"what is really the measure of success in the mission is commitment to the Lord's Work."

Heyyy there family!!

Wow great news on the sports front, if you are a Rangers fan that is... the story on McCann is just tragic, everyone knows you can't go from a Brave to a Yankee, come onnn! Cowboys are also looking great! Well, not that great but it works! 

I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving! This year flew by like nothing else and we are already almost in December! I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving, I can't wait to finally taste real pie next year haha. I think I said this last year but there is no such thing as Thanksgiving here, or anywhere in South America haha so everyone is just getting ready for Christmas early! There is already a ton of lights out! Holiday spirit!

Okay so there is a lot to write about this week...

First of all, our investigators are doing great. I believe I told you about Mabel last week, she has progressed a ton! She reads, prays, and comes to church every week now. She only had a few doubts because she didn't have a ton of friends in the Church and she felt a little strange in such a new place for her. As far as testimony goes, she is right where she needs to be. We had a great lesson with her this Friday where we had a brother from the Branch come with us to go over the interview questions and help her out with any last doubts before her baptism on Saturday. She answered every question with a resounding yes, and proved to herself that she is prepared to take this step. We were able to testify that the interview was not made up by us as missionaries, but is made up by the leaders of the Church and by the scriptures (D&C 20:37) to see who is qualfied for baptism and who isn't. We are looking to have a super spiritual baptismal service to help her and everyone who attends have a great experience.

Laura and Giovanny also came to church for the first time this week, and it was great because their daughter got to participate in the Primary program! They loved it and had a great experience their first Sunday at church. They seem to be progressing the only problem they have is time, they don't have a lot of it. We can only see them once a week, and they are still apprehensive about changing religion so fast, we have come to realize they don't have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon yet, and if they come to obtain one everything will fall into place by itself. That is what we will focus on in our short time we have with them this week.

We also found a new progressor this week looking for inactive members with the branch list. This has always worked out well for me in my mission. In the families of members are always found great investigators, and an inactive to reactivate! Well we found a lady inactive named Yolanda and her son Juan David who is a nonmember. Well it was great because Juan David was really and I mean really receptive. We taught the Restoration and gave him a B.O.M. Great lesson. And he came to church! Looks like he will progress fast.

I am leaving out a ton but those are the key ones for this week... que pena.

I have been studying a lot this week humility and its importance in Missionary Work and in life itself. It must be an important topic because a huge message of the Book of Mormon is how pride got the best of an entire civilization and was the downfall in the end. Sometimes pride can be the downfall of missionaries as well. With the leadership system that is set up by the church in the missions it is easy for us to get caught up in who's gonna be the next ZL or Assistant, but what is really the measure of success in the mission is commitment to the Lord's Work. We are all "unprofitable servants" according to King Benjamin and can never become good enough as missionaries. Leadership is not found in the position, but in the leader. One great quote Code sent me one time says it best. "Greatness isn't in us, it is through us." Humility can be a great power as well. I think that is what Paul meant in this scripture, (2 Cor 12:9-10):

 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 

When we recognize our weaknesses and show our faith by working to overcome them, grace fills our life and we are given power beyond our means. However pride never recognizes its faults, and can never gain the faith to work to overcome them, complacency becomes laziness and leads to nothing but lack of progress. I also love a scripture I found in Acts!

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

Wow, that just speaks for itself the power that was received by 2 apostles of the Lord and humility that permitted them to be filled with such power and grace!

Let us all be humble and I promise we will be blessed! Well thanks for all the prayers for me and the mission. I am still loving it! I will keep loving it until the very end!

Till next week ya'll!

Elder Eliason 

"It has been a lot of fun with Elder Menendez. We get along just super great."

Ivan Benavidez of 19 years got baptized!

Hiya mi gran familia! 

Nt much going on at home huh? Well on the contrary here in the mission field!! 

Well we are now pretty much accustomed to the new area, it has been a lot of fun with Elder Menendez he is such a laid back, chill character with a great sense of humor. We get along just super great. He really knows how to work too, he has a ton of creative ideas on how to move the work along quicker and more efficient. We just have a blast in Popayan!

