April 30, 2013

Dear family,

I'll try to answer most of your questions this time because not a lot happened this week.  We mostly just worked with the Dominican family that is going through some struggles.  They came to Stake Conference this weekend!!  Stake Conference was really interesting...  Like the things that they talked about were great, but just a lot different than any other Stake conference I have ever been to.  It was so nice hearing the Barrys speak.  I'll tell you that yesterday we were talking to this lady and it just started POURING rain on us.  Yesterday was just really funny.  I had liver and onions for the first time in my life and hopefully the last!  Ah!!  It was awful.  It was great though because we wanted to serve someone and stopped by a member that just moved's house to see if Latinos lived there and there some people were!  We helped them move some stuff into their house and they made us lunch.  :)  Baleadas are these Honduran taco-type food that are made with really thick tortillas with red mashed beans, avocado, eggs, meat and this cream cheese type of sauce.  They are ridiculously delicious.  :)  

I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED TO BEAUFORT, SC!!  Meaning that I will most likely be a GA Macon missionary come July!  3 missions and 3 years.  2 missions on one plaque?  Haha.  I'm so excited to go up there.  I loved South Carolina the last time that I went up there.   My new companion's name is Elder Lundberg and I'll be meeting him tomorrow around 4:00.  I'll let you know more about him next week :). 

We have been getting fed a LOT.  No abnormal stomach problems.  I'm happy and everything is great.  Just pray that I don't get hit by an IBD train someday.  I wonder if I actually still have it or if I'm just in a really long remission right now.  It just feels miraculous.  It's like I never had anything.  

I'll let you know about the calling stuff when it comes closer.  I'd prefer to not Skype considering it is awkward and slow, but we can for a few minutes if it's what you want.  I'm excited to talk to you, Dad and Hannah :)  I love you all so much and I can't wait to tell you all about Beaufort!  

Love,

Elder Moore

Spanish Conference

This is a Post from Eric's Mission Presidents Wife's blog

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

Spanish Conference

What an amazing group of missionaries.  They come from all over the Americas to serve in the FJM.  We try to meet with them every few months to train and lift each other.  Since President Barry and I don't speak a word of Spanish they have to resort to a training in English.  They once in a while break into Spanish.  They love reading the scriptures in Spanish - in fact some of them can't read them in English but the spirit is always present.  President Barry trained them on Identity - We are all children of God and Disciples of Jesus Christ - who they are and why they are here.  Then they teach each other on subjects such as 1) Doctrines relating to and promises to the Lamanites, 2) The difference between Scriptural language and Spanish.  3) Clues around homes to identify if Spanish live there. 4) Differences in Spanish cultures according to country 5) obedience 6) Facebook Spanish work. 7) Marriage laws of different states in the mission etc.   

They did amazing trainings. 

This group also decided call themselves the "Sons of Thunder". They set goals, made plans and decided how to hold themselves accountable for those goals.  They left this training very motivated to go out and "make it happen."  We love these elders.

Standing Left:  Elder Giraldo, Elder Richmond, Elder Moore, Elder Swim, Elder Nelson, Elder Garnica, Elder Medrano, Elder Evans, Elder Eklof, Elder Phelps, Elder Saynes, Elder Lemmon, Sister Barry, President Barry
Kneeling:  Elder Quintano, Elder Warren, Elder Beazer, Elder Vilorio, Elder Pyne, Elder Hernandez, Elder Lee

April 22, 2013

Mi querida familia :)

Lazaro's baptismal service was better than I could have ever hoped.  He was there an hour early to get ready and take pictures.  So excited the whole time and he was just acting so giddy about getting into the water when the time came to finally do the actual ordinance.  He stuck his toe in to test out the water, shrugged and said "LET'S GO!"  He popped up out of the water and was just so happy.  It was so happy for me and Elder Nelson to be able to see him take that step.  I performed the confirmation and all of the words just came to me.  I wasn't nervous and it just felt so right.  He told us last night when we were eating dinner with President Mauerman that he could hear all of our stomachs rumbling like surround sound during the confirmation!  Haha he's really funny and SO happy to be a member of the church.  He invited his friend to the baptismal service, so we'll follow up with her in the next few days.  Elder Nelson and I both translated for his interview.  He didn't want any of us to go out of the room for the interview, so all four of us were there.  Our district leader, Elder Baczuk, told us that some of his answers were the best he'd ever heard.  Hopefully not just because we were translating what we wanted him to say :)  Haha just kidding!

