It's A Wonderful Life!

The members just filled in our week on Sunday with lunches and dinners. We actually have to spread them out over two weeks to fit everyone in, and it is a wonderful problem to have. We aren´t having problems finding, just choosing whom to teach and when. We have two baptisms this weekend, and what I am sure is the progenetor of carnivore soup: locro. Locro has pig feet, bacon, beef, chicken, sausage, colored sausage, corn, cow stomach, and anything else the butcher has to sell, and if its made well its awesome. Every May 25th they eat it, and it´s a huge deal. The bishop is gonna cook three cauldrons full of it, and we are going to practice singing with the youth, learn how to recycle plastic bottles and fellowship all of the investigators that we can. Church attendance is great. We had a solid number of people in church, and have been visiting the investigators with members to say hi and show them that we love them. We gave a talk in church and told the members the hard truth that every week that we don´t invite someone to church we are not fully preaching the gospel, even if we throw in hints and hidden motives in our conversations. The full blown invitation is always a requirement for secure, open progress, and shows real love for our beloved friends and family. This last week I feel like I solidified my belief in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, with an experience that may seem insignificant at a glance, but really impacted my life. I began in 1 Nephi. "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents" and so forth simply rang so true and similar to my life that I couldn´t help but to say out loud, "this book is so true." Later, I read in Alma 26 and 29, where the sons of Mosiah testify of their beliefs and the importance of God´s work of saving mankind from eternal damnation. I finished with Mosiah 28:3, which always gets me, and the chain was very powerful in its witness that we must share this gospel. Noemi is getting baptized, and Alexa too. Noemi just makes me happy when I see her with her husband as they together prepare to go to the temple and be sealed a her after her baptism. The Lord did all of her teaching, and I feel priviledged to have seen the great time of her baptism. Alexa was going to be baptized yesterday, but she got really, really sick, so we will do it this weekend instead. Please pray for her and her family. Her mom needs to get work off, and has in her head that if she doesn´t get it off we will just keep postponing it until she can, which we can´t really do. Please pray for her! I love the work, life, my companion, the members and everyone that I meet. Most of all, I love my Savior, because He first loved me. This is the Lord´s church, and all who live it´s precepts will know by the holy power of God Almighty that it is thus. In Christ, Elder Lindsey

On Fire!!!

Agustín got baptized and confirmed. All of his friends came to the baptism, and 3 other investigators that we were already teaching. There is a great power in invitation. We are very happy to work together as a companionship, and I have loved my time with Elder García. He truly loves everyone on a sincere level, and has a great relationship with all the members and investigators that I have seen. The potency of sincerity. Gotta love it. We have a bunch of youth wanting to help the family get back on their spiritual feet, and they wish to share the gospel with their friends. This makes us happy. It´s not a choice, it forces us to be happy. Kind of like the Savior´s love. There is no way out. Claudia and her family (investigators three blocks from the chapel) are just on fire. We gave them a gospel principles book in church, and stopped by to pick up the clothes that they had washed for us on the way to drop off our suits (and the lunch that a member brought for us in a tupperware container) in the pension, and lo and behold, they had already delved into the great words of the book and asked us a few more questions. Baptism is all the talk in their household, and they take it very seriously. This, too forces us to be happy. It´s very difficult to resist. Helena is still pushing back by not wanting to pray with us, but we have kept passing by and we watched the testaments last night with her son in law. Goodness, I love this work. A family asked us for 10 pesos to help them out for a day. They told us that they could pay us back tomorrow, but we can´t do that and be obedient. We told them that the Lord would bless them more if we refused to be disobedient, and what do you know. 10 minutes later, their 2 year old finds 50 pesos on the ground. Gotta be obedient, for it also forces us to be happy if we do it with our heart in the right place, which means without looking for the honors of the world. My companion probably goes this next week to another area, and I will miss him dearly. His help is great, and I love him as a brother. Not quite as much as David or Heather, but getting there. I´ll update as time goes on. Thanks for the messages, they really help. In Christ, Elder Lindsey

What a General Conferenc!!!

