What's up?

Dear Family,  

This week has been a crazy week we had our leader meeting in the house of president did you guys ever have to do it?? I love it we go to the house and just eat a lot of good food and joke around with president its the best meeting for me by far in the mission haha. 

It has been a trying week for the mission not just for the zone we had as a zone half of what we reported but even worse our zone baptized half of the missions baptisms for the week which is a all time low.  It is worrying us a lot as leaders partly its because more then 70% of the zone has less then a year and that is a huge difference in experience so they just don't know as much as how to work but also the obedience and diligence has gone down a lot.  

It was really cool to hear my former mission president be called as one of the counselors of the young men presidency (I started to freak out and scream) But I knew he was going to be a general authority he just has power about him. And the most important thing he taught me is the power to be obedient with exactness diligent and always have a unshakable faith and how you will should never be satisfied but always aiming higher and giving your all always. 

Me and my companion taught that to the missionaries in our zone and it seemed to be helping them all and we are hoping that this will give them the fire that they need to start destroying it in there missions. 

That really is the secret to how i have always had success where ever i have been I pray like everything depends on God and I work like everything depends on me and even if i would have to suffer or wait a little bit on him he always has provided.

This week me and my companion baptized 2 miracles we baptize a young women named Abigail who is the third in her family we have baptized and the other is named Mabilie who's parents died but her grandma is a member we didn't even know we just started to talk to her we taught her  and we just baptized her hah i love miracles like that that only come from obedience. 

For the God of Israel is a god of Miracles but he can only do them through the our faith. 

I loved General Conference it answered everyone of my questions as well that i had and more!! 

But I love you all keep praying for the work of the lord that it can keep moving forward we are making temples in places that seem I'm possible and we have a

lot more to go till it will cover the whole earth so we need to baptized even more!!

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission 

April is Coming

Dear Family, 

This has been a stress packed week we had 10 dates as a zone for baptisms but all excepts 4 fell that was hard we ended up getting the lowest amount of baptism since i think last year in this zone and the stake is going down hill with problems which is really effecting us. i learned a lot this change about being humble and to stay positive and cheerful especially the ones you are having to lead I learned that one from the prophet Joseph apparently even in some of the darkest point in his life he would still be happy and cheerful and have a glow about him and I have really been striving to have that in my own life even if everything around me is colliding and it is making a difference. 

For this week we will be having 10 baptisms as a zone and 2 of them will be from us we had the blessing of baptising last week as well we found a young girl that her parents are members but were less active we have now reactivated them and she got baptized. So things are looking up I have learned like Ammon never to boast in my own strength but in the strength of God for as King Benjamin said if we were to work with all of our souls we would still be weak servants he only ask us to be obedient and give it our all and he will do the rest and that is all I have ever seen in my mission because I have seen and done things I know i never could do with out his help.  

That actually gives me a lot of comfort haha because I don't want to just rely in myself it stinks and you just ended up with a lot of headaches but i am definitely learning a lot in this last couple of changes. And I can feel it a little bit in my body just always aching and the pains of waking up just wanting a little bit more  and just always being tired almost falling asleep in lessons but I always remember the example of the Savior and how he was tired and in pain but the difference is he still gave it his all everyday so I'm trying my best  to do the same. And I have felt something pushing me and giving the strength i need to just go so hard that you get back to the house absolutely destroyed from the day and falling asleep while praying because your just so done haha i love it. And I always feel good because I know God knows I'm giving all i got. 

But I love you all please keep praying for the zone that we can complete our goals and that we can be as diligent and obedient as possible to be worthy of these blessing and miracles. 

Elder Toma 

Guatemala Ciudad Central Mission 

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