This week was another great week for my companion and I. We are really working hard and I feel that the Lord is pleased with me and my efforts. I am striving each day to work harder and I know that if I do so the Lord will bless me with all I need in my life. I think that it will be best to wait until January to start school but with that being said I'm still not sure where I want to study. BYU is a great school and I wouldn't mind studying there but they don't have wrestling and I really miss wrestling. UVU is also a great school and they have wrestling, but I'm not sure if they have the classes I need for Physical Therapy. I know that I want to study physical therapy/personal training, the question is where.
I hope that next week you have some pictures for me :) I'll be waiting for them. And just so you know next week I will be writing Wednesday because there is another meeting on Monday so we won't be writing that day. It sounds like you have a great week planned out and I know that you will enjoy it, just be safe and remember the things that are most important. I'm jealous that you are going to the temple because I don't get to go that often and with the new president even less often, only 2 times a year. That's great to hear that Kort got his license and that he has his little beauty up and running with a/c. Hopefully he will understand the responsibility of having his own car now and I'm sure you and dad have already talked all about it with him.
We are now working hard to "weed out" the families that we found last week so that we can focus on those who are really going to progress and help them get closer to baptism. One of the families that we found is super positive although they profess to be Catholics. This sunday 3 of the children came to church with us and we had 11 investigators total in church. I feel that with the parents it is going to be a bit of a challange but the fact that they let their children come to church is a great sign. We are also striving to help a lady who has a baptismal date progress so that she will be able to get baptised at the end of this month. This past Friday my companion and I were contacting, knocking doors, to find new families and as we finished talking to a lady we saw a young boy walking away from the store and we started talking to him and he led us to his dad. We shook his dad's hand and asked him how he was. He asked us if we were the Mormons and when we replied yes he said "follow me to my house. we need to talk." We got to his house made of sheet metal and he invited us in. As he opened the door the door fell right off its hinges. We walked in and sat on a mattress which was the only thing that he had. We started talking and found out that 2 years ago the sister missionaries were teaching him and his family but the sisters both got taken out of the area and he lost contact with the missionaries. In the course of the last two years his wife got really sick and died of cancer. He told us that he wanted to go back to the church and that he really wanted to hear the message again. He came to church on Sunday and today we have an appointment to teach him. I know that had my companion and I not been prepared spiritually and had we not been worthy of the spirit we would have ignored the young boy that was walking out of the store and we never would have found this man.
The church is true and is the only church that has the priesthood authority. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I know that the Lord allowed for it to come forth in this the fulness of times to guide us in these dark times. I love the Lord Jesus Christ and I know that He is my Savior. He died for our sins and was resurrected for our eternities. Serve Him with all your heart.
Elder Turner
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
I am loving my new area. It's weird to think this or maybe even believe it but I already enjoy this area more than my last but I know that it has a lot to do with the success we are having. I feel like in my new area, Ciudad Vieja, the people are much more prepared and willing to hear the gospel. I liked what you said about the spirit, how we must have the spirit to be an effective instrument in the Lord's hands. This week was a testament to me of the truthfulness of that statement. It all begins in the companionship and my companion and I are getting along great so the spirit is able to be with us. We are able to work more effectively with the Spirit and I saw that in our dates for this week. My companion and I set a mission record this past week in "new families found in one week" with 20 new families. We found 54 new investigators. How did we do it? By the guidance of the Spirit. I feel like this week was a fulfillment of the scripture I chose for my mission in bringing thousands of souls unto repentance. I know that all was possible as we put our faith in the Lord and as we set goals and strived to reach them. This week we also put a baptismal date with a sister that we are teaching named Aura. The Elders have been teaching her for a while and it was an entire family, but the Sunday before I got there her husband passed away. We have a baptismal date with her and her daughter for the 31st of this month. Keep them in your prayers :)
That is a crazy experience you had mom with the dust storm and thanks for always being an example and looking on the bright side of things. I am glad that I don't have to deal with that or the heat, all I have to deal with is the rain and the streets that turn into rivers when it rains. This week it rained super hard on Thursday and we had to get to an appointment that was down a hill and the only way to get there was to walk in water up to the middle of my calf. I got completely soaked, but I loved it because I know that it was all for the Lord. I know that He has felt worse.
