two parter so you should all be doubly excited!!! Apologies to those that don't speak Spanish.... it is all in spanish... But don't worry, there are people around that can translate so... you can ask them :)

In the recording we talk a little about the stake conference we had and the people that were able to accompany us (like Carlos and Juan Ibarra). The Rdz. Perez family wasn't able to come. We were thinking about dropping them for a bit because it seemed liked they had lost a little interest but the last to lessons we had with them might make us keep them on a little longer because they actually read what we left and they were more interested then they had been, and we were able to talk with the dad again, his name is Artemio, because he had work off yesterday. 

 

We have been able to work with the members more and this week I think it will just keep getting better because now they don't have choir practice for the stake conference because... we already had it! :)

Also... Shhhhh... don't tell anyone... but.... We saw a movie Elder Naylor and I... it was really cool :)  We saw............ drum roll please....(that means you Charley).....   CONOCZA A LOS MORMONES!!!!! It was great :) it was actually showing in theaters in Tampico and other places that have theaters Cinemex but here in Victoria there isn't one of those so we saw it with all the other missionaries here in Victoria in one of the chapels with a projector... but it was still cool! Wow... I think I have changed a little bit here in the mission because I was almost crying... like three times... :/ ahhhhh what's happening to me!?!?!?!? ;) it's all good, but yes, I really liked that movie, it was pretty sweet :)

Anyways... That's all I've got for now but it was a good week. In my personal study I have been reading in D and C and there are some pretty cool promises and instructions that the Lord gives to missionaries in those sections... from like 60 to 80 there are some cool messages if you want to look for them. Well at least I liked them and those kinds of things keep you going when the going gets a little rough :) I am so grateful for the scriptures and well the Gospel in general :) I know that this message can change lives even if sometimes it is only our own lives that we can change in this moment but I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me and everyone else in this world. One of the messages from the conference was something a seventy said, "if God could give you a message right now he would at least say these three things: "you are the best; I love you so much; and (echale muchas ganas) give it all you´ve got and return home with honor.'" That home that he is talking about there is our Heavenly Home with our Father. I know that is what he wants for all of us and that he is there to help us make it :)  Échenle muchas ganas!!! :) les amo a todos :) Hasta luego!

-Elder Sampson