Email Letter - 5 November 2008

Family,

So this week has been an amazing one. It goes back to last Saturday when our area had a broadcast for the young women in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina with Sister Allred, Sister Dibb and then our Area Presidency. It was an awesome thing to watch and listen to. I was glad that I could go and the only reason was because we are the Branch Presidency as you know. We got to go and listen to all of the counsel that the young women received. Of course Sister Dibb had a translator because she doesn’t speak Spanish but when she would talk she sounded just like her dad President Monson and she gave great insight to what they young women need to be doing. It didn’t just help them but it helped us as leaders learn what we need to do to help them progress.

Then on Sunday we had 13 people in church. It sounds like it’s very few but in the last few weeks they only had 7-10 so we are making an improvement. We also had an investigator come, his name is Pico and he’s a stud. He’s like 22 or so and he has told us that he feels the spirit whenever we teach him. On Monday night we went over to his house to teach him and we told him that he needed to pray to ask our heavenly father if he should get baptized and he told us he would do that and talk to his parents because as of right now they are keeping him from choosing what’s best. At the end of the lesson he told us that he knew that god would tell him that he needed to get baptized and that if god wants him to do it then his parents will agree.

After that we went to another lesson with a part member family and taught the same lesson on baptism and asked the mom if she would get baptized and she said that she would start now doing all the things that she has to do and with our help she will get there soon. It was a wonderful night and really powerful to see the change in people when they feel the spirit.

Yesterday was our zone conference and there it just got so much better. We had our Area President Elder Shayne M Bowen there with his wife and after listening to our mission president and his wife speak we heard from them. First Sister Bowen spoke about how it would be impossible for Joseph Smith to have done what he did without the help of the lord or without the authority that the lord had given him. After that we heard the going home testimony of my friend Elder Hemmert which just invited the spirit even more and when he finished we had a special musical number from Sister Casperson who is here with her husband serving in my area. When she finished it was Elder Bowens turn and I can’t express to you all how much the spirit was with him as he spoke to us about who we really are.

We had a two hour discussion about the authority that we hold to carry the word of god to every nation and that authority is the Priesthood. He told us that the only thing holding us back is us and that we have been promised all that the father has if we do our part. He bore witness to us that he could feel our power and authority and that he knew that we are the chosen generation to carry this gospel to all the world. He promised us in the name of Christ that there are thousands waiting for us and that we need to do everything we can to bless them. Again I can’t express to you in words the love that he spoke with and the spirit that filled the room as he spoke.

And when we pulled up to our house tired and ready for bed Pico ran over and told us that he wanted a date for his baptism because god told him that it was the right thing and his parents told him that if it’s what he wants then he should do it! I’m excited to work with him to get there.

It has been a great week and I can feel the blessings of being here. I am grateful to be here and for the blessing of the Priesthood which I hold. I love this work. And I thank you all for your support. I love you.

Tay