I'll be excited to get pictures and to hear about all the fun you are having in Utah. I hope that your vacation goes well and that you all stay safe. I'm sure it will be good to get out of the heat and enjoy some weather similar to Guatemala just without the rain :)
Mom are you crazy ? :) I can't believe that you are mentioning me coming home!!!! I still have 13 months left. But I know that preparations need to be made. I have thought very little about what I'm going to do but it has crossed my mind to wait until January to start my classes for the reason of finding a job and working to save a tiny bit of money before I go to school. What do you think?
I love you all and I hope that all goes well this week.
Love
Elder Turner
That is a crazy experience you had mom with the dust storm and thanks for always being an example and looking on the bright side of things. I am glad that I don't have to deal with that or the heat, all I have to deal with is the rain and the streets that turn into rivers when it rains. This week it rained super hard on Thursday and we had to get to an appointment that was down a hill and the only way to get there was to walk in water up to the middle of my calf. I got completely soaked, but I loved it because I know that it was all for the Lord. I know that He has felt worse.
I'll be excited to get pictures and to hear about all the fun you are having in Utah. I hope that your vacation goes well and that you all stay safe. I'm sure it will be good to get out of the heat and enjoy some weather similar to Guatemala just without the rain :)
Mom are you crazy ? :) I can't believe that you are mentioning me coming home!!!! I still have 13 months left. But I know that preparations need to be made. I have thought very little about what I'm going to do but it has crossed my mind to wait until January to start my classes for the reason of finding a job and working to save a tiny bit of money before I go to school. What do you think?
I love you all and I hope that all goes well this week.
Love
Elder Turner
From July 4, 2011
Well I don't know if you have been waiting to find out if I had changes or not, but I have been waiting to tell you. I left Patzicia this past week. It was a bit tough to leave because I had really gained some great friends and relationships with the members and converts, but it is what the Lord wanted and it was my time to go. I was there from the 1st of December 2010 to the 29th of June 2011, 7 entire months. That's quite a long time, but the Lord was working with me and forming me into who He wants me to be. Patzicia was a tough area. In my last 6 weeks there we didn't find a single new family to teach, but in my new area, from Thursday to Sunday we found 7 new families to teach. That's just to show you how hard it was to work in Patzicia. My new area is called Ciudad Vieja (Old City) and it is located about 30 min outside of the biggest tourist city in Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala. My new companion is Elder Ruiz and he is from Nicaragua. Before being his companion I was a bit nervous because everyone says that the Nicaraguensians are pretty crazy and disobedient, but he is one of the best latinos that I know. We get along super well. We have a lot of things in common and one of the happens to be that we both love pitbulls. It's kinda crazy because we get along so well but I'm not gonna complain. He is a great companion, very obedient and loves to serve the Lord. He is a very hard worker and in that sense we mesh well. We are always talking to people and he has a gift of creating a bond of confidence with the people very quickly which allows us to find new people to teach very often.
This week we also got a new mission president, President Brough. He is a young guy, 39 yrs old, and he is very compassionate. On friday we had a meeting with him and we were able to get to know him and his wife and daughter better. He loves the Lord and he loves missionary work. He was called to preside over this mission and the Lord will guide him as he serves the people in Guatemala. This coming Friday we are going to have interviews with him and be able to get to know him better.
Brooklyn, How are you? How is summer?
Mack, How is summer going? are you ready for Aprende?
Zack, How is summer school going? How is wrestling?
Kort, How is the Workout program coming along?
Kya, How is summer? Are you studying? how are the guys?
Mom, How is work going? How is the missionary work goingin the ward?
Dad, How is work going? Are you doing any summer wrestling?
I hope that all is well and that you continue working in the service of the Lord so that He will bless you according to your obedience.
