Our trio's down to two . . .

    Well, I cannot remember if I told you already about Y, but she chose a date to be BAPTIZED!!!! She will be baptized on April 8th! Happy Easter!
     It’s a bit weird being back to two missionaries in our companionship but we've adjusted well. On the way home from the mission office after dropping Elder F off, we had Lion King in the CD player; when Timon was singing about "out trio's down to two!" we felt our theme song playing! Right now Elder F is in Acapulco and he told us it is hot!
     We went to a Target to get some glasses for Elder D after email last Monday and while there, I was asked by two little girls if I was a was “a Laker". It made me smile and I was really tempted to say "Yeah! You know Kobe, he and I are tight!" but I said " No, I'm a missionary!" The conversation ended pretty fast, but it was a happy one.
     We had a discussion with a man named J who told us that Mormons don’t believe that we are saved by grace. It was fun! It was the first time that I have ever had the opportunity to defend the Book of Mormon that hard! D&C 100:5 came to me in the very moment I needed it. J began contradicting himself once we agreed that yes, we are saved by grace, AFTER all we can do. Faith, of course, without works is dead. We did not argue or bash. A serene calmness came over me and I spoke a bit more controlled and quiet than I thought I would. We gave Juan a Book of Mormon and he said he would read it. As we were leaving he asked, "What would you do if I find a discrepancy in this book?" Both Elder Davidson and I said calmly  "You won't find any discrepancies because we've read it and know it is true. If there are any ‘mistakes,’ they are the mistakes of man like many of the profetas inside have testified.” It would not have gone at all like that without the Spirit! I have been surprised at how many times the Spirit will cause an angry person to listen and rethink their actions and words.
     A member family took us to Denny's the other day which was fun. I had not eaten there since right before I went to the MTC. They brought their nonmember brother-in-law, too. We ate and talked with him. We hope to teach him soon, but he works a BUNCH! A lot of people work crazy hours here, and lots of them.
     At a lesson with two recent converts (in the last year) we suggested the Animated Stories from the Book of Mormon to help them visualize what is happening in the scriptures. I had not thought about those videos since I was a kid at home, trying to find something to do on Sundays!
     One ward member here has helped a family commit to stop gambling and another man to stop drinking coffee! That man then helped his entire family stop drinking coffee! THAT is the power of member missionary work! They also want to go on a mission after they retire!!! Soo cool! I love you all and hope you enjoy Conference weekend! I cannot wait. I'll wave to you through the TV at the church, so don't forget to wave back! Love you!

"Do or do not -- there is no try."

     Olo Familia!!!!  I forgot to mention that Hermana C was in the hospital with some kidney stones. We visited her and she told us that she had a hymn stuck in her head.  She couldn’t remember the name, but she could remember that it talked about the Lord being with her.  We had practiced “Senor te Necesito” for J’s baptism so we sang it for Hermana C before we left.  Coincidence... I think NOT!!!!!!
     This just in: as I was writing this email, Elder F. got a call that his visa is in!!!! He will be going to Mexico on Wednesday morning!!!!! We will no longer be the Three Amigos....sad day! I am so happy for him, though! It was all because he had accepted that he'd be here forever and had locked his bike up with ours outside...Murphy's Law!
     We had an incredible lesson with Y!!! We were teaching the Restoration again, but really slowly and carefully. Towards the end she gasped and said, "Oh, I get it now!" She even said "Light bulb!" She now understands the need for a Restoration and said "I know that Joseph Smith is a profeta!"  She realized that her knowledge of the Book of Mormon being true and Joseph Smith being a true prophet went directly hand in hand. I don't know what it was that finally made it click, but we look forward to finding out her choice of baptismal date tonight!!!
     We have been trying to excite our ward to do home teaching and I believe it is working. We go out every Tuesday and Thursday with a member and teach with them. It really helps to build unity and trust between us and the members. The blessings will be exponential!
     It rained really hard on Saturday -- even hailing at points. Luckily we were inside at the time. I had never seen it rain so hard down here!  Well, sorry to make it a short one today, but we have to get a lot done. Love you so much!!!!!

"I Love to see the Temple"

"There's Plenty For the Both of Us!" [LOR]

     Hey howdy hey familia!! Well, this week we are focusing on finding more people to teach, so I thought it only fitting to relate it to LOTR :) “May the best dwarf (Elder) win!” In our case, though, we’re on the same team!
     J was baptized!!!! Yee haw!! It took two tries because she sat up the first time from being scared. I will never forget her face. Although she was scared and excited, she gave me a peaceful smile that made my heart sing. The second time we did something interesting. We got down on our knees and then I baptized her again. As she went down, she was not going to make it, so I pulled her down by the back of her jumpsuit...with love. When she came out I could feel the same feeling she was feeling as we smiled at each other. She was so happy, she couldn't stop talking!!!

