WEEK TWELVE

Hello once again Family and Friends! Time is flying by so fast and I

just can't believe it! So yes this week we did get a lot of rain, and

it was amazing! All week Elder Lickiss and I were making jokes that we

needed to start building an ark and tell people it is time to get on!

This morning I told him we should change the name of our house from la

Caja (the box) to la arcita (little ark) because our house is upstairs

and away from the water!

No the rain has been nice, and now that it has stopped raining the

weather has flip flopped! We usually have our AC units pumping, but

while our member was out of town we had to find the little space

heaters for the night to keep up warm! Now we are just as warm as can

be in our little arcita! Ha

I hope that everyone is having an amazing week and that this email can

help you out in some way or another! Thank you for your love and

support and I hope all the pictures get sent right as well!! Here is

my for y'all!

Week of October 19-25 2015

Monday:

Wow today was such a fast day I don't even know what happened!!! Well

today we were able to really get things done while we were in the

house, but we went with Elder Taylor and Elder Paxton, who are English

elders, to help the ASL Elders with their car. They hit a curb and

ripped the side wall off the tire completely! After that we hurry and

went shopping, but as we began shopping my companion realized that he

completely lost his wallet, so I had to pay for his stuff this week,

and I hope that next week he will be able to pay me back a little bit,

because mission money is very precious stuff! We just hope we can find

his wallet!

So we went to the church to have a missionary activity and we were

able to play lots of basketball! For some reason the missionaries

don't like soccer, but I am dying to play it!!! Also I was really

wanting to send a lot more emails out to everyone who emailed me, but

sadly the wifi at the church wouldn't work, and I haven't even got my

letter sent to president yet, so I am working on that still!! Wow the

work is tiring, but the spiritual feelings give me energy to never

quite! I have realized that the body and the spirit definitely have

different times of being tired! When my body is physically gone God

helps me to have the spiritual energy I need to keep going because I

want to share what I know with others!! So we went and did SMC

reports, also known as a report with all our investigators and recent

converts info on it! It didn't take to long, but we had to try

different places to use computers because we can't fix them on our

iPads! We had to go to our church and use the clerks office to do it

and by that time we didn't have time to do anything else!! I love and

sometimes get tired of Pdays! I love them, because I can talk with my

family, but I don't like them because we never get anything done

after!! Haha what a good day tho! And wow within a few days I bet the

leaves will be changing here! It is getting chilly at night!! Oh and

tomorrow we have a exchange with the north elders! I will be the

senior companion with a missionary who has been our for a week in my

area and I am both nervous and excited! It is going to be a lot of

fun!!

Tuesday:

Wow today was a really big switch up for me! so today we went and gave

service at the food bank, and had so much fun!! I love service so

much. It makes time fly and you get to know so many amazing people!

After our 3 hours of service today we began our exchanges! Elder

Lickiss went with Elder Cevantes to north-side and I went back to my

area with Elder Ravelli! He has been out in Texas for a Week and so I

am the senior companion having to take charge of the lessons! It was

amazing talking to the people we did today. However most of our

talking was to some cool, but crazy Texas talkers on the buses! So we

were biking tonight and we passed this guy spraying his mailbox with

something and all we said was good evening. As I got passed him I just

said, "we have to go back!" We turned around and I just asked if I

could give him a card and he answered me in a surprising way. He said,

"I don't want to be converted to your Mormon religion, but I do want

to thank you for your dedication to your beliefs and for helping those

who are less fortunate, I tell my kids every time I see you

missionaries to watch you carefully. You set an amazing example for my

family!" We were able to give him a Book of Mormon and talk to him

about God and his beliefs and bare our testimonies of God in our lives

and he seem pretty effected by it! He gave us awesome tips on helping

us know how to create conversation with the Latino culture and how to

get around Catholic teaching road blocks! All I can say is that the

secret to teaching is your Example. Do what you teach so that others

can see you believe it. He may not want to change, but he is setting

up success for his children to except the gospel and I love it!!

Wednesday:

Wow it is crazy how you can plan a day out and try to stick to it, but

somehow the plans always get moved around and make your days crazy out

here! So today Elder Revelli and I did so,e awesome studies of the

scriptures and of the language, and I learned so much by teaching the

language to him! After, we went to the church to have our district

meeting with my companion, Elder Lickiss with his first district

meeting in Fort Worth. He did such a great job, and I was able to role

play with a sister missionary, Hna. Mangleson. From her I learned that

the sister missionaries really have the love for the people. They

sister missionaries are really so amazing, and every time I see hem I

learn something knew that I can work on as well!

So after dinner we went to Erica Leyva's house to teach her and her

family! Well they were supposed to teach us, but they forgot so we let

them suffer a little through it so they would understand the

importance of studying! I love going to their house, because I feel at

home and they are really funny, but I feel like they just don't get

what I am trying to help them do. I testify so much, but they aren't

listening!? However, I am not giving up on them! They have improved so

much and they need this gospel as much as any investigator.

As we got home tonight we got a call from Hermana Peña. She told us

that she was going to Utah this week and wanted to know if our parents

lived close! So we had an amazing visit with her and she told us how

much she loved us. I really love her and her husband Hno. Peña! They

treat us so good and they are the nicest people out here! I hope that

my family has a chance to meet them after my mission!

