The Greatest Leaders are the Best Followers!

Dear Family and Friends,
Today I am so grateful to be able to receive emails and be able to send emails to be able to share my experiences and what they really mean to me. For some reason I just get so excited to be able to share experiences that I am excited to one day be able to return and share everything in full about my mission, however, from now until then I hope for so many more experiences to happen so I have more teachings! 
This week was amazing and very hectic, but I think I say that in every email because I haven't had an easy week yet! I don't mean this to scare anyone from serving a mission, but to help them prepare! It is like my exec experience to the max, but there is no years end! Haha
Well I hope y'all like how my week went!

Week July 25-31 2016

Monday:

Well today was a crazy awesome day! And at the same time the most tiring day! So we were able to go and shop and get our clothes washed super fast so we could come back and email for an hour before we went to an awesome museum in a guys house on Houdini! So when we were washing clothes today we put a clown mask up to scare her, because last week we scared her as well, and it was just so funny! She came out screaming in Spanish trying to tell us we thing we are funny, but she is going to get us back! I love Hna. Johnson! So we met this guy from giving service in the Tarrant area food bank, and come to find out he actually goes and gives service because he gets stressed out by being a business owner and having so much to take care of, and today we could see that when he invited the whole zone over to have a tour of his house! Okay his house was also giant, and so pretty, and he tried to invite us to go swimming in his nice pool, but we had to tell him no. So he has been collecting Houdini things since 7th grade, and has 4 thousand artifacts between handcuffs to videos to books and pictures/posters, and some of the artifacts that he has cost more than a lot of things I have ever owned! More than my mission! And he just buys and sells stuff as his hobby! So I learned a lot about Houdini and learned a few of his secrets that were super cool! I, however would not want to do some of the things he did, because I can not hold my breath as long as he could and I just am not as smart with tricks as we was, but what a neat man to study about! So after Pday we were able to go to a few appointments and all of them canceled, but what a blessing God gave us! We found a few people and we were able to teach them and invite them to change, and then a cool experience was finding Jaime Alonzo again at his moms house and he shared a cool experience with us. He said, last week after our visit I went to the store to buy things and walked up to the fridge to grab my beer and I just didn't have the strength to open the door, and so I went home and cried as I told my girl friend and I just know that it was because of the lesson we had. And so we were able to help him know that a God wants him to be stronger than the temptations that Satan gives him and he will give him the strength if he will take the right steps! And tonight he promised to read the Book of Mormon every time he has a temptation to drink or smoke and he promised he would! I am so grateful for God and his true plan and that he does guide us as we strive to follow him! Missionaries bring others the hope they need, a raised vision of what they can be, and help them to accomplish those things! 

Tuesday:

What a wonderful day that I just had! Today I was able to go on exchange to Hurst in the area of the Spanish Training Leaders, and I am able to be with Elder Parkin! I never get tired of Elder Parkin, because he is so smart when it come to just everything, and I just love sitting and learning from him! So today I learned what they do as SPTLS and just how busy their life can be, and then I also learned in a great lesson that we had. We went and taught a man named Jose and his wife Gabriella with heir little boy who has a energy problem, meaning he was like bouncing off the walls and just laughing, and I learned how amazing mothers are, because she was so so patient with him!

So she is a member and he is an investigator, and it was the most simple lesson and the most powerful lesson I have been apart of in a long time! We taught them about the plan of salvation and when he heard the plan and that he could be eternal he began to smile and could not stop! He was so happy, and so we asked him why he was happy, and he said because he felt good about we were saying! We helped him recognize the Spirit and then he said, "I want to keep listening and learning before I think about baptism, but if I keep in this path I do want to be baptized!" So it as a great lesson and I know they will be great members! So after that we went to the church for family home evening, and as we went into the class, the bishop was teaching about funerals and how to dress these people who pass away and really just every detail about what is necessary, and it was the weirdest home evening I have ever been to, but something that prepared the members for when the time would come when they would have to work with these people! To be honest it kind of shocked me! For me I learned that life is precious and that people really do love you and want you to look your best as you pass to the other side. And even tho it made me a little scared, I learned that I have nothing to worry about, because my spirit is in the Spirit world! I am so glad God has such a plan that helps us to gain exaltation! 

I also learned a wonderful way of looking at the importance of the sacrament. You would teach by asking, What are some of the most important events that have happened in your life? (Weddings, birth, winning wars) And how do we celebrate these important events? (Anniversaries, birthdays and holidays) So what was the most important event in the history of the world? (The Atonement of Jesus Christ) So how do we celebrate that or remember that? (The sacrament every Sunday!) that for me opens my mind of the why of the Sacrament! I know that the sacrament is an important part of our every week!