Well I can't remember if I told you guys that we were gonna have another baptism this week or not... but we did! Ivan Benavidez of 19 years got baptized! It was great to see because when we got here he had been taught just about everything, he just had trouble believing that he was ready for such a big commitment. We had a great week involving him in various activities with the branch that helped him feel more in family, we had a great lesson with him helping him understand the true requirements for baptism and that it is the beginning of something much bigger. Also, the doctrine of the Priesthood helped him a lot with giving him the desire to serve others. In the end, the decision was made! 2 weeks in Popayan, 2 baptisms! 

We also have a few other progressing investigators I can tell you about. 

Mabel: She is about 23 years old and we found her last week through another investigator who has a son in the mission. Mabel is the other investigator's niece and so the missionary is her cousin. She is progressing super fast, she had come to church before but the missionaries thought she was a member so she never got contacted. We have taught her the first three lessons and also the Sabbath Day. That was the main issue with her, she thought that going to church was just something we do if we have time or if we feel like it and didn't quite understand the commandment part of it. 

She understood the What, just not the Why. So we had a great lesson on it and it helped her understand that it is for our own good that we have this commandment. We have so many worries and become "spotted by the world" during the week that we need a time to reflect on our real purpose for being here. I love what the Guide for the Scriptures in Spanish says about it.. "It is our time to remember Him." It is a great time for self evaluation of how we are doing in our eternal progression, the key to salvation is remembrance. I pray I always remember what I have learned on my mission.

Cristina: She is a great investigator, just has a problem giving up the Catholic church because of ties with the family. We found her through an inactive member, she lives in the same house as the inactive who recently got active! I believe we just need to make her feel a part of the family with the branch because she keeps all of the commitments and has a strong testimony, she just needs to feel more supported. 

Jionny and Laura: They are married! What a miracle.... haha. We found them through a reference from a member and they are really receptive. Well, they werent at first but have gradually opened up to the message. With Elder Menendez I feel as in tune with my companion as I ever have teaching. The Spirit is always really strong in our lessons, and Jionny and Laura have felt it. That is the only explanation that they have progressed because when we found them they already had a church, and they loved it. But when the doctrine of the Restoration is fully comprehended and the Spirit bears witness of it, it can change everything. We are really hoping they keep progressing because the branch needs more families, and they would be just super.

Well I thought I was gonna have more time to talk about the investigators but I guess not. I'll have to tell you about the rest next week. But it should be super fun next week because we have a ton of splits lined up. It is always so fun to work with other missionaries in other areas! 

Have a great week!

Elder Eliason

"Of all the districts in the mission Popayan is the closest to becoming a Stake."

 

A cool sunset

With future missionary Santiago and Elder Rodriguez, the best district leader ever.

Gabriel Diaz returned missionary from Chile Vina del Mar, great guy to do divisions with.

 A wonderful family who came to church my last Sunday, they all have a baptismal date!

 Diana Enriquez who I never got to see get married...

In Ipiales posing like a soccer team

The beloved familia Malez who we activated

Baptism here in Popayan!

Some great member families who were the greatest ward missionaries ever.

I will miss these valiant members!

The convert family Regalado came to meet me at the terminal!

Saying goodbye to Elder Cordova

Hola Familia!

Well this week was really interesting! We got here to Popayan and had to get to know the area, zone, city, members, chapel, and everything else being super new! The members have been a huge help, they have been showing us around and helping us get to know the people who the missionaries were teaching. It has an advantage being new because you can pretty much ask anything you want to get to know them and it helps you understand better what it is they need to progress! So we have been spending a lot of the week with members and getting to know the area.

What was really great was that the Elders before us were preparing a great young man named Camilo for baptism this week, and we were able to make it happen! Camilo had been going to church for like a year now and hadn't been baptized because his parents wanted to see a real change in him and to know that he would stick with the decision. Well, after a year they gave the permission and he finally got to be baptized. His desire is to be a missionary some day and help people who need to feel loved. Great kid and it was an honor to be apart of the baptism! 