What an amazing day!!

Thursday:

Today was an amazing day! I am trying to be more focused in the work

and I have really felt a difference in how fast the days really go! So

this morning we had a quick hour long lesson planned for two Spanish

ladies down our street, but when we went to look for them they were

not home. It was just like a normal day when people don't answer, but

however, God always has us go somewhere to help someone. As we were

walking away from the houses two younger Latinos walked by and we just

said hi to them and asked if they knew the two ladies who lived here

and they said yes. Well of course our conversation turned to the

gospel and they were very interested! We taught them a quick lesson

and at the end I found out that they play soccer almost everyday with

a group of friends that live close by, so we gave them our number and

they are going to text us on Mondays to see if we are available to

play with them! I pray we can get in their lives enough to help them

see how the gospel can help them!So today we had our weekly planning

that drained me, but then I practiced the piano while my companion

made phone calls! I had the opportunity to practice because this

Sunday I will be playing the piano again in the sacrament meeting for

the primary! I am really excited, because I actually do enjoy playing

for them, it just takes some getting used to.

So we were going to go to the House of the Garcia family tonight for

dinner, but it was raining to hard that they called us and said they

would bring the food to the church! Hno. Garcia came and we had an

amazing talk about the missionary work and member work and how we can

improve. It was nice hearing what he had to say and my relationship

with him has grown a lot!

We had the opportunity to be at the church while a lot of members

showed up for an activity and we go to know a lot of members to show

them what we are like and what we would like to do! However it was

rainy and dark, so our lessons got flooded out!

So tonight we got a phone call after planning from our amazing friend

Sunny! Both elder Lickiss and I are his two favorite elders, and I

still don't know why other than we just show our love for him! Crazy

thing about him is he is a dialysis patient and has to go through

treatments a lot! Most people don't live very long with this issue,

however he is still kicking with 10 years in! However he is using the

use of his legs and eyes, but that is why I love him. His attitude is

so positive and goofy and he could tell you every missionary by

nickname! If anyone is a member missionary it is him for showing his

love for the missionaries and sharing the gospel the best he can with

the issues he has! What an amazing day!

Friday:

Wow last night was an amazing night! All night I was able to hear the

rain just pound on our roof and it was just a good feeling, because I

love the rain! Also this morning we got to go and exercise in it, so

it was an even better morning in the perfect weather!

It really just rained the whole day with amazing thunder as well, so

it was an amazing day! We were able to get off our bikes for awhile

and just walk around with our umbrellas all day in the rain! We found

a lot of people outside and were able to give out a lot of Book of

Mormons! Also as we were getting ready to go to a doctors appointment

for Elder Lickiss, he realized he scheduled it wrong and we missed e

appointment, so he will have to wait to get his stitches out! Because

we missed the appointment we had more time and decided to call members

and future investigators standing by a gas station where we were

taking a break! It was my turn to call a future investigator named

Nuna. As I called a man answered and was not very nice at asking who

it was. I asked if Nuna was there and he told me I couldn't talk to

her and had to talk through him. So I testified of our church and

invited them to learn more and he said, "okay we will come, but I have

one question, what denominations go to your church?" I wanted to make

sure I was answering correctly so I asked for more info on what he

meant and he told me, "you don't even know what a denomination is?"

And he hung up. After that call I just couldn't feel love for the

people at all. I was talking with my companion about it just after and

he said something that changed my mind for me rest of my life. He

said, "remember that when you are serving others you are serving God.

If you are a missionary you are always serving God, and the mean

things people say to you are also being said to God." It helped me

realize that my Heavenly Father knows what I am feeling, but somehow I

felt that he still loves the man so I might as well!

Also tonight after planning we received a phone call from a more

recent convert named Sunny. He calls us about everyday and it can be

hard at times to take time and listen, but after my talk with him

today my whole thought process of talking to him changed. He told me

that his dialysis went good and he was exhausted. He also said that

the missionaries in his area are telling him they don't want to come

back until he fixes his language. His language consists of joking with

us missionaries saying, Where's the tequila? What are you doing?

Smokin pot? And just goofy things like that. However, when he is very

respectful and good with the people in the ward and says nothing bad.

He also informed us that he has only on friend in our ward and that is

Hno. Ashton our ward mission leader! He wants to say we are his

friends, but we leave as much as his dialysis friends. We love him and

just pray he will understand the importance of going to church because

it is for his salvation! He needs lots of prayers!

Saturday:

Wow today was a very wet day for us!! However, I know that the lord is

watching over us bike missionaries all the time, because it seemed

like every time we were getting ready to bike somewhere it would stop

raining and just sprinkle! So today we went contacting referrals

contacting people on Avenue J! There was a lot of people that were not

interested, but we found one lady named Consuelo who it first did not

want to talk until we started talking about the Book of Mormon more!

We had an amazing lesson with her and hope to return! As we were

leaving this contact lesson we were walking by a tall fence covered in

vines so you couldn't see through. As we walked past we heard a small

Spanish voice call out of the house asking us if we were missionaries

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We were looking

around for a person, as we responded yes and finally a small older

lady came out of the house smiling so big saying she was looking for

us! Come to find out she has been a member of the church for 25 years,

but got inactive when she moved and lost her books of her

missionaries. She also has got some addictions that she doesn't want

now and she wants us to come back as much as we can! It was such a

miracle that we found her and we know we were where God need us at the

right time! Come to find out she also has kids that are members, but

their spouses are not, so we are going to work with them! We also had

an amazing dinner at a small restaurant of a member named Hna.

Samaniego! And her food is so amazing! I learned today that it is best

to do the work that God wants you to do. As you do what the lord wants

you get what you want in the end!

This was what the members house looked like! You can't see the door,

so I don't know how she saw us!? God works miracles and that I know!!

Sunday:

Today was such a beautiful day! It didn't actually rain at all, but

the clouds just made the whole day feel so amazing! It was actually

really cold even in our suit coats as we were walking to the church

today, but I am so ready for a change in the weather! So today we had

a short missionary meeting, because our ward mission leader was out of

town. It went really well today as we were sitting the chapel we

looked back and noticed that the Rosita Brice that we invited

yesterday came! We went and sat by her and she was dressed as if she

was the relief society president! She was so happy and so attentive

and we even had the opportunity to hear her opinions in the gospel

principles class, because she is not afraid to talk and it is

something this ward needs. Someone who is firm in belief and not

afraid to state it! So something I noticed today in church was, we

focused our week on the members this week. We want to strengthen them

and help them realize that we need their help! Yes, our numbers were a

little lower on lessons, but it was amazing to see the difference in

the attitude of the members towards us and our investigators and less

active members coming to church. The love is growing and the hearts

of the members and non members are growing softer! I feel like all we

have to do is keep showing our love and everything will just keep

growing like crazy! So tonight we had another dinner with the family

Delgado and we had a form or Spanish Chilie dogs! The difference was

that you put mayonnaise on the bun first and top it with tomatoes and

jalapeños after to give it a little kick! They were amazing and I love

the flavor with the jalapenos!

We were going to teach a recent convert to do some family history, but

as he came to pick us up his hoses for his antifreeze broke and so Hno

Delgado took us home and took our recent convert to get some parts so

he would have a car to get to work tomorrow! So we decided we had 45

min and we were going to get two more lessons! So we started knocking

doors and we were able to get two firm lessons with return dates too!

What a day and it is amazing to see how the lord will bless you as you

do his work. At times you may feel what you are trying to do will be

impossible, but I promise you that the lord will provide! Never lose

faith in the Savior and creator of the world! One more thing I want to

say is I feel my journals are getting worse in grammar and wording,

because my Spanish brain is taking over the placing of words! As I

read over some of these I am finding things a little backwards from

how I originally said them! But all is well! The language is still

rough, but no one ever said it would be easy, they only said it would

be worth it! And I can see the blessings of the language already!!!

Thank you for your love and support in this great work!!! Know that I

pray for all of you and am grateful to know you are always there for

me as much as I am there for you! My life is changing out here because

of the people here, but also all of you for,your prayers emails, and

even letters! I know this gospel is true and hope you will all try

this week to share it with someone who is less fortunate than you all!

I love you and have a great week!

"With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible!"

(Mark 10:27)

Con Amor,

Elder Spendlove

WEEK ELEVEN

Dear Family and Friends,
What an amazing week I have had! I have learned so much this week and
hope every week just gets better and better! Thank you for your love
and support on this journey of mind! I can feel your love and prayers
everyday! So this is what happened this week!

 Week of October 5-11 2015
Monday:
Wow today was a very enjoyable and relaxing day for me today! We had
just enough time to email in the morning and get laundry done before
we went shopping at Walmart, and then we were able to come back and
take some more time to visit with sister Peña and change to go to the bowling alley! So we payed 10 dollars for two rounds or bowling and a lunch! It was a pretty killer lunch deal and the there was a lot of missionaries there so that we could have fun with one another! I didn't do to well on my scores and got a 109 and 106! I got beat by one of the Hermanas and was a little upset! All I know is that she had some sort of training before the mission! However it was fun getting to know the missionaries a little better and be able to email the family as well. So after that we went home and cleaned the house for the week so that it could be clean for any unexpected visitors like our inspectors that seem to randomly appear out of no where! So as we went finding tonight we were expecting to not find a lot of people, because there have not been a lot out the last few nights. Well tonight we were blown out of the water! The Lord blessed us with a,aging weather which brought many people out on their porches in this apartment complex and we were able to get 4 quick contact lessons and give out 4 books of Mormons!! Also we set up 3 return dates to teach so we will see how they go! Contacting for me was very scary at first,but as I do it more and more I feel natural and love learning about other people! I feel I am improving how to have a really good conversation to help people understand our church!
May I invite all of you to go past your everyday normal conversation
status with your non member friends. So when they say hey you don't
believe in smoking do you? You can say no I don't and this is why!
Testify. It is the easiest way for others to feel the spirit, and I
promise that they will understand you even if they don't agree with
you! What an amazing time to be alive! And don't worry. During pday we even have a chance to just have fun without stressing about our days ahead!! It is a good stress though!!

