La Serena semana 17‏

You could say that it wasa little bit of a rougher week, but hey, thats life sometimes! I know that we are working hard and I know that God will help us so that we do our part and we can see the fruits of our efforts. Maybe they are just different than what we think or want. 

We visited my favorite family of the moment, Stephanie and Cristian. They are awesome! and we shared about the plan of salvation and invited them to pray aboutwhat we were sharing and was shocked to hear Stephanie say that she wasnt sure if she could do it. She said that she made some vows when she professed buddism. Im not sure what types of vows, but we bore testimony and really just tried to give our all so that they could feel the need. and in the end she told us that her husband the other day asked if they could pray together, and she said that they hadnt been able to do it yet, but they wanted to. SO we left them to do that. They are so awesome!! 

Also, our ward just started doing weekly activities in the church, more than anything to have it opened and to help the members to invite their friends to get to know the church. The first one turned out great as well! So I was happy! and we hda a few investigators there that we will be working with here shortly! 

Also in our interchanges this week I realized that God wants me to learn something from La Serena. With all the people I have been talking with lately, I seem to have met lots of people who believe in a greater spirit/light/power but not God. I met someone who believes in "old astronomy". It was crazy! I have never heard that! but I bore testimony and told him that his life has a purpose and that we would love to share more and he said he was up for it! So Ill have to ask the elderes how things go up with him. But it was crazy with all the buddist and different beliefs that I have heard lately! jaja God just proves to me that Satan works hard, and even though we all can see that God exists, Satan confuses us with where this greater sense comes from. 

We also shared with a less active ldy that we have been shring with a lot lately, and we just shared faith and repentance with her and told her that it is so important that we continuously repent and strengthen our faith. And it hit her. They committed to come to church, and they did it! Just as simple as that! It was awesome!!! 

and the missionary broadcast, who all saw it? if you havent, I invite you to do it this sunday afternoon!! It was SO GOOD!!! I love to see how many chnges are taking place to help this great work of our heavenly father adapting so that we may reach even more people and help more people feel the spirit and make these eternal promises!!! I love this work! and just as the broadcast said, I hope that everyone can invite someone into their house for a NDH or just to have a good time! Show them how this gospel makes you all so happy! Just invite them! 

Lastly, we had a conference yesterday as the 3 northern zones and it was incredible! I felt the main theme between the broadcast and the conference, was true love. We must continue with this work of sharing the gospel because we love our brothers and sisters and we want them to feel the great happiness that this gospel gives us!!! SO I hope that everyone can think on that. How much do you relly love your friends and familia? Sharing the gospel is easy if we share something that we feel so strongly about! Dont let fear get in the way, stand for what you feel is true!! 

Well I wrote a lot, jaja I love you all!! 

Elder Marvin 

La Serena semana 16‏

Bueno, this week wasnt a bad one. We went up some in some of our lessons, buteveryone I swear is getting sick and we had a handful of canceled lessons again. However, that familia that is part german/part chilean we were able to teach last monday! They are SO AWESOME!!!

So we asked if we could go in and just share a moment and sing them a song. And so well, first we asked what language they preferred that we speak in, and they said english (great...) so we started with a song, but in spanish. jaja It was Families can be together forever. and we just wanted to plant the first seeds, and then Stephanie started to ask us questions. "So what do you believe will happen with our families?" So we testified that God has a plan that we will all return as families if we follow his commandments. She really liked that. She then asked a few more questions and was comparing them with what she has been learning. She then opened up and told us that she felt a spiritual need 8 years ago and went to India to study Buddism, with the heart of buddism! jaja She said she learned how to meditate and really learn to take care of herself. She said how she felt there is a spiritual need that we all have, and she said she felt that she filled that need she had. It was REALLY cool to hear all her experiences, and we bore testitmony that God exists and that she could feel that peace all the time if she really desired. They were both very interested and even though their kids were playing the spirit was VERY strong there with them. It was SO AWESOME!! I loved it so much!!! They have a 5 month old girl and a 2 year old boy. They are just tons of fun!! But we hope to keep helping them so that they can see how their familia really can be together forever!!! 

Tuesday we started with a service of mowing a lawn...with lawn scissors...ya. Talk about slow progress! but fun! I believe it builds character!! jaja Then we had interchanges and I was with Elder Larsen. He is a great Elder and we had a ball of a day! Although at night there was  big Fútbol game Chile vs. Bolivia, and so at the end of the day there was NO luck of getting in! jaja But we still had a great day!! 

On Saturday, I did an interview for the Hermanas who have an investigator that will be getting baptized shortly. He is REALLY good! A father who really wants to get his life together and help his son who is 19 and just about to get out of jail. So he was be a great part of their ward!!! Then that night we went by la familia Carrasco and we were surprised to find Carlos home!!! Hewasnt suppossed to get home until monday so we were excited! He was doing awesome! And he told us how he read the gospel principles book all the way through while he was in Antafagasta working! So that was cool!! I was way happy to see them!! 

