Dear family and friends,
What a crazy and wonderful week I have had!
I am so grateful for my companion Elder Lopez, and for all that he has taught me, and more importantly I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that knows my weaknesses and wants me to become like him! I hope that you have all had a great week and enjoy how my week went!
Week August 22-28 2016
Monday:
Today was a very rainy day and such a wonderful day for me, but at the same time just a very weird day! It was so weird to think that my Cousin Jaden is not Jaden for right now, but Elder Stone! It made me get teary eyed to imagine him being set apart and just thinking about all of the people that he is going to help in coming closer to God by repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end! It was wonderful to think that literally he is going to be right beside me fighting just like we did before in Soccer, shoulder to shoulder. Not giving up, and with one firm purpose. But now we will be fighting on the greatest team in the eternities, because God is at the head! If you can't tell, I really miss him a lot right now, but I will see himin two years from this Mark! So the rest of this day was full of wonderful lessons that really helped me more that y'all will probably ever know! I feel like I learned even more at really what the restoration means and just how important Joseph Smith was and in general how important every prophet is! I invite everyone who reads or listens to this to compare the church, or gospel that Jesus Christ established with the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I can promise that there is not a church closer in Doctrine or Spirit, because this is the restored church of Our savior Jesus Christ! Thai testimony that I share part of has grown so much by being out here serving a mission, and it just makes me so joyful to know that no one can stop the work of God from progressing! I just love this Gospel!
Tuesday:
Today was such a fun day on my exchange with Elder Williams in Hurst in their area! Sadly his companion lost his key to his bike, so all day we became walking elders, and I have to say doing so much walking really works out a few different muscles that,you are used too, and my legs are so tired tonight! However, I have learned a fundamental truth about the work of the lord. If you don't get out and work you will never find those who are ready by the spirit. The spirit only helps those who give it their all. Now I don't mean that no one can have the spirit, but God knows the feelings of your heart, and he blesses those who give all their heart might mind and strength in his Service!(D&C 4)
So today as we went out we had both amazing experience and also some not so good ones, but I definitely believe that the good overcame the bad! So all day we decided to literally talk with everyone, and it was a huge blessing! We taught 3 lessons, and the lesson that we ended with was one that was definitely God blessing us! So we knocked a door on he second floor of this apartment complex, and the guy was not super interested but nice, and then we walked down the stairs and there was a Hispanic guy from Coahuila Mexico that was just smiling at us and saying hello. So we went to him and began to become his friend. He was more than surprised that we spoke Spanish so well, and then had to know how we learned, so we began to explain and also share the gospel and he had interest in learning more about the Book of Mormon so we taught him about it and set a return appointment, and it was so amazing to have that kind of success even when it was so hot and tiring walking around! Sadly, all day was a little bit of a waste, because of the other elders that we live with. If they are home at the same time they just sit and visit and have a hard time staying busy, so it was sad how much of he lords time was wasted, so as you can see there is always room for improvement! And there was even things I needed to improve from this exchange like just trying to talk with everyone! What a fun day!
Wednesday:
Today was such a wonderful day being able to go on exchange with my old companion Elder Lewis! We went and picked him up at Arlington, and then we went back and had a wonderful time in my area finding people to teach and actually We had a really cool experience as we found a guy drunk in his car because it was his birthday, so we began to talk to him and we went into his house and had a good talk with us, and he was so happy that we came and then he also told us that he respected us a lot for what we were doing! He was just a wonderful person! After that we had a cool experience where we went and taught a referral that Both Elder Lewis and I actually sent to Hurst when we served together, and it was a wonderful experience! So in the evening we went and had a wonderful time teaching the Soto family who is struggling so much with their testimony, and we just taught them about how they could get their testimony! So we were able to help them and then we even went to the house of Rey Castillo and had a wonderful lesson with him where we taught a good lesson about he Prophet Thomas S. Monson. So to end the night elder Lewis and I went to the church to see that Isaac made it through his interview, and he is so excited to get baptized! He is going to do a great job! Today was just a wonderful day!