Elder Menendez and I had a great meeting with the District President about what was to be done about using the missionaries we have to build a stake here in Popayan. He gave us a list of all the recent converts for the last 3 years and told us to look for the men who have not been ordained to the Priesthood. The 2 main requirements to becoming a stake are at least 15 Melchezidek Priesthood Holders (MPH) who pay a full tithing and there must be 1 MPH who pays tithing for every 20 members. So we are looking for families with a stable father. President Zambrano is really excited to bring Popayan to the next level. Of all the districts in the mission Popayan is the closest to becoming a stake. 

We have been thinking about giving a training this week on how to better commit our investigators. The investigators are a lot more likely to progress if they feel how much it matters to us that they progress, and that will only come by inviting them to change directly and firmly and promising the blessings that will follow. 

If we teach the perfect lesson and the investigator doesn't feel committed to do anything we have failed in our objective. We are to invite others to COME unto Christ... with "come" being an action word. We cannot believe our teaching will change the actions of our investigators because they will learn the most when we are not present. The commitments we leave every lesson are the most important part, we must do it right. There is a great chapter in Preach My Gospel that I love about committing investigators, but sometimes we stop studying it as we get older in the mission. I am excited to give the training and hopefully see some good results come of it.

Speaking of training we have another ZL Council this week and I am SO happy I no longer have to travel 13 hours to get there...what a relief... 

Sorry this letter is way random... I'm sure next week I will have a better base from which to talk about! But I will send a ton of pics! 

Have a great week!

Elder Eliason

"Build a Stake in 2 and a half months? That´s why the Lord chose you."

My trainer, Elder Matos, heading home! Photo Courtesty of Hermana Prince Blog

Hola familia! This is gonna be pretty quick because we have to get out and start getting to know the knew area. This will be the second time that I will be "opening" an area with there being two new missionaries in the area. Like I said before my new comp is Elder Menendez from Uruguay and I'm super excited, he is a great missionary who I will learn a ton from. 

I got a message from President the other day expaining my new assignment: 

Elder Eliason,

You have been assigned to Popayan, which has lately come alive.  Your companion will be Elder Menendez.  The two of you have a very unique assignment ... to help Popayan become a Stake of Zion.  You lack more worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holders who pay a full tithe, primarily in the Occidente branch. (Elder Menendez will bring the figures).  Help the members participate in tithing settlement ... this will bring the district closer.  Your zone must also baptize men and families in high volume while helping retain and activate former members.  Get this largely done before Elder Menendez goes home in January. Sounds easy, right?  Build a Stake in 2 and a half months? That's why the Lord chose you.

-Presidente Prince

So that will be the objective here... build a stake of Zion. Popayan has been on the verge for a while now of becoming a stake, it just needs  few more worthy Melchezidek Priesthood holders. I am really excited about this opportunity as I have been wanting to get to know Popayan for a while now. It is a city quite a bit bigger than Ipiales but smaller than Pasto, with incredible weather year round. It reminds of Utah in the summer, not too hot and not too cold. Also the zone we have here is massive, there are 20 missionaries here in Popayan. So I am looking forward to working with so many different missionaries. Another fun fact is that I will be living with 2 other missionaries again just like in Buenaventura and one of them is a new gringo, so that should be fun helping with Spanish and all. 

And last night I got in and immediately went into the area with the old ZL who was here to show me around and introduce some members and investigators. It was great because here there are a ton! I am excited to start working and getting to know everyone a little bit better! 

Saying goodbye to Ipiales was super tough. A lot of hard work and lessons learned in that city, it will never be forgotten. The hardest goodbye was with Claudia, she came to church again after a battle with the husband and kept showing her faith. My last wish was that she would keep choosing what the Lord wanted over what the world tells her to do, which in essence, is the factor that will determine each one of our success in this life. She agreed and said goodbye. There was also the Familia Malez who we helped activate that was a tough goodbye as well. I would love to go back and see all the work that I couldnt see finish, get taken advantage of. 

So that is about it! I am ready to get started here! I have always looked up to Elder Menendez as just an incredible leader, and I am grateful for the opportunity God has given me to learn from him and hopefully apply it all for the rest of my mission. I will most likely get the opportunity to "kill" him in the mission and that is something I have never done, to be honest I have only had 1 companion with less time than me in the mission, weird huh? Well cant wait to tell ya´ll all about this week on Monday.

