Monday, May 12, 2014

May 12, 2014 (Week 91)

May 12, 2014

Man... I'm full. La princesita was soooo big hahah.

I think I ate about 1.3 out of 1.6 kilos. That's a good chunk of meat, bacon, cheese, and grease. hahaha. They wouldn't let me use water, and the burger was super hot. Man. That sucks. Everyone in the whole restaurant was watching. But boy, I sure gave it my best shot. They put on a few songs to cheer me on. Normally it was soft music, like a restaurant grill house, but then they put on:
 
Eye of the Tiger
Final Countdown
Rocky Theme Song.
 
Haha. It was so funny. I don't know if it was a sin to listen to the songs but they sure motivated me to finish as much as I could and not give up! The whole restaurant was laughing. Not too often you get a white guy eating a Princesita singing along to Eye of the Tiger while shoving bite after bite in his mouth. hahahahaha.
 
Anyway, yeah it was fun talking to you all. I was in a funk last night and this morning. It wasn't you guys, but man. home was the last thing I wanted to think about after 21 months. It's getting harder and harder, and going faster and faster, and this is the moment when you slow down or speed up. and seeing home just about put me over. It took a few hours to refocus. but, other than that, it was fun. I'm still focused. Not gonna die! I'm gonna get translated haha.
 
Well, just one spiritual thought, for 20 months here I've been kind of reluctant to admit I've been a member all my life, because I've always felt that they are just gonna say "you've never known anything else", "you're the same", "your parents brainwashed ya", etc. But when we were teaching an investigadora, Gladys, she's pretty poor and has 2 little kids. She asked me if I was member all my life, and I thought about it. The spirit told me something: "of course you have, and aren't you glad?" Your great great grandfather wasn't a member, and he joined the church (it was him right? I actually am not quite sure. I imagine it was him, but I could be wrong), and came over here, and thanks to one family member, I've now been born with all the blessings. Many generations have been and will be blessed for one man. It was like President Eyerings talk. But yeah. I told her to read the book so that she could find the truth, and bless her future generations and not listen to her mom, who wants her to stay in the Catholic faith...
 
But yeah, we haven't had a whole lot of time to work in the area. Lots of stuff to do, and now we gotta find a baptism for this weekend! bautizar cada semana [baptize every week]!
 
Love you all, have a great week, study charity. Report back to me! It's a great topic, and one of VERY high importance if we are to be saved...
 
Love, 
 
Elder Mortensen

May 5, 2014 (Week 90)

May 5, 2014

WELLLL...
 
This week sure went by fast. no me diga. [don't tell me]
 
We ended up going back with Arcelia and guess what? True to the blessing I pronounced, she left in exactly a week, and her doctor is stunned. We taught her the first lesson, God, prophets, Church of Jesus Christ and his ministry, the apostasy, and the restoration of the gospel, and with it, the authority and priesthood, up to the Book of Mormon. I bore testimony of Joseph Smith and how the priesthood has been restored and she whispered: "I do too." We paused and I said.. "How do you know?" and she realized what God had done and how he had done it. Talk about miracles. Wow. Her family is shocked. She couldn't come to church this week because they took out her staples Saturday, but she will be full ready to come with the family this weekend. YES. So happy.
 
We are also teaching a woman called Aracely. She has one kid of 3, and when we taught the restoration she got excited too and told us she was gonna come to church. She came and was super happy when she left the baptism. Her son loved playing around, and she really liked it. We just gotta get her married.
 
That's right, another miracle baptism. Belen, like I told you the last week, was a referral of another member, our Lider Misional [Ward Mission Leader]. She and her mom started having a lot of struggles, with her mom, (ex Mormon, now Jehovas Witness) who just jumped right into Satans hands to be a thorn and a stumbling stone, (it's funny how much people hate the church after they get baptized. The worst enemies of the church are ex-members, just goes to show the scriptures are true, but ay ay de aquellos [those], 2 nefi 31:14. Better for them to not have me known. or something like that.) But just as their faith was tried, they held on hoping and came to church. I had the privilege to baptize her. It was super cool. For being inactive for so many years and for never letting misioneros or members in her house, she sure let us in with arms wide open. I guess the Lord has his ways and his times, and this weekend was definitely hers. Another little blessing, her school got changed, precisely this week, from Saturday and Sunday, to Tuesday and Friday. She's gonna be able to go to church every week now. I don't think they are gonna go inactive any time soon. Wow. So amazing. felt great to get in the water again, I'll tell you that much. I might have 29 children, just to baptize 29 more times hahahahahaha.
Ana is a 12 year old girl, niece of a recent convert with cancer. He wasn't able to go for 2 weeks, so he didn't take her. We went Friday, and gave him another blessing, and he got miraculously cured of the stomach problems and what not he had going on extra that didn't let him go to church, and he brought Ana, and he said, we are tired of waiting for her dad to call, (waiting for about a month or two for him to call to give permission so she could get baptized, hes military and doesn't really care about her anyways. he hardly stays in contact) so they came and said, I'm gonna sign, she's getting baptized this weekend. WOOOO! Our prayers and fasts were answered. The assistants talked to her in church, so they thought they were gonna steal her from us, (they hardly work, I don't know for laziness or if they REALLY have sooo much to do in the offices) but we said.. "umm... no. She's our investigator. Find your own! tristes [sad] asistentes jaja.... but we are gonna have that happen this week. I'm so happy. We are starting to see that grace combined with the faith, really does make miracles. Just gotta stay humble or I wont have any access to his grace or help. I'm stoked. Ive got a goal for baptisms before i come home. I sure hope I reach it. I've gotta find those people waiting.
 
