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