August 15, 2011

August 15, 2011

Dear Family,

It sounds like you are all doing amazing.  I would love to be there with you as always, but only through this sacrifice I know that I'm learning so much more.  I have so many incredible miracles to share with you from all of the sacrificing that I've been doing lately it's kind of ridiculous. 

So we have a zone goal of 17 baptisms this month, and just predicting the end from where we were about a week ago, you would have never thought it possible, considering how investigators have to actually be interested enough to go to three weeks of church before baptism and confirmation.  So anyway, we just were going about our week with complete faith in the number 17 on mind and in every prayer and our companionship alone has come to find something like 3 or 4 people that have already been to church more than three times just from tracting and street contacting.  And they all have really strong backgrounds in the church.  One of their families is completely LDS and she told us that one of her dying grandmother's final requests was for her to find the Mormons and be baptized.  On top of that, we have all of these other people that are so faithful and just need to know how important coming to realize that they need to come to know on their own the truthfulness of this church.

I would tell you a bunch of teaching things you could use to help out your neighbors, but I really think that the only thing you need to know is that they need to read the book of mormon.  Commitments are the doorway into faith and eternal life.  If you're not doing anything to receive an answer, then nothing is going to happen.  I hope that helps a little bit.  And sometimes you just have to tell people like it is...  That you don't drink wine.  I really don't think they'll be offended and when you do tell them, just let them know why if they ask you and it would be a great teaching opportunity.  Also, I hear that play is really not dissing on mormons or anything, it just sounds like something making fun of how nerdy missionaries are, so it you want you can explain to them what missionaries actually do to clear that up.  The play "The Book of Mormon" is made by the creators of South Park and I know that it's probably really crude, but they were missionaries I think and now inactive, so I really don't think they would do anything to try to destroy the church or anything like that.  I just heard some stories last week of people that were converted to the church based on some of the things said in an episode of South Park that sparked their interest.  Haha but that's not really important.

I got the package from you this week with all the smarties and the SD cards and the notes.  Thanks so much!  I'll try to bring my camera with me more places so that I remember to take more pictures.  There were no pictures of the house or any of Hannah's senior pictures on the card.  It was just empty, but you could just send me a letter with prints in it if you want.  I know that would be easier :)  Thanks so much for all that you do for me.  I really love getting mail from you so much.

So I saved the best for last this time.  Get ready for the biggest miracle of all so far.  So I really think that the reason we've been seeing so much success has a lot to do with the fact that I went in and told President Barry some stuff to make sure that I'm sanctifying myself correctly and righting any wrongs, but anyway I got a call from the clinic this week and asked them what the results were from the blood tests.  And they said they were negative.  The tests came back that I didn't have Crohn's or IBD so I don't really know what's going to happen.  I might have a celiac disease is what this little packet says, whatever that means, but today I find out what Dr. El Hajj has to say about the results and how he would like to proceed.  UGH I was so happy I wanted to jump out of the car and dance, but at the same time I'm still just sitting in the dark.  I didn't have President Barry call you when I found that out because I still don't know anything, but knew you would love to hear that.  Just pray and pray harder that I don't have anything.  I am seriously so antsy, I can't even describe how amazing it would be if I could go to Mexico and see my MTC district and not have a terrible disease for the rest of my life!  So today is the day you'll get a call from someone if I don't have Crohn's Disease, and hopefully they can tell you something more useful. :)  What a miracle!  I thank God every day that I'm living for that call I got from that nurse.  I just am hoping that the test was accurate and that I just have to change some of my diet or something to stop destroying my intestines.  I'll go a little easier on the jalapenos.

I really had a great week and I'm just working hard every day to become a hard-working, diligent, obedient, worthy, and powerful disciple of Christ and am glad to hear you are too.  I hope I didn't miss anything in this e-mail, but if so just let me know next week :)  Oh yeah by the way I play the piano all the time.  I'm getting a lot better at sight-reading hymns because I get asked like 5 times a week to play at whatever thing is going on.  I wish I had practiced more, but I'm still good enough to play in sacrament meeting.  That's something I am seriously going to perfect when I get back from my mission if I don't while I'm out here.