Thursday:
So today I had the opportunity to go to Fort Worth again on a trio exchange with Elder Hooper, and his greenie Elder Gibson! We had such a wonderful time in the morning just getting some basic studies in, and then we got out on our bikes and went around a part of their area to find some people to teach, and we actually found a whole group of women who let us share a message and wanted to listen more to our message! We left them with pamphlets and then set a return appointment and it was just so great! Then as we kept biking we met another lady that I taught a year or so ago when I started my mission, but sadly she was not interested in listening more, because she said church is to much about politics. However, the rest of the evening we went around in car, and went by to visit Hna. Fuentes, and as we got there and opened the door, Mesmerize opened the door, and was so surprised to see me, yelling, "Hno. Spendlove!! What are you doing here!?" And then Hennessy did the exact same thing, and they came and gave me big hugs that I couldn't resist, because I wasn't going to reject these girls the opportunity to see me and be happy about it! So we taught them a wonderful lesson and told them how important it was to go back to church and I got the greatest news ever. Next year they are going to go to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and on the way back they are going to go by the Temple in Salt Lake, so I told them I would be home, and they would have to come by and see me, and they agreed to it! Also we went by and saw Erica Leyva and her daughters Némesis and Jamilex! They we so surprised to see me that they slammed the door in our faces, and we had to knock again! So we had a lesson with them, and I knew them so well I just said it clearly, I came to get you back to church! And so they agreed they would work at it, and Némesis promised she would, because she wants to know if the Book of Mormon really is real! So as we left there we went by Juan and Guadalupe's house and taught Juan by just talking with him, and he is doing really well, but just struggling while his wife is in Mexico with her mom for the first time in 19 years, and she told them she is a Mormon, and they are okay with it, so she is only going to catch on fire and they already have a goal of going to the temple! And when I told him I had permission to go to the temple they just had to tell me, he was so excited he said he was going to go and call his wife and tell her! It was such a wonderful day, and I finally feel like my purpose is being accomplished along with my Patriarchal Blessing! God is real, he does love us, and he never leaves us alone if we just reach out to him!
Also I go the news that the 2 boys I was working with in a Fort Worth got baptized this past week, and I have so much Joy!!
Friday:
Today was such a wonderful day for me, and I felt so good as I finished my exchange with Elder Gibson and Hooper. As we talked about goals elder Hooper had a goal of trying to love as I did the day before! Him saying that made me so happy that he was noticing just how much I have been really trying to love as Jesus Loves, and it just hit me hard! Then Elder Lopez and I saw each other on our 1 long car ride tomDenton, where I picked up Elder Warby to go back and spend the day with me in Hurst! All day we had a goal of talking to everyone we saw, and we did it! We had a really cool experience where we even sat down for lunch in a sandwich joint called WhichWhich, and no one else was in the shop, and they had a place you could draw things, so we drew the plan of salvation and asked the 2 workers to take our picture, and it just created enough conversation to the point that we were able to give the a Book of Mormon! It made me so happy that I and Elder Warby just were bold and shared, and I love Elder Warby! He just understands how to serve already, and I haven't seen a Spanish missionary come out like him before. He is just so connected with God and his Spanish is so good for only 3 weeks! So today as we kept going we actually met a lot of people, we met a lady who is taking care of her mother who has dementia and then we also taught a lady about the Book of Mormon, whose husband is a member! It was a wonderful time teaching her, and the first thing she said was, "I'm Baptist!" So we just explained that we weren't there to change your faith, but to add to what you believe! Also we met a lady who we will be giving service too, but doesn't want us to teach her, because she says she is Catholic, but we know that she has questions, and she will be interested soon! So all in all we have just had a powerful day and I really hope that one day I can serve closer or with Elder Warby!