Love
Elder Turner
Well I don't know if you have been waiting to find out if I had changes or not, but I have been waiting to tell you. I left Patzicia this past week. It was a bit tough to leave because I had really gained some great friends and relationships with the members and converts, but it is what the Lord wanted and it was my time to go. I was there from the 1st of December 2010 to the 29th of June 2011, 7 entire months. That's quite a long time, but the Lord was working with me and forming me into who He wants me to be. Patzicia was a tough area. In my last 6 weeks there we didn't find a single new family to teach, but in my new area, from Thursday to Sunday we found 7 new families to teach. That's just to show you how hard it was to work in Patzicia. My new area is called Ciudad Vieja (Old City) and it is located about 30 min outside of the biggest tourist city in Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala. My new companion is Elder Ruiz and he is from Nicaragua. Before being his companion I was a bit nervous because everyone says that the Nicaraguensians are pretty crazy and disobedient, but he is one of the best latinos that I know. We get along super well. We have a lot of things in common and one of the happens to be that we both love pitbulls. It's kinda crazy because we get along so well but I'm not gonna complain. He is a great companion, very obedient and loves to serve the Lord. He is a very hard worker and in that sense we mesh well. We are always talking to people and he has a gift of creating a bond of confidence with the people very quickly which allows us to find new people to teach very often.
This week we also got a new mission president, President Brough. He is a young guy, 39 yrs old, and he is very compassionate. On friday we had a meeting with him and we were able to get to know him and his wife and daughter better. He loves the Lord and he loves missionary work. He was called to preside over this mission and the Lord will guide him as he serves the people in Guatemala. This coming Friday we are going to have interviews with him and be able to get to know him better.
Brooklyn, How are you? How is summer?
Mack, How is summer going? are you ready for Aprende?
Zack, How is summer school going? How is wrestling?
Kort, How is the Workout program coming along?
Kya, How is summer? Are you studying? how are the guys?
Mom, How is work going? How is the missionary work goingin the ward?
Dad, How is work going? Are you doing any summer wrestling?
I hope that all is well and that you continue working in the service of the Lord so that He will bless you according to your obedience.
Love
Elder Turner
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
It is so great to be here in the internet cafe reading your email. I look forward to every Monday to see how you are and to find out how that family is doing. The summer is flying by. We are finishing up June and that means that I am running out of time. I hope that your summer vacations continue to go well and that the visit to Utah will be a great time to enjoy with the family, all I ask is don't forget to write me :) The great part about Alex coming home is that Adam is leaving a week later. I'm so happy to be serving the Lord and I know that Alex is also and Adam will be.
The baptism this week went great:) I'm so glad to be a part of helping Ruth make covenants with Heavenly Father and to find real joy in this life and hope in the life to come. She has passed some pretty intense experiences in her life and now having been baptized she will be able to be sealed with her parents for time and all eternity. I know that serving a mission is the least I can do for my Father to be and instrument in His hand to bring His children back to Him. This very well could be my last baptism in Patzicia because this week we have changes and it is rare that missionaries stay 7 months in one area in this mission. My companion is Senior companion and so it is most likely that he will stay and I will leave but I will let you know next Monday what the turn out is :) President Baldwin will be coming home this week and if you would like to find out about the homecoming here are the email addresses to him and his wife: rich.baldwin1@gmail.com/cheryl.baldwin1@gmail.com
That's great to hear that work is going well and that you are enjoying your work. Whenever you are thinking that it's too hard and that you don't enjoy it, just think about all the people that don't have jobs, or are working making minimum wage who would trade you in a heart beat. The Lord has blessed both you and Dad with work and an income and He knows that you will do all in your power to support your family and so never lose the vision of who has really provided you with the blessing to work. I pray that all will continue to go well with work and that you will always enjoy working and serving the Lord also. The house will work itself out in the way neccesary if you will put your faith in the Lord and do as He asks you.
This week was a good week and it has helped me to enjoy even more being a missionary. This first and most important event of the week was the baptism of Ruth and that was great to help her make covenants. She has progressed a lot in the past few months that we have been teaching her. The second event that marked this week was that Deborah, our eternal investigator had her baby. It a bit weird to have arrived in the area and not even being able to tell that she was pregnant and then seeing her son, Travis Aaron Cua, born. Ever since I met her I thought that after she had her baby, she would get baptised and so now according to my prediction we are getting closer than ever to her baptism :) The third event that marked this week was a service project my companion and I did with the Elders' quorum in one of our wards. We went to a house where a family needed a well dug and so we went to dig a well on Saturday morning. We dug about 4 meters, close to 12 feet deep and we still didn't finish because we haven't reached water yet. I was the last one to dig and so to get me out of the hole, they lowered a bucket down to me and pulled me up as I tried to do my part to climb out of the hole. The best part is that this isn't just any ole' well, it is a septic hole that we are digging for them.
