Trials humble us...

Hola Familia,

My thoughts this last week have centered on conversion.  The mission/life is a refiner's fire that purifies and cleans.  The high heat of afflictions and adversity won't consume me but rather will serve to burn off all the impurities and weakness that I have.  I found a scripture this morning that really opened my eyes to how I should react to trials.  In D&C 112:13, I learned that the burning off of weaknesses and impurities isn't magic.  Trials humble us and help us realize that which we can get rid of, what is weighing us down, and hindering our ability to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.  I read a talk the other day about how sometimes we pray to get out of the trials we have in life.  However, that would ruin the whole purpose of the trials.  The Lord knows that a little pain now will serve for protection and avoidance of a lot more pain in the future.  The Lord will bless us with the help we need to overcome the trial, receiving the experience and knowledge that will serve us in this life and in the eternities.

Judging by what I just wrote you are all wondering if I had a rough week!!  HAHA, is was pretty trying but a wonderful chance to burn off what is really not worth having and an opportunity to become more like Christ!!  We had a family of 5 that was going to get baptized but they weren't going to be able to complete 100% of the commandments and so we had to hold off the baptism.  This week we hope to help them make the necessary changes in order to be baptized this coming week!!

We had a miracle on Monday in which a family opened the door and told us that they knew we were coming.  They even told us that they knew we were representatives of Christ before opening the door!! How cool is that!!  Honestly, I was kind of like..."How does that work?!"  But, hey the Lord definitely prepared this family!  They came to church on Sunday on their own and are happily preparing themselves for baptism this coming week!

I had the chance two times this last week to be in Stake Presidency meetings with President and WOW was that a great experience.  There are many amazing examples to me in the Church and President is such a spiritual powerhouse (I cannot think of a better way to put it :) ).  I really enjoyed learning more from him!!  We also have a Zone Leader Council this coming week and I am excited to learn more from him and the other zone leaders.

We have 9 people this week preparing for baptism and I have a lot of hope for SUPER success this week!  I love you all lots and lots and hope you have a SUPER week!!  HAHA, by the way the word SUPER is a word the really rich people say here!!  HAHA, it made me laugh when I learned that!!

LOVE,

Elder Janis

Opening the area has been a little rough

Hola Familia!

So I planned out P-Day better and now I have the whole alloted time instead of the couple minutes I have had other Mondays.  Things are going so wonderfully; I love the opportunities the Lord has been blessing me with!  I mean, I am learning and growing like crazy.  Elder Monjarraz is exactly the companion that I have needed becuase I am finally learning how to really get lost in the work.  Like I said in the last letter we are literally running from place to place, teaching some of the most powerful lessons of my life, and finding the elect of God. 

Opening the area has been a little rough.  We have spent many hours knocking doors and talking to people in the streets and I have never received so much rejection.  However, one morning I was reading in my personal study about faith and how it is a principle that brings about the miracles.  I read in Ether 12:6 about how the testimony comes after the trial of faith.  I then remembered something that I had heard one time that in order to accomplish great big things we need great big faith.  I then started thinking about how we have a goal to baptize tons here in Santa Cecilia and in order to acheive the goal I need to adquire the faith necesary.  I then put two and two together and realized why things were happening like they were here.  We have a great big goal.  Right now I don't have the faith that is necesary to acheive it.  The Lord permits the trials of my faith and everytime I overcome a trial my faith grows and grows until I have the faith necesary.  I then had a great time being rejected, spit upon, and made a hiss and a byword because I knew that overcoming the trials would bring great rewards!

Amazingly that is exactly what happened! :)  About mid-week, the Lord blessed us with the opportunity to find someone to baptize and we found a HUGE family that came to church with us this last week!  Elder Monjarraz and I were walking on water with happiness as we realized the Lord had found us worthy of the blessings after overcoming the trials.  What a sense of peace and love from God I felt after reaching that conclusion.  I felt a satisfaction that fills you to the brim and that makes all the pain and effort worth it.  HAHA, I have to admit...it is addicting!!  Oddly, before the mission I don't think I could have seen me come home exhausted and spiritually spent grinning from ear to ear.  Sounds super cheesy but that is literally how I feel everynight coming home.  There is nothing more satisfactory than giving all that I can in the Lord's work!