Something else that I have been thinking a lot about this week is that if the book of mormon is true and this is the true Church of Jesus Christ, then he is the head of the church and we are the only people in the world that follow Him.  People try to make the excuse all the time that having Him on your mind and in your heart at all times is enough, but it's not.  If that's the case, then they believe in a different Jesus.  And when people say that Mormons believe in a different Jesus, they're right because Jesus works one way, and that is the way revealed to His prophets.

I love you a lot and hope that you keep staying so happy!

Love,

Eric

1st Baptisms! (and wedding) and other pictures from Jacksonville, FL

Joaquin, Guadalupe, and Bryan being counseled by the Branch President before their wedding and baptisms.

First they were married and then the parents were baptized. Their son, Bryan was to be baptized the following week!  A very exciting first week in the mission field for Eric.

Investigators

Eric with his awesome companeros!

Dinner at a neighbors house!

MTC Pictures!

Eric just sent us some pictures from his mission and from the MTC.  Here is a sampling from the MTC:

He had a great experience in the MTC.  He just sent me his SD card from his camera so I can't write about who any of these people are.  I just know that he grew to love and appreciate everyone that he met there~!

August 1, 2011

Dear Fam,

I had another amazing week, of course and have so much to say in so little time!  Some of the highlights of this week were that we made 4 moves (God's not keeping me away from having to work with you even on my mission) and then just a bunch of other miracles that will come as I go... 

On Saturday we got to listen to a member of the 3rd Quorum of the Seventy speak to us for 3 hours about our mission and it was amazing.  He talked about how important it is that we are striving constantly to sanctify ourselves.  The recurring theme in my life that keeps popping up in everything I read is a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that says something like "If you are exercising unrighteous dominion over anyone, the windows of heaven close, the spirit withdraws and that's AMEN to that person's priesthood power."  So I just am really repenting a lot this week haha.

Rally the troops!  Jeffery R. Holland is coming to speak to our mission the Saturday before transfers (I think it's something like the 14th) and I have never been so excited!  I've been studying a lot of his stuff to prepare for that spiritual feast that's about to come.  He really is the most amazing person at speaking on the earth in my opinion and I realized my favorite chapter of scripture because of a talk that I listened to by him.  It's John chapter 21 and I love it so much because it outlines how much the Lord expects of our devotion and how amazing of a person he truly was.  After everything was done and overwith everyone turned to Peter to know what to do next because he was now the head of the Church.  The Atonement was performed and the Messiah had ascended back into heaven, and Peter told his apostles "I go a fishing."  Completely left with nothing else on his mind, he returned to that way of living before Christ had come, to go and be a fisherman.  While the apostles were fishing, they had absolutely no luck and didn't catch a single fish.  They were all tired and exhausted and in the distance they heard a voice tell them to cast the net on the otherside.  Fatigued and probably even frustrated at the suggestion, they did it and could not pull in the amount of fish that they had in the net.  The next thing that happened was that John the beloved looked back over to see who it was and told Peter it was Jesus.  Without even thinking twice, Peter jumps off the boat and swims over to the savior and i'm sure had the most amazing reunion ever and then when Jesus talked he asked Peter if he loved him.  And it took Peter three times to realize that he couldn't abandon everything that he had learned and the power that was given him.  The third time Christ asked him if he loved and Peter answered a little bit sad and doubting in a yes, of course I love you, he told him to feed his sheep.  Of all of the years of following Jesus around and watching the dead be raised or whatever else, this was the moment when Peter became the man that anyone wished that his shadow would be cast upon them.  From the time that Peter realized his love for the Lord.  -That was just kind of a little bit of a paraphrase of part of that talk, but I hope that you can realize why it's so awesome! 