Wednesday:

Today was such an amazing day! So today I was able to come home to my apartment and arrive to my companion and a young man in our ward, Jairo Tapia, who actually stayed with us all day today to see what it is like to serve a mission! Well sadly you can't see exactly what is is like in only one day, but you can get a simple, light idea!

So today we had a wonderful district meeting where I learned a lot of new things! One of the things that stuck with me is that God sometimes protects his children from hearing the gospel. Why would he do that you ask? Jacob 4:14 states, "14 But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble."

God knows that if these people are not ready and they get to the higher law and fall, their fall will be worse than if they would not have started. For me it helped me realize that God really is apart of his work. My thoughts always turn towards the picture of George Washington in the boat standing at the front directing his men. I do not say this to say George Washington was not great, but I say it because God is better. I imagine God or Jesus Christ in the picture, and I believe they would not be standing up guiding, but sitting next to the other men with an oar in their arm helping them as he guides. 

So after our meeting we went and had two great lessons. One with Daniel, the friend of Hno. Carias, and he was super excited to hear about our message and we really helped it make sense to him. Then we also had the awesome chance to just surprise Hna. Vanessa De La Cruz and knock on her door randomly, and she even let us come in! We taught her about he organization of the church and then we taught her about faith. She says she has very little, but I can see the faith she has because she willingly lets us in and loves the lessons we have, and tonight we just help her gain the Ganas (drive or will) to go! She committed to go, and we are going to hold her to it! Also just the whole day was so much fun with Jairo, and we had a few funny things that we would say that won't make sense to y'all, but I will still put them. Por supongo. And I see pedacitos! 

Also we were able to learn a cute little primary way to learn how to pray! "Mis manitas cruzaré, mi cabesita inclinaré, mis ojitos cerraré, mientras al padre oraré!"

(My little hands I will cross, my little head I will bow, my eyes I will close, while to the father I will pray) This is a phrase that the kids use to learn how to pray and I love it so much!:) Today was a wonderful day!  

Thursday:

Today was an awesome day where we were able to have a lot of success and God really blessed us! So today we were planning like all morning and it was very tiring and it made me very anxious to get out and get busy finding people to teach! However, the planning was necessary and always is to be able to have a successful week! So after we finished our planning that literally takes around 3 to 4 hours, we went and had a wonderful time eating dinner with the Viera Family. Well, we ate pizza, but the fact we were able to be in their presence was super wonderful! So afterwards we had plans of driving all the way back across our area to contact people, but felt we should stay close happy instead, so we went and contacted a few people, and as we drove up to a neighborhood I saw a photo English lady outside her house, and so without thought I grabbed an English Book of Mormon and we just went over to her and began to talk. She knew who we were and wanted to have a BoM again, because she had lost hers! Come to find out, years ago the missionaries contacted her and she loved what she was reading, but lost the book in a move! Then afterwards, we told her we were looking for Spanish speakers and she pointed out like 4 houses. And so we went to work and knocked those doors! We were able to teach a simple lesson at one door and we were walking back to the truck when I looked back at another house that I knew a Hispanic lived in, and we both felt we needed to go back, so we walked to the house, through the the chain link gate and fence and knocked the door. What happened next I have never seen or had happen before. A younger mother opened the door and had this glow about her. We introduced ourselves and she introduced herself as a devout Catholic and you could tell she went to church and loved God and was doing good things. So we talked to her about our message and she commented about our glowing radiance and then we invited to her learn more about the Book of Mormon. She agreed, and as We gave her the Book of Mormon she looked at it, brushed her and across it and hugged it in her arms as if it were the most precious thing to her. That shocked me and right then I thought to myself. I need that kind of love for the Book of Mormon, and I need to show it! She was a daughter of God ready to hear our message. She is one that God has prepared, and we now can be there to help her progress! God truly Cares and I will never be able to doubt that! 

Friday:

So today I am pretty sure I gained at least 30% Hispanic skin as we were outside all day. And to make that sun even better we had crazy amounts of humidity to the point that even sitting in the shade I was just sweating up a storm and couldn't see because of the sweat in my eyes. So today we started off the morning with perfect weather and we went and gave service at Hno. Carias' shop. He is a goof and is an amazing member and he is just one of my favorites, because of the jokes me makes! He always looks at my companion and says, "I was worried when Elder Lewis left, because I didn't know who was going to protect Elder Spendlove, but now I am not worried about him, keep eating more!" And then we will look at me and say, "you want more, or can you not handle it?" And I just glare at him! Then at the very end of our service and after we had eaten lunch he gave me the nicest compliment when he said, "Elder Spendlove, you may not be super muscly or have a big body, but I can really tell that your spirit is so big it can't fit inside of your body." He meant it with all his heart and it really helped me see that I am making a difference her where I am. Sometimes I get the feelings like I am not making a difference in people's lives, but moments like these help me raise my head up and help me see the bigger picture! So today after service and studies we went and began contacting people, because we are stuck in a finding rut, where no one wants to learn and everyone is dropping us but our 2 baptismal dates. So like I was saying, we went and contacted so many people and had good and bad results! So,e were rude, and some we as sweet as can be, and we had two amazing things happen this evening! The first, we met a man who asked me if I was white, and then asked how I knew Spanish, and it made me realize what a gift I have from God and that I am grateful that he has trusted me to help his children that Speak Spanish! So this same guy was drinking a beer, and told us that in Louisiana he used to be an alcoholic, but because of the BoM he only drinks a beer every once in a while. And so we promised him again that the Book could help him stop completely so we will be going back to meet him! Also we went and had dinner with the Vargas Family, where Apolonia, Hno. Vargas' wife, who is not a member, made us dinner and we were able to get to know a little bit better! So she is finally warming up to us, and we are hoping that next time she will be willing to sit in our lessons! God really blessed us today and I am so grateful for that! I will keep working hard to show him my thanks! 

