I lost a month somewhere.....MOM

(Sorry friends and family the month of December just got away from me. I will give you a quick update from  Dec. I was going to try and catch up but that is to big of a task. I will just highlight each weeks letter:)

 DEC. 2, 2013  

This past week has been pretty great. My companion are continuing to have a lot of success. We haven't, and won't have a baptism this transfer, but the next transfer, who ever is here will have 4 and hopefully more. We are really excited and a little sad, well I am. I'm sad that I'll probably be leaving but excited to have success in a new area. 

So this past Saturday, we went to help a member move some things out of her house. As we were standing outside her little tienda (store), a family walked up to me and wanted me to take a picture with there son, who was about 9 or 10 I think. They said that I, or "greengoes" in general, are famous here in Mexico. They were from another city in our area, so we have plans to go there this Wednesday. It will be difficult because they speak chinantecho. It is a different dialect of Spanish. They speak Spanish there also, but the majority of them speak this other dialect. I heard them speaking it while waiting outside the tienda and well, I just recently am able to understand about 90-95% of Spanish and about 75% on the speaking, and now I'm going to an area where even my companion wont understand.

DEC. 9,2013

I know you are all wondering the same thing. Yes I am being transfered after being here in Tres (3) Valles (Vallies) for 4.5 months. My new area is Buena Vista, Villarica. I'm going to the port! I'm excited and a little sad to be leaving my first area. My new companion is going to be Elder Ramos. I don't know him so I can't really tell you anything about him.

So I forgot to mention about a lesson we had in last weeks letter. Last week we were teaching a girl (13yrs) about the Gospel of Christ. We got to the part of repentance and the girl started crying. She has been weighed down with so much sin and grief that when we started talking abut the ability we have to be cleansed from our sins, she started crying. She gladly accepted a baptismal date. It was a very powerful lesson.

This past friday was the best friday I've had in a long time. We went to the Temple!!! Oh my!!! It was beautiful!!! The spirit was so strong and I have never felt more closer to home. I kept expecting to walk out and see Cole road and I84. I love the Temple so much! I wish we as missionaries could go more than once a year. I encourage you ll to attend the Temple as often as you can. Make it a goal to go once or twice a week. In a world that is so different and dangerous, we can not afford to live without the blessings of the Temple. I promise you, your lives will be filled with the love of Christ and the Lord will bless you abundantly. Go! Just do it!!

Do you believe in Miracles? I do!! If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and he performed miracles in the past, why would he stop performing miracles? as it says in the scriptures, God would cease to be God if this happened. Well I testify to you this day that God is a God of miracles! We had a baptism!!! After 5 nd a half weeks of nothing we had a baptism! The rule is an investigator has to attend church 5 weeks before s/he can be baptised. Well we have 2 investigators with 4 weeks and next sunday would be there 5th. Well one of these investigators  progressed really rapidly and we asked the President for special permission and he granted our request.

DEC.16, 2013

My new area ia a lot smaller. We walk are entire area almost daily. The ward is a lot bigger, which i like. My Companion is super cool and we get a long great! The Zone is a lot bigger also! we have 3 or 4 districts in the zone and each district has 3 companionships or more. 

Thats about it. Love you and I'll write more next week.

DEC.23, 2013

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!! Me encanta esta tiempo. Navidad es un día especial. Es cuando recordamos el nacimiento de nuestro Salvador, Jesucristo.  While i may not be home in Boise and while i may be dreaming of snow and colder weather, the spirit of Christmas can be felt all around the world. Have you noticed how everyone seems to be a little happier this time of year? Even with all the stress of gifts and everything else, people always seem to be happier. Why is that? Spending money on toys that will be played with once and then break or never be used again, how is that fun? While as the saying goes, "Its the thought that counts." lets go a little deeper. The scriptures say when we are serving others, we serve God.  Service can be found when giving a gift out of love and not because you "have to." May we remember to always give with a heart full of love. 

So my new companion is pretty awesome!! He is from Mexico and we get a long great. He is the second chld of 4 and the only male. He plas the drums and likes music just as much as i do. Our area is pretty small but there are a lot of members (60-75). Yes that is a lot here. It's still hot here! I wish we had some snow, but it is close enough to the sea that we get a nice north wind to keep us cool. Its a strong wind too! The member here are very "chido" (cool). I am once again playing th piano in sacrament meeting. I don't mind it but  would like time to practice so my companion and I decided that 2 times a week I could practice for 30-60 minutes. 

Again have a very Merry Christmas!! Love you all!