Hey fam! (Nov 14)
This past week has been amazing. So many cool experiences I wish I could tell you all about, but alas, I only have a little bit of time, so I´ll just share a bit!
This past Saturday we had two baptisms. WOW. What an experience. There were two sisters whose family are recent converts and we had the opportunity to teach them the lessons and help them to baptism. Me and my companion each got to baptize one of the sisters.
What an amazing feeling, to see people grow closer to our Savior through faith and having that desire to follow Him. Being able to help our brothers and sisters make covenants with our Father in Heaven and walk through that door to so many blessings is such a privilege. And when me and my companion joined the circle to give these two sisters one of the greatest gifts in this life, the gift of the Holy Ghost....wow my love for the people of Peru grows everyday, thank you for praying for them. Pray like everything depends on the Lord, and then arise and work like everything depends on you right?
These past few weeks I experienced the ´investigator come to church´ feeling, those are one of the times when you just want to give everyone a big hug and shout for joy, seeing them make those steps is great. and then there is the ` investigators don't come to church´ feelings. Thats not so fun. But you just know that you need to work a little harder and focus on how you can build their faith and desire to keep commandments.
Me and my companion have really tried to encourage members to do missionary work as well, with their friends or neighbors. We are helping them to see the blessings of the gospel in their lives and try to help them develop that desire to share the gospel with others and help them recieve those blessings as well.
Some other interesting things this week
-They actually like fruit cake here, its pretty funny, all I can think about when I eat it is that comedian - *I don't get it, you take fruit, good, and you take cake, great, and you put them together and you get nasty crap. ....and sometimes your like, Is that a skittle?*
- This one less active lady, who is hilarious by the way, in her house she has like at least 30 guinea pigs crawling all over the place, they sell them to eat. yeah its quite entertaining, a bit distracting at times while trying to teach haha.
-Krista- One cool type of candy they have here is like cotton candy bubble gum. its pretty cool! you should look into it :)
Well I love you guys, thanks for your support! I love being a missionary here in Peru. It truly is amazing. I´ll try and send pictures next week!
Elder Lonsdale
(Nov 21) AHHHHHHHH!!!! (loud high pitched teenage girly scream) YAY!! Im so Happy for Heather!!!! (and Brett) haha That's so awesome. Wow. So exciting. Congrats. I want to hear all about it from Heather ;)
We had some awesome lessons this week, and made some great progress with some investigators. That is always the best feeling, when they are moving forward and you can see the gospel working in thier lives. We hopefully will have a baptism this Saturday with a young man named Junior. He is stellar and has really been prepared by the Lord to hear the gospel.
We had the neatest experience with him one night during a lesson. When he wasn't quite sure he wanted to be baptized quite yet, and we were talking to him about the importance and blessings of baptism, when Franco(Junior's friend, and our ward mission leader) told an experience when he was at the funeral for Junior´s dad and how franco´s prayer that Junior would be comforted was answered, and how that was a testimony for him. We talked about how Junior can do ordinances for his dad, and this life is not it. Everybody in that lesson was emotional, seeing the Spirit touch investigators is so powerful. Me and my companion were talking about the huge blessing it is to be here and meet so many amazing new people, and have the opportunity to teach them and grow with them.
Our branch is really amazing. We have really tried to work with the members and the leaders in our branch. And its a great feeling helping support the branch, and having them help us in our work. Its like someone is giving us a huge present when a member comes up to us a church and says ´hey I have this friend, (or relative) that said they want to know more about the church, when can you come over and teach them? Yup. members are so important in missionary work.
OH yeah! Our ward is having a temple trip this week. and guess who´s going! (no not me) But the two girls we recently baptized are going with their family to the temple! Sadly not with their WHOLE family, not yet at least. But what a blessing, to be able to go to the temple after their recent baptism.
I love you guys! Take care. Keep being my stellar family. The Lord loves you and is mindful of all of us. The gospel really is the most amazing thing on the planet. Im so gratful for the opportunity I have to share it.
Love you
Elder Lonsdale
