Its All in the BOOK!

Hello Everyone...

This week was great...we continue to find lots of people here in Imuris...There are more less active members that have been starting to go again to church and we are having some more investigators going as well...

Miracles are happening every day...One day while we were knocking doors. we found a little boy...who told us that his mother was busy inside...He told us to pass by another day...So we went around knocking more doors...we passed by the street where this little boy lived again, and he ran out and told us that his mother was able to talk to us...We passed by and the Mother started talking to us about the different religions that there are in Imuris...(there are a lot) She started asking the right questions...She asked us how she could know which church is the true one? and we were quick to respond...Pray...and ask God....She thought that was weird because the other churches just say to trust them...haha...So we shared our message and she was reading the Book of Mormon before we even left...haha She is a wonderful person. I swear the secret to Missionary Work is the Book of Mormon and Prayer...I know that God directs this work...and that we are His Servants...

Other fun experience was that on Sunday the Primary teacher didnt show up...so we got to teach all of the kids of the branch on Following the Prophet...Attached you will find a picture of the pictures everyone drew...After 2 hours of teaching these kids I enjoyed the 5 minutes of peace coloring time brought...Hahaha

Love you all

Elder Child

 

                                                              Primary in Imuris!

 

 

                                                               Its ALL in the BOOK!

 

 

 All of the Americans that were in the MTC together were reunited once again to go to the Temple...

 

 

Walking, Walking, Walking

Hello Everyone...

Elder Hyatt and I had a great week this past week we found more new investigators and we spent lots of time teaching...it was great...

We are still trying to get used to being the only missionaries in the city...And having quite an area to cover haha...We are having to walk quite a bit to get to our appointments...But we usually take advantage of the time to contact new people...

We had many spiritual experiences this week but today I will share just one...

On Tuesday we were walking to the lunch and a few men that were pretty drunk called us over...so we head over to talk to this man who seemed very depressed judging by how much he was drinking...he told of his story...and we felt like he was to under the influence to be helped so we excused ourselves...and we thought that we would never see him again...Saturday night as we were walking to the house trying to find one more person to teach at 8:30 we were guided to a door where we knocked...A man walked out to greet us and we didnt recognize him at first...he said that he was the drunk man we had talked too...We were quite suprised he had stopped drinking after our previous visit and had shaved and got a Hair cut...he looked like a new man...Were able to teach him the message of the Restoration...He was very receptive saying that he was ready to change his life...and leave all the alcohol behind...He was so happy after that message...He is excited to go to church this weekend and to keep progressing to leave all his sins behind...I hope so much that he can be able to progress and find a new life in Christ...

We hope to keep going strong this week working towards our Baptismal Goal for this transfer...

Thanks for all your support

Love Elder Child

 

                               Walking to the edge of the City where a few families live...:)

 

 

Imuris!

Hey Everyone...

This week was wonderful!! It has truly been nice to get back in the swing of things and just focus on my area and my little branch...

A few things about Imuris...there are about 10,000 people here and the Branch is quite small..yesterday we had about 30 people in church...which is really cool...My companion is Elder Hyatt from Texas and has about 6 months in the mission...We are quite enjoying our time...and working super hard...we are all out of pamphlets and Books of Mormon already so we will have to go up to Nogales to grab some more materials tomorrow haha...

We have a goal to knock every door in this little town in the time I have left as a Missionary...so we have been walking and knocking and walking some more to accomplish this goal so that we can find more people to teach...We have an amazing Baptismal Goal that we have set with a lot of faith...that we truly believe that can happen in this little town...It is amazing to see how many people God is putting in out path....For example one day as we were knocking doors we found a family that had just moved from Michoacan the day before...and it was a whole family that is ready to listen to the Gospel...The hot days are pretty long just knocking doors but God always places someone in our path to keep our Spirits bright...In total we found almost 30 new investigators after knocking this week...

One experience that I had this past week was on Sunday...It was a little crazy for our first Sunday in the House of Prayer (small house converted into a chapel) My companion was busy teaching classes and I was busy with all of the Administrative things...After our 3 hours of meetings I had a list of things to do with a number of people... and on our way to the lunch I started thinking about everyone of the members and their needs...I feel a great love and worry for every one of them...I thought to myself that there was a ridiculous amount of things to do...after arriving at the lunch I looked up on the wall and saw a picture of the First Presidency and then thought "How can they do it?...with all of the needs of all the members in the whole world" ....Then looking at the opposite facing wall..where a picture of Jesus Christ was hanging...I thought "How can He do it so Perfectly and so completely with every person that has ever existed and that will ever exist?" So my attitude here is exactly what Pres. Uchtdorf taught "Lift where you stand"...Thats all I can do...So we will be quite busy with Branch Business and with the Normal Missionary Work...