     "I", a recent convert, has regained some of her love for the Book of Mormon this last week. She has completely transformed! When we text her she is always so positive. Cool story she told us... one night she finished her homework at 11:40 and went to check her Face Book on her mom’s phone. When she opened the phone she saw a text we sent earlier and read the Book of Mormon instead!!!!! It was so cool! Another woman, a referral (who at first was completely uninterested), opened up to us when we gave her a “Finding Faith in Christ” DVD and talked about the Bible and the Book of Mormon. She may be more interested now – we’ll see. I met my first Ecuadorian yesterday out tracting.:) We also had papusas with the H family. Lots of things have happened -- it is insane! We found a recent convert who has been less active; he is pretty solid. He told us the reason he got baptized was because he liked the Word of Wisdom and the commandments and stuff! What?!? Who loves the Word of Wisdom so much that they get baptized?!!! Pretty cool!
     We got to clean the temple on Monday which was an amazing experience!! It was so peaceful working inside the Lord's house.
     Another note about food.... I have fallen in love with smoothies. My best lunch on my entire mission was the other day! The smoothie was so good. It brought me home. We also bought Oscar Meyer lunch meat the other day and I thought of Dad for some reason. "My bologna has a first name..." Sorry, that was random... I love you all!!

Alas, Earwax! [Harry Potter]

     Harry Potter does come up quite often around here.:)  All the missionaries in our ward now (10 companionships) have been out under 5 transfers or about 6 months. It is crazy!!! Elder D. and I received a new companion who is waiting for his visa to Mexico! His name is Elder F. He is from Rexburg, Idaho and we have had so much fun already. We were at a light trying to turn right and I said "Can I make it?" I immediately quoted “What’s Up Doc” and answered myself, "We can make it!" Then Elder F. said "I don't think we can make it..." and the quoting began. It was so funny! Who knows how long he'll be here, but we are glad to have him and hope he can learn as much as he can about missionary work before he hits Cuernavaca with all he's got!
     Y's confidence is building so strong. When we ask questions now, she is not hesitant and answers confidently!! She is awesome!!! Both she and J are set to be baptized this Sunday the 11th. Woot!!! We also had a lesson with a family we found my second week here and it was cool! D prayed and his wife A was very involved. They work a lot and lessons are hard to schedule, but we will keep trying. One new referral we taught was pretty interested. When we told her that Christ taught all of the things we need to live again, she said "Cuales son? Por favor digame." I was blown away. I have never had a referral ask me to tell them what they needed to do to get eternal life.
     One lady we met by the post office asked us if we could help her and we said "Yeah!" She wanted money, but we gave her a Bible because hers was small and falling apart. We put a Book of Mormon card in the middle and as we drove away, Elder D. saw the pages fall open to the card as she perused the book. We couldn't help but fist bump like Shawn and Gus. When we were searching for answers as a companionship for  how to best help an investigator, we said a group prayer and then shared the answers we felt we had received. Interestingly enough, we got the same answer with a little variation. That was a powerful experience! Another day we were making a plan after looking through a list of former investigators, and we saw one name that stood out. As we looked further we saw that this family had had a baby girl on the 3rd of March. As that date echoed in our minds, we realized that today was the 3rd of March. Coincidence? I think not! We knew we had to go that day. This family was not home but their neighbors were, and they really liked El Plan de Salvacion. We will be going back tomorrow...:)
     We talked to one boy who was playing basketball and we played a bit with him, too. He kept calling me Kirilinko (used to play for the Jazz). It was fun. He really likes the missionaries. We made about a bajillion Swedish pancakes at the M's house and they LOVED them!!! We are planning to do a FHE with them as well. Later that night, I got to witness two new missionaries (mis companeros) teaching effectively and fluidly in full Spanish. Elders D. and F. killed it! They were answering questions with Hno. M. about the sacrament and repentance.
     Last night we had several situations that turned into lessons with people in the area. I am really focusing on boldness and talking to everyone! We are very excited. The same is applicable in  non-missionary life as well. When something turns out differently (a bummer), you can always turn it into something happy.
     Well, I am almost out of time. Yesterday I read Sister Dalton's talk about purity, and fathers loving mothers. It was such a pump-up and I loved it! The one thing to always remember, "Your personal purity will give you POWER." I love studying, even though there’s never as much time for it out here as I would like.
    You can all do missionary work as well. There is nothing to be afraid of. Nothing can stop this work from moving forward! All we need to do is open our mouths and talk to those around us. Be the best you can be!!! I love you all!
    P.S. "Paradox of man: we are nothing compared to God, but yet we are everything to him!" -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf