Week 64 Buena Vista

Hey everyone, how's it going?This week was really good, not for our area though because we had many exchanges outside of our area, but good in that I was able to grow and learn a ton.

On Tuesday we had exchanges with the other Elders, and I went with Elder Pena. He is directly from Columbia, and we had a lot of success. We taught a lot, found a lot of cool people, and had a lot of fun. For some reason, a lot of the miracles I see on my mission are during exchanges. We also had exchanges with the Zone Leaders, and I have a new zone leader, Elder Salvesen. He's a funny elder. I went with Elder Withers and Elder Ruiz went with Elder Salvesen. Elder Withers and I talked to a lot of hispanics. He knows a little little bit of spanish, we found many referrals more, because the zone leaders work in the other spanish elders' area. There was one man we found who, after talking a little bit, told us that he had just gotten out of a heated argument with his wife and walked outside to chill off a little. We showed that Faith in Jesus Christ card and explained how faith in Him helps us resolve family challenges and problems. We explained how the Book of Mormon is about how a family overcame family problems through a knowledge of Christ, and how it helps us with families, and he read the whole introduction right in front of us, got a phone call, silenced it, and turned to the witnesses. It was awesome how the Book of Mormon caught someone's interest so fast. There was another guy who was having family problems, so we taught about the Book of Mormon, and he started reading it as we left. That happened a few other times this week. On Saturday we came by someone named Hector and it didn't seem like we would be able to teach what we had planned, but then he had some questions connected with the plan of salvation, so we were able to teach it. 

   On Saturday night, we went by Maria Hernandez and she fed us pizza. After we ate she went to her room and brought back her Book of Mormon. We taught the plan of Salvation. President Layton and other authorities have been saying that the Plan of Salvation captivates people, that it is what hispanics need and are looking for, and it really does and is. It looked like she was there to give back her Book of Mormon, but as we taught how we will all be resurrected, that those of her family who have passed will be resurrected with perfected bodies, she was amazed. We are going back on Friday. 

   The Lord blessed us and strengthened my faith that the Book of Mormon is what people are looking for, even if they don't know it. I love you all, and please keep us in our prayers. 

   Love,

      Elder Sant

Week 63 Buena Vista

Hey everyone! This week was awesome. We decided that we are going to get someone baptized next week. Her name is Maria Hernandez. So far she has come to church 4 times. We haven't been able to meet with her, but we'll do so tonight. There is also Brandon who can get baptized. 

 In this area we are going to change lives. We are going to talk to all that we can. I have read "the Lord will open doors when we have done everything in our power" from Spencer W. Kimball. I will do everything in my power. We have been able to find a few families and we will not let them go. The Lord loves us, and I know that if I put my best effort, than the strengths and abilities my Father saved me for will be exposed. 

   We planned on going by Maria Hernandez, but she said for us to come by on Monday instead, but she came to church, which is awesome. The Lord loves us. I was reading in 1 Nephi 18 with an investigator, and I realized that this was the mission. We have a heavy responsability that to some seem impossible, like building a boat, and with faith, we accomplish it and we see success and miracles. But then, we start to forget what we need to do to keep those miracles as laman and lemuel. Basically, when they started to disobey, one missionary, Nephi, feared that after being so blessed of the Lord, and having disrespected him after that, that the blessings promised would be lost. He feared the Lord. He spoke to them with much soberness, and they wouldn't listen, so the compass stopped working, and they were not guided upon the seas. Just a thought I had. Are we the Nephis or the Lamans and Lemuels? 

I love you all, and thanks for everything. 

Love Elder Sant

Week 62 - Buena Vista

Hey everyone! This was a very good week. First, we came by a girl named Carman, and she is amazing. We are praying hard for her to be baptized this transfer. In November. She has been reading and is willing to find if this is true and act on the promptings she receives. We have found mostly non-spanish speakers this week, but really cool people. For example, we found one person whose mother had passed away recently and we taught that she could see her family again. Another man, who understood German! had a 12 year old son who committed suicide just recently, and we did the same. It was very, very sad, but very cool. There was a less active 13 year old who had a child, and they had their baby shower yesterday. We taught about Jesus and the Miracle of Forgiveness. Also this week, on Saturday, when I woke up, someone started calling us, so we answered it and it was Elder Keeney, and he asked if I wanted to go to the temple with one of my recent converts, Esther Cardenas. I of course said yes, called President for permission, and he said,"Have fun". So thus we went forth and had a great time. I confirmed her dad through proxy by someone else! It was the most wonderful experience. I came back ready to work. Also this week we had zone conference.

 Here are some things I learned. 

"Is there anything more dear than life?"

"Even the people who reject us will receive a portion of light"

"You live worthy of YOUR covenants, and the Lord will bless you beyond your wildest imaginations."

"You're not sealed to a person; you're sealed to a family". 

And from Stake conference on Sunday

"We are baptized unto a life of repentance....at the sacrament table".

"He didn't know about us. He knows us."

Week 61 Buena Vista

Hey everyone!!! This week felt like three weeks long. I am here in Buena Vista, a bike area, and am having a great time. The air in Bakersfield is taking a bit of a toll on my lungs, as it is more polluted than Beijing, China. The members are great! I love them, and they are SO willing to help in any possible way. They are begging for ways to help us out. We have a few investigators that are pretty cool. We have a lot of families that would not ever hesitate to be baptized, but they're not divorced with other people and living with their spouses. But we set two people on date this week, and the two dates seem very hopeful. My studies haven't been the same, because usually we learn a little in personal study, and then when we share our thoughts in comp study the things we learn open up so much. I love the area and our investigators. Being on bike can definitely be pretty hard, but there are a lot of opportunities a car does not provide. I love the Lord, and I have really learned a lot this past week. I am excited to see how things go. I love you all!Love elder sant

Week 60 Buena Vista

Hey everyone, how's it going? I got transfer calls this week, and sadly I am leaving Littlerock, but not sadly going to Buena Vista. I have heard good things about it. It is a bike area! That should be very fun! I will be with an Elder named Elder Ruiz. It'll be his last transfer.

Aside from that, this week was very good. We had the familia Gutierez come to General Conference, and it was very powerful for me. We missed most of Priesthood Session, but when we got in we heard the talk from Uchtdorf and Eyring. He talked about how leaders are called, not for their skills, but because the Lord works through the weaknesses and what is lacking. 

This was a good week. The Gutierez family listened to the plan of salvation, with prophets mixed in, and invited them to be baptized. The wife, Asusena, said yes, and the husband said "I was already baptized a long time ago." We are going to talk about how baptism without authority is a good way to try to follow Christ, but when done by the right authority, God can cleanse us when we receive the Holy Ghost. I am excited to serve the Lord, and I know He takes us in our weaknesses and makes us better than what we were or would be. 

Please keep praying for us, and I love you all. 

Love Elder Sant