01/25/2010 (Ponce)

01/25/2010

HOLA FAMILIA
so sounds like things are going great and time really is moving at home too. haha sometimes I think everyone at home is just stuck and it will be the exact same when I get back until I hear things like getting a new stake center, people getting married, and even Eric driving -- STAY OFF THE SIDEWALK!!

But anyways it was amazing to hear from Elder Bednar. There were about 100 missionaries that were there and he comes in and he’s like ok we are going to work together today and he just invited us all not to be scared and just open up and we were going to discuss things. Like 2 weeks in advanced we all had to read two talks from elder bednar "seek learning by faith" and ''ask in faith" so we really studied hard before hand and it was great he just started with "does anyone have a question?" and then the discussion started and we listened and learned and it was amazing! It was really like a one on one experience with a prophet. It was amazing and it lasted 3 hours it was really really really great and I LEARNED A TON!

but anyways what’s new … me and elder Wilson are still working really really hard and we are learning about faith haha there is something elder bednar talked to us about that really hit me hard that I love! he talked about this kid that he went to his mission and did a thing like he did with us well the kid really admired Elder Bednar a ton. he returned from his mission got married and was married for about a year and then got really really bad cancer so the kids family sent a letter to Elder Bednar and just asked him if he could send the kid an email or a note or a letter or something just to cheer him up but what Elder Bednar did was show up at his hospital and spent the day talking with him for a while and at the end the kid asked for a blessing and Elder Bednar said yes but before I do I want to ask you if you have the faith not to be healed (in the Bible it always asks for the faith to be healed) but he asked if he had the faith not to be healed. He said if I put my hands on your head and seal you to die and cross the veil and start your work in the spirit world could you accept it? So the kid thought about that! Elder Bednar told him to talk to his wife and then he would come back and give him the blessing. so what I learned from this is that if I ask myself “do I have the faith to continue working really hard without seeing the fruits of my labors or without seeing baptisms” -- it’s something cool to think about but me and Elder Wilson are just really trying to work hard and forget ourselves in the work loose ourselves in our faith :)

but that’s awesome about everyone getting their mission calls and it sounds like everyone is doing really good! Way awesome that Sami’s dad is giving that talk (Our former Mtn. Home Stake President - President Waddoups’ is speaking at the BYU-Idaho Devotional next Tuesday). I would love to listen to it - I bet it’s going to be really really good. Crazy as well that Reed (Borgholthaus) is home too but that’s cool he knows a lot of Papiamento! It’s really an easy language. I don’t know too much of it yet but yeah that’s cool! They also encourage the missionaries to learn Dutch while they are down there too so I guess if I ever go I will maybe learn a few words. (Matthew’s mission takes in the ABC Islands – Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao – so if he is ever transferred to one of those islands he will have to learn some Papiamento, French, & Dutch!)

But yeah life is going great and we are doing good!
Tell everyone hi for me!
love ya
elder ward