Week #68

Hermano and Hermana Valdez! Hermano Valdez served his mission with Karissa and Andres in Cordoba!

Hola Familia,

Our PDay was changed to today because yesterday was Columbus Day and EVERYTHING was closed. So President Cifuentes changed our PDay. Yesterday we ate lunch with a young married couple- The Valdez Family. They got married a little less than a year ago and he served his mission about 2 years ago. I asked him where he served, and he told me CÓRDOBA, Argentina. And yes, he served with Andres and Karissa. He said, "Hermana Bosco is your sister? I didn´t even think about that" haha He knew Karissa a little, but knows Andres a lot more. Andres was his zone leader and when Andres became AP, Hermano Valdez replaced him as zone leader. It was pretty cool because he showed me a few pictures that he had of Andres and all the missionaries in the zone. HAHA it was really cool. I´ll send you a picture with Brother and Sister Valdez.

This week I learned some awesome things. First off, I came on the mission to find, teach, and help people come unto Christ by making covenants with Him so that they can live with Him forever. But what I realized this week, is that the investigators have taught me more about the lessons that I teach and how I can better live my covenants. I´ll give you an example. During the week, we taught Mirta a few times and we always start and end with a prayer. She´s getting a lot better at praying and talking to her Father in Heaven. EVERY TIME that we end the prayer and say amen, there are tears in her eyes. She literally feels the power of the Spirit every time that we pray and talk to our Father in Heaven. I was always amazed at that, but it wasn´t until a little later on in the day when the Spirit taught me about the example of Mirta. The Spirit whispered to me, "Why don´t we all feel the Spirit strongly in our lives every time we pray? Why don´t we have desires to cry every time we pray because the Spirit has touched our hearts?" I thought about it and it´s true. When I pray with real intent and sincerely, I always am filled with the Spirit. But why don´t I pray like that always? Thanks to Mirta´s example and the whisperings of the Spirit, I am living my covenants in a better way because I am improving my prayers.

Another example of this is when we were teaching Ramona about why we have the commandments and rules from our Heavenly Father. She told us that she always has rules in her home because if her kids go out in the street and do whatever they want and get hurt because if it, who´s going to suffer most? She said, "I am!" During the lesson I began to think... If we choose to disobey the commandments and we go out in the real world and get hurt (physically and/or spiritually speaking), who´s going to suffer most? I think she´s right.. our parents. And even more than our earthly parents, our Heavenly parents. They love us and They don´t want us to get hurt. For this reason, we have received commandments as protections from the wickedness of the world. The lesson that we were supposed to be teaching to Ramona was ironic because SHE was teaching US.

We can always learn- day by day- as we have the Spirit as our companion. He will always find ways to teach us and to show us the way to eternal life.

Thanks for all the love and support! I love you all so much.

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

AND.... MARTÍN GOT BAPTIZED ONE YEAR AGO!!! OH YEAH!

 

Thanks to Elder Paleka's ( green and yellow striped shirt) parents for this picture