Les Amo!!! (I love you!)

Dear Family, 

Well this week has been an interesting one.  I have learned a lot about being in this zone and about how to really be a leader.   The truth is right now as a Stake we are having problems and it is affecting the work right now.  Satan knows what our potential is and so we are just going to be fighting back.   I have seen so much now in my mission on how the Lord will take us and lift us up and make us more and do things that we thought were never possible.  When people ask how did you do it?   You only say I have no idea haha..  I have been seeing that a lot now in the way my companion and I are trying to lift up this zone.   We are working hard with them to pick themselves up and getting them going again and we received serious inspiration on how to work with the members as well.    The ward and the Stake Presidents are really pleased with what it happening.   We already are going to have 10 baptism this week we need more but we are going to carry it with us and get moving so that for April we just kill it!!!! 
 I have learned that there are two creators in this world, God and you.   He has given us the ability to be able to think act and behave on our own.  With the ability to create we can create our own success, we can create our own happiness or misery.   God can amplify it.   He can make it more.  That is why in the scriptures it always puts full in front of everything, full joy, full happiness.   He can make us become complete if we let Him, through our willingness and availability.  I always tried to make myself available to the Lord because he and the Father love everyone but they don’t trust everyone.  Trust is the thing that makes all of the difference because it’s the ones that they trust that will receive everything.   We can have a child but we don’t always trust them.  What the  Lord wants us to be is a friend because it’s the friend that will receive, it’s the friend that really know the another and it’s the friend that we trust.   If we don’t trust them then they really not our friend right?   And that’s what I strive to not only trust in God but for Him to be able to trusts in me, so I can be called His friend. 
I love you all.  See you next week.   Oh we also had a miracle baptism and we will have two more I will send the photos next week when I have time!!!!

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission 

The crazy life!

Dear family well first of sorry it took so long to write we have had a crazy week!!we had changes but we did it Tuesday that’s why we  didn’t write and my companion Elder Johnson left he became the assistant it was sad we didn’t want to split up we had a good thing going but I’ll see him later ha-ha it’s a good thing he is from Idaho ha-ha.

Elder Johnson and Elder Toma

But yeah ha-ha I know Elder Sorenson really well and we talked about it this week and took a picture I’ll send it when he gives it to me small world huh. (Devin:  I ran into my old second counselor in my bishopric out in Salt Lake, Scott Sorenson.  When we compared notes, we realized both of our sons are in the same mission!  Elder Sorenson is the current AP)

But the mission is changing a lot it is now 70 percent newbies when I entered it was 70 percent oldies ha-ha but it just is an opportunity to help this young missionaries because the best they can be and be true representatives of Jesus Christ. My new companion is named Elder Guzman he is from Nicaragua and he only has 10 months ha-ha that’s a big difference from going form someone with the same time as you to that one is he has a lot more energy ha-ha but he is a really good Elder and we are already loving it being together.

Elder Toma and Elder Guzman

 But this Wednesday we had the privilege of listening to Elder Neil Anderson of the twelve and I got to say hi to him and shake his hand it was cool. 

 

But it was a great talk he gave about helping the people of Guatemala except the atonement in their lives because we are the only ones that have it and we need to give it after we first have exercised it every day in our lives. That true repentance will involve suffering a little bit if not you aren’t really repenting because it follows a change of person or heart more than habit. 

But we are doing good hear we had 3 baptisms fall through that’s always fun one we found drunk from drinking rubbing alcohol the other smoked and the other on her baptism day had lady problems. What luck but she is going to get baptized tomorrow the one that smoked will be for the 29 and the one that drank we need to still talk to him we have been very busy!!! 

But please pray for Lorena Abigail and Alberto as well as Alejandra and Virginia and Luciana that they can be baptized this month and as a zone we can complete the goal of 72 baptisms in the month of March because right now we only have 8 and it is stressing me out because the zone has never had less than 22 so please pray!!!  

But I love you all thank you for everything you do 

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission 

Viva Amatitlan!!!!