 

Tuesday:
Today was kind of a more relaxing day for me! We went to the church today after studies and destroyed all of our area books in paper, because we have been inputting all the information to our iPads since the day I got here! We finally finished and followed the directions to shred every paper to avoid other people getting ahold of personal information. Well this project took from 12 noon to 315 to finish. It was really fun to be able to get to know my district even more before the changes all come in next Monday! So after that project I went to the North Side elders area for an exchange with Elder Hornberger again! We were not able to have any lessons, but we got to go visit with Sunny, the more recent convert that I had a picture of a few weeks ago that has a hard time walking and is blind. We had a lot of fun with him! As we left to grab dinner and return to his house he said, "I will have the tequila ready when you get back!" He always says something funny! After our dinner with him we went with Elder Sinascachi and elder Allison to their area for Elder Hornberger to do 2 interviews for baptisms this next week. The family Santiago is super nice and hopefully the elders can get the dad interested so the whole family can go through the temple one day! I learned a lot about becoming a leader and the things I can do to be a better teacher! I always enjoy my exchanges with Elder Hornberger, but sadly this will be his last one, because he is dying this next week on Wednesday and going home this next Thursday! Tonight all he could tell me was, "wow the time has just flown by, I still feel like I am a new missionary!" I know time is flying and will only get fast, but sadly I don't think it slows down after the mission and I really would like it too! What an amazing day I had!!

 

Wednesday:
 Wow today was a crazy day! We woke up and went running further than I have ran in along time, and now my knees are a little sore, but I need it, because I am getting a little belly! They say the bike elders usually put on the weight and the car elders loose weight because bike elders are constantly exercising, making them feel like they need to eat more, but who really knows! Anyways it was a good run and after we got ready for the day and had a quick study session before we had to head to the bus stop to take two buses to the church for Zone Council! Being on exchanges and coming back straight to zone council is hard because I had to take my suit to change into plus all my other clothes from the exchange. However, it was a really fun exchange that I learned a lot from! I really am going to miss the example of Elder Hornberger. So after Zone Council elder Schuhmacher headed home and got ready to go and find a few people! 

We actually decided to go and visit Hno. Peña, because he was taken back to the emergency room and is in icu because he has infection in his body that is giving his body shock! He is doing pretty good, but he is very tired. He actually got a tube put right next to his heart to draw blood and also to put the antibiotics right by the heart. He says it is very painful, but if it works it is worth it! We just keep praying that everything will work out for him and sister Peña. So after that we headed home and decided to ride up and down a few streets before 9 to find someone to talk to about the Book of Mormon! And today God put a miracle in our path like everyday! We were actually turning around and heading home with no success when a man stopped at the stop sign and started talking to us! He was an in active member who wanted to come back. We talked for a while and gave him a Book of Mormon to review again! We really hope and pray that we can help him like everyone! I know God answers prayers and helps us with our goals!

 

Thursday:
Wow today was a really good day for me! We had a really good study section this morning and then we had a really good planning session as well! I am starting to love planning for the week and don't know how I lived without planning ahead as much as I do now! So after we finished planning we began biking to a street to contact when Elder Schuhmacher's tire popped again! His tread is so worn even the rocks are just destroying his tires! So we walked the bikes back to the house and walked to a closer street to contact! Let me tell you, the sun makes you so hot when you walk, and I never want to walk again anywhere! I love my bike so much and hopefully one day I will be able to drive a car! So we were able to contact 2 ladies and give them copies of the Book of Mormon! One of the ladies was very nervous to take the book thinking we were going to come back another day to ask for our money. We told her that all we wanted to do was help her come closer to God and she set up an appointment with us! The other lady was probably one of the sweetest people I have ever contacted, but just had no time to be taught. She works everyday and has a day of rest that changes every week! None the less we placed the copies of the Book of Mormon in two new hands for the better! After dinner we bussed over to the house of Hermana Fuentes and walked the rest of the way. On our walk to the bus stop a man yelled at us and said, "hey you Mormons, want a beer?!" Both Elder Schuhmacher and I just laughed and kept walking, almost a little sad he didn't realize what he was missing. We taught Hennessy and Mesmerize lesson 3 of there recent convert lessons and then fixed the computer of Hna Fuentes. As Elder Schuhmacher was fixing the computer I sat and visited with Hna Fuentes! I really love her so much! She is so sweet and loves to talk about the missionaries! She used to do a Monday dinner night with over 10 missionaries and loved it! So we left the house of Hna Fuentes around 8 and had to walk in the dark, because we didn't have our bikes. Let's just say we should have left when it was light, because there were a few people kind of acting suspicious, so we walked with a major purpose about half a mile or so to our bus stop! On the way a lady pulled up to us and asked what we were selling and she wanted us to stop by one day. Most random thing ever, but it is amazing how the lord prepares the people to receive the gospel! Today was a really good day!

