Hey Family!
Hey we are writing a little early this morning because we are going to some waterfalls today.
Well this last week was a bit crazy, but really good. With Elder Barczi being the new district leader we had to go the city (we just don’t get out to the big city that much, please read like you live in the trailer park of the Conoco.:) We went to the city on Thursday, we left around eight thirty to be to the meeting that started at one. The meeting and everything went well. We were in our taxi to go to Centro Norte, which is where all of the busses leave from to go out of the capital, when we received a call for the office saying that we had to turn around and go back because there were protests in the Centro Norte. That night we did divisions with the AP's then slept in what the mission calls the “white house”. Which is a big house with a bunch of beds for missionaries to sleep when they are getting ready to go home.
The next day when we got back to Porvenir, we had a really good lesson with Jose, who was one of our new investigators from last week, only this time we also taught his three daughters. We also taught a good lesson with Rafael about what is authority. We had to explain that not all people who study the doctrine have the authority, we used the part of the Bible when the 70 are called. He accepted what we taught really well. We also talked more about how it is that we receive an answer to prayer, I think things are a bit clearer for how it is that we can receive our answers.
The next morning we were suppose to go the capital again to have a multi zone conference but President Shumway asked Elder Barczi and I and two other missionaries to stay in Jalapa to help with a mini SOY (EFY). We gave a little talk about how to knock a door and enter a house and how to smoothly start lessons. Afterward the youth had the chance to split up and leave with some members to go and try to find and teach less-actives, inactive or recent converts. Overall the activity went really well, it was just missing a little bit more planning. Then in the evening we had the baptism for Sarah. Everything went really well with the baptism! We had really good attendance, about 40 people or so! There were tostadas and cake afterwards, so that was nice. :) I will attach photos below.
We have a baptism this Saturday for Ashley who is also nine. In the mission we have a program that is called The Five Families, which is for finding families in which not all are members and are inactive. The idea is to be able to activate the family and also have at least one baptism. President had to authorize the baptism because Ashley is so young, but we have already received the go ahead so this Saturday should be another good day.
How is the new coach for the Bulldogs? Have the Dawgs won any games yet this year? I bet we whooped up on Lewiston! Just kidding! I’m sure that game will be interesting. Hopefully better than 41-7! :) I heard that Richard Sherman is now playing for the forty-winers! What happened dude! Unless Seattle got some new hotshots they might suffer quite a bit this year. But maybe this is the year for the Steelers. The last time they won a Super Bowl was when I was in third grade against the Seahawks.
A couple of things that I found interesting in the Doctrine and Covenants. Did you know that somebody who is a literal descendent of Aaron, who is the first born, has the legal right to be a bishop? (Section 68:14-18) and that if they are a literal descendent of Aaron and are the first born, they do not have to call counselors (Section 107:76)
Now class, if you would turn in your study books to James 2. Just kidding! A couple of verses that are great reminders about the importance of faith and our works. Verses 14,17, and 26 say, "What doth it profit, my brethern, though a man say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so is the faith without works is dead." It also says that if we have faith like a grain of mustard we can move a mountain. But it doesn't specify that you need faith like a grain of mustard and a really really good shovel and the desire to move the mountain. Faith consists of those two grand parts. If I have faith that I can find new work but I am not willing to leave my house and look for work, I will never find new work. God expects us to believe in Him and then do everything in our power to make it happen.
I love you all so much!
Love your brother and son,
Elder Marks
Hey we are writing a little early this morning because we are going to some waterfalls today.
Well this last week was a bit crazy, but really good. With Elder Barczi being the new district leader we had to go the city (we just don’t get out to the big city that much, please read like you live in the trailer park of the Conoco.:) We went to the city on Thursday, we left around eight thirty to be to the meeting that started at one. The meeting and everything went well. We were in our taxi to go to Centro Norte, which is where all of the busses leave from to go out of the capital, when we received a call for the office saying that we had to turn around and go back because there were protests in the Centro Norte. That night we did divisions with the AP's then slept in what the mission calls the “white house”. Which is a big house with a bunch of beds for missionaries to sleep when they are getting ready to go home.
The next day when we got back to Porvenir, we had a really good lesson with Jose, who was one of our new investigators from last week, only this time we also taught his three daughters. We also taught a good lesson with Rafael about what is authority. We had to explain that not all people who study the doctrine have the authority, we used the part of the Bible when the 70 are called. He accepted what we taught really well. We also talked more about how it is that we receive an answer to prayer, I think things are a bit clearer for how it is that we can receive our answers.
The next morning we were suppose to go the capital again to have a multi zone conference but President Shumway asked Elder Barczi and I and two other missionaries to stay in Jalapa to help with a mini SOY (EFY). We gave a little talk about how to knock a door and enter a house and how to smoothly start lessons. Afterward the youth had the chance to split up and leave with some members to go and try to find and teach less-actives, inactive or recent converts. Overall the activity went really well, it was just missing a little bit more planning. Then in the evening we had the baptism for Sarah. Everything went really well with the baptism! We had really good attendance, about 40 people or so! There were tostadas and cake afterwards, so that was nice. :) I will attach photos below.
We have a baptism this Saturday for Ashley who is also nine. In the mission we have a program that is called The Five Families, which is for finding families in which not all are members and are inactive. The idea is to be able to activate the family and also have at least one baptism. President had to authorize the baptism because Ashley is so young, but we have already received the go ahead so this Saturday should be another good day.
How is the new coach for the Bulldogs? Have the Dawgs won any games yet this year? I bet we whooped up on Lewiston! Just kidding! I’m sure that game will be interesting. Hopefully better than 41-7! :) I heard that Richard Sherman is now playing for the forty-winers! What happened dude! Unless Seattle got some new hotshots they might suffer quite a bit this year. But maybe this is the year for the Steelers. The last time they won a Super Bowl was when I was in third grade against the Seahawks.
A couple of things that I found interesting in the Doctrine and Covenants. Did you know that somebody who is a literal descendent of Aaron, who is the first born, has the legal right to be a bishop? (Section 68:14-18) and that if they are a literal descendent of Aaron and are the first born, they do not have to call counselors (Section 107:76)
Now class, if you would turn in your study books to James 2. Just kidding! A couple of verses that are great reminders about the importance of faith and our works. Verses 14,17, and 26 say, "What doth it profit, my brethern, though a man say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so is the faith without works is dead." It also says that if we have faith like a grain of mustard we can move a mountain. But it doesn't specify that you need faith like a grain of mustard and a really really good shovel and the desire to move the mountain. Faith consists of those two grand parts. If I have faith that I can find new work but I am not willing to leave my house and look for work, I will never find new work. God expects us to believe in Him and then do everything in our power to make it happen.
I love you all so much!
Love your brother and son,
Elder Marks