Mom and Dad, I was just thinking a lot about you yesterday when I was writing a talk that I gave in church (in Spanish) about obedience to our leadership.  I think that my talk was really inspired because I was supposed to talk about missionary work, but my mind just kept wandering away from the subject every time I would ask God what I should be writing.  I think the main point I was trying to make was that whoever wants to can claim authority over someone else, but really only those that are called of God to lead truly receive the revelation needed for that certain group of people they are called to preside over.  So, for example, regardless of whether it was Thomas S. Monson or the deacon's quorum President, they have authority from the same source and when we follow the instruccions of our leaders, we are following the instruccions of Christ himself.  (Wow I just spelled instructions in the Spanish way haha...  I'm not going to change it.)  So anyway, you two are the only two people with the authority to raise me on this earth as my parents, and I was thinking about the wonderful influences you have always been to me, so thank you so much.

There was an amazing miracle this week I need to tell you about before I go.  We went in to teach these two potential investigators and it was so awesome!  We taught them the first discussion and then invited them to be baptized and just expected what we call a "light commitment" after we do this thing called the invite test, but that's just too much to explain...  So anyway they just said yes the first time we asked and we are were a little bit shocked haha.  Then, the old man that was in there that we didn't think could speak any english just woke up from his nap and stood up and started to testify that our church was true and that they should get baptized and that he was baptized a member a long time ago in New Jersey and it was so awesome!  We still don't know if he's actually a member of our church or not, but he still helped us out so much, so we're teaching them right now and they're preparing to get baptized in three weeks.  Oh my gosh it was just so funny, but also so amazing!!  I also just love how much the people here over-exaggerate their emotions.  We told this Sister named Hermana Sonia that two of the missionaries in our companionship had never been over to her house and apparently she thought we had, so she pretty much yelled "NO ME DIGAS!"  which means something like don't tell me that!  haha and then they always go off and start talking for like 15 minutes without taking a breath.  And I mean that's not everyone, but just a lot of people haha. 

The weather is beyond hot, but whatever.  Haha I mean it's Florida and it's not like I wasn't expecting this same thing in Mexico.  The weather is just always really nice, but it's so humid.  When you step outside there's like a wall of water that hits you and it's just so different from Colorado hot.  The nice thing though is that the nights and mornings are not ever cold.  I think I'm starting to become a wimp to the cold like the Brasgas haha.  It's hot, but there's not really anything to complain about.  Our air conditioner works most of the time.  By the way that's ridiculous that school starts that soon.  It feels like I've been gone forever, but at the same time for only one day.  My Spanish is coming along.  Yesterday was awesome.  I could actually understand these two Mexicans that I was talking to.  I'm the first witness and prime example that the gift of tongues is something real!

Out of time, love you a lot!  I can't wait to get pictures of the new house :) 

Love you all so much and hope you're doing amazing!!

Eric

July 25, 2011

Dear Fam,

This week was awesome again.  A lot went on, it was kind of ridiculous, but at the same time it feels like nothing happened because I can't really remember an entire week back!  We met a lot of people that seemed really interested, but they never pick up their phones or answer their doors when we go back to talk to them.  One of the people that we set a baptismal date with is one of them, but then we got a call from her saying that she was in Palm Beach or something with her mom, so maybe everybody's just vacationing at the same time.  The work feels like it's going great always, but then at the end of the week we don't have new investigators because everyone that we talk to we can't get a hold of the next day to ask how they're doing. 

The goal for our mission for baptisms this year is 900, and it's kind of ridiculous, but I know that with the Lord's help anything could happen.  If we had two years where we actually made the goal, I'm pretty sure that they would announce a Temple here in Jacksonville...  That would be awesome!  I guess that can be my goal before I leave the mission.  To have a temple announced in General Conference of April 2013...  So I just really think that as a whole huge mission we can do it, so keep us in your prayers, along with all missionaries around the world.  It's tough work and we get rejected more often than accepted, unfortunately...  In the words of Elder Holland (Who's coming to speak to our mission on the 14th by the way) "This isn't Burger King, you can't have it your way."  Haha kinda funny, but so true. 