 

Friday:
So today was a very flip flop day for us, and tomorrow will be about the same, however, that is what makes the mission so much fun! So today we had Elder Sinaschalci come and hangout with us all day until around 5 because his companion Elder Brown just get word that he will be the new SpTL! Which means the Spanish Training Leader. It is equivalent to an Ap for the Spanish missionaries! Also right after Elder Sinaschalci showed up we also had an English Elder, Elder Parkinson who is the cousin of Thomas Christiansen show up to hang with us all morning! So we had two extra elders for more of the morning and elder Sinaschalci for the evening, and we were able to contact quite a good amount of people using his car to go around town! It was so nice being able to drive and get from point a to point b so fast! As he was picked up by his companion, we received word from Elder Brown about what would happen to us from the transfers coming up, so I will most likely be staying for at least one more transfer and be with an elder named Elder Lopez who is from Arizona and native to speaking Spanish! That was really good to hear, and I hope that it is the truth! So we finished our day off by teaching a less active member Juan Rosas about the importance of church, and he shared his life story with us! It is crazy the things that he has gone through and his wife left him! He has been staying so strong, and we just didn't know any other way we could help him, but tell him that God loves him and will help him if he keeps following him!
We got home tonight and finished planning when we received a call from Sister Peña. So Hno. Peña has been in the hospital trying to get rid of the infection. She was in shock and she told me, "elder, Jimmy isn't doing good, he has a major fever and they are pulling his tube that goes to his heart out. He is being rushed to icu where really no one can go and see him to limit infection. He received a good blessing, but I won't be home for a few days. Would you be able to watch the house and dog?" I felt so bad and said, of course we can watch the house and dog! Is there anything else that we can do! All she could say was pray! So that is what we will do! I hope everything will work out right form doctors as they perform some time of surgery for him!

 

Saturday:
Wow today was a very jumbled day for us! So we started off by going to a doctors appointment for Elder Schuhmacher with a member named Hno.
Gonzalez! It was a long ride and when we got the the doctors office
was closed. So we waited an hour and they finally showed up and got
him in right away. After the doctors appointment Hno. Gonzalez bought us subway meals and took us home. He is such an awesome example of how to be a member missionary! The whole time we were with him he was telling us of different people he wants us to go and talk to at different stores in town! He even gave us like a best day and time for each person and gave us back ground info! So after that we had to go and buy another bike tube for Elder Schuhmacher and install it! It took some time, but worked out good! So we thought we were all set and ready to go, so we got about 3 miles from Walmart, and it popped again by some simple glass shards that are impossible to miss in this city! 3 bike tire popped in a week. So we just walked around and were able to teach on less active! After that we went to a member restaurant for the most amazing Mexican burritos ever! So if you can't tell I have gained a little bit of wait, and I am not liking the little belly I am getting so I am holding back on eating and making sure I exercise! I came out weighing 135 and right now weigh about 157! Anyways, after dinner we went over to an apartment complex to teach Anai and some other set lessons we had, but like normal missionary life they weren't home, or would not open the door. We decided to start walking home early so were wouldn't be in a crazy area in the dark walking when a guy walked out and started to talk to us. He was definitely on drugs,because he wanted one of our "bibles" in Spanish, and I can promise you he barely new English so he didn't know Spanish. He said he could decipher it and find its meanings! I think the funniest thing he said was, "wow right here talks about Hombres, I wonder what those are, I bet they are good." For you that don't know, hombres are men. It was funny on the spot, because I know Spanish now and this guys was making himself look really goofy! Anyways we gave him some cards and told him
he was welcome to church and started on our way again when a younger
man yelled to us from across a field! So we walked over to him and it was a man named Michael and his brother Garrett who are English
members of the church and moved here to live on there own for awhile. They are 20 and 19 and they weren't sure if they wanted to serve missions. We talked to them about missions and how amazing they are and they seemed a lot more interested in serving missions after! The coolest part of that was that they had motorcycles and went to buy us drinks and tire patches while we got the tire ready to fix. They were answers to our prayers and I hope we were answers to theirs! Today really was a crazy, but amazing day!

Sunday:
 Wow today was a very spiritual and draining day for me! I feel as I
go day to day I have a harder time waking up in the morning. Every day we work harder and harder on finding people and they last few days we have walked a lot, and today it really hit me hard! However, church today was so amazing! We listened to a older man who served in Panama talk about his mission, and it almost sounded like he didn't know how to pronounce the Spanish words correctly, but his stories of the mission were so amazing! I also had the chance to play for the primary again this week, and you will be happy to know that I will be the pianist for the primary program this next week, because Hermana Ford is leaving this transfer in Wednesday to a different area! I am very nervous, but will find some time to practice I hope! Also all of us missionaries along with our amazing ward mission leader, Hno. Ashton, taught the third hour class on the importance of home and visiting teaching. I don't think they understand what a difference they can make in others lives and
they won't until they actually try to do the work! The lesson went so perfect and we were also able to eat dinner with the family Delgado tonight! Cool thing about them is they actually have a daughter that is serving in the Independence Missouri mission in the temple and visitor center! She speaks Spanish and English, and has been out the same amount of time as I have! I really love that family and feel like Hno. Delgado looks a lot like my Grandpa Spendlove's pictures! Also we went to a mission president fireside tonight with Jhonny and his kids, and it was so amazing! I think he liked it a lot, because I noticed him wiping tears away from his face during the testimonies! He is such a spiritual giant in the gospel and I am so glad I have had the chance to know him!
Oh also I received word that I will be here the next 6 weeks in Fort
Worth with my new companion Elder Lickiss. I thing that is how you
spell it, but I will know for sure this Wednesday! I really hope and
pray he will be able to help me with my teaching and everything, but
most of all I hope we can get along! It was a long, but always amazing day and I feel like my Spanish is definitely coming along!!!!