MIRACLE:  We were teaching a new family that we found when one of the older kids came crying into the room with her fiancé yelling behind her.  The whole family was shocked, got up and left except for the mom of the family and the young couple.  Not knowing what to do, we just sat there and after we didn't go at first I felt that we should stay.  Not knowing why we were to stay I sat there listening.  Quickly the situation began to heat up and the young couple were talking about separating and the mom was saying tons of not so great things...the spirit in the room was dark and oppressive.  We waited for the moment to break and when it came we started to talk about the family and helping them realize the importance of forgiveness and repentance.  The Spirit filled the room, some were crying, and we finished with the problem solved.  The Spirit had resolved the problem in such a way that the couple had decided that they would get married and the rest of the family decided to get baptized  this coming week!!  As Elder Holland would say, "that was definitely a situation where a representative of Christ was needed."  I would never have known what to say but the Lord filled our mouths and miraculously the problems were fixed and we have baptisms for the coming week!!

Love,
Elder Janis

AMAZING EXPERIENCE

Hola Familia,

 

Wow, I absolutely don't have any time to write this week!  I am SOOOO sorry!  We are getting the hang of the area and zone and will be able to plan better the next P-Day.

 

I have never been so tired in my life!  I mean, I am literally running from appointment to appointment and contacting almost everyone that passes on the street.  I then get home and have the opportunity to plan for the next day and plan for the Elders in the Zone.  Being a Zone Leader is so beautiful.  I get the opportunity to serve and love 18 Elders and have had amazing morning studies in which I have received revelation from God to share with particular elders or the zone.  We are having tons of success and I wish I could tell you all about it.

 

AMAZING EXPERIENCE:  We were walking down a street we felt impressed to be walking down when we heard a young mother screaming, running down the street with her baby in her arms.  My companion told me, hey we should go and see if we can give a blessing.  We ran behind them and after they had entered into the doctor's office we presented ourselves and offered to give a priesthood blessing.  In a super stage of shock, they accepted and I ended up doing the blessing.  As I put my hands over the baby's head his eyes were crossed and he was rigid from not being able to breath.  I felt a super calm feeling and started the blessing.  I felt super sure and a very clear impression that I must bless the baby with an immediate recovery and that he would be healed in the moment.  As the words came out of my mouth the baby began breathing again!  WOW, what a miracle and such an amazing blessing to be a part of.  There is no doubt in my mind that we Priesthood holders really do have the power of God.  We MUST be worthy of such a huge blessing at all times!

 

Well, sorry for so little of a letter!  I love you and hope you all had a wonderful week!!

 

LOVE,

Elder Janis

Opening a New Area

Hola Familia,

 

Wow, I cannot believe the opportunity the Lord has trusted me to have!   This last Saturday night I was in a lesson when I got a call at about 8:30 at night from President Villareal.  He informed me that Monday morning, today, I would be going to a new area to open it with another Elder and that I would be assigned to be a Zone Leader...wow am I excited!!  He sent me with Elder Monjarraz from Sinaloa, Mexico and he is so great.  We are opening an area which means we have to learn the area together but also the President sent us to lead a Zone that has been known to have a couple of problems.  However, the district leaders that we have here are great, all super diligent and I know we will see many miracles this next week.

 

I was sad to leave Parque Via which was by far the best area of my mission and where I grew so much.  I am so thankful to the Lord for the opportunity that I had there!!  I am excited for the new trials and all the growing that I will do here.

 

Sorry I can't write too much...we have got to get going with making plans for the zone and working the new area!!  I AM SO EXCITED!!!

 

Love,

Elder Janis