Elena went to conference. Her daughter is a recent convert, and Elena is soaking it in. She was very curious about this whole thing, and I pray that she recognized the strong spirit that I felt as I sat on the same bench for the last session of conference. What a conference for us! Others are listening and preparing themselves for baptism, too. All of it is through the members. All of it. Every last person. All of it. We´ll talk about that later on. Our bishop is very excited to work with us. It had been a while since the missionaries had brought a Progress Record to him, and he was all over it. The members here are great, and we are working especially hard to get those baptismal trees going. The converts are sharing with their families, the returning members are studying and relearning everything to be able to teach their beloved friends alongside us, and we are trying to work 100% through the members. Its slower, but as Trevor... ahem... Elder Pierce said, it is much more effective. I love my companion. He is great, and his English is improving drastically as we read the Book Of Mormon together. He is very humble, and really loves everyone. This is the life! Conference was incredible. President Eyring talked about it in the Priesthood session, as well as President Monson. Eyring said that when he was a ward missionary they didn´t knock doors (better said than not contacting people) and that they had a bunch of success. Someone also said that the members should fill in the schedules of the missionaries with people to teach, which also goes in compliance with talks by Elder Bednar, Elder Perry and Elder Ballard in the past few years. Elder Bednar says that the members shouldn´t even pray that the missionaries find people to teach, for it is their part as full time searchers, while the Elders are full time teachers. You guessed it. There were 8 talks about missionary work, which means that that is one of the weakest points in the church right now. 8 talks! What can you do to find people to teach? How much do you love your neighbor? Enough to risk a little embarrassment should they vehemently shout in your face for having invited them to church or to listen to the missionaries (WORST CASE)? Enough to pray, fast and study to know how to teach, how to share, how to love and why we do these things? Do you desire that your neighbors have eternal life with their families, or would you rather leave them in the dark forever by not ever bringing it up, or procrastinating bringing it up. Talking about your testimony of Christ is how you can show sincere love and caring for others, as well as for Christ. ¡Vamonos! Sorry that there isn´t time for more, but tune in next time for the next adventure of... Doo doo doo dooooo! Elder Lindsey and Elder Garcia En Cristo, Elder Lindsey

I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!

There are some places in the mission that I don´t think that I will be able to bring my family to visit when all is said and done. We live smack in the middle of two Red Zones, and basically try to avoid being near the pension until its time to go inside. Our first lesson together was to three youths smoking marijuana. They were rather respectful, and I hope that we have been able to incite at least a small change in their lives. I love the people here, but this will be an off limits Zone for a family of gringos walking around with cameras and credit cards to get around... The Bishop here is very oriented towards getting out and doing some good. When we ask him what we can do for his family, he tells us to organize a family home evening with the new converts in the neighborhood. It just makes my day to talk to him. My companion is really great. Elder Garcia has a great gift to be able to really relate to the people and tell them how the gospel has changed his life for the better. Gotta love him. This Easter was spent very quietly. I was able to meet some really, really good people in our ward that truly love the Lord and His children. In spite of all the crazy things that I may tell about the things that go on here, I feel very comfortable and protected by the Spirit, the neighbors and the members. Even our contacts warn us about the dangerous areas and how to avoid them without losing too much time. Feeling this love towards us from our fellow man makes me think about how the Savior loves us. He warns us of the Spiritual dangers that we have and wishes that we can stay as far away from them as is possible to be able to live with Him some day. We have some people lined up to be baptized if we keep working really hard. None of them are more than 20 years old, and its a great time to be a youth in the Ward José Ignaci Díaz! I love you all, and love this work! Elder Lindsey

Happy Easter

I got moved again! Elder Bethers and I were sad to see it happen, but it had to be done to get the work moving even faster. He is going to train this transfer, and I am now back in Córdoba Capiiiiital as a senior companion. It was a long journey, and quite and adventure. First of all, we got to the terminal in Río Cuarto to take the bus, and nobody else was there. We prayed for guidance and a member from our ward magically walked right in front of us two minutes later and we learned that the others had gone without even calling us to tell us that the bus was going earlier than what they had told us. So, we bought tickets for the next bus and travelled for two hours before I had to go to the bathroom. I prayed again, and we stopped in five minutes for a bathroom break and met up with other Elders heading for the terminal in Córdoba. We started off again, and as we arrived the bus broke down 100 feet from the terminal, so we had to walk. Then I saw a ton of people that I knew, including many old friends, companions, people from my group, and Elders who had been in my previous areas, so we talked for a while before heading out to my new area. My area is called José Ignacio Díaz, and my companion, Elder García, is an Argentine from Chubut. I am super excited to get to know him and to get to work! They tell me that its a ghetto in my area, so they baptize like crazy here. We currently don´t have a phone due to residential "friendliness", or familiarity if you´d like to call it that, by way of an unauthorized request that we live the law of consecration by donating our cellphone to the cause of a potential investigator that we have yet to find again. Ï am very safe in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and thank Him for the opportunity to show my faith and love the people here. Saying goodbye this last time was the hardest of all of my areas by far. I couldn´t visit everyone, but those whom I couldn´t visit will receive letters promptly. I will be dedicating an hour every P-Day to write my converts and beloved members as a rule to complete with what it says in the White Handbook about keeping up our communication. Since it´s free, there is no excuse other than selfish laziness. Anyhow, I may or may not have cried once or twice or more while I visited the families that I came to love so much over these past four.. were they years or months? I can´t remember. I am happy. The members fed us like crazy, and even the investigators were really sad to see me go. I know that because of the Plan of Salvation that each and every one of us will meet again at Jesus feet, as the song says. My trainer finishes his mission this wednesday, which is crazy, and my brother in the mission, Elder Zaracho, is already training with only nine months in the mission. He will go far in life, that is for sure. I am just rearing to go and work my tail off here, giving it my all and leaving behind no regrets. Oh boy, am I pumped! This work makes me exuberantly joyful and I love the Savior´s gentleness and strength. Keep up the good work, everyone! Elder Lindsey

You are a valiant son of Heavenly Father

WOW. Tons to write this week. The first thing I wish to tell is that we had a hardcore Bible bash a few days ago while in another area on divisions, and it really surprised me how reading the Bible alone closes off the hearts of those who listen to our message. After a while, I called it quits with fighting against the Spirit and decided to just open up and read the Book of Mormon. I have been devising a grand scripture chain for those who are more inclined to really study hard what we leave them, and it includes many scriptures that allow us to know which things come from God and how we can be sure of it. The atmosphere completely changed when I began to flip through those precious pages and the good brother realized that to know what we teach he will have to read the Book. I put my arm on his shoulder as we left, and apologized for not having gotten to know him better and promised that the next time that I come that I would learn about his life and help him in whatever way that I can. I felt much better after that, and that night marked a great change in the way that I view the work. I have begun to really try and enjoy my time with the people here. Working often comes in the form of a good laugh and a sincere and genuine interest in the lives of the people. As we spent fifteen minutes getting to know our Golden Family, la familia Godoy, their friends showed up and we said a prayer with them and left to show that we really don´t want to just impose ourselves in their lives. As we left, the brother expressed real intent in learning the gospel, and in a few hours we should be helping him and his family to understand exactly how the gospel will flip their lives around for the better. They are just great. Please pray for them. The Bishop is ready to just haul away at the task of reactivating and retaining the good members that we already have. Some of the recent converts are slipping away, and we need all of the visits to be done. Each member should be visited personally in their home at least twice a month (Fast offerings and Home teaching) and the sisters should have an extra visit from the visiting teachers. As we put these principles in to action the ward will flourish as righteous units are wont to do. Oh, and Elder Bethers is Hannah Siebach´s cousin, for those of you who might know Hannah. We learned that yesterday while eating lunch with the Elder´s Quorum President and his wife, and it really blew my mind. Now Elder Bethers and I have a lot to really talk about in those moments where even with all of the planning and organizing that we have to do there is extra talking time in the streets. And then there is Sergio. What a great man. He has been coming to church four the past four weeks and technically lives in another area. In short, he is Guillermo´s wife´s mother´s boyfriend, and he is reading the Book of Mormon and recognizing the Spirit on a regular basis. He also wants us to go places with him on P-Days, but today we had other things to do. If I stay for another transfer we should go and have a good ole time helping Sergio to feel the love that we have for him as we extend a commitment to get married and baptized here in the near future. I Love This Work. The Savior is real, and He loves us. You are loved. Don´t give up. He will help you with YOUR personal trials and troubles as you learn to turn your will to the will of the Father. Oh, how great the joy that comes from being the instrument of happiness for others! In Christ, Elder Lindsey 2 Nephi 2, 9, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33 Alma 5 Alma 32 Moroni 7 Moroni 10 3 Nephi 11, 12, 15, 27 Ephesians 3, 4 Hebreos 1, 7, 11 I Corinthians 12 2 Peter 2 2 Corinthians 2 These helps us to understand a ton about why our message is true, and really how important it is to have the revelation from God to lead us along the way so we don´t get lost! The Savior is the chief cornerstone of this church, and the head of all things we preach. Everything else is only an appendage to that part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wonderful!