 

I just want to thank you all for your love and support and also want to invite you all to find a scripture to ponder this week! It have changed my whole thoughts for this week!!!!!

My new scripture for this week is D&C 88:63-64

I love you all!!

 

Through Christ we can do all things! (Alma 26:12)

 

Con Amor,

Elder
Spendlove

 

We both received some hot chocolate from my friend Stefani for the cold winter months to come!

 

This is my mission lineage! My great grandpa elder Olivares and my grandpa Elder Lopez both from Mexico with my dad! This is what you say for mission terms, but also I have another mission grandpa here in Texas! This is him! He is elder Meyers from st. George!

 

 

WEEK TEN

Hello Dear Family and Friend,

This week has been so amazing full of uplifting insight for me to
study deeper and things to improve in my life!
I have learned so much this week and am loving every second I have to
serve the lord! Something I am realizing is how fast the work does go
if you are focused on the work and not home! At first I had a hard
time with this, and sometimes I still do! But, as I focus on the
people and what I can do to help them I am realizing that's days feels
like hours, weeks feel like days and months feel like weeks! As I am
starting to realize the love I have for the people here and for mymission I don't know how great the time flying is! Haha

I hope all of you had a great week and here is how my week went!

Week of September 28-October 4 2015

Monday:
So today was awesome! So I had a lot of time to email my family and
write a few letters, and when we went shopping at Walmart today I had
some Birthday money that I went and bought a nice foam pillow and a
new actual nice iPad case! So I bought me a new iPad case because my
other one is falling apart, and I don't want my iPad to get hurt at
all. Then I bought the pillow, because I have been just tossing and
turning at night! I still get good sleep, but I just wake up still
very tired and my neck is sore! So thanks for those who helped me buy
my gifts! Also we went to the stake center and played sports with all
of the missionaries in the stake! It was packed and way fun!
After that most of our night consisted of us checking up on Hermano
Peña and Hermana Peña.. Hermana Peña returned home this morning from
New York and wanted to tell us some cool things and also Hermano
Peña's sister was in town and she speaks Spanish! She isn't a member
and I feel we definitely planted an amazing seed to help her find
interest in our church! That was kind of what our day consisted of and
then after planning tonight we had a dude perfect fever hit us and so
we made this video!! However we have to try over and over again to
actually get the ball in! And tonight we are focusing in only speaking
Spanish! It is awesome!

Tuesday:

So today was a really fun day for us! We were able go and give service today at the food bank and we only sorted giant boxes of oranges! It was they greatest smell in the world and I am hoping we can do that every time! Now I am so sore and tired, but it was such a great day! So after that we went to this pizza place and had some crazy awesome pizza! As we went to our lessons tonight we were studying vocab in the bus the whole way and it is helping so much!!! I was able to really teach well tonight and I loved it! We taught Hennessy and Mesmerize and then went over to Guadalupe's house to eat dinner and it was amazing! We had meat soaked in chili negro and with rice! It was amazingly good and not spicy, and to top it all off she makes her own juice mixes! For instance she took a cantaloupe tonight and blended it up, added water and sugar and it was the healthiest and tastiest juice I have had in a long time! Everything juice wise in Spanish is called agua de melon. Pretty much just saying melon water or strawberry water and it is so good! So we taught her and her husband tonight about the importance of the sabbath day! The one thing I really am starting to take to heart is the fact that Sunday's are made for you! Our Heavenly Father gave you one full day to learn more and be close to him and all you have to do is keep it holy by sending the best signs to him! How can you show God a good sign? It was an amazing day and now that we have planned we are having some fun by playing pig in the house with my hoop!! Haha what a great opportunity to serve the lord! 

Wednesday:

Today was a longer day for me, but I loved it! So we had the opportunity to have district meeting today at the stake center and it was really amazing! Elder Hornberger did a great job on teaching us how to use members more in our lessons and he gave me the great opportunity to help our district see the importance of the Book of Mormon when contacting people! I had a lot of compliments from my district, and they really boosted my confidence in Spanish! I was still very shaky, but I love my district, because all of them want to help me become the best that I can be! They are like another family! So my role play went really well and I feel like one of the most important things I learned from the role play is to focus my thoughts on one topic and tell people why I feel the way I do about the Book of Mormon! Also this was the last time we will be learning from Elder Hornberger, because he leaves the end of this transfer. So we taught Jhonny Garcia, a recent convert, about Alma 38 and watched the talk by president Uchtdorf given to the women's conference. The lesson was very amazing and I learned so much even hearing that talk in Spanish! I for sure need to take more pictures so I can remember the moments I have with the people here, but it is sometimes hard for me to remember and do! So I will work on it! What a good day for me!

