June 4
Hey mom! We had a pretty slow week but something that I improved this week is that I began to say my personal prayers out loud and it is awesome!!!!!!! I have never felt the Spirit so strong during my personal prayers. I have a strong testimony and now much stronger in the reality of prayer. I can feel God’s presence and it is amazing. I want you guys at home to try to pray like this at least once a day. It will change your prayers.
I had an experience where we weren’t able to all of our studies one day, (we didn’t plan well enough), and I felt such a lack of the Spirit during the lessons we had, that I am never going to miss a study again. It was so strong that my entire body and spirit felt sooooo heavy. We talked about it with my comp and he felt the same way. We are going to plan well each day to never feel that way again. It helped me realize once again the importance of PERFECT obedience.
I love the work here! It’s awesome and i love the ward! 7 months in the same ward!!!! hahah but I think I’ll be gone in 3ish weeks so I’m trying to be the best these last couple weeks.
I love ya lots mom and I am so grateful for you and all you do. Thanks for the package it was sooooo awesome!
Elder Turner
June 11
It’s been an awesome week!
We found a new part member family that are just awesome. Familia Rugerio! The mom had a problem with a member 10 years ago and they stopped coming to church. They have 3 kids that are 9, 11 and 13 and they are sooooo awesome. We went over there and just talked with the mom because she was super against us at first. So we talked about her work, her life her family and we ended up staying for an hour and she didn’t want us to leave. She asked if I could help her daughter study for an English final she had the next day. I helped her out for 30 minutes. We didn’t invite her to do anything. We prayed and blessed the family during the prayer and left. We came back the next day for 10 minutes to ask how the test went and how things were. They were so happy to see us. We left with another prayer without talking hardly any about the church.
Sunday: I studied all morning about the atonement and about Christ’s sacrifice for us. I was fasting for people to come to church and mostly focusing on the sacrament. We got to church and saw Irma, Hector, Edith, Annabel, Santiago and Santiago’s mom, Karina, America’s friend and Mariana! 9 people! Then, about 40 minutes in, Familia Rugerio came! They came and sat down and I was sooooo happy! It was amazing! We had 12 investigators in the meeting!!!! We placed appointments with all of them and I’m so stoked to see them all progress!
In the nighttime we went with Irma and Hector and had a powerful lesson with them. Hector hasn’t accepted a baptismal date because he doesn’t feel worthy enough because he still smokes a bit. We promised him that the spirit would guide him after his baptism; he just needs to stop smoking until his baptism and things will get sooo much easier. I told him that we will be here everyday if necessary. I wrote down all the times he gets home and all the times he smokes so I’m gonna be on him hard so he cant smoke. They accepted a baptism for the 23 of this month. 2 WEEKS. I know they can do it.
It’s been an awesome week of miracles. All of our p-day we spent at Antonin’s house because he just got back from Czech republic and he has stopped using weed. He is happy and everything’s looking better. I also now have a Book of Mormon in Czech, so that’s dope.
I just finished the Book of Mormon for the first time ever. I have been reading it so slowly for these 6ish months in Mexico and have been studying it carefully haha. It’s the most true book on earth. I can’t say anything more.
I’m stoked for Jacob and for his wife that sooooo dope. But why didn’t they get sealed in the San Diego temple!!!!!!! So much noicer.
I have been studying about how to recognize the Holy Ghost more fully and it’s awesome! There’s a part in Preach My Gospel where it says that if an investigator doesn’t act on the spiritual promptings and get baptized, the Spirit will go away. So I’ve been focusing on acting fast on the spiritual moments that we have with our investigators, trying to commit them to do the things necessary to progress.
I love you two sooo much. Thanks for everything.
Keep sending me awesome letters about what’s going on over in California!
Love ya, Elder Turner