Last week we went over to invite some Spanish-speaking members to come to our branch because it's the only Spanish-speaking Branch in this side of Jacksonville and we just ended up reading in the book of mormon with their son because his parents weren't home.  And he didn't speak spanish, so it felt a little pointless, but then when we were about to leave we asked him if he needed us to do anything for him.  He asked us to vaccuum his house!  Haha what a punk!  He told us that there was only one vaccuum though and that we would have to take turns.  Kids trying to get us to do their chores...  We asked him if he had any friends we could talk to that spoke spanish and he said "I'm pretty sure my friend lives in this neighborhood," as he showed us a neighborhood on Google Maps, "But don't tell them I sent you."  Haha how helpful! 

It's good that you're trying to be better member missionaries, because I know I didn't do anything before my mission to help...  I really wish that I had though, because now I know how those missionaries feel when they ask for referrals and almost every person tells them that they don't know ANYONE that would possibly be interested in hearing the message of the Restoration.  I just feel like I'm going to be doing this work for the rest of my life, and I'm completely fine with that. 

So you're moving this week!  That's exciting!  I can't wait to see more pictures of the house, especially when it's filled with our things and furniture and everything.  I'm sure that it will be awesome in another week or two!  This week we helped a family move into an apartment just as an act of service, we didn't know them or anything because we figured that they would love to hear our message after we helped them finish twice as fast as they would have without us.  So when we finished we asked them if we could share a 10-minute long message with them and they told us that they didn't have time.  Ugh people are just so rude sometimes it's ridiculous, but we ended up talking to them for ten minutes anyway.  Haha that's one thing I love about hispanic people is that they talk forever and invite you in regardless of whether or not they say they have time.  So we just taught them and had a lesson and it was great!

So today is P-Day obviously and I'm just doing everything that we normally do on our P-Days.  WE get up and go over to the other missionaries' apartment to do our laundry and have our study time and then we come to the library to write e-mails.  I always feel so rushed because my companions don't like to spend a lot of time here, but it's fine.  After this we're going to the grocery store and then to wash our car and then to play Ultimate Frisbee in the church with our zone.  It should be an awesome day!  And then we're gonna go back and take a nap or something.  It just comes and goes so fast it's stressful!  I never have any time to just relax, but such is the life of a missionary! 

I love you a lot and hope that I didn't leave anything important out of this letter!  Just let me know if I did and I'll answer you in a week, haha.  I'm doing awesome and the work is great. :)

Love,

Eric

July 18, 2011

Dear Family, 

This week was really amazing!  Other than the fact that there were a lot of meetings, my companions and I did a ton.  It's hard to even remember what was this week and what was last.  On Wednesday I went over on an exchange with some other Elders to this eternal investigator's house and invited him to be baptized and he said he wasn't ready.  So I guess that's why they call them eternal, but whatever.  President Barry has us do this awesome thing called the baptismal test or something where we just have the investigators draw their own conclusions and it helps them to realize for themselves that baptism really is a step of faith that they have to do themselves to progress.  So anyway, after nothing happened, I started talking to the wife, who was from Brazil and I told her that Dad served there and I told her how much I loved Guarana and also that one of my biggest dreams in life is to go to Iguazu.  She then just left and I was thinking "ok, whatever I guess I'll probably never see her again :/" and then she came back with this two-liter bottle full of Guarana :D I was so incredibly happy when she gave it to me!  I just wanted to give her the biggest hug ever!  It was the real deal, the stuff from Brazil, so I drank it with my companions in like a day or two.  Haha so no baptism, but it was still awesome.

The wedding and baptism were supposed to be at 6:00 on Saturday night, but the couple didn't show up.  They called at 6:40 and said that they weren't ready and didn't want to do it, so after 10 or 15 minutes of trying to call them back to talk, we decided to drive 30 minutes to their house and talk to them in person.  When we got there, apparently the couple had been fighting and Satan was just working his hardest to convince them that it wasn't something that they had to do.  The Branch President came with us and talked to them and the Spirit was so strong it was amazing.  So we eventually got the husband to get up and go and we had the baptism sometime like 10 o'clock haha.  There were only like 4 or 5 people there other than the family, because everyone had already left, so it was a little bit awkward at first, but after the wedding ceremony, the spirit was strong and they were both in tears and all smiles and then the baptism was just awesome because of that.  So much for William & Kate, we've got our very own Royal Wedding down here Jacksonville Florida. The whole experience was really just awesome and so great :)

Next week their son is going to get baptized with another less-active member's 8 year-old so that should be pretty cool.  We had the idea to make invitations to hand out to people so that we can invite whoever we meet or that wants to come to the baptism. 

