BAPTISM!!!

Well, here it is!  LUIS GOT BAPTISED!!  It was an awesome experience!  I have looked back on the past month we have been working with him.  From the first day, the pure guidance of the Spirit had me return on a random road to knock on his door. First seeing a pass-along card of Christ that he miraculously found 2 weeks previous to the day we saw him, the prayers he asked before we arrived at his door, and the miracles he has seen in EVERY single day of his progression!  I remember the first 2 weeks of visiting him and him not showing up for church, and having the zone leaders tell me to leave him and find more investigators.  We couldn't leave him, these things don't happen just because.  We continued to work with him, helping him make commitments with Heavenly Father.  As he did his life changed - the evidence is clear of what used to be his tears, now his daily smiles.  It has been a huge blessing and something very close to me watching his life change.  I couldn't tell each story and miracle he has seen but they are countless.  We are so blessed.

Yesterday the 2nd counselor spoke - he told a story how he was talking to his brother-in-law about buying a car for his work, school, baby and wife because it would make things better.  His brother-in-law told him that the car wouldnt make it better, only easier.  I can't count the things this little story applies to, and how we think a lot of the "things" make life "better".   He talked about how they live in poverty, and it's not the things that make their lives better, just at times easier.   Something to think about.

Not to mention we ran in the church sweating like none other at 10:58 from searching, and waking up our investigators - I walked in and the 1st counselor said he wants me to speak in church.  Joy.  I was sweating, looked awful with 10 minutes to prepare a 15 minute talk.  I applied the story of the brother of Jacob in Ether 3.   How because of his faith he recieved the "light" to guide his people to the promise land.  Of course, it is easy to apply to us, if we have the faith, we can recieve the same light.

That's about our week.   We had a little niño ask us if we were professional bike racers cause were constantly racing to our appointments. I thought that was funny.  I forgot to explain last weeks pictures.  The President gave all the missionaries permission, that if we brought an investigator, we could attend the ward party for 15 of September (Mexican 4th of July) it was really fun.  The young man in glasses was my beloved summer missionary - he's awesome.

Love you all until next week,

Elder Warner

With our convert, Luis, at his baptism!

Mexican Sunset

Week 1 of New Changes - still in Monclova

And here it is, another transfer. How are you all?! Well, let's go straight to the update. I'm still here in my same area, just have a new ELDER walking by my side. This kid just smells green. I can fix my hair in his shiney, new name tag. I recently noticed the yellow sun burnt tints on my shirts after comparing them to his. Straight from the MTC. I'm proud to be a father. His name is Elder Canul, he comes from a state called Yukatan. (& I tell people I'm from Utatan). The Mission President threw me with a soldier. I have loved the rememberance of seeing a young man straight from the sacred walls of the MTC. The power of the testimony, strict obedience, and a love for the people. This guy came a lot more prepared than I did when I first started. It has been a good experience working with him.

Here it is for our investigator, Luis. We have had a lot of awesome, powerful experiences with him. In the beginning of the week, we brought the Stake President with us in a lesson, I loved the words of both of them. We have slowly taught Luis the principals. Because of this, the Lord has been bound in showing him the most obvious blessings as he follows His path. On Thursday he accepted the invitation to be baptized, later that night we had the opportunity to bring him to a baptism service of the other missionaries we live with. He told us that he "didnt want to leave."

Other than that, there has been a pick up in the ward, the Bishop is starting to trust missionaries, which causes the members to put in their part. I have wondered why and have answered simply with the diligence, unity, and obedience on both sides of the companionship, there is such a greater outcome.

Here is the report of this short week, and I look forward to another.

Love you all! Elder Warner

Transfer 6, Week 1

Hello! Well, I'm hearing of all the people running, biking and doing races right now. It kinda feels like I just finished my race. Tomorrow starts another, there is no break. From what I could imagine, I'll be staying here in my area and recieving an Elder. We'll see what the Lord wants.

Well, now that I look back on the change (this past transfer) I notice the things I learned. How alot of my changes before, started the breaking point of introducing the things I need to learn on my mission. And I see that this past change was the test. I was tested many times on these very important attributes of Christ. Not all were successful, but I'm better than I was 6 weeks ago. That's kinda what a mission is, isnt it? Becoming a new person as to who you were 2 years back. In honesty, I struggled through many moments in these last 6 weeks. It was not easy at all. I learned a lot from my two companions. There were so many moments I struggled to keep a smile on my face, and when my companion tapped me to remind me to be happy, it helped me push past those times where a simple smile is so difficult. We didn't find the outcome of success that we thought, but not a single day was wasted.

I look so forward to tomorrow, to start this next change. I have my armor shined and ready to head off. You will be hearing of many amazing stories, I know it.

The picture is my zone and the baptism of the Elders we live with, yesterday.

Thanks for everything! Elder Warner

Hello! How is everyone? Well, here we are on the final week. This last week went well. As always I learned A LOT. But unfortunately, not a lot of success. We found 2 people where I have no doubt they are prepared. We weren't able to find them on Sunday for church but we'll see how it goes with them this week. I talked a lot with the Stake President (the son of our Bishop) to see what we can do in this area to pick it up and we're going to start working almost purely with members this last week to see what we can do.

Well, I had a few very spiritual experiences, one of which being the journal entry I sent:

"We had ended a lesson with the Stake President and started walkiing to another area. Within a few minutes of walking, I felt the impression to immediately turn to a house we had almost passed. We asked if we could offer a prayer. He let us in. The very first thing I saw was a pass-along card taped to his dresser. I asked if other missionaries have passed by. But he told us, no. When I asked about the card, he said he found it a few weeks ago on the floor in his house. He told us when he found it, he prayed to God about his suicidal thoughts. He cried multiple times during the time we talked to him. He mentioned all the churches he has been to but just never felt right in any of them. Following that, he accepted our invitation to church tomorrow."

The other has to do with language study:

I have a family friend who sends me the Spanish Liahona monthly. Alot of the days that I have to study the language, I read passages aloud from the Liahona or scriptures with a pen in my mouth to work on the dang accent. I sat there at 10:00 a few mornings ago wondering what I need to work on with my language and felt like I should practice while reading from a certain Liahona of few months ago. I flipped it open and saw a passage about the suffering of Christ and began to read. I read and read and practiced the certain words that are hard to pronounce and began reading a passage by Elder Ballard, I believe. As I started reading, I focused more on the passage than on my reading practice. This whole transfer change, I have had so many questions - some of which being those of 'Why' questions. As I read, I felt so comforted with an answer to virtually everything that has been running through my mind.

"Trust in the Lord. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. Therefore, He gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get to where you are, to where he wants you to be, requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

This said it all to the example questions of "Why does this have to happen to me?" "Why do I suffer this now?" As it taught to turn these type of questions to "What am I to learn from this experience?" "Whom am I to help?" or "How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?" I think we all have had our own form of these struggles. But how simple does it state an answer to what each of us are experiencing.

There are weeks where I feel let down that I'm not sharing with you all these awesome conversion stories of baptisms and such, but I feel more than blessed to share all the stories of my own conversion each week. I love you all. Please pray for the people in the area, Del Rio. They need the prayers.

Elder Warner