We have been having some miracles as we strive to do our part to share the gospel. For instance, ten minutes ago a family that we had talked to in the plaza nos contactó para decirnos que nos debían una charla, y quisieron saber cuando podíamos nosotros. It filled my soul with great joy to know that they are ready to listen for the first time, and we are going to do everything that we can to get them baptized as soon as possible. We also have a double FHE planned tonight with our converso reciente Guillermo. He wants to come with us to visit Carmen y Nestor and then have an FHE in his house with his nonmember families. I agree with what Trevor wrote me that its amazing how we can go much time without baptizing and then baptize three, four, five in a row and the members hardly even notice. That is something that I will need to repent of when I go back home. Gotta know who is getting saved these days. Guillermo knows what´s up, and he has this funny way of listening and then randomly asking a question that has little to do with the conversation. Before his baptism it all had to do with the USA, but now it all has to do with the work. How is Luiz? When are we gonna stop by? When is the next baptism? Who is listening to y´all? How did the church get started and moved out to Utah? I love Guillermo very much. He is one of my heroes. Roque didn´t make it to church this Sunday, nor could we find him all week this week, but we finally decided to leave a note and pass by in a time that he is most likely there. We still have a ton of hope for him. Please pray for him and Luiz as they make their decisions in this life to learn more about the gospel and as they see that they really are blessed greatly for the change. Ah, Luiz. Luiz Luiz Luiz. Lucky for him that his Heavenly Father loves him so much and provides him with a good man like Guillermo for his brother in law and an even better man as his Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The Stake President here is on the ball. He talked to all of the missionaries here to have them really get on top of the work and push it to the limits. He says that if the Mission President isn´t here all the time to help us out, he is, and is more than willing to give the work a great big shove and to get it rolling. We told him about our plans to contact like locos here in Centro, and he loves the idea. He gave us some great suggestions concerning whom to contact to get the show on the road and different things that have worked in the past. I am pumped to do this thing in Christ´s name!! I love each and every one of you, because you too are learning much about the Atonement and how it works in our daily life. Keep going! He loves you, He paid the price already, and all that we have to do is give our love and devotion in return. He sends us the Spirit to save us from ourselves, and prayer is incredible. Do your best, and then don´t worry. Be happy in His love. In Christ, Elder Lindsey

zion

To begin, SOOOMMOOOS SIOOOON! We are Zion here in Rio Cuarto for three months, which means that everyone baptized in the month, and now the goal is to get everyone to baptize a family every month. Some of the other areas really had a struggle, but somehow the Lord helped us pull through. Guillermo´s baptism was one of the most special that I have seen. He invited a ton of his family, and now they are all super excited about the gospel, too. He wants us to convert all of them and is already organizing family home evenings with the neighborhood to get things going. We are so happy. I have began to realize that no matter how well you can logically lay out the gospel in a presentation, it works much better if you ask questions. The Spirit can teach when we use questions, and the people give more heartfelt commitments if we work that way. Instead of saying "God wants you to go to His church every Sunday", though that is true, and for some it will reach their hearts, we have begun to rephrase it "Does God want you to attend His church on a weekly basis" and like questions, and the people understand better when they themselves talk themselves into following Him and His teachings. We also found a golden family. Golden, like the pre-translation Book of Mormon, and just as truly great. Griselda is a Jehovah´s Witness, and Alejandro is a "student of the Bible", as he puts it. We have been developing a way to figure out if investigators have real intent, and in every way shape and form they have shown us that they do. We extend commitments, small at first, and gradually larger until we can see where the points are that we will have to mold their learning spirits with the touch of the MAster´s hand. For them, we found something that made our eyes pop wide open, and we will be passing by next monday to teach them again. We stopped by in the siesta, or the holy nap time that never, ever can be violated without causing nuclear warfare or similar results, and he had just come home from work. Although he was eating a nice, homecooked meal, he answered the door and talked to us for an hour, apologizing that he couldn´t properly attend to us. He wants to know everything, and loves to read this kind of stuff. He hasn´t found a church that can close all of his doubts yet, and we didn´t answer any of his doubts that need to be prefaced with a prayer on his part to know if what we share is true. They should be praying fervently to know if this great message is what they seek, and I can testify that it is. We miraculously had four investigators in church on Sunday. We knew two of them, and the other two showed up on their own. Yeah, the Lord wants us to learn that He is preparing people and that we need to concentrate on those who have the desires right now, this very moment, so that we can take advantage of the His time. Guillermo got confirmed, and the Lord has already changed his soul. I LOVE this work, and the Church is definitely true, no matter what language we speak. I´m happy, I am working, I am enjoying myself, and I am done with today´s message. Just go and do, don´t sit and stew. Elder Lindsey