 I don't know how much time I have left, so I might have another abrupt ending just letting you know.  I don't really eat anything that interesting.  I eat most of the time just at our apartment, which is boring, but whatever we're getting more dinner appointments this week I think.  It was so funny!  Yesterday we were just standing by our car about to leave and Elder Johnson invited himself over for El Salvadorian food with one of our neighbors we've never met on Saturday night.  He just asked what food they make in her country and she told him and then he asked when we could come over to have it!  Haha kinda bold, but I'm excited.  And I think that's just the way that culture works.  They're a lot more hospitable than Americans.  Being here is great.  I obviously have a lot of stuff that I could say to complain, but I'm not going to because I can't really think of anything.  I wish that I could eat come Alligator.  Haha or at least see one!  I'm sure that I will.     

One of my companions went to BYU Hawaii, Elder McArthur, and he's got a bunch of the habits that people from Hawaii have, like the Hang Loose sign and just different quirks, so that'll be funny to see Garrett like that haha.  I'm kinda jealous!  That really is such an awesome school.  But there is no way I would EVER get anything done if I lived that close to the beach.  So it's probably not for me :P 

So I probably shouldn't be on here for too much longer, so I'll just wrap up until next week.  The Spanish is coming fine, not too fast but I'll eventually have it, and I am feeling great.  You don't have anything to worry about, because nothing can ever happen to break the bonds we have as an eternal family.  That is the reason missionaries do what they do:  We sacrifice a short amount of time away from our families so that other families can be together forever :)  I love you all so much and can't wait to hear from you again!  Until next week!

Love,

Eric

June 11, 2011

  

Eric arrived in the mission field along with two other Elders--Elder  Wise and Elder Bennion

Here's his first email from the mission field:

Dear Family:

My companions are awesome.  I've learned so much already it's crazy!  It's really scary talking to real people that don't know about the message you have to share for them.  After the first couple times I started getting better and now it's pretty simple.  We only teach people that speak Spanish, so I probably won't be able to teach that cousin..  The Hispanic people are so amazing and nice.  You can ask them for anything and they will do it for you.  It's amazing how many people like to hear this message.  The other day we were tracting in this neighborhood full of black people and I got like 3 referrals for the English-speaking Sisters on my own!  It was so awesome.  I was telling the story of the Restoration to this one guy and he said that I was "singing his song" or something like that.  I literally wanted to jump for joy!  When someone accepts what you have to say, the joy you feel is incredible!  It's like all that I want is for that person to be baptized and return to live with Heavenly Father!

The members here are amazing.  The ones that stay in church are always solid gold.  They tell all of their friends and there's even this lady that knocks doors! 

Love,  Eric

Hey Fam,

I just ran out of time on the computers and i don't have a library card.  I seriously wish that I could write you like ten pages because I could.  I just wanted to tell you about a pretty huge miracle that happened this week.

We're going to baptize a family of three on Saturday and apparently have a wedding for them like an hour before the baptism!  Their names are Joaquin, Guadalupe, and Bryan.  They are an awesome family!  Because of that, we're gonna almost make our goal of four baptisms for the month of July! 

My companions are seriously amazing.  I'll tell you about them when I have more time, but I just wanted to write this second e-mail to just be able to actually tell you I love you and that I'm alive and doing the Lord's work.  I know that this is what I should be doing and I am so glad to have a family that has supported me and given me so much throughout all of my life.  I'll talk to you in another week.  I've gotta go because people are waiting to play ultimate frisbee with us right now for a "zone P-Day."  I love you!  This is the true gospel and everyone on earth should get the chance to hear the wonderful message that we share :)  Don't be afraid to speak up!  People love being talked to!

Love you so much,

Eric