February 7, 2011

Dear Family!
We were definatley blessed by the Lord this week! We had a lot that we were able to accomplish and that we were able to learn and that I was able to think about.
We had a Zone Conference on Saturday and we were grately edified. We were able to have two of the head brothers of the church for missionary prosyliting come and tour our mission. They taught us alot to help us focus on our inviestigatores to help them increase thier faith, repent, their desire to make the covenant of baptism and to recieve the Holy Ghost. I really feel that as we can focus more on our investigatores in these 4 areas they will learn the importace of the principles of the gospel and will be able to gain more faith in Jesus Christ which is going to help them so much.
Sunday was a really good day as well. We were able to have 5 investigatores at church which was really neat, but the neat thing was that they were all investigatores that we have been working with that really needed to come. This was also the first sunday in a while that we as missionaries haven't needed to be apart of the program. The sacrament was blessed by our recent converts, passed as well. We had a really good Testimony meeting due to the fact that most of our members went to the temple and had really good experiences. It is so so so neat to see the growth of one of the Recent Converts here. He is just trying so hard to change his life and to do what is right. I feel so happy for the missionaries that knocked on his door and have changed his life. I wish that they could be here watching his growth in the church, in the gospel and in his knowledge. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about change. That is why we have to endure to the end. We will never be ready to meet our God at the last day. Never will we be ready, but luckily for us Jesus Christ gives us that hope. If it wasn't for Jesus Christ why would we need faith??? think about it. Why would we need to repent if Jesus Christ never did the atonement. Why would we need to be baptized? What would the Holy Ghost have to testify of if we didn't have the atonement? We need to atonement in our lives and we can only use the atonement if we are willing to change. That is one of the things that I learned this week and that I have been able to see in the lives of the New Members here.
We are working with a family right now named the Estradas. They are a great family! They came to church on Sunday. Jose, Maveli and thier daughters Wendy, Maria and Ashley. They know so much but they are struggling with knowing why they have to come to our chruch and they can't go to the Baptist chruch where Jose works because if he stops going to that church he will lose his job. It is really tough. They came to chruch though and so they are excersizing thier faith. They definatley know and have the love of Christ. Every time we go over to their house they ask us " have you eaten?" if we say know they feed us. If we say yes they ask us about 6 other times "your not lying are you? your sure? positive you have eaten?" I was loosing weight but I fear that it is going to be back in a couple of weeks.
We also were refered to a member of the church from the other enlgish missionaries that they found while tracting. His name is Magdaleno and he lives with 2 other roommates. They are all struggling with things but Magdaleno really wants to come back to church and to change his life so that he can be a good example to his family in Mexico who are also members. His roommates aswell want to change and want to be saved at the last day. They keep telling us "we don't want to be cast off when that day comes." They came to chruch this sunday as well. We had a good group and it was a good day to do it. The testimonies were all great and lessons were good.
I am doing good along with my companion. We have a little cold but nothing to serious. He is helping me so much with my spanish. We speak it alot more and he can correct me when I am wrong.
Thanks for all that you do for me. I apprecaite all the letters and the prayers
YAY for the selling of the book store. I will have a party on the 19th but i agree it is going to be sad not having it anymore.
I have to go but I love you all!
Love Elder Haws.