Well that is how my week went and I'll send some pictures of the week :) I love you all and I pray that you will continue faithful in the work and service of the Lord.
Elder Turner
The baptism this week went great:) I'm so glad to be a part of helping Ruth make covenants with Heavenly Father and to find real joy in this life and hope in the life to come. She has passed some pretty intense experiences in her life and now having been baptized she will be able to be sealed with her parents for time and all eternity. I know that serving a mission is the least I can do for my Father to be and instrument in His hand to bring His children back to Him. This very well could be my last baptism in Patzicia because this week we have changes and it is rare that missionaries stay 7 months in one area in this mission. My companion is Senior companion and so it is most likely that he will stay and I will leave but I will let you know next Monday what the turn out is :) President Baldwin will be coming home this week and if you would like to find out about the homecoming here are the email addresses to him and his wife: rich.baldwin1@gmail.com/cheryl.baldwin1@gmail.com
That's great to hear that work is going well and that you are enjoying your work. Whenever you are thinking that it's too hard and that you don't enjoy it, just think about all the people that don't have jobs, or are working making minimum wage who would trade you in a heart beat. The Lord has blessed both you and Dad with work and an income and He knows that you will do all in your power to support your family and so never lose the vision of who has really provided you with the blessing to work. I pray that all will continue to go well with work and that you will always enjoy working and serving the Lord also. The house will work itself out in the way neccesary if you will put your faith in the Lord and do as He asks you.
This week was a good week and it has helped me to enjoy even more being a missionary. This first and most important event of the week was the baptism of Ruth and that was great to help her make covenants. She has progressed a lot in the past few months that we have been teaching her. The second event that marked this week was that Deborah, our eternal investigator had her baby. It a bit weird to have arrived in the area and not even being able to tell that she was pregnant and then seeing her son, Travis Aaron Cua, born. Ever since I met her I thought that after she had her baby, she would get baptised and so now according to my prediction we are getting closer than ever to her baptism :) The third event that marked this week was a service project my companion and I did with the Elders' quorum in one of our wards. We went to a house where a family needed a well dug and so we went to dig a well on Saturday morning. We dug about 4 meters, close to 12 feet deep and we still didn't finish because we haven't reached water yet. I was the last one to dig and so to get me out of the hole, they lowered a bucket down to me and pulled me up as I tried to do my part to climb out of the hole. The best part is that this isn't just any ole' well, it is a septic hole that we are digging for them.
Well that is how my week went and I'll send some pictures of the week :) I love you all and I pray that you will continue faithful in the work and service of the Lord.
Elder Turner
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
I got my package on Thursday because the assistants to the President came to Patzicia to take us to a meeting that my companion had to go to. Thank you for all of the goodies that you sent :) I've already put everything to use, especially the candy. Thank you Mack and Zack for sending me letters :) Brooklyn and Kortland should both be getting their letters sometime this week because I sent them about a week and a half ago and fyi it's one envelope with each of their letters inside. Thank you for sending me the CD player that will be very convenient because it reads mp3 discs and so I am putting the 12 CDs that I have on to 2 discs.
Ruth is still on for her baptism next Sunday and they had her interview yesterday and so all is well :) It's so exciting to be a part of the conversion of people. I know how hard it can be although I was born into the gospel to become converted because I had to become converted before I began my mission. I know that it can be difficult but the Lord is on our side. This week we finally got our copies of the General Conference of the Liahona and it has been great to review those talks. I am in love with the talk that Elder Bednar gave about revelation because that is the talk that helped me recognize how I feel the Spirit in my life.