Goodbye pics and new area pics are coming your way next time, so stay tuned! 

¡¡¡¡Que les vaya muy, pero muy bien!!!

"Time flies when you're havin fun!" And that I am!

We had a great activity with all the ward missionaries from the branch this week! This is one excited Missionary Team!

"Don't throw away trash" haha 

Baptism of Oscar

28 de Octubre, 2013

Wow look at that headline! We are almost in November! I would not be exaggerating if I said that this year has gone by faster than any other year of my life! Good time for the cliché "Time flies when you're havin fun!" And that I am! 

Well not much news on the home front but shout out to mom for making the great effort with the letter! Definitely appreciated... Dad, you're falling behind. Although some props are deserved from that BroTrip 2013 video that mom sent me, and all that with the iPhone?! Tragic Cowboys losses are always difficult... but it looks like the Horns are comin' back! And what a drag of a World Series eh? I'll give the nod the BoSox for the Jill and Chris fam haha. 

Here in Ipiales is always fun. We had some great stuff happen this past week! And by great stuff I mean miracles! First off we had an old investigator make a huge comeback, Oscar Chavez who had investigated the church about 8 years ago, 4 years ago and about 6 months ago finally found the answer he was looking for! The miracle happened and he was baptized! He has a brother who is a member and from many, many years of prayer they were finally answered. It was amazing to see because to be honest the missionaries didn't really do much in this case, there was not really much more to do! But a prayer and a miracle interview made it happen. What a joy to see the Lord's hand so plainly in this Work! 

Another miracle happened with Claudia! Well it started off amazing, then horrible, then amazing again. Like I have said before she is the most prepared of any investigator I have ever had. So we arranged a visit with the husband who had been making it difficult for her attend church, and it went great! We spoke of the family and the blessings they can receive through the Gospel, even Claudia bore an amazing testimony about how strong she feels about the Church. His heart was softened and he agreed to come to church. 

So Sunday came around and for some reason they didn't get there, worried, we called them and there was no answer. We had no idea what was happening. Then we receive a call from Claudia crying and telling us that something had happened. Her husband didn't keep his commitment and not only that but he told her to choose if she wants to be with him or keep attending church. He put the ultimatum and obviously Claudia had no idea what to do. She had her 7 year old there with her, and felt the impression that she should go to church and that everything would be fine. 

I can't imagine how she felt, totally believing that he was going to come and having that be his reaction. I was stunned at the faith that she showed and humbled at the strength of conversion. She trusted the promise that Alma gave his son... 

For I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3) 

The tender mercy for me at least was the last hymn "I am a child of God" There she was leading and guiding her son and helping him find the way even if she cant quite enter that way. It was a spiritually overwhelming experience for sure.

We also had a great week finding new people to teach. We found a lady named Venus who was found in the street of all places who was super prepared. Usually the prepared investigators come from the members, but in this case the Lord was rewarding our extra effort! 

For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward... "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." (DC 58:26-28) 

That scripture has helped me A LOT in my mission to not make excuses and just act. In the same way we found a wonderful family of 5! Just a ton of blessings this past week.

This week is a big week that we are looking forward to, big goals that the mission has planned for everyone! So keep us in our prayers, especially us in Ipiales because we really have desires to give our all these next months. Not sure if I will be here much longer, but I know the Lord put me here with these missionaries for something! Thanks for everything I love you all! 

Espero que todos puedan tener a Colombia en sus oraciones, este país hermoso las necesita!

Elder Eliason 

"When we make an effort to actively seek out the blessings that we have received we realize how blessed we are.."

Hiya familia! Todo bien? 

I must start the letter with certainly the most important shout out I can make, HAPPY BIRTHDAY mother! I haven't been there to share it with you for your 30-15th and 30-16th birthdays but I wish you all the best. I am thankful for the great support I have always had from mother dear, from sports, to school, to church to the mission! I certainly miss the good ole days picking up the kids from school! That was certainly quite the hoot haha. I have never gone so long without hearing a "breakfrust" or a good ole genuine "mom laugh" but I definitely miss it! Happy birthday mom!