Saturday:
Wow today was a very tiring day for the both of us! So we were able to exchange back this morning super early in the morning to be able to get prepared for the baptism of Isaac Sanchez, and it was super crazy how fast time just flew by! So a crazy experience that happened right before Isaacs baptism was when we turned on the font to fill up with water, and then ran to the clerks office to take care of some programs. As we sat in there the Hnas. Whimple and Tibbets both ran in and said, the font is flooding over, it is all over the place!! So I my head it is all over the carpet and just a mess, however, it hadn't reached that point yet! As we got over there to see what was going on we opened the bathroom door to see that the bathroom had and inch of water covering the floor and was trying to drain down the small drains in the bathroom. And as w went and got ready to open the font door we could see the water pushing the door open and closed with pressure, and so as I opened the door it was just flowing out! So we hurry and turned the water off, and decided it was time for some clean up before the baptism happened! We hurry and cleaned up, and then Elder Wolfert, our district leader, decided he was going to save our life by going into the font in the extra jumpsuit we had to unplug the font drain long enough to drop the water level just enough that when they got into the water it wouldn't spill over more into the bathrooms. It was just a crazy morning! The baptism was so good and it was amazing to just see how happy Isaac was and his wife to finally see him make this covenant she had wanted him to make for so long! As we finished the baptism we went home long enough to change and go to the house of some members called the Benitez for dinner. They are such a wonderful family, and Hno. Benitez agreed to go and help us in our lesson with Rey Castillo, and being there teaching them, Hno. Benitez followed the spirit so well and just bore testimony! We had great lessons because of that! As we got home I began to get nervous, because tomorrow I am confirming Isaac Sanchez as a member of the church, and baring my testimony, and we are singing a musical number along with having a district meeting that I have a training in, because Sunday's are the only times we are in town from all of our Exchanges! However, I know that a God will help us through the whole process! I am so happy for Isaac and I know that this gospel is true!
Sunday:
What happened today was the best way for me to finish off the week! So Isaac asked me if I would be willing to confirm him a member of the church, and so today I was able to confirm him as a member of this true church and invite him to receive the Holy Ghost! The confirmation is a very special ordinance, and I was so grateful today for the opportunity I had to do that for him! I was so scared and just nervous mostly of not knowing what to say exactly, but it all went really well for my first confirmation in Spanish, and just to see his smile as he stood up after the blessing made it all worth it! He was smiling so big!! And I knew he felt the spirit! Then today in church after his confirmation all I could think about and see when I saw him and his wife in class learning about celestial marriage was them both in white in the temple! So during the rest of today I have just been able to get to know the ward so much better, and Obispo Delgado and Elder Lopez had some personal time together redrawing map boundaries after which we went and had a district meeting in bishops office and had him there being apart of it, and it was wonderful! He ended and told us how much he loved us, and how much we need to show our love to those around us. He is a powerful bishop and has so much energy, and helped me see that I need to keep going! So this evening we were going to a few different lessons and appointments, and most of them canceled, except for 2! We were able to teach Gabriela Flores, a less active who is working on being active and her dad is doing the same, and then we went by for the first time to a referrals house to teach Karla Hernandez. As we got there, she opened up to us right away and just said, "I know that you are both here because of God, because I opened my heart to him, and asked him in prayer for someone to teach me, and I don't know how y'all knew to call me at that time, but you called right after I had prayed!" So we explained that we have been praying to meet new people that were interested in the gospel and we received her number and decided we needed to call it, and now we are here! We taught her the whole restoration, and it was very powerful, and it just got me so pumped that we got to be apart of Gods great work! She actually invited us back and was very open to coming to church and coming to FHE on Tuesdays, so we are very excited for her! Also I got this awesome picture of Kevin Garcia, a convert, who was able to go and do baptisms in the temple, and has already gone to Nauvoo for baptisms!! It made me so happy!
What a crazy and wonderful week I have had!
