Week #48

Hola!

Quite the week this week! I don't if good I mentioned this last week but we had quote the miracle! About a week back we randomly decided to look look through some old baptismal records and we found this guy who was baptized but never confirmed, so we went and to the address listed and knocked and this guy opened up with his Book of Mormon in hand and says, I've been waiting for you! He then told us his story how he was baptized then right after his baptism he got antied and had some doubts and sort of was lost for 4 years tell about a week ago he felt all the sudden the urge to get back to church so he started to read the Book of Mormon again and prayed for the missionaries and that's when we showed up! We had some awesome lessons with him and he came to church! He's solid to get baptized on the 7th!

The family we have been working with also looks good to be baptized this Saturday! Awesome family! The work is great over here!

This week I gave a talk at the funeral of one of our investigators (A members Brother). It was a really spiritual experience and also the longest I have ever spoke (almost 20 min in Spanish). The day after I spoke in the branch and with not much time to prepare but I think it went quite well!

Overall a very solid week! My favorite scripture comes from Alma 5:26-  26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a ^achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the ^bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ^ccan ye feel so now?

All who have been baptized and have read the Book of Mormon have felt the spirit, but one of the key parts of this is to retain that spirit and make sure we can feel it everyday! I love this quote from Brigham Young I found this week that shows what we can expect is we don't retain the spirit in our lives and fall away 

"What have the Latter-day Saints got to apostatize from? Everything that there is good, pure, holy, God-like, exalting, ennobling, extending the ideas, the capacities of the intelligent beings that our Heavenly Father has brought forth upon this earth. What will they receive in exchange? I can comprehend it in a very few words. These would be the words that I should use: death, hell and the grave. That is what they will get in exchange. We may go into the particulars of that which they experience. They experience darkness, ignorance, doubt, pain, sorrow, grief, mourning, unhappiness; no person to condole [lament] with in the hour of trouble, no arm to lean upon in the day of calamity, no eye to pity when they are forlorn and cast down; and I comprehend it by saying death, hell and the grave. This is what they will get in exchange for their apostasy from the Gospel of the Son of God (DBY, 85)."

Have a great week! Dios les Bendiga!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

-Found an investigator, an ice cream truck, and a cow out in the fields!

Week #47

Hola!

Very good week again this week! A day late but happy father's day to all father! The work is still going great! We decided to try some old media referrals and ended finding 3 super solid people who had been taught in the past and even went to church but somehow got dropped but are ready to learn! We also had two people we contacted on the street show up to church out of the blue and loved it! We have an Indian Sihk man who comes to our English class and one thing we do during class is use the Book of Mormon readers to practice and he has read it all already! After class he came to us and pointed to the picture of Jesus on the wall and said, "who is that man" we told him it was Jesus Christ and he responded, " next week you will teach me about that man and I will ask you questions"! 

The harvest season is in full force and tons of the people we teach work in the Peaches and give us tons! We chop them up and make Peach smoothies! World cup started too and the branch went crazy on Sunday after Mexico beat Germany! 

My favorite scripture comes from Alma 3:27- For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey... I love this scripture because it shows that if we obey God then we receive his help, his love, his peace and hope! On the contrary if we obey Satan we receive the opposite, bit it is up to us too choose who we want as our employer!

That's about it amigos! Que tengan una buena semana!

Week #46

Hola!

Great week again! Another nice and busy one! The weather keep a bit cooler which was nice. We went and ate with a less active Hermano one night and he made us his favorite jalapeno salad which was super spicy! With about 5 cups of juice I finally finished it then when I wasn't looking he plopped another scoop on! We almost had to call los bomberos! One of the family that we are working with came to church again and loved it! They are really excited to get baptized! Especially the kids! We also found a super awesome new lady and taught her the restoration! She felt the spirit so strong during the closing pray she began to cry and afterwards told us that was the most peace she had ever felt! 

One of our investigators (a members brother) Passed away in a car accident this week and we just happened to show up at the church when we was there, so we gave him blessing and help him cheer up a bit. A bit sad but he told us he was so grateful he had the knowledge about the plan of salvation!

This was the last week of the transfer and we are both staying in Kerman! Got a lot of work to finish up here!

My favorite scripture of the week is in Mosiah 24:13  13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

We we are faithful to our covenants, we have the Lords promise of his strength and comfort in our afflictions! 

Good week overall and another coming! Cuidense! 

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

Week #45

Buenas Tardes!

Great week! Time is flying by! 

We were very busy this week! Started off in the gringo area again then we had a zone temple trip the next day! Tuesday we had dinner with an investigator and our ward mission leader and then taught him the plan of Salvation! Really solid lesson! We've seen continually good progress from the families we have been teaching a one made it out to church again! We also had a big surprise, one of our investigators who we hadn't seen for 4 weeks showed up at church and stayed to watch the baptism after and loved it! 