 Well this week has been a blast! I must first comment on a really fun part of the week. One of the returned missionaries in our branch, Franklin, has been studying English ever since he got home, and he has been inviting us to some classes to teach! I have discovered a love for teaching English to Latin people. It is so much fun and helps me learn more about the English language that I didn't know before. I had had some experience teaching in Buenaventura but not with such advanced students. 

Before and after each lesson we say a prayer in English and I am also able to tell what we do as missionaries, and a little about our message to the world. The biggest fruit we have obtained from this unique method of proselyting is a family of one of the other teachers. We were invited to an anniversary of the death of a loved one of the family and thought it would be a great opportunity to ease the pain with the peace that comes from understanding the Plan of Salvation. We attended and then shared our message. It was so wonderfully received, and it was so easy to tell that this family had been prepared to receive us. 

Another great experience we had this week happened with Claudia! We got permission to travel to the small town where she lives to try and talk with the husband to see if we could help him be more tolerant with the church and to teach about marriage. We had a great experience! We thought it best to gain his friendship and trust before trying to get into a gospel discussion following the example of Nephi:

 " And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord." (1 Nephi 7:4) 

We decided to play some games and tell home stories to gain the trust, and it worked great, he seemed to have a great interest in American Culture. We then were able to "speak unto him the words of the Lord." Claudia gave her testimony of the Gospel and there was no doubt that her husband felt the Spirit. His heart was touched and he agreed to no longer be a problem for her to come to church! And the easy part was the wedding because he had been wanting to for awhile. We offered our help and left with Claudia to go to church! Miracle!

Also, this week we met a family member of a family in our Branch who is named Marcela! She has received the missionaries before in Quito, Ecuador, but was forced to move to Colombia for complications with the visa. We had a great lesson in the home of a member and we were able to teach a lot in not a lot of time. The reason for that is because she had already read the B.O.M. and received an answer from God. All we did was help her realize what that meant. That she had a testimony of the restoration as Joseph Smith as the prophet of God. That the church has been restored as it was originally established by Jesus Christ. That the principles and ordinances of the Gospel have been restored to help us know what God wants us to do in this life, and that the Priesthood of God is available to make sacred covenants with God once again! That didn't take very long to teach, and we set a date for baptism this Saturday. Another Miracle!

We also were out visiting a bunch of less actives and we ran into a particular family who seemed to have been waiting and expecting our visit. We found out that the mother was a member and that the daughter of 17 wanted to be, but the husband did not want the family to leave a family tradition of a longgg time. We found out that the daughter had been to church one time and had such a powerful experience that she knew it was true at once. However, her father would not let her attend. It seems we have a lot of problems with men!! haha She told us she has been praying and even fasting for a while so that her father will have his heart softened so that she can fulfill with the desires of her heart. When she was telling us this her mother's heart was touched and she wanted to help. We set up an appointment to speak with the father on Tuesday! Wish us luck! Another miracle!

Well those are just a few of the miracles experienced this week! I have found that being grateful and humble is a power in missionary work. When we make an effort to actively seek out the blessings that we have received we realize how blessed we are and how active God´s hand is in this Work, our faith increases and we are empowered by grace to incredible things. There is a lot of disheartening things that happen in missionary work, but the key is to keep trying with faith remembering your blessings. It is actually a very simple concept, that can transform a missionary if applied to right degree. I read an article in this month´s Liahona about a missionary who applied this principle in her mission and saw it change everything,

y´all should read it! 

Thanks for the prayers on my behalf! That is one of the things that I am so grateful for is such a wonderful family who supports me on my mission! Your prayers are felt when I need them the most! Love you all!

Elder Eliason

"I am living with more purpose now than ever before."

At Zone Council, Photo courtesy of Sister Prince's Blog

To commemorate our record number of 272 baptisms last month. Photo courtesy of Sister Prince

Let's Eat! Photo courtesy of Sister Prince

Thumbs Up! Photo courtesy of Elder Eliason's mother.