So we had a good week! Its funny how sometimes we learn through so many experiences here! Both the good and not so pretty, but the gospel is ALWAYS true and always helps me get through it all!! 

I love you all and a big ole "feliz día" to all them daddy´s out there! I love ya dad! You be the bestest!!! 

Elder Marvin 

La Serena semana 15‏

Semana 15, thats crazy! jaja But I had been very blessed here! So I cannot complain at all!!! 

However... lets just say 10 lessons canceled in one week... thats quite a bit!!! I guess canceled isnt the word... we get t otheir house to find that they really arent there! jaja Thats the life of a missionary though! ;) jeje We did find a few different new investigators though and so everything evened out! 

So we had the great idea of  doing a finding activity as a district this week! We all went up to La Florida and took an hour one morning to try and contact as many people as we could and to leave that with the new elderes who are opening the area. We came out successful as well! We were able to pass them 8 references! and a few of them that we contacted were really good! So everyone was happy with the outcome!! 

I also had interchanges with an Elder who got here with Elder Holmes, his name is Elder Mickelson. He is from a SMALL town in Idaho and we had some great farm and cow talk! Its always great to get back to the good stuff in life!! jaja We had a great time and we talked with lots of great people as well! however we had 5 lessons planned and EVERY SINGLE ONE did not work out. *quack* We still had a ball though! Great Elder!!

Then sunday was kinda a miraculous day! I was playing some prelude music and all of a sudden the hermana who told us a couple weeks ago that she wanted to feel the spirit more in her life, was standing right in front of me with her mom!! I was stoked!!! They totally just made it because Rocío asked if they could go and her mom said she knew she had to go with her. It was so cool. Then when I was sitting there and we didnt have any investigators there, I thought "dang it. I could have called them so they would come..." and then Ricardo walked in and then la Familia Carrasco with Natalia´s mom! It was such an awesome surprise! I sat back and then thought "how many people here are we currently working with? members, converts, investigators and I just had this sensation come over me as I realized there was A LOT there that we hve been working with. It was a very sweet confirmation that we were in fact doing our part here. I know that we are being very blessed here and I cannot deny the many blessings that God has given us! I love this work and I know that God has chosen us to come here in this time. 

I also have been studying how we can all be missionaries and I found 4 main factors:

Patience

Diligence

Hope

Faith

If you feel so inclined, study these! They seem like things that maybe we see lots but I promise that you will learn so much more as you study them thinking on your duties as a member missionary. I also invite you all to bring a book of mormon with you everywhere, and study these things as you are waiting! Do it!! I know that you will find many answers!!! 

I love you all! Love the heat because there is none here! jaja! Chao!! 

Elder Marvin =D  

La Serena semana 14‏

Well just like that another one up and down. This week was pretty calm, but good. =D

We had a few different NDH nights that were really good! We also found some new investigators so thats also good!! Now we just have to help them so that they can keep progressing! jaja 

So the first new investigator that we found is a student who is really cool! Actually the first time I talked with her, I asked myself "can she really be this chipper or is it just so we leave?" jaja but then we returned and she was really just that happy! jaja She has learned about just about every other church on earth but she is still looking for one that will "fill" her. So we shared a little of the restaration and we hope that she will keep going well!!! 

Also this week Hmo Carrasco, the recent convert, finally got a job and he had to leave on sunday and so we are happy that he was able to find something. Its just a little stinky that he works 15 on and 15 off. Although, sunday was really cool because ALL of the recent converts in our ward (about 10) all came dressed up very nicely and I almost didnt recognize them! It was so cool! and our investigator, Ricardo, came all by himself! He is so sweet! We just want him to feel his place! In our gospel principles class, we talked about baptism and the other "students" asked him "when are you going to get baptized?" jaja it was funny! he knows he will do it, he just hasnt said when. In the meantime, he just is basically an unbaptized member! He participates in it all!! I love it!! 

Thursday night, Elder King (from my first zone!!!) and I took a bus down to Viña for a district leader training. It went really well and we were able to see lots of good elderes!!! I really liked it! and it was POURING in viña! So that was cool as well! I love the rain!!! Also, it was cool when we were talking about the baptisms in our area for the month of may and I was applauded for our 4 baptisms in the month of may. Now we just have to keep it going so that we can keep finding and baptizing more people! It has been great! and I love getting to know the people that want to find christ!!! 

This week I have studied a lot of repentance and I have really enjoyed it! It is amazing how powerful repentance truly is! i know that we can truly be forgiven of all of our sins and I know that Jesus gave his all so that we could partake of the sacrament every week and feel the weight be lifted from our shoulders every week!!! i hope that everyone this week can really look for and understand what repentnce means to you and try and see what things we can do better at! Its the way to happiness, I promise you!!! 

Loves to everyone!!! Cuidense!! 

Elder  Marvin =D