Hey family!
 
First off, something I forgot to include in my email this last week, we received the information for changes Sunday and yesterday we actually had changes. Nothing changed for me this time around, Elder Barczi and I are still companions, but now elder Barczi is the district leader, which is kinda funny because he really did not want to be a district leader.
 
This week is going to be a little crazy! We have to take the two and a half hour bus ride to the capital two different times. Thursday for the training for first time district leaders, this is now my second time going to this meeting. We also have to go Saturday for a multizona (Spanish) that we are going to have with Elder Pineda from the 70. Then Saturday night we have the baptism for Hermanita Sarah, who is the 9 year old daughter of a mom that we are trying to help get reactivated in the church. Hermano Rafael is progressing really well, and super fast. He actually already has all of the lessons and the three times attending church and two of the three commandments. He really only is missing one of the commandments and his answer that this is the true church. However we did have a lesson with him yesterday in respect to the Book of Mormon. We had already taught what is the Book of Mormon and the reason that we have it, but after teaching about the Book of Mormon again it was a lot clearer to him. He feels that the Book of Mormon is true, and if it is true, this is the true church. 
 
We also had a lesson with Gladis. She told us again that she knew that the Book of Mormon was true and that this is the true church and that she is willing to defend that. But she doesn't want to go to church because she does not learn much. She is a sixteen year old girl who acts like she is in her thirties. We asked her if she had a desire to be baptized, and she told us that for now she does not. But she also told us that we could continue to visit her. She has something that is in her way. Maybe it is fear of her family.
 
We had a new investigator Tuesday whose name is Jose, original, I KNOW RIGHT! (Note: please read “I know, right!” in the voice of a 15 year old girl). He lives about thirty minutes walking distance from our house, and lives with his wife and three of four kids. When we made first contact with them we only talked with the dad, who is thirty five. His wife and kids were not there. He expressed his desire to us to find the true church and that he feels that he had been looking for some time and that he really liked the lesson. Then after ending the lesson he asked if he could tell us something. Of course we said, “No” and left as fast as we could... no, just kidding! Of course we said, “Yes”. He then proceeded to tell us about a dream that he had in 2006 in which he saw a picture of Jesus holding a lamb. Which is also the exact same picture that is on the front page of the Restoration pamphlet. Normally when people share experiences like that my reaction is a little skeptical, especially after so many years. But when he told us about that experience I felt tingling go through almost all of my body. We do not know what will come of this family, but we feel really good and positive about them.   
 
I was watching a Mormon message this last week, or as they should now be called, messages from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and a quote really stuck out to me. The quote is, "Where is the wisdom when we obtain knowledge, and where is the knowledge when we obtain information." We live in a world of information. We live in a world of an excess of information, some of which is great and some of which is from the work. When we don't give heed to the information that is most important for each one of us, the excess of information ends up becoming misinformation. In a world full of different voices saying to do different things it is imperative that we learn to recognize and obey the voice of the spirit that will never lead us astray. I love you all so much and hope and pray for the best for each one of you. 
 
Love your brother and son,
Elder Marks

We took about a forty minute walk to get to a lesson this last week and we came across a little stream as we were walking, so thought I would snag a few pictures and videos. Sorry for the singing:)

Hey Everyone!
 
This last week was a quick one. I loved getting all of the email that I did this week. 
 
The teaching pool is doing good here in Porvenir. Rafael (the grandpa) is progressing super fast. He already has two attendances to church the three lessons and three chapters in the Book of Mormon and has a date for the 29 of this month! He has truly been a miracle for us. It just goes to show that first be a disciple and later as a consequence you will baptize.
 
There are a couple of little girls that we have been teaching as we have been activating their families that have a date for the 22nd of this month. Their names are Sarah in one family and the other is Ashley. I love that, as missionaries, we can help families as a whole, that we can activate inactives and at the same time be able to bring more people to the waters of baptism. 
 
We are also still teaching Gladis, who is 16. She just needs to make the decision! She tells us in every lesson that she knows that the Book of Mormon is true and that this is the true church on the earth. She has some fear of her family, all of her family goes to a different church and she does not want to feel separated from her family if she goes to a different church. She also does not have many friends in the church so we are trying to have more members talk to her so that she can feel more comfortable when she attends.
 
Well I have been a little sick this last week. ;( I think it was from some torrizo that we ate for lunch on Sunday. We have still worked everyday though, so that is really good. We were teaching a lesson to somebody through their door, we could not enter because she has less then 18 and was home alone, but she really wanted to hear the lesson so we taught. When we started the lesson I felt great (famous last words) but by the end of the lesson I was throwing up in the street! Not my proudest moment. :) But she did pray for me in her prayer so that was nice. She should never forget her first contact with the missionaries. J
 
Dang, the front door looks good again! I downloaded those two videos and put then on my USB and will be watching them a later in the house. All of the houses have a little DVD player that also has a spot for USB’s, so that is nice. Sounds like there are still a lot of projects to be done around the house. Please save plenty of projects for when I am home to help. The bathroom looks so much better. I think you might have missed one spot staining though, it looks a little thin on the left side. No, just kidding! It will be awesome when the rest of the tile gets in.   
 
