November 24, 2014

This week started off very tiring when and cold when i went on an exchange with the bike elders of my district. It was they coldest day of the fall thus far and i choose to do an exchange on this day. Smart right? So we headed out all bundled up in our coats and sweaters, gloves, hats and he had a face mask thing he wore. But the biggest thing i learned is how out of shape i am! Between the really cold air and never biking I was dyeing. It was seriously ridiculous how out of shape i was trying to bike my butt around the area. Im so grateful to be a Spanish missionary, no bike for me! 

Also i just remembered the lesson we taught with our investigators this last Monday. It went super well. It was really good at getting everyone involved in the lesson and keep there interest. It was really at the end that i think was the best part. Everyone started sharing their testimony's and the spirit was there super strong. At the end we asked the Mom what she learned and how it was. She said everything was very clear and made sense. Not just the way we presented it, but the plan as a whole. That the points and things it held made sense. Then last night we had a lesson with them at the Branch Presidents house. They have gotten so much support fro the branch. I love seeing how this branch has just taken them in. But she said she has been thinking of baptism, but still wants to learn more. So we are excited for that and all that will come for them. because they will so be sealed in the temple a year after they are baptized, no doubt in my mind. I have come to love this family so much and I am sadden that i wont be able to be next to them through out the years as they come closer to one another and to their Savior through his teachings. But like the scripture says in D&C "how great will your joy be with them in the kingdom of your Father" 

This area I am in has been so blessed over these last several months and I have come to love the members and the investigators and the work like i have not found in another area before. I am very happen to spend another 6 months here. Because i know with out a doubt that there is plenty left to do. I am also very grateful to have all the time left that i do. I hope it does not go to fast

Con Mucho Amor

Elder Lamb   

November 17, 2014

Hey did Sarah ever get married? Right after you told me she was engaged i
never again got an Email from her, so what happened? Im glad to hear your
trip went well, i know that was important.

This past week has been a little slower for us, not sure if its was because
it was really cold or if we lacked, or the people just really had a good
sermon on Sunday so they were good or what. But it was a slower one for the
work for us. But the blessing were still present, So ulisis and his family
are still doing super good! I dont know what it is about this family but
the branch has been helping us with them so much! Its been awesome! So this
last Friday the Lupercio family invited ulisis and his fam to come to their
house and have a little family home evening. So we went as well and it was
awesome! We had dinner together and shared lots of laughs and good times,
then to end the night we shared the Restoration DVD, the spirit was there
like always and it was great to see it. Then on Sunday they came to church
and  we finally got the littlest daughter named sulchy ( she is such a
little cutie! shes six and really shy) to go to her primary class and she
enjoyed it. Then after church one of our members invited them to come over
tonight and do another FHC, we will be there as well. We are going to teach
the Plan of Salvation, we spent both personal and comp study this morning
preparing this lesson, we made a bunch of cut out things and have a giant
white board we are going to use. And we are going to make a hide and seek
thing out of it. Ill let you know how it goes next week and ill take photos
:)

Also yesterday we went our to do visits with the branch and we had to ride
with one of our members because we are running out of miles, but anyway he
has a really small Toyota ranger, which is also a manual. thats important
because we would all have to squeeze in this thing, and us all being big it
was not going to work. So i ended up having to ride in the bed of the truck
in about 30 degree weather going about 45, needless to say it was cold, but
hey sacrifices need to be made in the work of the lord!

I had an experience this week with the spirit. So we know that when we are
baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we have the promise that
he will always be with us and we can always feel his presence. But everyone
always wonders what does that really mean, does it mean we will feel that
warmth all the time? or will we always have those guiding moments in our
lives? It is true that living worthy we have free access to those blessings
when we call on them. But what i think we dont always realize is the
regular way we feel. While being on my mission I have truly been
transformed in not only the way my mind works and my heart, but also the
way i function completely. When I come upon those moments or situations
that the spirit is not there, i dont just feel an emptiness, but i feel
physically sick as well. The spirit has not just become the fuel for my own
spirit, but also my physical body. Its very weird to think about and to
explain, but i now see how completely reliant I am on the spirit to even
function. It gives me that extra desire to search out the spirit in all I
do, be cause the other option is not one I like. I have been changed by
this mission already and in ways I never even thought about. What i look
for has changed, what i want has changed, how i love has changed, how i
work has changed, how i see the future has changed. And it has been that
constant companionship of the spirit that has made that change in me. The
spirit is such an amazing gift we have been given, let us always ask
ourselves " Im i using the gift i have been given, or have set it on the
shelf?" If your answer is "Yes, i am using it" Great! now ask what is the
next step? And if it is sitting on the shelf all I have to say is, take it
down and use it! Ask,"what must i do or change to use this gift correctly?"
The spirit is real, he does testify to us and he does guide us if we let
him, I love his company. I never feel alone when he is with me, and that
means the world to me.

