I´ll let you know how it goes!

Hey! So there were transfers. That´s why I´m writing a day late.

First of all it was a better week. Elder Escamilla and I worked hard and tried to help people come unto Christ, which should be obvious. Some weren´t receptive, some were, and it turned out pretty well. Efraín, who we met last Sunday night in the FHE, went to church and enjoyed himself. We´ll see him soon.

Sunday night we were coming home from our last appointment of the day and found the ZLs waiting in front of our house with a truck and a member. Elder Escamilla had to pack all of his things because he was being transfered. I had to pack things to spend the night at the ZLs house and travel to Guadalajara on Monday and pick up...a recently unpacked missionary! I´m training again! :D I get to go out in style. I´ll spend three months training Elder Vergara and then I´ll be coming home.

I arrived at President´s house early on Monday (I had hardly slept) and it was nice to be back in Providencia, if only for a day. We trainers were given some specific instructions from President and then there was a brief orientation with the new missionaries. President interviewed each new missionary and assigned them to us...and then they shipped us back to our areas. Oh, and they fed us lunch!

The missionary training program is very different from before. It´s very comprehensive and at the end of 12 weeks he will have learned more than in all his time in the Mexico MTC (CCM). Our companionship study is now 2 hours long, they gave me a DVD player and the Preach My Gospel DVDs, and a booklet with instructions on what should be taught and reviewed each week. Lots to do, but I´m super excited. This is what I was hoping for.

Elder Vergara is from Tampico, Tamaulipas. He´s really cool. Very humble and very spiritual, but with a hunger to learn. That´s just the way it should be. We are going to tear it up here. It´s also strange to know that the last Elder I trained (Elder Ramirez) has been in the mission for more than a year now!

So all is well as I start the final chapter of this mission. Please take care of yourselves and work hard to build up the Kingdom and the family. I´ll be seeing you soon enough.

Love,
Elder Lund


So life is great down here in the middle of nowhere way far away from the rest of the city. No, seriously. We´re having a great time. Elder Vergara is very willing to learn and to work hard, and we´ve been contacting with boldness and we´ve been inviting people to baptism in the first visit. The most incredible is that they´ve accepted. The lessons have been powerful and spiritual, but I know that things don´t end here. There is much that must be done to help these people and there´s a lot of searching, studying, and praying that must be done. The very good part is that they understand our purpose and what they´re searching for and WHY they´re doing it right from the start.

We met a lady called Petra the other day in front of her house, contacted her, and went back to visit a few days later. She had been praying to find the truth last week. Also, she´s seen us in the streets many times when she´s been on the bus. She said she knew that we would find her house. It was a little surprising, but it´s an example of how the Lord prepares people and is working here with us.

Manuel Antonio and José Maria are the two who went to church for the first time and really enjoyed it. José Maria has been saying his prayers and studying, and Manuel Antonio is determined to continue on. They´re both great guys. There´s more people, but I haven´t the time to write about them all. We´re not doing perfect nor has it been a perfect cakewalk, but we are certainly being blessed in the work. Also, we may be opening up the house of prayer that we want over here soon!

The biggest news is that Kenia and Leslie Araiza were baptized on Sunday after church, and both Manuel Antonio and José Maria were present to see it. It was a good service and I´m very happy for the girls. This is a big and important step for Sister Araiza, who is doing all she can to choose the right. Pictures forthcoming. I´m going to miss that family.

So those are the main details. You can really feel the power of the work when two missionaries work diligently and obediently with all their hearts centered in the work. We´re not superheros in any aspect. What´s happening is that the Lord is blessing us and is able to bless us more freely. Without His help, we can do nothing, but with Him all things are possible. Never forget that, and never forget the authority and power and right to blessings and revelation you have over yourself and the people whom you are responsible for.

Anything is fantastic in a package, as long as it won´t add much weight to my luggage coming back home. I´ve got to get on that because I´ve got a lot of stuff. Still haven´t been able to send the package and we can´t today because we´re in the middle of a house-change (contracts, deposits, photos and approval from the mission, finding out when to do the move, etc.) but the mostly likely is next week. Haven´t found a guitar yet either, but I¨m still on the lookout.

We´ll be doing divisions with our district leader tonight and tomorrow. Should be interesting and fun. I´ll let you know how it goes!

Love,
Elder Lund