An experience that happened this week also strengthened my testimony of how important the Spirit is in the work. We had a lesson with our eternal investigor who had really begun changing and has been getting close to receiving an answer of the truthfulness of the message. We went there a few days previous to teach and to share about the History and Testimony of Joseph Smith and we had left her the pamphlet of the Testimony of Joseph Smith so the she could read it and pray about it. 2 days later we had a return visit and we had planned to read the talk by Elder Bednar that I mentioned above. My companion asked me if I could carry the Liahona in my backpack because his backpack is super tiny, just a small camelpack, and I agreed. When we got to the cita I had relized that I forgot the Liahona because we hadn't returned home since 1030 that morning. We didn't know what to do, but we just decided to finish reading and talking about Joseph Smith History. We got in and sat down and the husband who is a member had a Liahona and so we thought that we should do as planned. Before we started the lesson I felt that we should read Joseph Smith History. I ignored the feeling. We read the talk by Elder Bednar. The lesson, although nothing bad happened and we in fact read something of great worth, was a waste because the Spirit was not there. As we left the lesson my companion and I both felt empty. We both had felt the prompting of the Spírit to read Joseph Smith History, as we had left for our investigator, and we both ignored it. I learned that although you could be doing something good, if you are not following the Spirit it will not be worth it. Let me just tell you that what I felt after that lesson was one of the worst things I have ever felt in my life. I felt as though I was worthless. The Lord trusted in me to teach His daughter and I failed Him by not teaching what he told me. I can't express how important it is to follow with exactness the promptings of the Spirit. We lost the Spirit by such a simple little act of ignorance. We quickly repented and worked hard all the rest of that night to gain the confidence of the Lord so that we could continue to work effectively.
The Lord loves you all and He wants your happiness. True happiness in this life comes by having the Spirit with you always and that is possible as we make the covenant of baptism and as we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Each week through partaking of the Sacrament we renew our covenant and are promised the Spirit always. Be faithful to your covenants and show your love for the Lord through your obedience to Him.
Elder Turner
Ruth is still on for her baptism next Sunday and they had her interview yesterday and so all is well :) It's so exciting to be a part of the conversion of people. I know how hard it can be although I was born into the gospel to become converted because I had to become converted before I began my mission. I know that it can be difficult but the Lord is on our side. This week we finally got our copies of the General Conference of the Liahona and it has been great to review those talks. I am in love with the talk that Elder Bednar gave about revelation because that is the talk that helped me recognize how I feel the Spirit in my life.
An experience that happened this week also strengthened my testimony of how important the Spirit is in the work. We had a lesson with our eternal investigor who had really begun changing and has been getting close to receiving an answer of the truthfulness of the message. We went there a few days previous to teach and to share about the History and Testimony of Joseph Smith and we had left her the pamphlet of the Testimony of Joseph Smith so the she could read it and pray about it. 2 days later we had a return visit and we had planned to read the talk by Elder Bednar that I mentioned above. My companion asked me if I could carry the Liahona in my backpack because his backpack is super tiny, just a small camelpack, and I agreed. When we got to the cita I had relized that I forgot the Liahona because we hadn't returned home since 1030 that morning. We didn't know what to do, but we just decided to finish reading and talking about Joseph Smith History. We got in and sat down and the husband who is a member had a Liahona and so we thought that we should do as planned. Before we started the lesson I felt that we should read Joseph Smith History. I ignored the feeling. We read the talk by Elder Bednar. The lesson, although nothing bad happened and we in fact read something of great worth, was a waste because the Spirit was not there. As we left the lesson my companion and I both felt empty. We both had felt the prompting of the Spírit to read Joseph Smith History, as we had left for our investigator, and we both ignored it. I learned that although you could be doing something good, if you are not following the Spirit it will not be worth it. Let me just tell you that what I felt after that lesson was one of the worst things I have ever felt in my life. I felt as though I was worthless. The Lord trusted in me to teach His daughter and I failed Him by not teaching what he told me. I can't express how important it is to follow with exactness the promptings of the Spirit. We lost the Spirit by such a simple little act of ignorance. We quickly repented and worked hard all the rest of that night to gain the confidence of the Lord so that we could continue to work effectively.
The Lord loves you all and He wants your happiness. True happiness in this life comes by having the Spirit with you always and that is possible as we make the covenant of baptism and as we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Each week through partaking of the Sacrament we renew our covenant and are promised the Spirit always. Be faithful to your covenants and show your love for the Lord through your obedience to Him.