I am so grateful for my companion Elder Lopez, and for all that he has taught me, and more importantly I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that knows my weaknesses and wants me to become like him! I hope that you have all had a great week and enjoy how my week went!
Week August 22-28 2016
Monday:
Today was a very rainy day and such a wonderful day for me, but at the same time just a very weird day! It was so weird to think that my Cousin Jaden is not Jaden for right now, but Elder Stone! It made me get teary eyed to imagine him being set apart and just thinking about all of the people that he is going to help in coming closer to God by repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end! It was wonderful to think that literally he is going to be right beside me fighting just like we did before in Soccer, shoulder to shoulder. Not giving up, and with one firm purpose. But now we will be fighting on the greatest team in the eternities, because God is at the head! If you can't tell, I really miss him a lot right now, but I will see himin two years from this Mark! So the rest of this day was full of wonderful lessons that really helped me more that y'all will probably ever know! I feel like I learned even more at really what the restoration means and just how important Joseph Smith was and in general how important every prophet is! I invite everyone who reads or listens to this to compare the church, or gospel that Jesus Christ established with the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I can promise that there is not a church closer in Doctrine or Spirit, because this is the restored church of Our savior Jesus Christ! Thai testimony that I share part of has grown so much by being out here serving a mission, and it just makes me so joyful to know that no one can stop the work of God from progressing! I just love this Gospel!
Tuesday:
Today was such a fun day on my exchange with Elder Williams in Hurst in their area! Sadly his companion lost his key to his bike, so all day we became walking elders, and I have to say doing so much walking really works out a few different muscles that,you are used too, and my legs are so tired tonight! However, I have learned a fundamental truth about the work of the lord. If you don't get out and work you will never find those who are ready by the spirit. The spirit only helps those who give it their all. Now I don't mean that no one can have the spirit, but God knows the feelings of your heart, and he blesses those who give all their heart might mind and strength in his Service!(D&C 4)
So today as we went out we had both amazing experience and also some not so good ones, but I definitely believe that the good overcame the bad! So all day we decided to literally talk with everyone, and it was a huge blessing! We taught 3 lessons, and the lesson that we ended with was one that was definitely God blessing us! So we knocked a door on he second floor of this apartment complex, and the guy was not super interested but nice, and then we walked down the stairs and there was a Hispanic guy from Coahuila Mexico that was just smiling at us and saying hello. So we went to him and began to become his friend. He was more than surprised that we spoke Spanish so well, and then had to know how we learned, so we began to explain and also share the gospel and he had interest in learning more about the Book of Mormon so we taught him about it and set a return appointment, and it was so amazing to have that kind of success even when it was so hot and tiring walking around! Sadly, all day was a little bit of a waste, because of the other elders that we live with. If they are home at the same time they just sit and visit and have a hard time staying busy, so it was sad how much of he lords time was wasted, so as you can see there is always room for improvement! And there was even things I needed to improve from this exchange like just trying to talk with everyone! What a fun day!
Wednesday:
Today was such a wonderful day being able to go on exchange with my old companion Elder Lewis! We went and picked him up at Arlington, and then we went back and had a wonderful time in my area finding people to teach and actually We had a really cool experience as we found a guy drunk in his car because it was his birthday, so we began to talk to him and we went into his house and had a good talk with us, and he was so happy that we came and then he also told us that he respected us a lot for what we were doing! He was just a wonderful person! After that we had a cool experience where we went and taught a referral that Both Elder Lewis and I actually sent to Hurst when we served together, and it was a wonderful experience! So in the evening we went and had a wonderful time teaching the Soto family who is struggling so much with their testimony, and we just taught them about how they could get their testimony! So we were able to help them and then we even went to the house of Rey Castillo and had a wonderful lesson with him where we taught a good lesson about he Prophet Thomas S. Monson. So to end the night elder Lewis and I went to the church to see that Isaac made it through his interview, and he is so excited to get baptized! He is going to do a great job! Today was just a wonderful day!
