Your mission president is called of God

Querido Familia,

All is good here.  I feel like every change just goes by faster and faster.  Its weird that we only have a week left and we might have changes who knows. It was funny reading McKinzie's letter.  It reminded me much of my experience and concerns in the CCM and how much that just changes when you actually go out in the mission and how much you change. 

Well I just know one thing that your mission President for sure is called of God.  I had my last interview with him this last week and he told me many things about myself that I don't think anybody else knows. But it is something I know will change my life forever. It also reminded me much of the talk Elder Cook gave us when he came here, how the Twelve Apostles choose where every missionary will go and for what reasons that they are specifically are there:

1. It's for your mission President and what he has to teach you

2. For the people of where you are serving and

3. For something that has to do your future.

And I know one of  the main reason I am here is for my mission president. He has helped me change and learn faster than I thought possible.

Are you getting my pictures?  Oh say thank you to familia Nanto for the food and letters.  I really enjoyed it! And it was very kind of them.  I have already eaten all of it haha.

We are hoping to finish off this change with these ultimate 5 baptisms this week so pray for us! We have changes the 28 of May but I don't know if we have changes or not.   I feel maybe.  I don't know our president is crazy sometimes haha.  

But that's all for now it's getting harder to write.  I don't know why,  maybe it's because time is just getting faster and faster.  My President couldn't believe that I already have 8 months in the mission. He told me that it's going by very fast with me and that time is precious. But that's all for now love you all

!!!!Adios¡¡¡

Elder Toma

Time is flying in the mission. . .

Dear Family,

So for the past few days we have just been trying to work hard and really trying to find  new people to teach.  A lot of the people we have are just falling through so it's time for a update. But everything is good down here.  I think that the raining season is starting. It was weird to talk to you all. I think it's just becoming more and more awkward to speak in English as the time is passing haha.

With my companion, my president has asked me to help him a little bit and he isn't a bad companion we just had to talk it out and its all good now. I have my very last interview with my president tomorrow so that will be interesting.

Time is flying in the mission its weird that I will be having 8 months in the mission.

Were hoping to have some more baptisms this week of as family that I have been working on.  They are very special but  they want to go to the States to live but it's harder if they are married to do it but I have been working on the them to realize what's more of a priority right now and more eternally important.  I baptized one of their daughters awhile back but this week we hope to baptize the parents and one of the daughters that will be 8 this week. Oh I have also sent you a package mom with letters for you and also grandma may and grandma Toma so you will have to send those to them when you get it because it was just too expensive to send it all separately.

But Love You all!!!!

Elder Toma 

We found a lot of promising people with a lot of potential. . .

Dear Family well this week was good.   We went as a Zone to the city and the market. 

This  week has been good.  We have found a lot of promising people that have a lot of potential. This Sunday my companion contacted a guy on the bus and invited him to come to church and he actually came!  This Sunday was testimony Sunday and he got up and bore his testimony but the problem was he was a little tipsy haha.  My companion and I are going to go visit him this week because not to many drunks get up to bear their testimony of a church they have never heard of.

It sounds like you guys had fun on your trip.   It's weird that Kinzie leaves this Wednesday  . But wow  Braden has gotten big!  That's really weird to see.

UHG  this week was a little hard.   So my former companion  didn't pay for the water or lights or housing.    We didn't have water for like 3 days,  it left us with a lot of debt so that was a headache to deal with.   We had to buy water in jugs and heat it in the microwaves to shower.   But thank goodness everything is good now.

But also thanks for the advice just need to figure out how to use it now.   How did you demonstrated your charity dad?   What exactly did you do?  

But that's all for this week we are hoping to baptize family Lopez this week it's about time with them!

 Love Elder Toma

Becoming the man. . .

Well we have been blessed yet again here in Barcenas.  We baptized a little family:  a mom and her son which was just an absolute miracle because they are never home because the mom has to work all day long just to survive.

It makes me realize how much we take things for granted back home and how  here  they don't even realize how good we have it in the states.  They work to survive,  we work to have more things. It's just a little reality check that  I have gotten here in Guatemala.

But I have been really thinking about how I can be better as a missionary and continue to grow and be better and better.  I think during your mission that's all you think about is how to continue to improve and be better every day. And  I have been really trying to focus on my teaching and how I treat people. And I talked a lot with my companion about if it's good to pressure a little bit your investigators or not because there are a lot of missionaries that do that here and they baptize a ton but sometimes the people don't continue to go to church afterwards.  So what is better to baptize a lot of people or only people that are more sincere about it? How did you teach your investigators Dad and Mom? I have been reading my patriarchal blessing quite a bit because it gives me a ton of information about what I can do and my gifts and I have really been trying to focus on becoming the man on this sheet of paper [in the blessing].

But to answer your question Dad about how we find people, we do just about everything.  We contact the buses right in front of everybody in the streets and doors and sometime references from our investigators or members.

I really see why I am here.   I have learned to have more trust in the Lord.  I can't tell you how many times He has provided even when I doubted and how important it is that we follow the commandments with exactness.  That is something very important that I have been learning here in the mission: obedience with diligence. Family Lopez Monson is a little better.   Ronald drank again he believes that he can't quit and I sat there listening.  If you learn to listen to your investigator and the Spirit,  you'll get an answer for what you should say and that's what happened to me.  I knew what his problem was and also for the family. And I explained it to him that it is upon the rock and  foundation that Satan will have no power over us (Helamen 5´.12) that no matter how bad it is, that if they have a stronger testimony and faith in Christ and God they can always win and I explained what it is that they need to do to have this foundation and it's the simple little things:  reading,  praying ,  going to church.  That's how you can plant the seed and nurture it and afterwards they had the energy again and they said that they are going to try again so hopefully they can. 

But that's it for this week.

Love you all,

Elder Toma