More ZL Council 

Pobre Elder Cabrera who got kicked in the face playing soccer... ouch.

On a cliff overviewing the scenes of Ipiales. And Hook'em Horns!

With familia Ocampo in VG.

Manuel Bermudez from Valle Grande

Familia Bonilla Baungera!

We went to Las Lajas today! It is a famous catholic church built on a cliff. Google search it! 

With the other elders in the branch at Lajas.

Qué mas familia, bien o que?? 

Wow what a BroTrip dad had with the Eli/Johnson Brothers! Looks like dad had a lot of fun on those four wheelers, I remember having a ball on those things at the reunion about 4 years ago! Looking great in those Idaho mountains. I also had a great laugh at the pic code sent me of dad on that cliff risking everything for a great shot! And I think it is hilarious that dad can put the clubs away for a good year and get out there on any given day and beat everyone.. haha. 

Well here in rainy and cold Ipiales things are going pretty good! After tasting the warmth of Cali again for the ZL Council I feel great, excited, and optimistic about what is to come here in the next couple months in the mission. I feel like the faith the mission has right now is through the roof after achieving what was achieved last month, and only looking forward to what will come next. We received a pretty great training this week that helped us a ton on Jacob 5, establishing the roots of the tree (established church leadership) and using it to graft in the new branches (new converts and rescued members.) 

Missionary work has really changed and it is wonderful how well all of the elders are working with their church leaders to find, baptize and reactivate. The Work of Salvation has been accelerated and I am so fortunate to be in the mission at this time when there is so much excitement about it!

I did have a great opportunity this past week to go back to an old area! It was wonderful to be able to go back to Valle Grande this week while I was in Cali! With Elder Cordova having served there as well we got permission to go and see everyone before heading back to Ipiales. I saw some familiar faces, like the Familia Bonilla Baungera, who are all members now after being married and baptized! (see foto) Manuel Bermudez, Familia Ocampo and many others. It was great to see them flourishing in the Gospel. Definitely a huge treat!

We are preparing a special training for the zone this week that is about using all of the wonderful tools that have been given to us to help us achieve with success our objective. We live in an age where there is so much planning and record keeping that can be done to help the work progress. We are given planners and area books to help plan and keep records of all the inspired work that we do. It is all available but sometimes we are a little too lazy with it. The goal is to help the missionaries understand that these inspired tools will be the means that many people receive the Gospel and stay faithful to it. One of the problems of retention in Colombia is that the records of the investigators never get transferred and the elders that get to the area don't have any record of the people who have been baptized. This is something we want to change in the mission and it will help us a lot! 

This week there wasn't a ton of time to work in our area what with the 2 day travel and divisions we had planned, but I am happy to report that we have a wedding set! Diana and Fernando (investigators for about 4 months) have decided to get married! What a joy when we passed by the house and have Diana immediately tell us the wonderful news with a huge smile on her face. She has been through so much what with her having a huge testimony of the gospel and not being able to get baptized because her "husband" didn't want to get married. They are looking at the 23rd of October for the date and the 26th for the baptism! How great! We have work to do with Fernando however, he still has a lot of doubts and concerns we haven't quite worked through. But if the Lord can change his heart in terms of marriage, it is only a preparation for the softening of heart towards the gospel! 

Harold hasn't been able to get baptized because he has been in Pasto taking final exams and is really busy. But through phone calls we can tell everything is going well! Claudia also is coming along, we are still trying to get an appointment set with the husband. But we did see a miracle with her... she said she wanted a clear answer telling her that what she was doing was worth all the hassle that it was causing at home, she was frustrated and almost about to call it quits. But then she opened the bible and started reading in a random page. It just so happened that it opened to Acts 1:4-5:

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

She took that to mean that she should not depart from the church, but should wait for the promises and blessings she was promised, and that in "not many days" she would be baptized. What an answer! I must say she is the most truly converted investigator I have had on my mission! We just have to look for the way to make it all happen!

Well that's it for today! I am super happy to be a missionary right now! I am living with more purpose now than ever before, and I feel like I am becoming a better more effective missionary every day. There is much left to learn and to do before my time is up and it makes me happy to say that! Thanks for everything! 