Thursday:

So today was a really good day! I have been trying to change the way I study the Book of Mormon to make it meaningful. I have been writing down what I learn in this note book. However, I feel like after I finish reading the Book of Mormon in 2 weeks I want to change and instead of writing what is in each chapter, write my thoughts and feelings about the book and mark things I want to improve in my life! So that is my new goal for the Book of Mormon! Also I really am starting to like the idea of talking in front of people after the mission, so I am studying how I can teach even better for now in the mission and later after the mission! So today was really hard for us to use Spanish with the people we talked too, because usually we speak English to Erica and her family, however I realize that my main purpose here is not to learn a language. My main purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ! And as I do that the language will be given to me! 

So today we listed to an amazing talk that hit me so hard and I want to share it with you! It is a talk given by Thomas S. Monson in April of 1983 called "Anonymous!"

There were a few quotes that he stated that really hit me and I also want to share them with you! 

Rings and jewelry are not gifts, giving of yourself is a gift."

"A bell is not a bell till you ring it, a song is not a song till you sing it, and love in your heart was not put there to stay, love isn't love until you give it away!"

Both of these are talking about serving others without asking for even recognition in return and how it is true love as we do these things. As I have given service in the mission field I have seen a difference in my attitude. I don't look for people to recognize me and now I never want the recognition, because I know that Heavenly Father knows what I am doing and that is all that matters to me! 

So after listening to that talk we went and ate dinner with Hermano Peña. We ate pizza, and he was in a really bad mood, because they were switching him from his steroids to other medication and his blood sugar was crazy high. I was a little scared at first walking in and hearing him yelling and being agitated, but realized that I would be the same if my blood sugar was over 500! Other than that he is able to walk around well again! We also went and taught Nemesis, a daughter of Erica. She is a very inactive member and doesn't know if the Book of Mormon is true anymore. We taught her the first lesson and really helped her to understand how she can find out! We invited her to fin out for herself and hope and pray everyday in the deactivation of the whole family! And something I like about reactivation is that there is no number to record how many you helped, only Heavenly Father will know! 

So we needed to get some money to get a ride home on the bus, because our passes expired yesterday, so we went to Walmart and bought some ice cream. As we were walking out there was a little boy with curly hair about Berkley's age of 2 and he was sad, as he passed by I smiled and just waved at him and it was so cute and made me feel a love for my nieces and nephews more as he got a huge grin on his face and waved back! His grandma looked at me with a thanking smile as she walked away and I knew somehow I planted a better seed in her heart of our church!!

So we are now just eating ice cream and listening to more talks as we get ready for bed. It was an amazing day and I felt an amazing happiness today.

Friday:
Wow today was a really fast day! So today after all of our amazing studies we took some time to call some referrals and set up appointments and then we went out contacting some people that we had in mind. As we get about three fourths of the way there elder Schuhmacher's front tire popped on him and right then I knew that satan was trying his hardest to stop us from helping people! However, the weather today was definitely different. I could feel the coolness in the air and it was a scary but  good feeling! It is scary to me, because if it feels that good right now it is going to be very cold here! So we walked for quite a few miles to one more house to see if we could have any luck! As I was walking I had the thought pop into my head, " there is a reason for everything that happens" and I know God had a reason for that tire popping. So as we knocked the sons of this lady opened the door and let us in. There was a lady sitting on a couch and and it was really cool to see her just open up to us! She said she already read the pamphlet and she wants us to wait to give the first lesson with her mom who will be moving in with her next week. I see a lot of potential and she was a talker! We sat and listened to her and answered her questions for about 45 min and then we decided that we had to go and fix elder Schuhmacher's tire. We went to wait at a bus stop and a random man walked up to us and thanked us for being who we are. He said, " I am not a Mormon and am not sure I want to be one right now, but I thank you so much for your example and your dedication." And he walked away! It was so nice to hear that and then we had a member pull up and give us a ride so we didn't have to take the bus! At Walmart we bought and fixed his tire and headed to a dinner with Erica and her family! It was an amazing dinner and she seems so much happier with he family! She wouldn't stop thanking us for helping her and we had to keep telling her it was God! To then we rushed home! It was an amazing day full of happiness and love!!