It's Clark

First of all things important, my sources inform me that my dearly beloved cousin has recently been offered a mission, should he choose to accept it, to Malaga, Spain, from where one of the Pedersen boys recently returned from a similar mission. I cannot express my inner joy for this moment of great anticipation for the awesome experience that you´re gonna have, Braden. Keep up the good work! Both of us will speak will a Spanish accent when we´re done with the whole shebang. Well, this week was a good one, though Guillermo didn´t quite get baptized yet. To begin, it was a great deal of effort to get him and his now wife married, and the wedding was fantastic, though much different from the weddings in the States. The Zone Leaders did his baptismal interview, and they invited him to be baptized on Saturday, which he accepted until work called in to tell him that he had to work Friday night until Saturday morning, again Saturday afternoon and Saturday night until church on Sunday. He didn´t quite have the craving of not having any rest for the events scheduled for Sunday, such as the Linger-Longer/Wedding Reception planned partially by us and partially by the ward to aid in ward unity and give a great chance for the non-member family and friends of the couple to get to know the members. It went super well, though the members could have done a much better job at fellowshipping the non members. Always look for people you don´t recognize at ward events as a rule of thumb in order to aid the Lord in blessing their lives. Anyways, Guillermo announced his baptism this upcoming Friday to all of his guests, and the next week they´ll have a chance to come to the actual Sacrament Meeting to see his confirmation. If they all come we will have about 15-20 investigators in church, and the ward is really pumped. Luis, Marta, Luiz and our other promising investigators still haven´t come to church, though their doubts are slowly being resolved. Marta thought that Joseph Smith was on the same level as the Savior, and she really had a hard time believing that, but with that out of the way, she is a lot more comfortable. Our phone is out of credit a week before we get more. This occurrence tends to end in much visiting the members, using other methods of communication to set up appointments and other frantic methods to get the work done well. Maybe the mission will let us buy more credit, which would be great... To clear up the cloudiness, I am still in Rio Cuarto, which is a city located in the Southern part of the province of Córdoba. It has been cold, lately, which is strange for midsummer climates. Here are some photos of the wedding, district meeting before transfers, and a really cool one that I took of our pension in the morning. This past week has caused me to think a lot. It is only right to teach people the importance of the message, and to look for those already prepared to receive the gospel. We did some visits with a brother in our ward, and had zero success in our contacting and all of our five appointments for the two hours that we had fell through. He explained that one really must learn to impact each and every person we meet. They have to know that we are here to teach the word of God in His way, and not by throwing cards and being fancy in our presentation, but by being open, truthful and unafraid to commit them to do things right there. This has helped us to filter out those who aren´t bad, but not quite willing to repent just yet or don´t understand their half of the message. It has caused me to confide more in the Savior and His power, and less in my own explaining abilities. I felt a change in our mindset that has proven very effective and good for the work, as far as I can tell. This gospel is true. Do y´all know that? I do, and the Lord shows it to me every day. I love y´all a ton. Cuando leás este mensaje, Heather, ya estarás en la casa. Portate bien, y felicitaciones en la misión honrada cumplida ya! In Christ, Elder Lindsey

Valentines from the Lord!

Well, this church is true. I will always stand before you and repeat that should it be put into question. God is real and loves His children. This became rather evident to me as for the past 20 years He has constantly answered my selfish prayers and taught me how to be more like Christ. This past year y pico is not excluded. The scriptures are becoming part of who I am, and it becomes natural to share them when I speak. How I wish that that doesn´t change in my life! Nobody came to church this weekend, but I feel that it was to make my soul search itself a bit and to let me know of the Lord´s way of teaching me. I felt so much peace yesterday that I can´t even begin to think of trying to know how to express what it felt like, and it lasted for hours and hours, despite utter, embarrassing rejection behind rejection. We found two chosen investigators just yesterday as well. Fani listened to the Restoration and thanked us as we offered her a Book of Mormon. Thank you, she said, I will read this chapter. I want to know if I can live with my mother again. One of these days I am going to invite y´all over to teach me more. I am available any day in the afternoon. When can y´all pass by? And then we found the brother (Luiz) of the member wife (Eva) of our most progressing investigator (Guillermo). Eva and Guillermo get married on Valentines Day and Guillermo will shortly thereafter get baptized. Luiz has listened in the past but never understood the importance of the message, nor that he can receive an answer to his efforts, not just his prayers alone. He will also begin to read, pray and come to church if we continue to help him. Also, the Reyes family should get married and baptized here soon, to help us complete with the goal of one family a month for the rest of the mission! Centro Ward is going to have a Linger Longer this weekend, and we are ecstatic! We, being Elder Bethers and I for six more weeks (SCOOOOORE!!!!). I love Elder Bethers as a brother. Speaking of brothers, Elder Zaracho, my brother in the mission, is going to live with the assistants five blocks from the mission home with one of the Zone Leaders who moved up to being an assistant. Elder Zaracho will do great things in life. Elder Thompson will take his place in the pension, and I love Elder Thompson. He keeps following me around though. In all three Zones that I have been in he has followed me. Norte, Catamarca and now Rio Cuarto. I think that the Lord wishes that we learn a ton from each other. The people here love and respect the calling of a missionary, but not half as much as they do the missionaries. When I am down, and oh my soul is weary, as the song says, They raise me up, following the example of Christ. Keep your eyes out for those who need, and raise them up a bit. I love y´all, per en serio! In Christ, Elder Lindsey P.S. If anyone has the emails of someone else in the family or friends that want to listen in, I´d love to add them in the CC.