Saturday:

Being a leader can be the most fun thing in the world where you learn so much, or it can be the most crazy thing in the world where you are super stressed and praying nonstop for help on situations going on and how to make sure that you handle problems as God wants them handled! So today we had a wonderful day where we planned on going to the temple, but there was not enough rides, so we are going to go another day in the upcoming week or so. It kind of threw me for a loop of emotions when they said they didn't have space for us, because I haven't been in so long, and I really made me so grateful for having a temple so close at home, and it makes me want to go there often to Show God how grateful I am to have one. So today we had a wonderful Missionary Coordination meeting after which we went and began teaching and finding people! We had a wonderful lesson with Sunny Moreno who told us his conversion to the church and how the first question he asked the missionaries was, " there is more than just the bible right?" And that is where he began. Then we went and had a wonderful dinner with the Martinez family where we taught about the temple and then invited the Hno. Work hard on getting his recommend to go to the temple, and he committed to it! So some of our lessons canceled this evening but we had success! One of he coolest hints happened to us this evening. We were walking by a house and saw a lady outside cooking on a grill, so as we walked up to talk to her she invited us in her house with her family for her sons birthday party and made us feel right at home. She made us so much food and now I feel so full I could fast for a few days! So we became good friends and they accepted a Book of Mormon easily and we are so excited to go back and visit with them again! God has been preparing them and even tho they are Catholics I believe that they will change and really be great members of the church as they follow Gods promptings and not mans! So this evening the hardest leadership thing popped up. We got a call from the Hnas in our ward that are serving in the south and they talked to us about a guy who is not married and struggling and as they began to talk they told us his side of a story and we are afraid we may have acted to quickly without knowing the full story and now we are affraid he will leave the church and become an enemy of it. We feel horrible and are praying constantly to know how to handle the situation and make it the best it can be. Sometimes leadership positions like I have I feel very inadequate to have, but I know that the lord will help us as he did all his past followers as we stay faithful!

Sunday:

It is just amazing to me how fast time can go! Especially this week being as busy as we have been! I feel like I have learned a huge lesson about being leader. The best leaders in the mission are the ones that are working their hardest on ministering to the missionaries and those in their areas, and spending less time administering. I feel like if you focus to much on the administering that isn't important that is when you start waiting time and also when you begin to focus on yourself and others! So today we had a wonderful sacrament meeting, sadly no one we had planning to come to church actually came, other than Sonny Moreno, who came with Hno. Ashton, whom I admire! So today we had a wonderful lesson on our 5th Sunday 3rd hour on missionary work and how important them members are, and the funny part was that one of the members was using me as he described the Alma and Amulek story, and he began to ask if I was from Texas and everyone said no and that I wasn't Hispanic either and it really helped everyone see a point! Also they gave me a chance to say how I felt and I was able to help the members understand that we as missionaries are not called to do all the work, but we are here to teach y'all how to do it and just back y'all up! And it was take on a lot better than I thought! So today all of our lessons dropped, so we went and contacted a referral out of our Zone, because we were the closest Spanish missionaries to them, so we drove clear to Weatherford to contact 2 families, but sadly no one was home, so we left cards and are hoping for some phone calls soon! So today was full of driving and lots of focus on the Administration side of things having to get numbers put in and also having to get our miles taken care of being the last day of the month! So we stayed super busy and I am just so ready for P-Day again! 

I have been asked a lot lately about one thing I would invite people to do to prepare for their missions, and I have an answer. Study the Bible and the Book of Mormon so you don't only know the stories, but the doctrine and why it is important, and know the different religions so that you can know the different ways to combats what things they may struggle to understand!

I love all of you and wish you the best of success in the week that comes! And always remember that Prayer really can Change the Night to Day! Can y imagine having that power? 

I love all of you!

Con Amor,

Elder Spendlove