Elder Eliason

"These 'hopes' that I had before my mission have become knowledge."

Good friend Elder Welling after the interviews in Pasto.

Get this, one of my old SUU roommate's brother is in my zone now, Elder Anderson.
 Small world!

Classic Gringo after conference pic! 

Hola familia!! 

Always great to hear from home! Thanks for the letters Mom and Dad! I saw someone the other day with a Chipper Jones jersey! I thought that meant good luck but I guess not, oh well, I'm still doing the chop! And I'm quite impressed with the Dallas Cowboys offense, the D however, not so much. I hope everyone is doing well with school as well!

Well I am just spiritually full after the wonderful conference we witnessed this weekend. As all of the other conferences I have watched, I watched it in English. The first conference I tried in Spanish and couldn't get past the frustration of hearing a voice that doesn't match with the mouth moving... see yaa Spanish. Some highlights for me were Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the Priesthood session, David A Bednar with a stirring talk about tithing, and also the Prophet's address on Sunday Morning. I had a great time soaking in all of the sessions, as it is the Super Bowl for missionaries. 

So I have a new comp! His name is Elder Cordova from Santa Cruz, Bolivia! That's right, another Latino! And I couldn't be happier because he really brings a great energy here to Ipiales. He has been in Cali his whole mission so he brings the happy, free, and crazy feeling down to Ipiales. I am looking forward to what we can accomplish together!  

In the area right now we are still going pretty good. We have been focused on the other side of missionary work, helping the new converts and less actives out a lot. There are tons of members in our branch and very many less actives. So we had the idea to start seeking them out and trying to find new investigators that way. It worked out pretty well! There is a new key indicator that is called a "rescued member" or something like that.. and it consists of finding a less or in-active member, teaching them the 5 missionary lessons, having them come back to church at least twice and an interview with the bishop. If all that happens it counts as a "rescued member." So that has been a huge blessing of having so many missionaries in the field, being able to contribute more to helping those who have been lost or who have gotten confused. And it is great that we can measure how well we are doing it with the new key indicator. 

We are also making a lot of progress with our investigators! Harold is making great progress practically on his own because of the difficult situation of him studying in Pasto. The date is for this Saturday and we will do everything possible to make it happen. We are going to be able to see him in Pasto because we are going to the ZL Council on Wednesday! We are hoping we can help through his doubts. He is a little worried that he doesn't know enough to be baptized. He has a strong testimony and is already living a worthy life, so we know he is prepared. He just needs to understand the doctrine of baptism a little better and the principle taught in Alma 32:16:

 "Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe."

Claudia's situation is a little difficult because of the opposition of the "husband." We had a powerful lesson with her this past week teaching of the miracles that come to the faithful. She pictures her little 7 year old son as a missionary and so she loves to meet with us. A daily call is normal just to see how we are doing and to talk about the last reading assignment we have given her. There was a problem however this weekend when her "husband" told her that if she wanted to go to church he wouldn't support her and that they would separate. That hit us pretty hard, but we have faith that if we can talk to him the Lord can change his heart!

There are a few others that are preparing for baptism that are progressing a little bit slowly, they need a little bit more time to let go of some things. 

I am super happy for a new transfer and a new commitment to give MORE! I love this work and I am so grateful for the time I have had and the time I have left to take advantage of this unique time in my life. 

I would like to express my testimony that I know Christ lives, His influence is felt in this work more than I can say. I know that His church has been restored to its fullness and the everlasting Gospel of hope is once again available for all those who will humble themselves before God and repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. I know that we have a true prophet on the earth today, I know that the Book of Mormon is a true book of God that testifies of Christ and will lead us to Eternal Life. I know that this is God´s Work and He is the one who leads it. These are things I have come to know as the Holy Spirit has testified to me as I teach these truths to other people. These "hopes" that I had before my mission have become knowledge, and for that I am ever so thankful, in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Just felt the need to share my testimony with you all... kinda random but felt the impression!

Thanks for all you do and for all your prayers, I love each one of you!

Elder Eliason