The heat is cranking up a bit and we've been riding lot's of bikes but the work has been really solid! I also got a call from the Porterville Elders saying that two of the people we found and started teaching way out in this little town called Ducor got baptized! (First Members of the church in the whole town!). 3 transfers back in Porterville and we worked so hard but didn't see much fruit come from it, we knocked probably every door in that town and taught so many lessons and finally we see the fruits of our labor sprouting! All in the lords time and in the lords way!

My favorite scripture from this week comes from Mosiah 12:27- 27 Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.

This is one of my favorite prophets Abinadi testifying to the wicked priests of King Noah! One of the key things I get from this scripture is that to truly understand the gospel, we must apply our heart to it! We can obtain all the knowledge we want but if it is only in our heads then it profiteth us nothing!

Have a great week mis amigos!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

1. The old Poterville amigos

2. Crazy collection a less active has

3. El horno

Week #44

Hola familia!

Very good week! Saw some miracles and great progress in the work! Monday we had a family home evening with our investigators in a members home and it was really solid! The spirit was there strong especially after the kids sang "Families can be together forever"! We also had Zone Conference this week and afterwards I went on exchanges in the Gringo area with a Samoan Elder named Elder Lavatai! We met this less active who moved here from Vietnam and had an awesome lesson with her! She felt the spirit so strong and at the end she said "I give you food" and gave us a huge box of fruit snacks and pop-tarts! We've also had some awesome lessons with some less actives of the branch to prepare them for the temple trip in June and the spirit of Elijah really touched some of them!

Saturday a less active Hermano from the branch called us up and told us he wanted to make us tacos so we went over and he brought out like 10 bottles of hot sauce and had us try them all! He had one with ghost peppers that my companion ate but I didn't dare touch! Afterwards he told us we had to teach his friends so he called them up and set up some times for this week to teach his friends! Overall, we've been keeping very busy and teaching a ton!

My favorite scripture from this week comes from Mosiah 5: 2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

This is right after King Benjamin finished his speech and the spirit came upon all the people and brought upon them a "Mighty Change" in their hearts! Just like them, we to can have this change come into our lives from the spirit! And it doesn't just have to be a one time event either but when we partake of the sacrament each week we have that promise that we will have that spirit! What a promise!

Take care mis amigos and have a great week!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

1.Matagringos

2. Los 3 Amigos

3. No se

Week #43

Hola Hola!

Excellent week this week! Lot's of big progress in the work! two of the families we have been teaching and have been taught for a LONG time finally accepted baptismal dates and both seem pretty solid for the end of June! They also came to church again with the whole family! 

We also found some new people to teach and two (twins) of them our students in our English classes! In our classes we use the Book of Mormon stories readers to practice pronunciation and so when we taught him the first vision and the background of the Book of Mormon they already knew it! 

We continue to have to bike a lot which I like (for now) and the work continues to progress! 

This week in my studies I was reading in Mosiah and my favorite scripture came from Mosiah 3:20-  20 And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 

This is the good news we bring to everyone that we have a savior who can help us in all moments and aspects of our lives! Through Christs Atonement we can truly find the Joy and Peace that so many are searching for!

Have a solid week!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

Lo siento, olvide sacar photos otra vez! Por la proxima vez! 

Week #42

Buenas Tades!

Very good week again here in Kerman and happy Mother's day to all you Mothers!

It's been quite the busy week! Tuesday Presidente Mackay came and taught one of our investigators with us who is sooooo close to baptism! We also found this cool new man to teach who loved the message of the restoration! We went back to teach him again Saturday and he said he was busy so we asked if we could help with anything and he told us he needed his yard mowed so I quickly grabbed the mower, mowed the yard while Elder Dodge cleaned a bunch of stuff, then he said "Well I guess I'm not busy now" so we taught him about the Book of Mormon and Christs coming to the Americas! 

We've had a lot of windy days lately which is good because it cools it down but then is rough on the bikes and allergies. Saturday night when we got home after a long day and lot's of really good teaching visits, I went to finish writing my talk but realized my phone was gone (I'd been typing it on their) so we texted our investigators and no responses. In the morning we went to look for it and found it at our investigators house! While we were they we decided to invite them to church and the came! The whole family of 5! Elder Dodge and I gave talks and Although Elder Dodge has only spoke Spanish for 7 weeks gave an excellent talk with basically no mistakes! 

In my studies this week I've been reading in Jacob, Enos, Jarom, and Omni, some really good chapters and my favorite scripture comes from 23 And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures,

This week we've seen so many people and families that are in really rough condition and need the peace of the gospel. But yet they refuse to do the simple things like read and pray everyday and go to church every week. The peace and blessings the gospel brings were a bit hard to see before, but as I've been here on the mission I've learned how invaluable the gospel really is and how it is the only way to found true lasting peace and happiness in life!

Well, take care mis amigos! 

Con Amor

Elder Houssian

Sólo tengo esta photo cerca de Freno, pero más vendrá por la próxima semana!