Week 92

Dear Family, Well the most obvious probably is that our pday was changed this week so that we could go do a special thing on our pday (Today) and go to a temple session. It was a really good experience. I actually understood absolutely everything and remembered everything even in spanish...which was cool, I think I shocked the veil worker haha. Anyways we just got back from San Salvador in a suuuper slow bus...what a waste of 3 dollars. But yeah. This week wasn't a super good week, but that good thing is that we are getting little seeds planted here and there. I'm kinda bummed out that I'm probably not going to get a chance to baptise with Elder Antonio. Which is a bummer because the Lord has let me baptise with all of my companions up to now. I guess thats how it is meant to be though. I'm pretty tired, but hopefully everything will turn out well if we just keep working. The people are really hardening their hearts here in Usulutan. Now I understand how they only baptised 3 people one month before I came here. But yeah hopefully we will still finish a bit better than that. Our number one problem here is just the amazingly high level of apostasy that we see here. Just a crazy amount of negative apostate evangelical churches. The other giant giant giant challenge that we have here is economic. three of our investigators who had gone to church several weeks in a row quit going because their "loving family" told them that if they kept going to the church they would cut off their "support". Another family is 12,000 dollars in debt for a gambling addiction that he used to have, and they are kinda in a pit, another family never went to church, because they just couldnt accept that they needed to put the Lord in higher priority that their mill. I could go on and on about the financial tests that these people go through. Its one test that they almost universally fail at. I wish the people had a bit more faith, but I know that we ask a lot from them. Oh yeah my pictures are self explainatory as well. I remembered this year the image you guys sent me on the 10th of october last year hahaha. You cant pull a bag over my eyes! Sam I went to tell you something that I learned from experience. It isn't real smart to stay up all night playing video games. I remember a sad term at colllege where I just would spent all my time playing video games, and I would stay up way to late, and wake up at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and it just drove all traces of the spirit out of my life. We need spiritual protection, if we dont control our appetites, they will control us. I love video games, and I will keep playing them, but I realize that they have their place. God first, family second, school third, and then the hobbies can come afterward. If any of those are out of wack we cant really be happy. We can only find temporary pleasure. I invite you to read your scriptures and really put in an effort to understand what the book of mormon says. Make sure you say your prayers every morning and every night, thats one of the things that saved me. And make sure you have a close relation with bishop. They are set apart to help guide us in a way that mom and dad can't really. Don't let things get in the way of church. because if you do, some day you wil get to the point where you will regret it. Mom and Dad are old people now, they dont have a whole lot of cotrol over you, and they cant make you do anything, but you can chose anything you want to do. Just remember that God has very important things planned for you. It would be inteligent to get your patriarchal blessing. It has been a great guide for me, and a lot of the things written there have become fullfilled. I love all of you guys a lot, and I hope that you are all happy. Love Elder DeVictoria