April 25, 2011

Dear family,
Well sorry to dissappiont but I don't have any crazy weather stories for this week nor do I have any cool bicycle wrecks to update you on, but that doesn't mean that nothing good or cool happened this week.
So we are working with a young couple that was found a little over a year ago by Elder Lindemann and one of his companions. Thier names are Marie and Silvino. Well Maria is catholic because it was the church that she was raised in and it is what she knows. She has told us that she goes catholic because it is her church but she doesn't necessarily believe all of the catholic beliefs. Silvino on the other hand didn't grow up with church and never showed interest so when Elder Lindemann realized that they weren't going anywhere he moved on to find more people to teach. Well a member that worked with them alot felt that we needed to go back and try to teach them again before I got here and they had started to see them but it was still awkward and nothing was happening. I to though felt like we needed to keep seeing them.
Well.... We started talking more with Silvino and we have been going over there with Spencer also. We have seen a huge change in Silvino in the past 2 weeks. This is a guy that has never read out of the scriptures and has only said one outloud prayer and just is not learned nor has disire to learn about the gospel. Well we somehow helped him realize that all he has to do is read the bible to get the knowledge to where he can be like his wife. When we told him that it clicked and he got it. When we went back the next time we gave him his own bible to read and his face just was so grateful. He told us "I have never had my own bible before. Thank you so much." that next week he read Luke 2-6 and loved it. We went back with Spencer and taught him that we only have scripture because of prophets and we taught him what prophets do. He got the need for a prophet. Then He and his wife and their two sons came to church! They came becuase Silvino wanted to! Meanwhille Maria is just so happy that her husband is taking interest in gospel things she is just so happy. I love seeing the happiness that comes from doing what is right!
They could only come for one hour but They said that they would be back the next week and they would stay for all three hours. The reason that they couldn't come to all three this time was because he plays soccer and had a game at 8 so he came right after the game still wearing his jersey!
We had a really good Easter. President Holzapfel gave us a packet to study from during the whole passover weekend and it was really fun to learn and to see a deeper side of the atonement and ressurection than before. Our President is so smart when it comes to that kind of stuff!
Well I hope all is well! I am doing great! I am super excited for the work that is going down here in Tuscaloosa. I love hearing from all of you!
Love Elder Haws.