We have met a few people that just open up so easily. "I'm 29, I've got nothing to do with my life", "I can't finish school or stay in a job", "I've sinned", "Christ doesn't love me", "I'm scared of God", "I don't think I can be forgiven", "I started drinking", "I don't even know why", and yeah. Me and Elder Shearer were like... umm... Plan of Salvation I think would work for him.... haha.
 
It's been a great, but a busy week. I hardly have time to sit down. Even my dreams are about investigators and Paul and Peter in Acts and what not. My brain is straight fried but I love it.
 
Until next week, Captain America signs off.
 
Elder Mortensen

And mom, I sure do love you, I won't be there to make you breakfast, but know I love you and I can't wait to see you Sunday :)

April 28, 2014 (Week 89)

April 28, 2014

Well, I don't have a quote, but I've got good news. Apparently I didn't get too fat because all the kids in a neighborhood call me Captain America, hahahaha. I'm famous in a few colonias. That's the good news.
 
The bad news, some dumb member called President TreviƱo and said we were bummin' around in the local malls... (just like that chismosa [gossiper] in Austin's church! "Quick come police! They are gonna rob and burn down the church! Send the whole squad! They are two boys playing basketball but super suspicious!!!)" People sure do love to twist the truth and spread the gossip to the new area 70. Buddyin up! Anyways, even though the assistants said it was alright to go to the super market chedruai, (it's situated like a walmart or a target next to a mall) President isn't happy. I'm not sure what he heard, but he's not too happy we went to a mall (even though we didn't even enter the thing). I wish someone would have told us... I hate it when things like this happen... stupid gossip. 
 
But this week we saw miracles. It was so cool. We had 3 great lessons just filled with the Holy Ghost Monday (strangely enough after drinking two Mountain Dews...) haha. But we had 2 lessons with investigators that just seemed to lurch forward in their progress. Then I gave a blessing to a woman that came to church and loved it. She was going in for surgery, pretty complicated, so we gave her a blessing super powerful, and God heard, and answered. The doctors didn't have to do half the things they thought, and she was the first patient this doctor has ever seen that hasn't needed a blood transplant. She is recuperating about 2 or 3 times faster than thought too. God has not ceased his miracles. We might go visit her this week. The whole family was in the blessing and everyone wants to go to church and get baptized... I'll keep ya posted. What great faith. she felt the spirit super strong Sunday and said it was even stronger during the blessing. She felt a warmth spread through her whole body...
 
Jueves [Thursday] we ate with a woman, and her husband was watching soccer. He told us he isn't a member and hasn't gotten baptized because he's a state policeman and goes away for a month at a time, and wants to get baptized when he retires. We explained the Holy Ghost, and how sometimes different jobs require us to be away from home, and he said alright, I'll ask God. We went back the next day, and he said "yeah, I feel pretty good about it. I'll go to church, and next week, yeah, I'll get baptized." His son just barely turned 16 and got ordained to be a priest this weekend! Talk about timing!!! He gets baptized on the 3rd, confirmed the 4th, then leaves on the 5th.
 
The sisters had a baptism. After the baptism we watched the The Bible video from the church (the new poderosos [powerful] of the Life of Jesus) with the font doors open, and I bore my testimony to the group after the video, super powerful, and then after I sat down, a family of 4, (the mom is member, her two daughters and son in law aren't) called me over and whispered "my daughter wants to know if she can gets baptized this weekend"... I said of course!!! The lord gave us 2 baptisms when we had nothing. Everything we can do with God. I love it.
 
I want you all to study Grace this week. How Grace helps us. I studied it, and really, it has a whole lot more to do with our daily life than we think...

Motorcycles with tortillas and coolers driving through
your local neighborhood to deliver them hot and recently made!
 
Love you all, Elder Mortensen