Ouch!

You know that you are happy when your face hurts. There comes a point in one´s conversion to the preaching of the Lord´s Gospel that you just can´t stop smiling, and you get tired of it pretty quick, though the Spirit is great. As Alma says, it begins to become delicious to us. Goodness, how I love to sit and ponder on what the Lord has in mind for each of us in the eternities! How simply complex is His great Plan of Happiness! Well, we got contacted by JW´s while I was writing a letter to some friends back home, and it was a real treat to talk with them. Many other faiths seem to attack upon meeting with us, but these two elderly ladies seemed to just want to share what they had for us. We exchanged dialogue, and even exchanged websites, though we are forbidden as missionaries to visit anything other than the Churches approved websites and email system in this time whilst preaching the good news. I think that they left with a few doubts, though with a solid friendship and professional understanding. Well, no one came to church this last Sunday, and we were kind of bummed, but we organized spilts with about ten priesthood holders this week and will be teaching with the members like mad. Claudia Galitari, the single mother with four kids who wants to share the gospel with everything that moves, is just pounding it. She expressed to us such desires as are found in Mosiah 28:3, to teach to every living soul, but that she didn´t know how to do it well. We gave her a few suggestions and pray constantly for her success. After a while, she is really going to be a spiritual giant and a great help to the ward as well as her family. We have a few people who get married really soon, and have to review a few things before they get baptized. The mission has raised the standard from one baptism a month to one family a month, and in order for the whole mission to complete with this goal we will all have to be worthy, consecrated and dedicated to the work. We are getting there, though no one is perfect other than Elder Bethers. Isn´t it great to be part of such a marvelous work and a wonder? The other day, as I sat thinking about my mission, I began to feel the sorrow that Alma, Mormon and Moroni express in regards to the iniquity of the people. I literally began to just cry for a few seconds for the pain of seeing so many people so close to the truth but rejecting the glorious offer. It gave me stronger desires to improve my way of sharing this message and I fell into much prayer and fasting. This morning, I read Chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel, and it became apparent to me that the most important question in the whole world goes as follows: is the Book of Mormon the Word of God? All other questions answer themselves in this great truth. Yes, this book is the Lord´s word, it answers the questions of the soul and brings great peace to the reader. There is so much doctrine packed into the book that one could study it for the entirety of the Millenium and still find new things on a daily basis. I agree with what Elder Gene Cook says, that we really don´t always appreciate the greatness of the scriptures. They are the literal teachings of our only way to happiness, and we will be judged according to the precepts taught therein. They testify of Christ and reveal to us why we do what we do. What a gift! The work goes on, as usual. Let´s put our shoulders to the wheel and get this show on the road! Be Good! Elder Lindsey P.S. Congrats Ian, Jordan and Skyler on completing with the Lord´s commandment to serve a worthy full time mission! Don´t get married too fast! Hang in there, Heather!

