Week #61

Una semana muy buena!

Started off with some great lessons! Josefina got baptized also! She is going be a solid convert! Fernando is solid to and we helped him set up his proposal, and is planning on getting baptized and married this Saturday! Delia too is progressing very well and should be solid for this week!

We a bunch of service on Wednesday, vineyard in the morning then yard remolding in the afternoon! We then had exchanges and found some really cool new people!

Favorite scripture of the week comes from 3rd Nefi 15:9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.

Enduring to the end is essential, baptism is just the gate. Enduring to the end is the path of happiness!

Take care amigos!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

(Mexcian food is getting to me a bit)

Week #60

Buenas Tardes!

Excellent week this week! A bit of a crazy and super busy! Monday night we had a family home evening with some people we are teaching and they committed to be baptized in October their aunt also sent us home with for massive bags of food! We also did a Zone training on Thursday about hastening the work and expecting miracles! A man we are working with named Ruben texted us out of the blue and had a complete turnaround came to our word activity and to church and loved it he also is said to be baptized on the 20th of October! Also during that Ward activity (For Mexico's independence day) one of the people we are teaching named Josefina introduced herself and told the whole Ward she was going to be baptized next Saturday and she got quite the Applause! Elder Lily and I sang for the talent show and I also added in a nice little flip!

This week we found a lot of new people to teach who the Lord has really prepared! Here in Fresno it just feels like there are people everywhere compared to Kerman! The majority speak Spanish but lots of Laos and hmong speaking also! We met this lady from Laos who wanted 2 pictures of Jesus Christ to keep the ghosts out of her house! We gave her a Book of Mormon as well and told her that would work better for that! 

My favorite scripture from the week comes from 3rd Nefi 12:6 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

It all starts with our desires! If we desire righteousness our thoughts and actions will follow and we will be led by the Holy Ghost, which will guide us in all things!

Have a great week! Se cuida!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian 

Week #59

Hola!

Quite the week! New companions name is Elder Lilly! He is a really solid Elder from Salt Lake City but born in Kashakstan! I'm in a huge area and cover a big Spanish ward! Loads of work to do and lots of people to teach!

We had a lot of great lessons, we did quite a few splits with our members! We are teaching a man named Fernando who has a date for the 29th but has to get married! We also are teaching this lady named Delia and set a date for the 29th with her and she came to church! We had this man call us named Eric who just moved here and was taught all the lessons and went to church in Washington! He came to church too and loved it! 

At church I was asked to share my testimony and it was a bit different in an actual chapel! The baño was broken so we only had sacrament! We also had a few service projects and help with the new missionaries who came in!

Favorite scripture of the week comes from 3rd Nefi 26 And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen.

One of the last prophesies that needs to come to pass before the second coming is the gathering of Israel! What an opportunity we have to participate in this gathering!

Have a great week!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

Week #58

Buenas tardes!

Quite a solid week! Jammed packed! This week was the grape harvest so Wednesday we went and pick grapes for 5 hours! Then Saturday another 4! Really great experience to help make the raisins to feed the world! Huge crop too!

Marco continues to progress and came to church once again. Saturday after the vineyard we went to Firebaugh and Mendota and had some really solid lessons! Veronica stopped working so we finally taught her again and she came to church and is looking to get baptized very soon! We've seen the Lord's hand so much this week guide us to where we need to go! So many prepared people we're finding! 

I am getting transferred to Fresno East Spanish ward (Ventura Ward) to be a zone leader. I'm going to miss Kerman a ton a few tears were shed as I gave my departing testimony and said bye to all the amazing people,  but I will go where the Lord needs me and am really excited! Elder Dodge is staying and training a new missionary so Kerman is in good hands! 

Favorite scripture of the week comes from Helaman 14:30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

God has given us this beautiful gift of agency that if we used wisely we can learn so much and feel joy in our lives! A joy that comes from following the savior!

Cuidense amigos!

Con Amor y Pasas,

Elder Houssian

Week #57

Hola!

Great week again! Had a great lesson with Irene in our ward mission leaders house! She is progressing great! Also had two exchanges in this city called Madera! Not quite as good as Kerman but still taught a lot of people! 

We had a really solid zone conference with Elder Whiting of the 70! The spirit was so strong! He told us the lord needs us to strengthen the domestic church and hasten the gathering of Israel! 

Great day at church also! Elder Dodge and I both spoke in the branch! We also taught the gospel principals class and Irene & Marco came! Those two are getting close to baptism!

My favorite scripture of the week comes from Helaman 6:  3 Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.

The joy of missionary work is like nothing else, help those find the path to eternal life and fellow-shipping those already on the path is the greatest work we can do in our lives!

Que tengan una Solida!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian 

Week #56

Hola!

Another great week! Had two exchanges and a lot of teaching! On Tuesday President Mackay came to teach with us and he is a really solid teacher! Was a great experience! On Wednesday we were visiting a recent convert and his daughter was there and had just gotten back from visiting the pyramids in Mexico city! She told us the tour guide talked about Joseph Smith and asked if we could teach her about the relationship between him and the Pyramids! We then taught the full restoration and gave her a Book of Mormon!!! 

We have been teaching Marco some more and he is now in a wheel chair but still had his dad wheel him all the way to church and we wheeled him back!

The heat is still in full blast but should be cooling down soon! We started saving all the water bottles we were given a little over a month ago because here in California they give you 5 cents a bottle and turned them in today and got 11$ So we payed tithing on it then bought some solid tacos!

My favorite scripture from the week comes from Helaman 3:35  35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

Turning our heart to god each and every trough our actions purifies us and fills our lives with Joy!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

Week #55

Buenos mornings!

Solid week! The work is on fire here in Kerman! We taught Oscars mom Irene twice and set a date and she came to church! This man we have been teaching for a while now named Ernesto finally came to church and loved it! He told us he is going to retire in February and move back to Mexico and right next to the house he built in Mexico is a church building! So he told us "I might as well join the church here so I can go there when I move! 

Three less active who we have been working with for a while also came back to church for the first time in years! The Lord is working miracles here! I went on exchanges in Madera and did a baptismal interview for the first time for this man named Moises! Great experience and he will be a solid convert!

We taught this guy named Marco twice and he is a bit crazy so we sort of decided to not visit him as much, until we saw him walking down the street as we drove by and stoped to say hi. He told us he had been wanting to learn more and had been looking for us and asked if we could go teach him right then! So we did and he had read a lot of the Book of Mormon but for some reason started in the index then went backwards and made it all the way to Ether! He told us for 15 years all he was going to do was study the word and has read a ton of religious books and has some crazy ideas like instead of the Trinity he calls it the One-Eyed Willard, or the holy spirit, the son, and the flesh! So we did some teaching of correct doctrine and He learns fast, he remembered everything we taught him to the very details and told us he felt the spirit stronger with us then all the other churches he had been to (and he's been to a lot!). He came to church yesterday too and loved it! 

We also had a temple trip! Very spiritually energizing trip!

Favorite scripture of the week comes from Alma 50:19,20!

19 And thus we see how merciful and just are all the dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of men; yea, we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time, which he spake unto Lehi,saying:

20 Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.

Every commandment given to us is a blessing and guideline to live a happy and prosperous life! Although this prosperity may not be physical, we have to Lords promise of spiritual prosperity which in the end is a greater prosperity! 

Have a great week!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian