Hey Mom and Dad!
It sounds like the 60th anniversary party was a real success! You'll have to send me pictures of the party and the kitchen! I want to see how it turned out!
This week has been a little difficult for me emotionally. It's kind of weird because some days I'll be studying the Scriptures and I'll feel really good, but then when I leave the house and go to the street, my energy and excitement go away. I have improved so much! Meanwhile, the roller coaster keeps coastin".
We have been really blessed here. Heavenly father has answered the prayers of many people here. One of our investigators, Sofia, is doing so well. She's gone to church two times and feels so good there. She's the lady that told us that God doesn't exist for her. On Saturday night we went to her house and met her husband and spent some time getting to know him and the family. I felt so good in their house. It is such a good family! She likes to sew a lot and she's volunteered to teach the other sisters in the branch to sew really well. Her mom has cancer and is probably going to pass away soon, so she's having a hard time with that, and goes to Guerrero every once in a while to help her mom.
Mariana was baptized yesterday! She's been doing so well! She's had an interesting life from what I've seen. She has a few tattoos and she's single mom of a little girl named Amairani. But she wants to change and she's wanted to baptized for a long time. So now she's done it and she'd got a long trail ahead of her. We need to get her some more friends in the church. Her grandma has gone to church about 3 times and watched her baptism. She's hard of hearing and is a little old, but we're gonna try and teach her and get her to pray. Once they understand prayer and they start to experiment, they know it's true!
Evelia didn't go to church yesterday. She's an interesting person. She's had a really Catholic background and has really high morals and standards. I think she'd just got a little hippy in her. She likes to express herself kind of openly and kind of "HALLELJU-ish". But we've been teaching her and she feels like she has received an answer to her prayers. She told me she believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet. She still hasn't accepted baptism, and doesn't really understand yet. For her it takes a while to really understand mentally.
There are two members of the church here that are so awesome. They were baptized about 3 months ago, and they're already missionaries! We have been having the lessons with Evelia in their house, and they've had the opportunity to bear their testimonies, and they're actually really good at it! They are progressing really, really fast!
Yesterday we had two miracles happen. I left the gospel principles class to get some air (sometimes it gets a little crazy at church) and I found a young man wandering around the chapel. I think God sent me out to find him. His names is Rafael. He told me he wanted to know what the church is and he heard around town that we have the services at 10 am. So he decided to go alone. He arrived and I found him, so I gave him a tour of the chapel and taught him some of our basic beliefs. I then took him into the Gospel Principles class. All of the members were so awesome to him yesterday. He felt so good. He then got to see Mariana's baptism. That was an extra plus! During the baptism I talked to him to find out what he believes about God. He told me know knows God is everything and that He is loving, but he never has know that love. He's never known God. I bore my testimony to him that we are here for a purpose, that God lives and that if we want to, we can get to know Him really well. He left the church really impressed and content. We're gonna go to his house on Tuesday to see him and teach him the Restoration.
Also, in the evening, my companion and I were having a meeting with the branch president. A tall lady walked in with two little boys and all of us were confused because we didn't know who she was. She told us that her husband is a member that doesn't go, and told us she's been looking for a church. We gave her a tour of the chapel and she likes it a lot. Once again, the members were really polite and welcomed her. My companion showed her the baptismal font, and explained baptism to her. She asked him "So, how long does it take to get baptized?" I think Elder Anderson almost fainted! We were so happy last night!
Well, here are some more names that you an pray for!
Rafael Quintero Zu iga, Mariana Bravo Perez, Marilu Reyes and Evelia.
Someone stole my white baptismal pants. I need some of those, and also my debit card already expired. Sometimes it's necessary to take out money out of my own account, so I probably need one!
Elder Anderson is probably gonna get transferred this change. He's been here in Telpalcingo for 9 months! A long time! I'm probably gonna be here for a while too. But it's all good. President Spannaus is doing well. He's such a good president!
I am gonna try to sent some fotos to you guys if the computer accepts the card! I love you all so much! Russell
Elder West
