Hey Family!
The first week of this change has been a busy one but also a very good one. In the area of Castillo Lara there are several people who have lots of potential and others who are progressing. One of the families that I got to know this last week is the family Chang. The dad in the familys name is Welder, who has attended church serveral times and was also able to go to the stadium to see the prophet speak on Saturday. Sunday night when we visited him we asked him to share what he felt while he was listening to all of the messages but especially to the prophet. He expressed to us that he felt good while he was there and that he feels that he really is called of God. It was the perfect time to be able to testify to him that those feelings that he had were from the spirit and that the God was talking to him in that moment confirming that this is the true church. The very first day that I was able to visit and get to know welder he asked Elder Ribeiro and I, "what do I need to do to be able to get baptized?" It is amazing to see how the spirit works with people WHEN they are truly looking for the truth. We are hoping that his wife starts to progress a little more with him. Evelyn has gone to church once but she has problems with being able to read and often does not read or keep the assignments that we leave them. We really try to open the heavens and savoring the scriptures together with them.
Elder Ribeiro shared with me some of the goals for being able to start working better with the ward council and with the members in general. From what I could see after my first Sunday in the ward is that the members have a desire to work, just that with time the members have slowly lost there confidence in the elders. Elder Ribeiro has been really trying to get some of this confidence back, I know that within the next month and a half the members and the missionaries will be well on their way on having "One Church."
One of the goals that we are going to have this week is to be in the office the least amount of time that we have to be here, just enough to get the things done that we need to do. When we are not in the office we are going to work diligently in our area to be able to help the Lords work thrive in this part of the vinyard.
From the visit of the Prophet on Saturday there were many amazing parts but one of the things that stuck out to me was a plead that he did to everyone. He said, "Please keep the commandments of God." Then he also said twice to do so with a willing heart. This is applied to everything that we do, from getting up on time to contacting on the bus. When he said please keep the commandments of God I could feel his deep concern and desire about people keeping the commandments. I want to be able to do all that I can to stand before God clean and without worry in the last day. I love the Lord and what he has commissioned
I sure love you guys and am very happy to know that you are all doing well. Have an amazing week!
Love,
Elder Marks
The first week of this change has been a busy one but also a very good one. In the area of Castillo Lara there are several people who have lots of potential and others who are progressing. One of the families that I got to know this last week is the family Chang. The dad in the familys name is Welder, who has attended church serveral times and was also able to go to the stadium to see the prophet speak on Saturday. Sunday night when we visited him we asked him to share what he felt while he was listening to all of the messages but especially to the prophet. He expressed to us that he felt good while he was there and that he feels that he really is called of God. It was the perfect time to be able to testify to him that those feelings that he had were from the spirit and that the God was talking to him in that moment confirming that this is the true church. The very first day that I was able to visit and get to know welder he asked Elder Ribeiro and I, "what do I need to do to be able to get baptized?" It is amazing to see how the spirit works with people WHEN they are truly looking for the truth. We are hoping that his wife starts to progress a little more with him. Evelyn has gone to church once but she has problems with being able to read and often does not read or keep the assignments that we leave them. We really try to open the heavens and savoring the scriptures together with them.
Elder Ribeiro shared with me some of the goals for being able to start working better with the ward council and with the members in general. From what I could see after my first Sunday in the ward is that the members have a desire to work, just that with time the members have slowly lost there confidence in the elders. Elder Ribeiro has been really trying to get some of this confidence back, I know that within the next month and a half the members and the missionaries will be well on their way on having "One Church."
One of the goals that we are going to have this week is to be in the office the least amount of time that we have to be here, just enough to get the things done that we need to do. When we are not in the office we are going to work diligently in our area to be able to help the Lords work thrive in this part of the vinyard.
From the visit of the Prophet on Saturday there were many amazing parts but one of the things that stuck out to me was a plead that he did to everyone. He said, "Please keep the commandments of God." Then he also said twice to do so with a willing heart. This is applied to everything that we do, from getting up on time to contacting on the bus. When he said please keep the commandments of God I could feel his deep concern and desire about people keeping the commandments. I want to be able to do all that I can to stand before God clean and without worry in the last day. I love the Lord and what he has commissioned
I sure love you guys and am very happy to know that you are all doing well. Have an amazing week!
Love,
Elder Marks