I really appreciate the thoughts that you all send me. Sharing your testimony or a scripture or a talk that you read. Being able to read parts of your testimonies really helps give me energy for the next week! I love you all so much!
 
Love your brother and son,
Elder Marks

Hey Family,
 
Now it actually has been a little while since I have written home. This last week and a half or so have been really good week and a half.
 
First things first, the zone conference this last Wednesday. The guest of honor was Elder Uceda from the Seventy. He has a lot of time to speak to us and we received a lot of different information and invitations, among the ones that I like the most is, “Talk less and do more with your investigators” and a promise that we received was that, “if we work with new members and less active families for references we will see the number of baptisms in the mission double.” To me that feels like a really steep promise but I also have the faith that it can happen.
               
This last Thursday was the birthday of Rosa, the mom of Dennis, so Thursday morning Elder Barczi and I bought a gift and took it to her, she was so happy that we remembered her. Later that day we ran into Brother Rafael, who is the grandpa of Dennis. He said how much it meant to him that we had the love enough do something like that, and that all day she had been telling people that we brought her a gift.
 
We had a miracle in Porvenir this last week! We were in the house of Dennis, and we were talking with Rafael. In the photos I sent of the baptism he is the old one… No dad you are not old! :) In the middle of talking he said, I have a question for you two. Ok, He then asked what are the requirements for somebody to get baptized in you church. What! So we told literally what is required. Then he asked why we thought he was asking, so we told him that we thought it was because he wanted to listen more and be baptized. He responded that he really wants to learn more and work towards baptism. He has years of attending the same church, and so it is quite a big deal that he is ready to change to the true church.
 
Matthew 28: 19 says, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The original word in Greek for teach means disciple. So all people are called to first be disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a follower who is trying to be like the Master. Baptizing is a byproduct of being disciples. When we study the scriptures we can focus our studies in the life of Christ, because it is almost impossible to be like somebody that we do not know.
 
I love you all so much, I hope you all of a great week.
 
Love your brother and son,
Elder Marks
 
P.S. Elder Marks got into action about this house situation and we are changing houses today! :) I will send a quick video of the new house next week.

Hey family! 
 
Well long time without talking. There really is not much that has happened in the last five days. The biggest thing was the baptism of Hermano Dennis this last Saturday! The baptism was really well attended and well planned. I was fortunate enough to have the privilege to baptize Dennis. He has had such a huge change in his life since he started talking with the missionaries. His choices were sending him down a very dark and lonely road. Now he is so much happier and has left all of those bad thing behind him. He was confirmed a member of the church yesterday. The baptism was really good, and his family was there. He has a really great family who support him a lot, none of them are members. They are all Evangelic and believe that all of the churches are great and it does not matter where we go and all of that. Dennis had one brother who was baptized in the church and everything, but his brother was killed 4 of 5 years ago.
 
We also taught Gladis a couple times this week. She totally knows that this is the true church but she wants to wait until she gets baptized. After talking to her for a little bit it came out that why she wanted to wait is because her little siblings are not baptized and she feels like after she is baptized she would somehow be separated from them. We shared the story of Lehi and how if he had not taken the steps to eat of the fruit of the tree of life the family would not have either. And then related that to how if she is baptized she will be setting the example for her family. 
 
What the heck football and air quality! That is too bad that the game could not have been in Sandpoint! And Post Falls, what a great way to start out the year, gettin’ kicked by a big mean school.
 
Yeah, unfortunately behind our desks there is not a couch or workout material or anything, just a little front door. The house is really not that great but that’s all fine. It is not like we are in the house that much anyways. 
 
That is awesome that Kylie is now in Greece teaching English. It is hard to see people suffering so much. We just started teaching this one girl who has cancer, she is about 14. It is really hard to see people at whatever stage of life suffering so much. 
 
I haven’t gotten a letter from Erika or Kylie in a little while, but I also have not written them in a little while. I will be sending them both an email this next week. I heard from William today so that was awesome!
 
In this new program of ministering we are asked to do things a little different. To take the time to visit, or write a message, send a scripture by text, and help show compassion to others. The word compassion literary means, "to suffer with others". To minister with compassion means that we are willing to listen to others and actually hear what it is that they are going through and then take action. If we have compassion we are willing to take a portion of their pain, we give a small part of out heart and mind to them. We want to help, it is not just another check in a book that says, [ministering]. We should not hear somebody else’s problems and then pass them off to Heavenly Father in prayer asking to help them. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17) If we have the faith to ask God for something we also have the faith to take our action. With the combination of Compassion, or deep feelings in your heart, faith in God, and our own actions, the ministering program and all other parts of our life will be a success.
 
I love you all so much I hope that you’re all doing good in your goals and have a mind of metal and a determination unshakable! I love you and am praying for you all!
 
Love, Your brother and son,
Elder Marks