Lazaro was a tender mercy from the Lord, it honestly doesn't feel like we did much other than just teach and he was pretty receptive to everything.  The most prepared person I think I've ever met.  He's getting along really well with everyone in the ward too.  We are still working to find people on our own and working with a couple of families.  I'll send some pictures of one of the families from Honduras.  They are wonderful.  We hit it off really well with all of them, but here's hoping they don't just think that we're there to be their friends.  They fed us this Honduran dish called baleadas.  They are SO good.  SO SO good!  

Things have been great, now we're just kind of sitting here thinking "what's next?" and hoping the Lord keeps blessing us as we work hard in the San Jose Spanish Branch.  We'll be working more with the members in the coming weeks, leaving them with weekly challenges to hand out Book of Mormons or pass along cards or whatever else we can think of.  Let me know what you're comfortable doing, maybe that could help us think of things we can do to get members to "catch the wave" of missionary work!  I'll be praying for your friend.  You're doing great things.  No effort is ever wasted :)

Love you so much!!  Have a wonderful week 

Eric

Lazaro's Baptism

April 15, 2013

Dear Family,

That is such good news to hear about all of the goals that are being set within the stake and wards.  It's great when you leave a meeting feeling like you have something to physically do rather than to just ponder and forget about.  I don't know what I would choose to give up if I just had to stop something today.  Hmm.  Maybe I would quit getting up at 6:30 :)  Haha just kidding.  

This week was great!  We taught Lazaro about a few of the requisites for baptism and read him the interview questions and he really seems to have no problem at all.  I might be translating for his baptismal interview this Friday, so be praying that I'll have the gift of tongues!  Most Cubans talk FAST.  Like faster than you could ever imagine.  I was just talking to Elder Nelson today about how Spanish speakers just have this natural ability to talk faster than white people can even think, but Cubans talk even faster than that!  It's amazing!  He should be getting baptized this Saturday at 6:00 if you guys wanna come haha.  He is so ready.  He told us about how the other night he was stressed out by a run in with some vandals around 4:30 a.m. messing with his car, so he had to fill out a police report and was just having a rough night.  He told us that when he went back inside, he sat down and read the Book of Mormon and a sense of peace just filled him to the point that he could relax and just go back to sleep.  He explained what sounded just like the Holy Ghost to us.  He's praying and reading every day and is always early to church!!  So good :)

I am doing fine, I don't really need much - prayers, long-distance hugs and kisses.   

Love you so much!

Eric

April 8, 2013

Oid, naciones regocijad!

Spanish Warriors of Light :)

Prayers during general conference?

Ay, bendita comida! :)

Narsil - Flame of the west. Haven't been that excited since Lord of the Rings came out :)

Dear Family,

Lazaro came to 4 of the 5 sessions of general conference and was with us most of the weekend because he didn't want to go back to his house between the sessions.  He took the best notes and told us Friday his pant and shirt size (46 and XXL :)) and asked what he needed to do to prepare for his baptismal service!!  It's amazing how the Lord has prepared him to come straight into the church.  He already tells everyone that he's a member and that he'll be coming back every week for the rest of his life!  He's a good way into the Book of Mormon and reads it more often than us.  Haha like 30 pages a day!  He is amazing.  We are just trying to help him to see the importance of listening to the spirit to make sure that he knows what he is doing, but when it comes down to it, it feels like he is more on top of things than we are!!  I wish that you could meet him.  He is so funny and has so much faith.  He was impressed by the organization of the church and all of the talks.  Two more weeks and he'll be a member of the church :)  

I think that the part that touched me most of conference was when Elder Holland said that during hard times we should hold on to what we already know and WAIT for further light and knowledge.  I think that is some pretty sound advice.  Yesterday I was really upset for some reason and I just said a prayer and held on to the fact that it was just a mood that was going to pass and an hour or so later it went away :)  We talked to several people last night, including someone that Elder Johnson and McArthur and I taught named Mirta.  She was walking her dog and, again, we talked to her about the Book of Mormon.  I think she felt something different this time.  It's amazing that I remembered even after a whole year exactly who she was and the house she lives in.  It couldn't be chance.  She told me that it meant a lot to me that I knew her name even after that long.  I hope that she calls us, but if not we'll still love her just as much.  That's another thing that I loved about conference!!!  President Monson at the end and several other speakers talked about tolerating and always loving others regardless of whether or not they choose to listen to us.  Thank you for your wonderful example of that with the neighbors.  NO EFFORT IS WASTED :)

Several people came to general conference and we have been seeing a lot of people change lately.  I am feeling love for others more and more as I serve them and am always amazed that things always work out, as unlikely as it will seem.  I'm going to post some pictures to Facebook and maybe send some in an e-mail if I have time.  They should be up in the next few minutes / hour.  I love you so much!!  I'm so happy to be so blessed and have such a great family :)

Love,

Elder Moore

At the church writing their weekly emails and updating facebook.

April 1, 2013

Dear family,

I am so happy about church yesterday and Easter!   It was a great day.  We were asked to speak, so all four of the Elders in the Branch got up and spoke about The Fall, Resurrection, Gospel, and Eternal Life.  I played the piano while Elders Eklof and Nelson sang "He is Risen" (in Spanish) with the Branch President!  President Mauerman is his name.  He's the one that sent you the picture.  That was right after a funeral that we were invited to of one of the member's of the Branch, Brother Lopes', father.  During the dedication of the grave, I was just standing there with my eyes closed and I felt the spirit rush around me.  Like something giving me a hug from behind.  It was amazing the amount of love I felt that family had for their grandfather / father / friend.  I couldn't help but think of Grandma and Grandpa's funerals as well as Grandma Wanda.  I'll never forget that eulogy that Aunt Nancy gave at Grandma's! :)  

We met with a man named Lazaro that wanted a Book of Mormon this week in Northern Jacksonville.  He has already put a pretty big dent in the reading and seems to be extremely interested.  He is from Cuba!  I'm telling you, it seems like everything wonderful's been coming out of Cuba in the work here lately!  He grew up in the same neighborhood as a recent convert in the Branch, so they immediately hit it off fast.  Yesterday we offered to give Lazaro a church tour and toward the end of it, he said "So, where am I getting baptized?"  Haha it's such a tender mercy, but we're just praying for him to get a testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon and understand it's purpose before he gets baptized.  He wants to be baptized on the 20th of April!  So, be praying for him :)

We have been meeting with a lot of the members lately to figure out what they need and how we can help.  We want to feel like anyone in this ward can trust us, and it's been making us a lot happier in general.  When we go to church, it's nice to feel like everyone greets you with a genuine smile and like we're friends with the members!  We are eating like kings too!  We had Tilapia on Saturday with the Garcia family and Carne Asada yesterday with the Ruiz family.  They are from Mexico and Honduras, respectively.  Sister Garcia is from Carmen.  Just outside of Playa del Carmen! We've been there!

Our address is actually 8401 Southside Blvd. #501.  Not Baymeadows!  Sorry about that!  I got your package!  Thank you so much I love you :))))))  Sorry that I haven't been sending pictures.  I tried my best to do it this week, but this little flash drive thing isn't working...  :(  I'll try to post some tomorrow or whenever the next time I get on Facebook is. I promise!  

Love,

Elder Moore