Well, this week has been one of great success and progress, though we had a few hitches in the giddyup. To start, our bishopric is extraordinary, and the members react well to planned events intended to help others in their path to Christ. We invited as many members as possible to visit María with little time in advance, and about 15 showed up to her house to have a little testimony meeting outside for an hour or so. It was remarkably moving. We had felt very strongly to plan the activity despite the odds and short time of advertizing, and now the ward is really pumped to help in whatever way that they can. Those who couldn´t come wrote letters to her and we stopped by to collect them. My attitude is just great right now. I have gone from pleading and begging the Lord to help us to calmly, and humbly thanking Him for all that He has done in the past for us, all that He is doing right now for us, and I simply ask that he helps us to know our part, confiding in Him that He knows what is best, and that His will always will be done in the end. Prayer has now taken on a deeper meaning and importance for me, and I feel much more confidence in the strength that the Lord provides each and every one of His Children. Elder Bethers still is the greatest companion, and never lets me down. When I don´t know what to say, I know that I can trust in the Spirit to fill in, and for Elder Bethers to have the answer to the question or doubt. Also,Eduardo, the son of the dear sister that miraculously got baptized the second to last day of the year (Fany), has been prepared by the Lord throughout his life to receive this gospel. As we taught him, I honestly felt as though I had been there before, and that this message is the only way to find peace in this life. He told us of his life and the things that happen in the neighborhood with the youth nowadays and how everyone needs to find peace. He said that he always has felt the peace that the missionaries bring and wants to know what to do to have that. We explained that baptism is the only way to find that peace, to relieve him his load, and to live with God again as a family. We prayed with him, and then he prayed with us. He has agreed to be baptized the 23rd of February. Will y´all pray for him, please? ESCOGIDO. He has been chosen. There are two families that are getting married in February, and each one has people in it that need to get baptized. All of their questions haven´t been answered yet, but due to the fact that each of them has been going to church since before the time of my trainer, Elder Petersen, they have no doubt in their minds as to whether or not they will get baptized. They are both part member families, and since they know each other they are using each other as support to keep on the right path. These kinds of things that are happening here comprise the reason that the "song of Centro", as we have deemed it, is Hymn number 72, I believe... Praise to the Lord the Almighty. We are working hard, but the Lord is He who acheives the victory. Much of this great work that has rolled forth among the members of Centro began because a single mother sister asked us for some copies of the Book of Mormon to give people for Christmas. The other day we commented it to her and committed her to never let this fire within her go out and to carry a cane in one hand when she is old with the Book of Mormon in the other. She has worked wonders through her love, and her example will never be forgotten. "Be Thou and example unto the believers," says Paul. What peace! What joy! What love I feel for this work! How I long to stay in the field for the duration until Christ comes again to reign in righteousness! This is the Lord´s Kingdom on earth, and He has entrusted us with its upkeeping and growth. What confidence in such imperfect beings, but knowledge of each and every one of us to know where, when and how to put everything in place to save us all should we so choose! Take advantage of the temple to praise His matchless grace, and spend all that you can in His service, for there is no greater emotion, thrill, exhiliration nor peace that exists than knowing that God is pleased with you and that you truly have acheived the compromise between your will and His. I love my Savior, and he loves each and every one of us. Be Good! Elder Lindsey

Dramatic!

My companion is just the greatest guy ever. Elder Bethers rocks. We worked our tails off this week, and really want to continue doing that for a really long time. A few days ago we had been teaching, contacting and working like mad, but we still felt like we were lacking something, and actually felt a lack of power in our message. This troubled us for a while, and has made us reflect on our efforts. We feel that it is because the commitment is what allows for one to become converted, and we need to concentrate our efforts more on the Spirit´s power to bring out inner commitments. Due to the fact that María got baptized really fast and still hasn´t come to church, we figured that this Sunday we were in for one with the Bishop because he was wary of acting so fast. Well, it turns out that this man really really has a very deep love and appreciation for all of God´s children, coupled with a grand understanding of how to help them, and where I subconsciously gave in to the temptation to say that all has been done, he simply told us to pass by with all of the leaders in the ward to figure out what she needs, temporally and spiritually. This we will do, and your prayers will be greatly appreciated as well. Last night, we contacted this older gentleman, and as we tried to explain to him the importance of the message he ended up just rejecting us and hardening his heart. I ended up just looking him straight in the eyes and praying to the Lord that he could understand how much he is missing out on. That is when the Spirit testified of our message. I wish that I had done that earlier in the contact before trying to convince him with my words. The Lord will provide for him at a later date. In church we had a double miracle. None of our investigators had come, and we went outside to call them, to think out loud for a while and to seek the Lord´s guidance. As we sat outside discussing what we could do, Hugo walked over. Contacted a few days ago, this great soul had humbly showed up to see us and to seek guidance in his life as well. He appears different, but lives and loves like each of God´s Children. He couldn´t stay the whole time, but he got to know a little bit and has some goals this week before he comes back the next weekend. Also, a girl that has a great friend bringing her to church is just rearing to go. Her name is Victoria, and we didn´t see her due to the fact that she usually wears glasses, and that she went calmly to primary where we usually don´t look for newcomers. What miracles we had! Truman G. Madsen has some great advice concerning missionary work. He says "let THEM say no" or in other words, give people the benefit of the doubt. I have been applying this principle this week, and it has let me show more faith and help more people commit to learning more about the gospel and applying the eternal principles of salvation. In place of saying something like "hey, we don´t want to waste too much of your time, so we are just gonna give you a card, say a quick prayer and walk away", something more heartfelt and bold is what will make the difference. "I have been thinking about you and the struggles that you have had in your life, and do you know what? I would like to take a few minutes and explain how my baptism changed my life, and then I would like to invite you to do the same by following the example of Christ and joining yourself with His church. Think it through before you let me tell it, because if you let me do so you will feel the Spirit of the Lord telling you that this is what you want in your life, and you may well end up a Mormon in three weeks. May I continue with this message?" I really liked how brother Madsen gave multiple examples of such experiences and that they worked, though I paraphrased a little bit. Y´all get the idea. This is the Lord´s church, and we can all feel it upon praying about it. I love prayer, the heart´s sincere desire, and I often pray for each of y´all who received this message.