Thanks for all your support...and Congrats Zack on turning 12 and recieving the Aaronic Priesthood!

Love you All

Elder Child

 

                                              Huge Statue in the Middle of Imuris!

 

 

                                                                  Elder Hyatt and I

 

 

 

 

Last Week in the Offices...

Hello Everyone I hope everyone had a wonderful week of Summer...I also hope all could enjoy their 4th of July Activities...

This week has been pretty crazy we had Leadership Conference on Tuesday and another Training Progress Conference on Friday with All of the new missionaries that are in training...The rest of the days we were working on transfers...haha but we were still able to work a little bit more in our area...

On Monday we had an amazing 4th of July...All of the Office Elders were invited to go over to the Mission Home for the whole afternoon...haha We made hamburgers and hot dogs, made homemade ice cream, and sang Patriotic Hymns haha it was by far the best 4th of July on the Mission...It was great...I will attach some pictures...As time passes I ponder and marvel on how great the United States is and how important it was and is in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...I am so glad to have been born in such a great country...I hope and pray everyday that God keeps blessing us as a country so that we may be able to keep on helping others in the world. We have so much to be grateful for indeed...

Once again during this past week we had to make the Transfers in the Mission...And once again I was reassured that everything that happens in this Church is by Revelation...Every transfer was made with lots of prayer and thought...Last transfer as I have commented, I felt strongly that we should finally send Sister missionaries to a little town outside of Hermsillo where not one Sister Missionary had been...ever...This time it was a similar experience...Agua Prieta has been an Elder Only Zone for about 5 years...for many reasons...however this week we all felt that we should send the first sister missionaries there again...It is kind of weird to think that Sister missionaries will now be in Agua Prieta...but I know that God wants them there at this time. We felt a reassurance everytime we prayed.  When making a transfer, I felt very strongly the hand of the Lord helping us, giving us ideas and talking about them...At the end of this week...I know the 98 missionaries we changed are going to the place where they are needed and with the companion that can either help them or they can help their companion...

The hardest transfer decision to make was mine...It is very weird making your own transfers but in a group effort...everyone chimed in expressing their thoughts...As everyone expressed their thoughts I felt the Holy Ghost testifying of where I needed to go...In this moment I reflected to all of my mission,every transfer, where I was and who was I with and then I thought of every other assistant there had been and both of the Mission Presidents I have had, and when they are making the transfers...talking about me and my needs...and then with the Spirit.. They have all sent me Exactly where I needed to be and who I needed to be with..I am so grateful for all of my Leaders that have followed the Spirits Guide as they have made my transfers...I have strived to do the same...

So I have been transfered to go to a little town called Imuris, it is about 30 minutes away from Magdalena, where I was about 10 months ago...I will be working in the Branch Presidency and will be opening area there haha...So in my whole mission the only time I will have not opened area on a transfer is when I got into the offices haha..this is very unusual...but every time I have had the opportunity to grow...so this will be my 7th time having this opportunity haha...

I love you all and hope to talk to you soon...My P Day will now change back to Monday as I leave the offices...

Love Elder Child

 

                                         Cutting up Snickers Bars to put in the Ice Cream...

 

 

                                               Almost all of us...at the end of our Big Lunch!

 

 

                                            The Relief after all of the Transfers were done...:)

 

 

                       Road Trip with President to find more little towns to send missionaries...

 

 

P.A.C.E.

Hey Everyone...

Hope everyone is doing just wonderful this week...We just got finished up with the rest of the Zone Conferences this week...And it is quite the relief...We now hope to get on a regular missionary schedule...and maybe I can get some more sleep now...haha...These past 2 transfers in the offices have probably been the most tiring transfers in my whole mission...but it isnt just a physical tiredness it is an emotional and mental tired as well...Worrying about every single missionary in the whole mission and about their progression, and at the same time working in your own area with your investigators/members with their own needs...the weight just kind of catches up after a while....

A few weeks ago though I had an amazing experience of the Enabling Power of the Atonement...I remember very clearly one night where I had to figure out quite a few problems that were happening in the mission, so I spent most of the night on the phone with missionaries, and I also had to prepare some trainings for a few conferences that we were going to have, needless to say I got to bed late...and the next morning we had to get up at 4 30 to drop missionaries off at the airport then we were headed to a conference...At 4 30 when my alarm went off I was laying in my bed thinking...Ya I am not sure if I can get up today, I felt like I had no energy whatsoever...or in other words I was pooped...

I kneeled down beside my bed and begged for the energy to get through the day...In that moment a found a rush of energy come over me...I knew that the Enabling Power of the Atonement had been applied to my being...In that moment after I had said that prayer I sprang right up and said What a Wonderful DAY! at the top of my lungs, and how it was a great day...I had the energy and then some to be alert and excited in all of our daily activities...since that day I have always asked for this power to help me have the energy to keep on going...

