Sunday, October 18, 2015

12 Oct 2015 - I'm doing really well and learning lots of good knowledge.

Dear Family,

This week and month we've been really focused on how we can work better with the members. We've tried planing activities and encouraging them to have the ward counsels but if an area 70 comes i'm not going to be surprised. 

Some of the members still have this crazy idea that the missionaries do everything. 
We watched a video this past week in our zone conference that talked about how the missionaries are here to help the members fulfill their responsibilities to activate, baptize and find, not the other way around.
So this week its our job to show this video to all the members and let it cut where it cuts. I'm not bashing because there are those who are super excited to help us but what we're learning right now is that if we're not 100 percent with all the members working together, the work can not move forward.

We're teaching this lady and she's super funny and super ready to be baptized, she just doesn't know it yet. 
When we asked her if she'd ever prayed to God to know what is the truth she said ''No, and you wanna know why? Its because if I do, he'll send me trials of my faith and I don't want that.'' hahaha
shes super hilarious and super honest with us but we just need to help her find a beginning to learn to trust in God. Because we explained that no matter if we ask God or not, we're going to have challenges in our life, the only thing we're inviting her to do is accept God's Holy Ghost in her life to help you through these difficulties.

It was a little sad this zone conference because a few of my good buddies are heading home for mission impossible 2 ''Temple Marriage''.  One is Elder Ramos, one of my comps and the other is Elder Juarez, my second district leader.

I'm doing really well and learning lots of good knowledge.
I've started to read the Jesus the Christ book again. It's pretty cool the few sentences that I've understood. 

Oh man hahaha almost forgot,
So we were eating lunch at a members house yesterday and her husband isn't member. They're both 25 or 30 years old, not really sure, but we start to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them and she leaves because the baby starts to cry and so we continue. When we get to Endure to the end, he asks ''Endure to the end? Does this include if, for example: one person who is married goes off to dance with another man or woman who his or her wife or husband doesn't know and returns like nothing happened..is this enduring to the end?'' and I said ''I think there should be unity, communication and understanding in every relationship.'' nothing more. And he yelled ''I knew it!!! HONEY (yelling to his wife) Get in here! You need to hear this!!!'' So without knowing I'd started a family feud and he thought that I was siding with him and wow was that uncomfortable hahaha. but we explained everything and I guess we'll see if we have food to eat this next Sunday. pray for us. haha

I love  you all And I hope you are ''milking it for all its worth'' to have a temple close by. :'(

Elder Padilla

They both leave 24 of Oct

We had a birthday party/zone conference. Woo!

The baptism from a few weeks back. RICHARD!!! aka Ricardo

 

5 Oct 2015- Loved Conference!

Dear Family,

This week was crazy. We are working a ton. we are changing a lot of things to have better results.
I loved the conference. I watched about half of it in Spanish and then when Russell M. Nelson started talking about girls I think was when I started to watch in English.

Elder Padilla
I love you all.

28 Sep 2015 - Short and sweet

This week went super well,

We had an entire family and a half in the church.

That's crazy about Brandon's Farewell talk but I'm glad to hear that there's another missionary out in the field.
This week we had a ton of success and was super awesome to see our convert, Ricardo, and his son, receive the priesthood.

I don't have  a ton to say this week and the computer I'm using is super slow so that'll be all for this week.
I love you all.

Elder Padilla

21 Sep 2015 - Be happy, Be Mormon!

Dear family, 

These days are flying, can't believe that I'm going to hit my 10 month mark this week. Mexico is so great. Recently we've been finding people of pure gold, they're really excited about our message. My comp Elder Reyes and I work really well together and he's so great!! Whenever we get down about an appointment that gets canceled or something like that we're able to keep the energy and try as hard as we can to find someone new. What we're doing right now is finding and leaving. If the people we teach don't progress within a 2 week period, we leave them because we're wasting our time and there are people that are waiting for us today, not in two or three weeks. 

We had a baptism this past Saturday his name is Ricardo. His wife and son were baptized and now all three plus the 2 year old daughter can prepare one year to be sealed as an eternal family. There is nothing better in this life and nothing better in this work than to see those who are willing and ready to make these sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. I know that God loves us. I know that the greatest prophet who ever lived is Jesus Christ and that through him all mankind will be saved if we come unto Him with our broken hearts and our spirits contrite. 
Luke, if you haven't started to prepare for your mission now, start. Make a goal. Pray for the opportunity to share the gospel with a friend and then be ready to do so. Read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony of the divinity and power of it. Study, if nothing more, chapter 3 of Preach my gospel and share the lessons with mom and dad in family home evening. I hear Matt will be home soon, he can help you practice. Be a light little brother. I miss you and hope that by the time I get home we can go on a double date or something. ;)

Before my mission I didn't realize how much the members are truly evolved in the work of salvation. I thought it was the work of the missionaries and when they called I'd help out for an hour or so and that'd be it but now as a missionary my point of view has flipped and we really depend on them as much as they do on us. The hastening of the work has already started and Heavenly Father is counting on us to minister to those who don't have what we have. I hope that everyone whose last name is Padilla can offer a prayer this week in specific to ask for opportunities to share the gospel whether it be in New York, Canada, Spanish Fork, Farmington, Idaho, Osbourn Park or with our friends at work. We pray with faith and real intent, He gives with confidence. Be happy, Be Mormon!

I love you guys mucho!
Elder Padilla