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen

The title is the only prison song that I know, and due to the fact that I entered one this week to talk to an investigator´s significant other, I thought that it would be fitting. I had completely forgotten all documentation, yet somehow still managed to get through... hmm... Anyways, to make things more epic, it was all during our time for our interviews with the President, and we had to take a taxi there and back. The first taxi driver robbed us of 20 pesos, so we had to cut the ride back short and walk the rest of the way. Ah, the joys of the mission!! My talk with the President was great. He wants me to fully drive myself in the gospel and let nothing get in the way. Opposition, trials, temptations, all of them are naughty excuses for not achieving great wonders in the name of the Lord. We currently are about to explode here in Centro, and the members are really getting good at staying excited for the work. We´ve been spreading cards, Preach My Gospels and copies of the Book of Mormon like wildfire, and hope that it catches big. Two of the part member families are getting married here in February, so we are way happy for them. I love my companion. He is humble, intelligent, meek, loving, funny, and . Elder Bethers will be a lifelong friend for me, especially because he lives so close. He reminds me of Layten Durda mixed with Trevor Pierce and Clayton Young, three of the people with which I share some of my fondest memories before the mission. What a pleasure it is to serve with him in this blessed land! I got Christmas mail from the ward back home, and it made my day. Isaac Fotu had some great comments about David, but don´t tell him I said that. Just keep doing what you´re doing, pal. The Moeller´s Questionaire was hilarious, and the mere mention of carnivore soup makes my stomach do flips and twirls inside. All in all, I am happy to say that I am alive and well, the Lord is blessing us with people to teach, and expects us to work very hard. In all reality, we don´t have the time to visit everyone by ourselves and have to get organizing regular divisions to keep us on the right track coming up here soon. Love, joy and peace to everyone. Elder Lindsey

God is a God of Miracles!!!!!

This weekend was easily the most miraculous weekend of my mission. In Rio Cuarto, my area was one of only four areas in the MISSION that hadn´t baptized. We had no progressing investigators. None of our investigators came to church, even the man that had miraculously agreed to be baptized the day before. Our faith began to falter. We emptied the font. We went home to eat our lunch, and figure out what exactly we could do. Enter the rest of the Zone of Rio Cuarto. Every single area came into our Zone. Another missionary, a youth from another ward and I put ourselves in a room with our Bishop Fontana, a real good one, and we looked through all of the ward records for the Part Member Families. We had three other companionships out and about contacting them and inviting all to be baptized. One of our recent converts had talked to me in church to say that his mother had enjoyed the last visit where we had talked about faith to help him prepare a lesson for Sunday School, and he said that she would like for Elder Santo to come back. Well, we sent him over with one of the Zone leaders, and she accepted to be baptized last night. An hour later, they all show up in a taxi at the church, with 12 missionaries looking on and we sang a ton of hymns, welcomed her other son and had the most beautiful baptismal service that I had ever seen. Other Elders had been calling us all week to keep us up and happy. They simply testified of the need and that we can do it with the Lord´s help. Now, the lesson is that we shouldn´t procrastinate, but more deeply I realized that the Lord is ever so merciful with us in our weaknesses and shortcomings. Every other companionship in the mission also baptized, completing a Mission of Zion. How grateful we are to the Lord, and how much more we still have to change to be as the Lord wants us to be! I will send pictures later when I come back to the computer place to send the picture of the register for the baptism, and you will see the joy of missionary work when it is applied selflessly and with all of our hearts. I love y´all! ¡Feliz Ano Nuevo! Elder Lindsey