March 10, 2018 letter - Salvador (Ondina)

this week was pretty good! monday we had a nice busy day of work in the office and were able to get into our area for some lessons nothing super interesting.

tueday we were doing a lot of preparations for our mission council, elder bednars visit, and salvador stake conference this weekend. We had to buy bus tickets cut papers to be used as reference cards that president made. they look like the name cards that we use for baptisms and temple work theyre actually way cool. I got to do a little division and visit some of elder davis' investigators where we had an awesome lesson about the plan of salvation with ramon and his family who are preparing for their marriage and baptism in the near future!

wednesday we had a good mission council and a busy afternoon getting everyone to their homes. The zone leaders and sister training leaders stayed until friday to be able to meet elder bednar and recieve extra training on thursday. president showed us a new ward mission plan that is gonna be distributed to all the stakes because if there is no plan there will be no action and unity to grow the church!

thursday we ran around making some payments and setting up and planning zone conferences in the next few weeks. President also asked us to come help him set up the chapel for elder bednars visit so Elder Cantuario, President and i set up chairs in the cultural hall and organized them in rows. I felt like i was getting ready for a mission homecoming or farewell back at home again haha. We were able to get into our area and visit Raziel who went to church last week and a less active Galego.

Yesterday was so awesome. We got to the chapel at 6:50 to start getting everything orgazined again hahah and people started rolling in 60 from our misison and 100 from the other mission all to see elder bednar. The transmission worked well and everyone was able to see and hear. It was so amazing to hear from an Apostle of the Lord. He taught us a lot about using questions to teach people, and not questioning to recieve a specific answer but questioning in a way that others learn and gain their own witnesses of the truth. in reality learning to ask questions to make people really think. Then he bore his testimony for us and it was so incredible. before he entered in the room we could already feel a different prescence and then in the end when he bore his testimony it was truly like an out of body experience. We were able to shake his hand and i think he looked so deeply into my soul thru like 5 seconds of eye contact that he saw me and my choices in the premortal life. 

he also gave us an amazing invitation to help us teach better. He asked us all to read all 4 of the standard works and look at the questions that prophets, apostles, servants of the Lord, God and Christ asked people they were teaching. Look at the simplicity of the questions and the way they helped people to learn and have spiritual realizations. those questions that really make the lightbulb go off. 

in acts 15 when there is an issue presented to the apostles they were guided to respond in a certain way because of confirmations from the Holy Ghost,

25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with oneaccord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

They counselled with God and He impressed on them thru the spirit in how they should respond and help others. When we have issues we can trust in the feelings we recieve from the spirit to help us do the Lords will and follow what will be best for us! Christ lives and guides his church all throughtout the world for the benefit of all living things!


it was extremely cool i kinda want ot send you a picture of my notes. it was like a discussion for 3 hours. not a single "talk" was given. Elder Bednar also has a firm grip and extremely smooth hands

[Sam's grandmother was hospitalized on Thursday the 8th] This is not really the news i was expecting. please tell grandma i love her very much and im very thankful for all that she has done for me. I miss her very much even though. ive been feeling lately like i should write her a card but i never got around to it. now i know why. thank her for always supporting me and showing me love as well as helping me to learn patience and hard work from the time i spent in her garden and on her roof as well as doing christmas. lol. i will miss christmas and thanksgiving in her house. just like i miss playing othello and other games with her. she has always been an inspiration for me in the way she works hard and is able to live alone (without complaining too much hehe) please tell her i love her and wish i could give her a hug. thank her for helping me with my mission fund. and generously paying my work even when i didnt want to accept it. 

[Sam's mission president wanted him to speak with his grandmother, so we were able to speak with him Saturday night and Sam was able to talk to his grandmother before she passed away later that night.]