Con Mucho Amor
Elder Lamb
P.s. this is my selfy while we were going down the road, i have a video but
it wont let me attach it.

November 10, 2014

Sorry if you get this letter late, we had a hard time emailing.

Thank you for making those sacrifices to take care of my pet snake. I know yall dont want to but it means allot. Its also really cool that yall are getting you business up and running finally. Ill keep yall in my prayers. 

The work in our area is still going well, i was worried to come over to this part of the area because i knew they did not have many people going on over here. But the Lord showed many tender mercy's over here to us this week. So i dont know if you remember but about three weeks ago i said that a random guy showed up to church. Well we were finally able to go teach him and his family this week. The first time was on Thursday, we went with one of our members family to go teach them. We shared most of lesson one with them and the accepted it well. But to things came from that lesson. First, the daughter of the member and the daughter of the investigator  became really good friends like over night. On Saturday they spent the whole day together and went to the mall and the movies and everything. Really good to see that support. Then we also found out that he was baptized in the church when he was 19. So he is a member but his daughter and wife are not. They all came to church this Sunday, marking the second time for the daughter and the first for the mother. They both really liked it. then we went and taught them again last night and shared the story of Joseph Smith. after we shared it and we all shared our testimony's we invited them to be baptized on the 29 of this month. She said she would do it but she want to know more before them, so we reassured her that we would be there every step of the way. so we now have 2 people on date for this month. We also have another lady we are teaching named Olivia, we have taught her 3 times. She has so things that we have been able to address to help her out.she also came to church this week with her son, her daughter said she would come this next week if her mom liked it. The mom had to leave after first hour though, because she has shingles and said it was causing her pain. So understandable. Im excited to still be here in this area, the apartment i am is is WAY better than my last one. Except the water pressure, the water pressure at my old apartment was like that of a fire hose. But other than that i upgraded on everything. 

We are going to have Zone Training this week so i dont have to plan a district meeting. But lately district meeting has been really awesome. Last week for one of the training's i decided to do a 10 min personal study on "recognizing the impressions of the spirit" then after a 10 min comp study with someone then a role play on what was learned. It was really cool and a good way to build district unity when its so hard to do so. Being a district leader has been fun and challenging.       

Well this sums up my week...

Hasta Luego

Elder Lamb

November 3, 2014-

That website looks really good. I like it allot. Thanks for taking care of Zeke for me, you wont have to do it for to much longer, but still a while. The people we are working with are doing well. I dont know last names yet but when I do I will tell you so you can use them.

Finally...

the only word I have to describe the baptisms we had this past week. It has taken almost a year and several sets of missionary's to do it but the Ramirez family finally got baptized, well most of them. The father, mother and oldest son did. The rest will be baptized in December when the youngest comes of age. The thing that i have come to learn from baptisms that I have had is that it is not the end or a closure for anyone involved. If anything it opens more challenges and hardships. Because then the enemy really wants to stop them, he knows what promises they have made and wants them to become unworthy. If anything i think it is mach harder after one is baptized. But that is why God gives us the gift of the holy ghost to be our constant companion, to help us stay true to the path we have started to walk, to keep us worthy of that which we have done. Baptism is not closure, it is the beginning. But it was very special to see them enter those waters, especially for the Mother for she has waited a long time for this. A member reminded me the other day that when I go to this area to right down in my journal that i would be the missionary to baptize their family, And with the transfer coming to an end I did not think it would happen, but it did. And i stayed in the area to be here to see it. It was special to see it happen.

Also we are making good strides in this area. This part of the area did not have much going on. So it is up to me and my comp (elder Roberts) to build this part back up and get the work moving like it should be. We are excited for the challenge that it will be and are ready to find those the Lord has prepared for us. Like just right now I got a call from a random lady that wants to come to English class this week. What luck huh? 

This concludes the email for the week but for the last thing i want to say I got called to be an STL!!! no lie its true, a Spanish Team Leader. Some new thing president is trying out but i just thought it was funny cause it has the same abbreviation as Sister Training Leader. Its nothing super special right now, because its brand new. But maybe in the future it will be something. 

Con Mucho Amor

Elder Lamb