Sept. 9,2013

Well sorry but again this week I don’t have pictures and I am using a computer that doesn’t take SD cards.... booooo

But anyways all is well here in Mexico. The past few weeks there has been some action. There are trucks with mounted 50 cals and every once in a while we can hear them going off in the distance.... and one time there were the 50 cals and about 20 min later a military helicopter was patrolling our area ha... but luckily as of yet I haven’t seen anything.

 One thing I keep forgetting to tell you is about my name. Here I am not know as elder stoor. Because of the pronunciation in spanish its elder es-stoor and es means is so if you sounds it out estoor is sounds like is thor.... haha and because I’m a bit stronger than the average Mexican and a bit taller I’m  known as elder Thor. Haha It has become normal for me and it’s all right by me!

 I can’t say anything as of now.... but there has been talk of I pads for the mission. Nothing is in stone but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m carrying around a tablet here after Christmas! How sweet! 

 There are seasons here ha luckily it would be hot hot hot always here.... now it’s just hot ha... we have had a lot of clouds lately which helps a ton and with our newly fixed ac I actually use a blanket at night. So that has been a blessing and it’s supposed to cool down a bit more here in the next month and when I say cool I mean like 80 degrees ha. 

 ...Well sitting in sacrament I had some thoughts that I would like to share with you today on the topic of prayer. As a missionary I have prayed a lot. Whether it be to learn the language or to help investigators my prayers are longer and with more feeling, as I feel is common for most all missionaries. So first off I challenge you to better you prayers. But first we need to understand the importance and significance of prayer. I was thinking of a promise the lord makes several times in the scriptures. Ask and ye shall receive, Knock and it shall be given unto you. This when we think literally is quite and promise! But why can’t we take it literally? .... Well we can. I’m sure as of now we all have or think we have unanswered prayers... so how can this be...

My thoughts are this. Yes all prayers are answered... and quite frankly in the moment we ask in faith. The thing is not always are our prayers answered in the way that we’d like. For example when I was in Hawaii I had a sincere prayer for months. That was to receive work and we all know that didn’t happen for 4 months.  Looking back that so called [unanswered] prayer is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I received so much in that time and all of it was for my benefit. Unfortunately I am out time but I want to conclude with this... your prayers are answered because Jesus Christ said “ask and receive, knock and it shall be opened.” I testify of this..... la cosa mas importante is that we ask and then act in faith..... if we don’t get what we want we can act as a child or lose faith or the better we can wait in faith and with hope that whatever the lord has in store for us is much better that what we had planned. NEVER LET YOUSELF THINK THAT YOUR PLANS AND DESIRES ARE GREATER THAN THE LORDS. If we think this we a surely in   the wrong and need to repent. 

I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen

Sept 2, 2013
Well, the computer won’t take my memory card today so no pictures... sorry
I also don’t have the ganas to write much either haha. 

 This week was pretty normal we got a ton of rain at the beginning of the week... so thank goodness for my ariats! And I put the umbrella to good use too! 

We had 5 investigators show at church Sunday! whoo.... the area is slow but this next change im bettin on 3 baptisms so let hope it stays that way! It’s so hard to know with such a surety that this gospel is all that anyone needs and to watch tons of people lose sight of that or never accept it to begin with. I’d say it’s the hardest thing any missionary has to do. Sometimes you just want to beat them with the bible and other time you want so desperately for them to feel something confirming the truth of our words. The comfort we can find in this is that Dios has a plan for us. For us missionaries are to preach and to give everyone the opportunity. But this can be done by the members. Plant a seed and  talk with someone today and refer them to the missionaries. Or explicar a little about what we believe because you never know who will accept. Many don’t but how sad the day we meet those we knew in this life in heaven and they then ask disappointedly why didn’t you even try to share this with me? Because we’re all in it together! 

 Will have photos and more next week! 

Elder Stoor!