Dear Family, 

First off MOM what were you doing? You go so hard sometimes!!! Ha-ha it did make me laugh though you should send photos.  (FYI:  Jennifer broke her foot playing volleyball)

This is how we move things in Guatemala!

This week has been very very busy!! We had to go house hunting which is the worst!!! Because they are putting two more companionships into our zone I am not looking forward to that in the future ha-ha. We did crazy division we had to take all of the furniture of the sisters because they closed there area that was a pain!! IT took us 5 hours to do it!!!  It was crazy we also had to help the sisters trainers clean a little mess that another sister did I won’t go into detail about that one ill just send a photo and you’ll know ha-ha it was great!!  But we are hoping to baptize 3 people this week so please pray for Lorena Abigale and Alberto but I don’t have enough time to keep writing all have to say the rest  the next week but I love you al me and my companion have changes he is leaving and who knows what he is going to be doing but I love that guy he is definitely one of the best companions  I have had and my best friend but the Lord calls us where we need to go and do and that’s how it is we just need to always be available to him . 

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission 

Mighty Morphin Power Ranger!

Hoy SIIII Papa!!!!!!!!!! 

Well this week has just been absolute craziness!! My companion and I were just everywhere this week with a lot of problems and difficulties that the zone is having so we had to go and do a lot of divisions with some of the missionaries to get them back on the right track. I feel like a power ranger right now when they would get the call suit up and just go for it!!! And just go hard me and my companion unfortunately have had to go and just give it to some Elders and Hermanas but the good thing is we could feel the spirt super strong every time we were teaching them and after giving it a little bit they really wanted to change and that is really what matters now it’s just helping them to follow up on it. 

Elder Johnson

Me and my companion Elder Johnson are just doing work!!! We got a good 8 baptisms lined up for the month of March and we are just enjoying the life we got right now ha-ha. I’ve already wrestled with him a good 4 times now and let’s just say it doesn’t end well ha-ha. But it is super fun right now just going to work and giving it our all even when sometimes we feel like zombies lol. But I have also noticed that when we give it our all and really try our best we get a sudden boost of energy like almost someone is just pushing us along till we finish the day and get home and crash... It always reminds me the scripture in D and C about how he will have his angels around you to protect you and I have seen that promise fulfilled my whole time in the mission especially when I have needed it. 

But I love you all!! Always be a light for those around you for God is Light 1 Juan 1:5 

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission 

Life up here!

Well everything is good here we have been really really busy lately pretty much we have zero time to be able to work in our own area ha-ha but you have to make some sacrifices to get the blessings right. While I am writing this my companion is smacking his mouse cause it doesn’t work and I accidently shoved the micro  SD card in a slot that wasn’t really the slot.....Ha the things that happen to 2 elders I LOVE THE MISSION!!! 

But everything is great here I am learning a ton about how to not be just a good leader but an incredible one the stake center here is the most organized that I have seen it’s just like a business and the stake President reminds me a lot of President Brough just super powerful and scares you to death ha-ha. But we always are in communication with him and our bishop and always giving them reports  I am learning a lot its great we had a meeting with all the bishops and the stake Presidents and it just opened my eyes a little bit on what bishops do and as well as stake presidents and just watching the stake president just giving it to the bishops was pretty funny to ha-ha me and my companion had to give a presentacion on missionary work and the activates that we are going to be doing as a stake and just trying to help animate the bishops to work with the missionaries because we have the biggest goal yet for amatitlan we want to baptize 72 this month of march and it will be hard because we don’t have as many missionaries as there used to be but we have the faith that we can do it if the wards work with us more than they ever have before. 

We also had a miracle baptism of a man named Marcotulio he is a great guy he makes me life all the time super humble. But I am loving it its really great I just ask that you guys can pray for us that we can complete the goal of 72 baptisms in the month of march and that Luis Carlos can be baptized this week 

But I love you all sorry this is short but I have to try and figure out how to get this stupid SD card out now ha-ha.

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission