A bus contact. . .

Dear Family,

This week was a super sweet week we went to Antigua for zone pday AGAIN!!!

But it was all good.  We ate good food there it's like the only place expect for the capital that actually has food that you would say is food.

We also for district pday went to go to a park were they do replicas of parts of Guatemala that was cool we also played football which you know that I love and I saw some of my converts from Barcenas there that was cool to. 

We also had the privilege of have 4 baptism of a family that is super pillas!! It was a good Sunday that day. And we are trying to be having 6 more this week. Of another family and a young man and girl.

The family is straight up gold which is just the best and you are always thanking God for families like that because they are a gift. They were a bus contact because here we get on the buses and just start shouting and telling everyone that we are going to pass by and ask for your directions and some give us there directions but its super rare that they actually get baptized!! It's the first for me but it shows you that every contact is a contact of faith.

We also had a crazy experience so in this family hat we just baptized there is a man and he has come to church with us and wants to be baptized but he has a problem with alcohol and he drank that Sunday when we passed by for them he was drunk and crying because he knew what he did was wrong and I was just telling him that it is okay we are going to help you but you should go to sleep right now and later we will talk to you. So without him we wouldn't be completing a goal me and my companion put which is 10 baptism for this change but then the mom came up to us and told us that the daughter wants to get baptized so we will be baptizing his daughter this week and I know it's because God is helping us and answering our prayers because of the sacrifices and hard work that we are doing. 

But next week we will be having changes so who know what will happen if I stay or go haha with me you never know.

But see you all till next week love you 

Elder Toma

Please pray for them. . .

Dear family!! 

Well like the title says we are just seeing a ton of miracles here we are having sky rocket numbers!!

We are working with the members EVERDAY we had over 41 lessons just with members!!

And we were blessed to have over 13 come to church so that's 13 baptisms me and my companion are hoping to have over 10 baptism by the end of October and 2 of them are families which is just the best. were I am at is very close to Villa Nueva and Villa Hermosa. and it is a very new area because the ward was split like 3 months ago so its brand new.

We also had interviews with President which are always the best and he told me in just three words why he pulled me out of Santiago WE NEED YOU haha and nothing more. But I have found that the church is only run on by revelation and nothing more without it we could do NOTHING.

All I ever think about anymore is the mission the mission and the mission and work work and work  I don't even remember the things I learned in school anymore haha.

But everything is going great here a cool story that happened is that we had planned last week a wedding and baptism but the problem is that the girl is under age needs permission and its super complicated because she is legally under the name of her aunt not her mother so the aunt has to sign and giver copies of documents but she is CRAZY and doesn't want to!! Was super frustrating I still don't get people sometimes. And they can't do it right now until she turns 18 but.. We found one of their cousins one day and my companion thought that he was a member until we asked him and he said that he wasn't!! And he has come to church every Sunday and knows everything so we are going to bath him next week haha. And we have a family that all are members except their daughter because she has to be married and now the husband wants to get married and she will be baptized this week Wahoo another baptism!!!

So the names of the people that will be getting baptized this week are

Carmen

Gloria

Elmer

Mirna

and Melisa

and the next week

Kevin

Blanca

Asusena

Lesli 

Erick

David Fernando

please pray for every single one of them so that they can be baptized and confirmed

But I hope everything is all is good with you guys

Love you see you next week.

Elder Toma

Transferred to the city: Asiol

Dear Family,

So as you guys can read I have been sent to the city again which is just the complete opposite from the mountains haha.  It's called Asiol. . . I don't know what that means. But I am also in a zone where they baptize, but right now it's kind of in the gutter, but President straight told me that's why I am going there. . . to baptize haha (that's no pressure)

My companion is named Elder Caballero.  He is from Honduras. I have had like 3 from there now haha. But he is great only has 7 months but he works hard and has a big heart.

We are working like animals here and sweating a lot while you guys are freezing a lot.  We are searching and praying for faith that we can find and baptize because right now in the mission they are really focusing on saying that we are not here anymore to plant seeds but to cultivate the harvest, to search for the sheep not the goats.

But I really liked the themes of the conference about putting our trust in the prophets and personal revelation and that's what is really going to decided our courses and destinies in life.  It was cool to be able to hear people in their native tongues especially the one that was speaking Chinese haha. 

We are hoping to baptize a family this week and a young man so it's just miraculous and we are hoping that they can keep coming because we have a lot more that are ready to be baptized as well. It's crazy because this change is only 4 weeks so it's like there is no time at all!!

But I know that the Lord will guide us when we pray with faith and  make covenants with him to have a potente oración (powerful prayer).

But I love you all haha I don't have much else to say this week, maybe more the next.  It gets hard to write now haha .

Elder Toma  

CHANGES!!!!!!! CAMBIOS HAY CAMBIOS

Well family,

As you can read from the headline, yes there are changes but you will not believe them haha.

So it seems like that I will be the one leaving.  It was incredibly surprising to hear.  Everybody thought it was an error and I just thought that it was a joke the leaders were playing on us.  But no, it's the truth. My poor companion will be staying and I will be going. I am the first elder to be leaving Santiago so fast.  As you know you have to learn the language and culture and all that and that takes time, so usually you can't do changes here, but I guess President wants to.  I was a little sad that I would be leaving.  I wanted to continue learning the language and we have a ton of baptisms all ready to go!!

But I guess my companion will have to take care of them. And I am ready to go where the Lord wants me to go and do what he wants me to do. So tomorrow I will be going to changes and receive my new assignment so next week you will all know what happened. I'm definitely asking the President why he pulled me out so fast.

So we did have a miracle. . . we had a baptism of  a complete family. It was incredible because at first she didn't want to be baptized (the mom) But we had a very powerful lesson with her and she said yes and was baptized this last Saturday and confirmed Sunday. Also a crazy thing that happened is that I conducted the sacrament meeting which was a first haha it was pretty cool.

So to answer questions, first I love President Markham.  He is super outgoing and energetic and very very nice.  I feel that I can be more open with him than my last one. He also teaches very well and knows how to teach by the spirit which I know is what he does as well for changes.  He is a very inspired guy.

Second question, yeah the food here is normal.  It's a little touristy here so there's nice places to eat haha (that's why I got fatter).  Most people here really like hearing about faith and the ability to repent the problem with them is to act upon it or in other words BE BAPTIZED.

So first I know this is the true Church of God with the authority to not only offer salvation to men but EXALTATION. We are here to be tested but also to grow and to become more like our Savior and Father in Heaven. And that the ability to change and be forgiven is the GREATEST miracle of all. And that everything -- Church, Sunday school, the scriptures are all guides for us to prepare and enter the HOUSE OF THE LORD not just the HOUSE OF PRAYER like every Sunday. Everything that we have is to help us to get in there and be worthy of it because it is in the Temple that we can know our real potential, who we are what we need and to know our God.

The mission is the most enriching, most developing experience that you can have and there is nothing like it. It's a moment for YOU to give a offering to the Lord and really isn't a sacrifice but a privilege. If you do it right you won't come back the same but begin to find out who you really are and what God WANTS YOU TO BE. But like they always say you have to complete 2 years for it to be the BEST 2 years and I still have a lot to learn.

But the change you not only see in yourself but in others is something that will become sacred to you and like it says in the scriptures how great of joy you will have if you but save one soul. I testify that that is true. And that there is literal power in the scriptures it's the mantel of God that we have to be able to be healed. . .spiritually and physically. 

But love you all have a good week

Elder Toma