When a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. But there are Still a Few Words Anyway.

It has been one really great week. Once someone asked me what my favorite part of the day is in missionary work. My answer was the little miracles that I get to see everyday. Last night as I was giving our report to our district leader, I was amazed by how many things that we have been blessed with this week and how many little miracles that we have seen.

The first little set of miracles came from the missionary lessons we are teaching the members.

During a closing prayer, I felt the impression to ask a member for a referral - even though he hardly ever gives them even after you ask. But, when the prayer was finished, without me asking, he told me of a woman whose husband died about a month ago and who needs the gospel. The Sanchez family also asked us if a new investigator family to be taught in their home. And, the bishop, after we taught a combined lesson with his family and a new convert family, assigned our new convert Melvin to be the 1st counselor in the institute program and motivated him to attend! Melvin then asked me later in the week how he can get a manual, the Doctrine and Covenants, and a new bible. Wow, I was bursting with energy and happiness when I found this out. What huge answers to my prayers.

My companion and I are doing great. We are really focusing on finding people and have been really blessed this week. We found 7 new investigators! At the end of last night I was really grateful for all of the great things that have happened this past week. It has been a really good week.

One of our new investigators is Angie - she is the daughter of the awesome family that we helped come back to church (emphasized - helped because we really didn't do it - but we get to participate in the joy that comes from seeing them active). Anyway, Angie turned 9 last week and hasn't been baptized. We were going to have dinner with their family yesterday and when we were planning, my companion said that we could teach the first lesson and that she could become a new investigator. I said "sure," so we planned on that. Then I was kind of nervous to bring it up with them, so she did and it was really neat because Angie's father said, "I was thinking that and was actually going to ask you both if you could start teaching her".

I love it when the spirit says the same thing to two different people and you know it's the spirit that's communicating.

Most of all I am just grateful to Heavenly Father for this opportunity to preach the gospel and to give this year and a half to Him to help my brothers and sisters here. I was talking to Hermana Ortiz about why I came on a mission and I remembered that this is the biggest and most important opportunity that I have to give everything to the Lord and to help the people here change their lives through Christ.

I will strive to be more obedient and the best missionary that I can be.