Saturday:
Wow what an amazing day it was today. I really feel that I have felt the spirit crazily today! I had the amazing opportunity to go and watch General conference with a group of missionaries at the altamesa stake center. Something that really helped strengthen my testimony of God is that there was 4 different languages being spoken in the chapel today! There was Spanish headsets, a ASL tv playing the conference, the English and the spirit! It was an amazing experience being able to sit at the feet of amazing prophets and teachers called of God and to add on to all that I am a missionary. A talk I heard in the MTC stated, "never think you are worthless as a missionary, when the leaders are sustained at conference listening to the wording and you will catch where you fit in." As everyone sustains the prophet and apostles they also sustain you as a missionary! This gives me so much confidence and it really was felt tonight as I rose my hand for all of the apostles and the prophet called of God. I wish I had the time to type all the thoughts of session today, but I am afraid I would bore you with all my words, so I will only share brief quotes from different talks!
"Tell a man there is a million stars in the sky and he will believe you, tell a man there is wet paint on the walls and he will touch it before he believes you."
1. Are you making discipleship complicated? It should be simple enough that children should understand it.
When the gospel isn't working for you, step back and simplify.
2. Start where you are now.
Are weaknesses can help us if we rely on God.
God will take you as you are.
"Exaltation is our Goal, and Discipleship is our Journey."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
  "Like clay in a potters wheel we must be centered in Christ so that he can successfully mold us into what we need to be."
-Richard J. Maynes
"It will all work out"
"What is your heart condition today?"
-Neill F. Marriot
"Fly right through the gathering storms of the last days."
"If you are there for the lord, he will be there for you."
"You don't marry perfect, you marry potential!"
-Robert D. Hales
And the ones I want to leave with are from Jeffery R. Holland.
"Behold the Mother"
"No love comes closer other than the selfless love of a mother to her son."
A mother sufferers long, is kind, beareth all things, endureth, and Neves faileth.
"Not only do they bare us, but they bare with us."
"As you feel like sinning think of Jesus Christ and your Mother. Don't hurt them!"
And lastly
"Let there be 2 messianic figures in your life. The Lord and your Mother."
Now don't get me wrong, my dad is so important to me too, but my mom is one that deserves so much for all she has done for me. Mom publicly I thank you for your love you have shown me for over 19 years, for raising me in the hardest of time and teaching correct principles. You helped me realize the importance of personal prayer by coming every night to my room to pray with me. You pray for me on your own and everyday stress to make sure I have my every need. You have waited up for me as I stay out late and stress to make sure I make good choices, but most of all you are there for me when I need comfort, or someone to talk to. I thank you for all that you have and will do. As Elder Holland says, Behold my Mother! I could not ask for anything more. Thank you mom! Dad, I also want you to realize the role you played in my life. You are my hero and have been since day one. You provide for the family and make sure we have the food necessary to survive, but for me it was more than that. Everyday that I took your truck around town there would be random people who would honk or wave at me, random people come up to me and say is Merlin your dad? You have always shown me how to serve others before worrying about yourself. My response to those people would always be yes, yes that's my dad, but not until now do I realize that you are not only my hero, but many peoples hero. Thank you for showing me how I can touch others through words and actions. I Elder Spendlove have been born of Goodly parents of the Lord!

Sunday:
Wow just another wonderful and uplifting day being able to hear and learn at the feet of our seasoned brethren in the gospel. So today we had a ward missionary council with our ward mission leader, and it was very hard for me to get my ideas out for what I thought would help our barrio to get more members in the church and active again. I felt very restricted, and not because I didn't know what to say, it was more the fact that every time I tried to express myself elder Schuhmacher would take over. I love my companion so much and I figure that he just doesn't realize that I am talking. Sooner or later I will help him understand! So as I sat during the whole meeting not saying anything knowing my companion would finish my sentences I could feel the spirit telling me to share my idea! I just held it in and that is when Hermana Mangleson, who must have been watching me closely said, "Elder Spendlove, you have been very quiet. Is there something you have felt you would like to share?" And I knew what she was talking about so I shared it and I know it will help our ward a lot if they really focus on the purpose and meaning!
So General Conference today was amazing! I learned so much, however I feel the main messages were hope on the atonement, mothers and women of the church. 
I loved every talk and am so excited to learn and hear more about the new apostles that we have! I know that they are called of God and will do an amazing! I was however, very concerned for president Monson. He was about to pass out or something and he did not look good. All of he missionaries could not focus as they saw him tipping over and all we could do was pray for him to get through his talk! I am so grateful for a prophet today who guides our church by listening to Jesus Christ. So my favorite quotes for today were,
"I may never be able to stand in or feel the shoes of those amazing men, but I will stand on their shoulders as they support me!" More a weird one, but I love the concept of the 3 that past away supporting him.
-Rasband
"Don't focus on what you can't do, focus on what you can do!"
-Stevens
"To effectively serve others let us see them through our heavenly fathers eyes."
-Renlund
"We need women who have a bedrock understanding of Jesus Christ."
-Nielson
"Repentance is individual, but fellowship is on the members!"
-Christopherson
"Scriptures are like friends that we can rely on in times of need. What is your verse?"
-Durrant
"Don't be to critical of the barrier, it is only keeping you from being devoured."
-Cetch
"The Saviors atonement doesn't leave tracks of traces, what is healed stays healed."
-Hanies
"When you can't do what you have always done, you only do what matters most."
-Bednar
That was just a few of the things I learned, but most of all I learned that families are essential to Gods plan. It is so important to find a wife that wants the important things in life and to find that you have to live the gospel. I have recommitted myself to the gospel of Jesus Christ and want to make myself a better priesthood holder and man for my future wife and family, because they deserve it.

So that was my amazing week all summed up and I hope that something I said will help you through your week! Know that I love each of you and can feel your prayers for me! I wan to leave you with a scripture I was studying this morning in 3 Nephi 3:25 which states, "And they did Fortify themselves against their enemies; and they did dwell in one land and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus, insomuch that they did repent of all of their sins; and they did put their prayers unto the lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle." The things I learned from this verse changed my thoughts on a lot of things! I really want to share my thoughts, but feel if I leave it for you all to study then it will help you all to find new insight to your everyday life. So I challenge you all to study that verse in the context and see what you come up with!
I love you all and hope you have the best week! And always remember you are worthy to change!

My Ponderizing Scripture for this week: "Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have you receive his image in your countenance? Have you experienced a mighty change in your hearts?" (Alma 5:14)
Con Amor,
Elder Spendlove