Thursday:
So today I had the opportunity to go to Fort Worth again on a trio exchange with Elder Hooper, and his greenie Elder Gibson! We had such a wonderful time in the morning just getting some basic studies in, and then we got out on our bikes and went around a part of their area to find some people to teach, and we actually found a whole group of women who let us share a message and wanted to listen more to our message! We left them with pamphlets and then set a return appointment and it was just so great! Then as we kept biking we met another lady that I taught a year or so ago when I started my mission, but sadly she was not interested in listening more, because she said church is to much about politics. However, the rest of the evening we went around in car, and went by to visit Hna. Fuentes, and as we got there and opened the door, Mesmerize opened the door, and was so surprised to see me, yelling, "Hno. Spendlove!! What are you doing here!?" And then Hennessy did the exact same thing, and they came and gave me big hugs that I couldn't resist, because I wasn't going to reject these girls the opportunity to see me and be happy about it! So we taught them a wonderful lesson and told them how important it was to go back to church and I got the greatest news ever. Next year they are going to go to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and on the way back they are going to go by the Temple in Salt Lake, so I told them I would be home, and they would have to come by and see me, and they agreed to it! Also we went by and saw Erica Leyva and her daughters Némesis and Jamilex! They we so surprised to see me that they slammed the door in our faces, and we had to knock again! So we had a lesson with them, and I knew them so well I just said it clearly, I came to get you back to church! And so they agreed they would work at it, and Némesis promised she would, because she wants to know if the Book of Mormon really is real! So as we left there we went by Juan and Guadalupe's house and taught Juan by just talking with him, and he is doing really well, but just struggling while his wife is in Mexico with her mom for the first time in 19 years, and she told them she is a Mormon, and they are okay with it, so she is only going to catch on fire and they already have a goal of going to the temple! And when I told him I had permission to go to the temple they just had to tell me, he was so excited he said he was going to go and call his wife and tell her! It was such a wonderful day, and I finally feel like my purpose is being accomplished along with my Patriarchal Blessing! God is real, he does love us, and he never leaves us alone if we just reach out to him!
Also I go the news that the 2 boys I was working with in a Fort Worth got baptized this past week, and I have so much Joy!!
Friday:
Today was such a wonderful day for me, and I felt so good as I finished my exchange with Elder Gibson and Hooper. As we talked about goals elder Hooper had a goal of trying to love as I did the day before! Him saying that made me so happy that he was noticing just how much I have been really trying to love as Jesus Loves, and it just hit me hard! Then Elder Lopez and I saw each other on our 1 long car ride tomDenton, where I picked up Elder Warby to go back and spend the day with me in Hurst! All day we had a goal of talking to everyone we saw, and we did it! We had a really cool experience where we even sat down for lunch in a sandwich joint called WhichWhich, and no one else was in the shop, and they had a place you could draw things, so we drew the plan of salvation and asked the 2 workers to take our picture, and it just created enough conversation to the point that we were able to give the a Book of Mormon! It made me so happy that I and Elder Warby just were bold and shared, and I love Elder Warby! He just understands how to serve already, and I haven't seen a Spanish missionary come out like him before. He is just so connected with God and his Spanish is so good for only 3 weeks! So today as we kept going we actually met a lot of people, we met a lady who is taking care of her mother who has dementia and then we also taught a lady about the Book of Mormon, whose husband is a member! It was a wonderful time teaching her, and the first thing she said was, "I'm Baptist!" So we just explained that we weren't there to change your faith, but to add to what you believe! Also we met a lady who we will be giving service too, but doesn't want us to teach her, because she says she is Catholic, but we know that she has questions, and she will be interested soon! So all in all we have just had a powerful day and I really hope that one day I can serve closer or with Elder Warby!
