Second Baptism!

Hello all you people in the winter wonderland!!! I am so sorry to hear about all the snow and ice, that is now fun! Here it rains like all day one day and the next is like a billion degrees, the weather is very random! Umm...so I still haven´t received your first package that you sent a little over 2 weeks ago, so I am wondering if she has even sent it or not, because I called the mission office and they don´t have it. But I guess I will get it soon. Ummm...in the other package, I am not sure what else to have you send. Maybe some more of the paper mate pens, because I use pens all the time here! Umm....maybe a pair of my blue flannel pajamas in my room, because I only have 1 pair of sweats, and that is what I sleep in like every night so I don´t freeze. So that might be nice. Umm I am not sure if it is possible, but maybe a small pair of kids scissors. About the pop tarts, I like the brown cinnamon sugar, and you want to send more than normal because that’s all my comp talks about. Oh, and cookies, and some chocolate brownies, I have been craving brownies for like 2 weeks!!! ha-ha all I want is junk food because all I eat is rice and potatoes, and I am not complaining about potatoes but it would be nice to have some junk food, and candy. I am so sorry to hear about Bob Tingey that is so sad!  We have a sister in our zone ending her mission in 3 weeks, and she was talking today about how fast the time flies, and she is right, I can´t believe that it is almost Febrero!!!! That is so weird! Plus I almost have a month in the field! I am so sad that I couldn´t see Jantzen before my mission, but it sounds like he was a great missionary, that is so weird that he is home!

Congrats Ashley, you are so close to having your baby! Take good care of my sobrino (Nephew) for me!! And the rest of you, I want more sobrinos y sobrinas!!!!! (Nephews and Nieces)

So now a little bit about what I have been doing.

The big news!!! I got to baptize somebody on Saturday, so we share our sector with 2 sister missionaries, and their investigator was getting baptized, and she asked if I would baptize her! It was such an awesome experience!!! Her name is Maritza Alvarez-Alvarez. And she has the greatest spirit about her!!! It was such a good experience! You are getting some pictures of that in this email.

So about our investigators:

Carmen Vargas- she has a date for the 2 of Febrero, but we are not sure if that will happen because she needs to be married still so we are frantically helping her get all the paper work and stuff that she needs for the marriage to happen, all of her kids are members, so we had a testimony meeting about baptism yesterday with her and her kids, and she is so ready to be baptized, we just need her to marry first!!

Vanessa- she is 16 years old, and we have permission from her mom to baptize her, but her mom is traveling until march, and so she is with her aunt right now, and she doesn´t want to be baptized until her mom can be there, but we are trying to convince her that she will be blessed for being baptized even if her mom is not there. Hopefully we can set a date this week.

Christian and Juan Carlos- they are cousins and I found them while contacting with another elder, they both seem really interested in the message that we have, and they are the nicest people ever, but they didn´t attend sacrament like they said they would, so we are going to talk to them this week and find out why, and hopefully we can set a baptismal date for them also.

So we don´t have a lot of people to teach so we have been trying to work with the members but every time we go to their house to obtain referencias they just feed us! I am pretty sure that I have gained like 10 pounds in the field, it is ridiculous, all we do is eat food!!!! But I still want junk food!

So we had an activity on vierne con future misioneros en la estaca, (with future Missionaries of the Stake) and they showed them how they could begin their mission papers, and it reminded me that I was doing my mission papers almost a year ago. In May it will be a year since I began my mission papers time flies!!!

Yesterday we had our mission program in sacrament that our ward does once a month, and my comp spoke which means I should speak next month, but he gave an amazing talk about finding true happiness through the gospel. And about how each of us can be member missionaries. And it is true, it is so important that we all help out in la obra misional (Missionary Work). Because the missionaries can´t do it on their own, they need help from the members para encontrar investigadores (to find investigators), just because you don´t have a plaque with the title elder or sister doesn´t mean that you aren´t a missionary. Because we all accepted the plan to come to earth and progress, and part of that plan is to bring others unto Christ, I think a lot of the time people don´t realize that every single living person in this world are they who accepted the plan en la vida preterennal (in the premortal life). And everybody who has the greatness of the gospel needs to share it with those who don´t because it is intended for everybody, and like Preach my Gospel says, you aren´t teaching something new, you are helping them to remember the things that they already knew before.....

Missionary work is so important! I have truly learned that in the field. Yes this has been the hardest 3 weeks of my life, getting adjusted to a new life in a different country where I will live for 2 years, but with the lord I have been able to do it.

My challenge for each of you, this week share a gospel mensaje con at least one person not in our faith. A great way to do that is through favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon, or through a talk in the Liahona, I have learned to love the Liahona, the messages are amazing!!! But share the gospel, and I promise you that you will see blessings in your life for doing that!!!!

Well, I can´t think of what else happened this week. Oh a member accused my companion and me of slacking off because we were playing bingo with a family. We went to visit them and they invited us to play a game so we said yes, because we need to gain the friendship of the members, and another member said that we don´t work, and she complained to the mission president, so today my comp and I had interviews about it. It was way ridiculous, but our mission president is freaking the best person ever!! He is so funny!!! And he told us not to worry about it, because it is our job to be friends with the members, and if playing games with them will help gain their trust, and then do it.

Last pday we ate at McDonalds!!!! It was amazing to have American food!!! And of course there would be a McDonalds here because of all the tourists.

Oh and mom I like the new photos of the family where that ugly old photo was! It looks very nice!!

So I want to share a scripture with you that I read in Church yesterday, its Moroni 7:26-29, it’s about miracles, and how if we have faith the Lord can do miracles through our faith but without faith we have nothing! and I have seen that in my missionary work, when I have faith that we can do something we have success, when I doubt about an investigator the day is crap, and just because Christ isn´t here en la Tierra (on Earth) with us physically, doesn’t mean that he can´t be with us, because he can through our faith! Tengo un testimonio de Este, y sè que, por medio jesucristo y su expiacòn podemos tener felicidad en nuestras vidas, y la clave es la fe. Este evangelio es verdadero, y hay solo 2 iglesias en la Tierra, primero la iglesia del cordero de dios, y segundo, la iglesia del diablo, necesitamos orar a dios, y preguntar cùal iglesia es verdadero! yo sè que la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dios es verdadero, y yo sè este porque yo he orado a dios, y he recibido una respuesta de mì padre celestial! (This is a translation of Alex’s Testimony I did it online so I don’t know how accurate it is).  I have a testimony of this, and sè that, by Jesus’ example we can have happiness in our lives, and the key is the faith. This gospel is true, and there is alone 2 churches in the land, first the church of the Lamb of God, and second, the church of the devil, we need to pray to God, and to ask which church is true! I sè that the Church of Jesus of the saints Of the ultimos God is true, and I sè this because I have prayed to God, and I have received an answer of my Heavenly Father!

I love all of you so much, and I miss you like crazy, but I know that the Lord needs me here! I hope you get my letters soon.

Tell Justin sorry I couldn´t respond to his email because I am only allowed one, but tell him not to worry about the language! It will come!!

Can´t wait to hear from all of you!!!

CON MUCHO AMOR!

ELDER GOASLIND!!!