Elder Turner
Monday, June 13, 2011
This week was a great week. You might be asking why, and I'll tell you. Because I am a child of God :) I love knowing that no matter what happens in life, no matter how many people tell me I'm wasting my time, no matter how many people don't want to hear the message of the gospel, no matter how many people shut the door in my face, I know that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and is supporting me every step of the way.
The other day I was thinking to myself why is it so hard for me to recognize the Spirit and then something told me to think about my facial expression, I was smiling. I have been trying to discern what the Spirit is and how it works in my life, but I have been looking for an answer in specific and I wasn't feeling that answer. As I teach people how to recognize the Spirit I often use Galatians 5 which talks of the fruits of the Spirit and one of the fruits is joy. I have never been happier than I am now here on the mission. I have felt the Spirit in such abundance in the last 10 months that I think it is now easier to recognize when I don't have the Spirit. I have been able to strive more to have the Spirit and to be happy and smiling. Sometimes I just can't help but smile because the Spirit is so strong. I love serving the Lord with full purpose of heart because he always keeps His promise to bless us with His spirit.
That's so great to hear that the cousins had a good week and enjoyed their week in AZ. I miss being able to swim, but I'm sure the kids have done their fair share of swimming for me this past week :) I'm glad to hear that you got to spend some time with your sisters and nephews and chat. It's nice to have days like that and to be able to share your feelings with others. We can never begin to doubt in the Lord because when we doubt we allow for Satan to enter our lives. There is a difference in doubting in the Lord and wanting to know the truth. I know that if we put our faith in the Lord and do what He asks, we will be guided in our life. Reading the scriptures every day is a commandment and we ought to follow it because that is what strengthens our testimonies and helps us to build our protection against Satan. I feel that the daily reading of the scriptures is our vitamins and our medicine to keep us standing in this war. This is war. It is a war that has been going on ever since Satan fell from heaven. He is trying hard and he is not dumb. He has thousands of years of experience and he is using it. I know that he wants us to be miserable like him, don't allow him to pull you down because he will never be satisfied. I pray that you all will have the strength to resist the temptations of Satan and that you will all be virtuous and righteous. There is a great lie going around that a man can become too righteous and it is all a lie. You can never become too obedient or too righteous.
Never forget about what the Lord has done for you and you will always be strong in the faith.
Elder Turner
The other day I was thinking to myself why is it so hard for me to recognize the Spirit and then something told me to think about my facial expression, I was smiling. I have been trying to discern what the Spirit is and how it works in my life, but I have been looking for an answer in specific and I wasn't feeling that answer. As I teach people how to recognize the Spirit I often use Galatians 5 which talks of the fruits of the Spirit and one of the fruits is joy. I have never been happier than I am now here on the mission. I have felt the Spirit in such abundance in the last 10 months that I think it is now easier to recognize when I don't have the Spirit. I have been able to strive more to have the Spirit and to be happy and smiling. Sometimes I just can't help but smile because the Spirit is so strong. I love serving the Lord with full purpose of heart because he always keeps His promise to bless us with His spirit.
That's so great to hear that the cousins had a good week and enjoyed their week in AZ. I miss being able to swim, but I'm sure the kids have done their fair share of swimming for me this past week :) I'm glad to hear that you got to spend some time with your sisters and nephews and chat. It's nice to have days like that and to be able to share your feelings with others. We can never begin to doubt in the Lord because when we doubt we allow for Satan to enter our lives. There is a difference in doubting in the Lord and wanting to know the truth. I know that if we put our faith in the Lord and do what He asks, we will be guided in our life. Reading the scriptures every day is a commandment and we ought to follow it because that is what strengthens our testimonies and helps us to build our protection against Satan. I feel that the daily reading of the scriptures is our vitamins and our medicine to keep us standing in this war. This is war. It is a war that has been going on ever since Satan fell from heaven. He is trying hard and he is not dumb. He has thousands of years of experience and he is using it. I know that he wants us to be miserable like him, don't allow him to pull you down because he will never be satisfied. I pray that you all will have the strength to resist the temptations of Satan and that you will all be virtuous and righteous. There is a great lie going around that a man can become too righteous and it is all a lie. You can never become too obedient or too righteous.
Never forget about what the Lord has done for you and you will always be strong in the faith.
Elder Turner
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