He communicates to us today!

What another great week! Every week seems to go faster and faster. It has been raining almost every day this last week which has been really nice prepared to the 100 degree weather. We drove down to San Antonio again this week for exchanges with the Assistance. I was able to go serve with Elder Hanson for the day and we taught several lessons with people on the street and also had a couple set lessons. We had great success and had a lot of fun. I learned so much from him and he helped me work on several different things including having greater street contacts. He is a powerful teacher and I am grateful for the time that I had to learn from him. During our last lesson of the night with a recent convert aged 18 we asked him what he thought when we the missionaries first shared with him that we have a living prophet on the earth today. He said that it was something he had thought about before and he knew that it was true because he always knew that God would not leave us alone but that he would still continue to communicate to us today. What a great blessing it is that we have the opportunity everyday to tell people that God has continued to show his love to us by speaking his word through a living prophet. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, seer, and revelator.

The rains came down!

The trio is done. Elder Arroyo got picked up by the assistance on Friday and his parents came and picked him up today. Back to only 1 companion. Funny how Elder Arroyo is now my only companion who is home and the rest of them including my trainer our still out here serving. He was a great Elder and I was glad that I got to serve with him for a couple weeks.

Friday as we were out visiting people with a priest it was about 106 degrees and then starting Saturday morning it hasn't stopped raining and has cooled down a lot. It is a miracle to have it cool and rainy in the middle of August in Texas. I'm enjoying while I can because it won't last to long.

"Each one of us has a part to play, and no matter how small or how insignificant you think your part is, it matters to the whole.  We have something very important to do.  We were born to lead and change the world."

Trust the Spirit!

On Friday we had a meeting in San Antonio with President Polley. The topic that was talked about during the meeting was the importance of the spirit in our missionary efforts. He helped us understand the importance of the spirit in conversion. Also he shared with us how to use the Book of Mormon to share with others the feelings that the spirit has had as they have kept those commitments that we extend. I have been able to put all my trust on the spirit as I preach, find, and study.




On Saturday and Sunday we had a couple priests come out with us and come to lessons. It is amazing how involved the three wards that I am serving in are. One of the priest is named Logan and we visited another priest age young man named Ben who has been coming to church but is struggling and wont commit to baptism. Ben and his 14 year old sister keep every commitment we extend besides being baptized. they are both very shy and we have tried to bring fellowship over but it hasn't seemed to help. There father is the only member and he is very strong in the church and the wife is a catholic and wont even come out of her room when we are over. We have decided to visit them a little less then we have been but we will continue to pray that there hearts will be softened as they continue to pray and have family home evening.

We saw another miracle this Sunday that strengthened my testimony of how God is always preparing people to receive the fullness of the everlasting gospel. Right before our first sacrament meeting a Spanish speaking lady walked into the church. Luckily here in Texas we have several members that speak Spanish so they were able to talk with her. She just recently moved here to Texas from Cuba and has been trying to find a church to go to for her and the family members that she is staying with. Earlier during last week she was with her grandson as he was skateboarding in our church parking lot and she went up to the glass doors and was looking at the times that church starts. While she was looking at the door one of our Spanish speaking members pulls up to the church parking lot and was able to talk with her for a little bit about church. So on Sunday she came to church and she got up and was able to bear her testimony in Spanish while another lady translated for her. She mentioned in her testimony how she was a preacher while in Cuba but how she has felt the spirit so strongly in this meeting. We were able to send her info to the Spanish speaking missionary in the stake and they will now be able to teach her and her family and hopefully be able to have them baptized and in a year sealed together in the temple.

We been able to continue to work with the Marquez family. We had a family home evening with them a week ago and then stopped by another time this week and spoke with the father about the priesthood. They came to church again and the father is excited to work towards receiving the higher priesthood and will soon be able to baptize his 9 year old son. The mother is still not to interested but she has opened up a lot more lately and I'm sure that as she continues to see the joy that her husband and also kids have as they go to church that she will continue to join and follow in there footsteps. They truly are such a wonderful family and we always have such a great time teaching them and helping them draw closer to Christ.

This will be my last week in a trio as Elder Arroyo will be going home soon. It will soon just be me and my second cousin Elder Biesinger putting in the work here in Pflugerville.

"The course of our lives is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day-to-day choices which chart the track on which we run."

Wonderful Area!

It was hard saying goodbye to 6th ward and Alamo Ranch and the people that we were working with their. That area should have about four baptism coming up in the next two months . I was so blessed to have served there and I was able to do all that I could to help each of those wards grow. The last night we had a lesson with Marta and she told us that she will live the word of wisdom. She has progressed so much over the last couple weeks and said that she was ready to be baptized. I was also able to say goodbye to the Baker family and I wish I could go down to be there for each of their baptisms but I cant since I am so far away now.

Pflugerville is great! I have really enjoyed my last week in this wonderful area. Being able to be in a trio with two very experienced and great Elders has been great. I am learning so much from each of them as they are powerful teachers and know how to find many people through member missionary work and also from contacts. One of the missionaries goes home in about two weeks and then it will be just me and Elder Biesinger my second cousin. It has been weird driving after a little over a year of not driving. I still haven't lost my great driving skills. My apartment is nice and big.  We live across the street from the Pflugerville high school which is also were they filmed the Friday night lights tv serious.

It has been hard trying to get to know the three wards that we are serving in. Most of our area is middle class and not to much farm land. We are on the outskirts of Austin so we aren't to close to downtown. Yesterday we were at church from about 8:30am to 6pm. It made for a long day but it was wonderful to get to know those members that I will be working with over the next several months. We had a young couple named Ryan and Frida come to church and during priesthood opening exercises Ryan said to the brethren that this is the best day that he has ever had. They are super busy but live across the hall way from our apartment which makes meeting with them a little bit easier. We hope that we can get them married then they will be ready for baptism. Ryan has a handle bar mustache it is sweet. They were both fellowshipped during church as we have many young couples in our ward because they come here for sales. Other than Ryan and Frida we had about 8 other investigators at church. Many of them come to church all the time but they for some reason will not be baptized although they are more active then half of the ward. We don't have anyone with a date but we should by next Sunday at least that is the hope.

Baker Family

Marta

Cottonwood way!