I am now using this energy that I have to help others...Sister Robinson has trained to always have a Positive attitude...Reminding us that P.A.C.E. really works (Positive Attitude Changes Everything) Every morning and really every chance I get...I say positive comments...In the morning I usually things like, What a wonderful day or Today is going to be a great Day, and during the heat of the day I usually say, What a gorgeous day even if it is 130 degrees outside haha it usually causes a good laugh...I have found that PACE really does work...if everyone has a more positive attitude even in the worst of times we can overcome this troubles in our life a lot better...

There is my invitation...I hope you all have a great week...

Love Elder Child

 

                              One Hot Day with Missionary Approved Sunglasses!

 

 

                                                           Nogales Zone Conference

 

 

                                                         Agua Prieta Zone Conference

 

 

                                                    Hermosillo Reforma Zone Conference

 

 

                                                        Hermosillo Pitic Zone Conference

 

 

                                             Hermosillo Villa de Seris Zone Conference

 

 

                                                              Caborca Zone Conference

 

 

                                                           Peñasco Zone Conference

 

 

                                                Hermosillo Misiones Zone Conference

 

 

                                                          Guaymas Zone Conference

 

 

Just wanting to do the Will of God...

Hello Everyone...I hope everyone had a great week last week...we were able to have two more conferences so in total we have done 7 out of the 9 that we need to do...we will be finishing up with the Zone Conferences this next week...This past week we were in Caborca and Peñasco (2 of my favorite zones haha)  It was a wonderful week with 2 of probably the most spiritual Zone conferences that I have attended..We could just really see and feel that the whole Zone was working hard and being super obedient...It was an edifying experience...

After our Conference in Peñasco, we had planned on doing exchanges with all the Elders on Friday and Saturday...After the Conference however we had a different feeling...we felt that we needed to leave right then and there to go back to Hermosillo...kind of weird we told President, and Sister Robinson took us to the bus stop with our clothes...we left immediately and we got to Hermosillo at about 1 a.m. When I went to bed I really didn't know exactly what to expect something the next day but I felt very strongly we were in Hermosillo for a grand purpose... Friday we got up, like normal, and got ready and started studying And while I was studying I remembered a few Elders that are here in Hermosillo...that I thought in my own mind were doing just fine and that they were happy...but I felt like we were to have companion exchanges with these Elders...I called them up and they were ecstatic to do them...I told my companions and they were in agreeance...Later in the day as we were on exchanges we found out that one of these missionaries was just fine...He is always happy..A pretty happy go lucky type of guy...An amazing missionary....the other missionary however (who is an amazing District Leader) had gotten a little discouraged with his area and with the mission in general...We might not know what would have happened if we wouldn't have done those exchanges...After finding this out I was filled with a wonderful spirit of gratitude...i am so grateful for listening and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost...We were able to help that missionary a ton, we took him to our area and he was very grateful for the chance to do Exchanges... 

So we finally found out why we had to be in Hermosillo on Friday...

As I keep growing as a missionary I find that now my only purpose is to do the Will of God...As we see the new missionaries getting to the mission we usually ask them What they want to accomplish on their mission...the majority say BAPTIZE! I have found that yes it is nice to baptize and it is God's will that we baptize but I have found that that isn't my full purpose...In these 22 months I have learned that while doing God's will at all times I find peace and joy...I receive tons of blessings everyday from this wonderful service, also as I do God's Will I receive his confidence in every aspect of this wonderful Work of Salvation.

Sure Love you guys

Elder Child

3 More Zone Conferences, 4 to go...

Hello Everyone...

This week has been pretty crazy as well..haha there is always something to do here:)

We had 3 zone conferences all of them were here in Hermosillo.. It was a wonderful week...It was even better because after we ended the Zone Conference we could leave and work in our own are...It is amazing how much you can get done in 2 or 3 hours in the evening...haha There is a little saying that is going around that says that --We Rest, While Working...haha I didnt really understand that before getting to the offices but now it is so nice taking a break from trainings and conferences and GO and WORK!  We have experienced so many miracles in our area...There are truely too many to count...I love how we are putting into practice everything we have ever taught in any training and we are finding so many wonderful people...and having success... I truely love the Mission Life...And as my time is winding down I am not sure how I will make the transition to regular life...it will be kind of weird...so good thing I have 2 months left to LIVE IT UP!!!

Sorry for the short letter

But sure love you guys

O and HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!!

love elder child

P.S My favorite mormon message about our Wonderful Fathers.... 

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/earthly-father-heavenly-father

 

                  Sister Robinson made us special Banana Chocolate Chip muffins on Monday...

 

 

After getting home after a full week of being outside of Hermosillo for a week...we got home and found that our fridge had turned off...so all of our food was about as hot as the Sonoran Sun...