Week 1 Change 3

Hola Amigos, comó estan todos? Espero que todos estan felices y que este año est empesando con milagros como aca!


Well My first week in change 3, and wow, I have really been gone almost 5 months? haha Alright, I am still missing like 19, but still!ª haha We had a very successful/energy DRAINING/exciting week this week! We went from having 0 investigators with a baptismal date to having 7 almost 8! WOW! ya, we pretty much talked about baptism with EVERYONE! haha Thats what we just gotta do! haha


The big thing I learned this week is the importance of PLANNING. We have had just half of peña Blanca the change before this one and with less missionaries in the mission, we now get to run the ropes for ALL of Peña Blanca! Well it turns out you can be tired and still runn all over half, even my HUGE half, but running back in forth from one side to the other, ya, I was TOAST! We both earned our sleep every day this week! haha I think that we are going to start planning days in one side and other days in the other!


So Elder Alvarez, (not sanchez) and I were just so excited to work together! I had tons of investigators just ready to be baptized and he had one with a baptismal date and we went out and taught the importance of baptism to like everyone of them! haha We just got them all excited for their own baptism and shared with them the importance! The only down side is Elder Alvarez likes to talk, A LOT, so if I dont fight for my two cents, I dont get nothing! But we are working out tthe quirks and we teach together quite nicely now! haha


One other Challenge was the lunch schedules! We have 2 schedules for one companionship, so now we have to call 2 different hermanas every night, and one we have to say we are eating with and the other not. I just hope no one gets offended, but luckily everyone that we have had to cancel with has said "oh good! I had plans and wasnt sure how I was going to do it!" Seriously, the lord is ALWAYS looking out for us! And its awesome just to see everything work out like that! haha


We have also had no bikes cause Elder Dipaz broke one on his last day and then WE had to pay to buy the new part and we are going to fix it today. but all is well. Also, we have seen Satan doing his best on the investigators. Between "I dont really want to go to church" and mothers who wont even talk to us for absolutley no reason, we are fighting to help these people enter into the kingdom of God! It is good to see a few of them fighting for themselves though too!


The biggest thing this week was sunday. Our first sunday with two missionaries and we had a meeting at 830 before church. Then we hadto go and get Ysolda, an Elderly Lady and another investigator. Although, Ysolda brought a whole new feeling to church yesterday. She has paralysis, and she goes at her own speed. We got there right when the meeting was starting and we sat in the very front and everyone sat in silence as we walked to our seat. When we sat down and sang the first song Ysolda started crying, and she said it was the most beautiful thing she had every seen. The bishop saw that she was crying and then BAM, Bishop Trol was crying. It was really powerful! She really wanted to go to church, but new that it would be hard. As the meeting went on the testimonies were very sincere and spiritual! We actually had an investigator bear his testimony! It was SO COOL! I just had the biggest grin on my face the whole time and he did awesome! The other good part that he bore his testimony, his in active wife came for the first time in a LONG time with him, and I think it touched her too! At the end of the meeting we stood up and turned around and we counted all the investigators there, and would you believe it. We had 9 investigators! WOW! Then the fun started, Elder Alvarez went on divisions with a member to bring Ysolda home and I had to get all the other 8 investigators to a class! Well I had some young women bring a couple of the girls, I brought some with me to gospel principles and the others snuck out. but we got most of them rounded and then we didnt have a teacher, so I got to teach gospel principles! and Elder Alvarez showed up and helped me teach. One of the investigators told us in the end that it was the best class he had ever gone to! yes! and then Elder Alvarez told me how Ysolda had said in her 75 years and after attending many different churches, she has NEVER felt like that before. I think that will help lots with teaching her sister too! It was TONS of work, but completely awesome! I loved it!


That was pretty much my week! lots of work, but lots of success! I love how that works out! and I was dragging hard, didnt sleep well but I woke up this morning feeling LOTS better! So all is well again! I plan on taking my preparation day easy and just doing what I need to! haha


That was my week for ya! feliz año a todos and I send my love and comfort out to all those in need of it at this time along with all the love and comfot that Chile can send! I love you all!


Elder Marvin