Saturday:
Wow today was a very tiring day for the both of us! So we were able to exchange back this morning super early in the morning to be able to get prepared for the baptism of Isaac Sanchez, and it was super crazy how fast time just flew by! So a crazy experience that happened right before Isaacs baptism was when we turned on the font to fill up with water, and then ran to the clerks office to take care of some programs. As we sat in there the Hnas. Whimple and Tibbets both ran in and said, the font is flooding over, it is all over the place!! So I my head it is all over the carpet and just a mess, however, it hadn't reached that point yet! As we got over there to see what was going on we opened the bathroom door to see that the bathroom had and inch of water covering the floor and was trying to drain down the small drains in the bathroom. And as w went and got ready to open the font door we could see the water pushing the door open and closed with pressure, and so as I opened the door it was just flowing out! So we hurry and turned the water off, and decided it was time for some clean up before the baptism happened! We hurry and cleaned up, and then Elder Wolfert, our district leader, decided he was going to save our life by going into the font in the extra jumpsuit we had to unplug the font drain long enough to drop the water level just enough that when they got into the water it wouldn't spill over more into the bathrooms. It was just a crazy morning! The baptism was so good and it was amazing to just see how happy Isaac was and his wife to finally see him make this covenant she had wanted him to make for so long! As we finished the baptism we went home long enough to change and go to the house of some members called the Benitez for dinner. They are such a wonderful family, and Hno. Benitez agreed to go and help us in our lesson with Rey Castillo, and being there teaching them, Hno. Benitez followed the spirit so well and just bore testimony! We had great lessons because of that! As we got home I began to get nervous, because tomorrow I am confirming Isaac Sanchez as a member of the church, and baring my testimony, and we are singing a musical number along with having a district meeting that I have a training in, because Sunday's are the only times we are in town from all of our Exchanges! However, I know that a God will help us through the whole process! I am so happy for Isaac and I know that this gospel is true!
Sunday:
What happened today was the best way for me to finish off the week! So Isaac asked me if I would be willing to confirm him a member of the church, and so today I was able to confirm him as a member of this true church and invite him to receive the Holy Ghost! The confirmation is a very special ordinance, and I was so grateful today for the opportunity I had to do that for him! I was so scared and just nervous mostly of not knowing what to say exactly, but it all went really well for my first confirmation in Spanish, and just to see his smile as he stood up after the blessing made it all worth it! He was smiling so big!! And I knew he felt the spirit! Then today in church after his confirmation all I could think about and see when I saw him and his wife in class learning about celestial marriage was them both in white in the temple! So during the rest of today I have just been able to get to know the ward so much better, and Obispo Delgado and Elder Lopez had some personal time together redrawing map boundaries after which we went and had a district meeting in bishops office and had him there being apart of it, and it was wonderful! He ended and told us how much he loved us, and how much we need to show our love to those around us. He is a powerful bishop and has so much energy, and helped me see that I need to keep going! So this evening we were going to a few different lessons and appointments, and most of them canceled, except for 2! We were able to teach Gabriela Flores, a less active who is working on being active and her dad is doing the same, and then we went by for the first time to a referrals house to teach Karla Hernandez. As we got there, she opened up to us right away and just said, "I know that you are both here because of God, because I opened my heart to him, and asked him in prayer for someone to teach me, and I don't know how y'all knew to call me at that time, but you called right after I had prayed!" So we explained that we have been praying to meet new people that were interested in the gospel and we received her number and decided we needed to call it, and now we are here! We taught her the whole restoration, and it was very powerful, and it just got me so pumped that we got to be apart of Gods great work! She actually invited us back and was very open to coming to church and coming to FHE on Tuesdays, so we are very excited for her! Also I got this awesome picture of Kevin Garcia, a convert, who was able to go and do baptisms in the temple, and has already gone to Nauvoo for baptisms!! It made me so happy!
Thank you for you love and support Mom, Dad and Family! I know this Gospel is true!! Have a great week and know that I am praying for you!
Con Amor,
Elder Spendlove
De la Misión de Texas Fort Worth
So we went to him and began to become his friend.
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