Just after Thanksgiving!

¡¡¡Hola de otra semana aquí en Chile!!!
First off…HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! We pretty much did nothing to celebrate Thanksgiving here but it’s all good. We weren’t thinking too much about that American holiday until President Resek reminded us during Zone Conference in the morning.
It feels like yesterday when I said that I have 7 months in the mission and now I have 8 months in the mission. HOLY MOLY!!! I’ve been living in a Latin American country for half a year now. The missionary work goes by really fast when you are focusing on the investigators and it may not seem like it in the beginning but all you have to do is wait a little bit and…smack! 8 months have passed. I’m a third of the way done with my “full-time” mission for the Lord. I love this Gospel and to be able to share it with others Being a teacher of the Gospel really teaches you in the process as well. I find myself saying things during lessons that I didn’t know completely until I said them to the investigator…and then I thought to myself, “Whoa…that was the Holy Ghost right there.” This time in my life has helped me understand more obviously and simply when the Spirit is speaking to me and when it isn’t. “Elder” is literally a part of my permanent name right now and my life calling for this space in time is to be a disciple of Christ. To be considered one of his specific messengers is a huge blessing for me and a humbling experience. I can really explain my feelings very well but they have helped me want to have the Restored Gospel be in the lives of all of my loved ones.
Like I said earlier, we had Zone conference on Thursday and President Resek spoke on how we must use our faith stronger while we are searching for knowledge in the scriptures. We need to be confident and believe that we’ll receive the answers we need for our investigators in our study of the scriptures. Before the conference, we were told to study Chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel which teaches about the importance of the Book of Mormon. The truth of everything that comes from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Restored Gospel is based on whether the Book of Mormon is true. I tell you all that it is. It is the pure and full word of God and helps us understand the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I learned how we can base so much of our teaching over this simple fact. God is in control and has given us answers and a guide to life’s biggest questions by this book.
I received an awesome tie with a nice letter from Elder Romero (my last companion) in the mail before he finished his mission. He returned to Bolivia and is working now. He was a great companion and although we had head-butts at times, he and I worked miracles together in Doñihue. I learned a lot from him.
For an update on the missionary work here: Eric didn’t get baptized yesterday but will be baptized this coming Sunday with Claudina (80 years old) who has been progressing well. Both have transformed their lives to arrive at the Gospel. Eric went from being without direction, smoking, and partying; to his search for something “more” than all the vagueness of the world; to leaving these harmful things and committing himself to remain in the Gospel. Claudina went from reciting prayers regularly and strongly in the Catholic Church; to questioning why she always had much anger and little love; to repenting of her bad actions to her family and following the Path of the Lord to His true Gospel. Elder York an I are excited for this coming weekend because it’s been a long road for these two. :) We are working with some other youth to be baptized soon as well like Felipe (17 years-old awesome kid), Matius (10, son of inactive mom), Leo (13, cousin of Matius), and Kevin (11, son of reactivating mom). So we have some future Priesthood that we’re forming in this ward.
We spoke yesterday in sacrament meeting on missionary work. Elder York spoke about what our covenants are from Baptism and what is expected of us as members. I spoke on how we can better understand how a new convert feels in the conversion to the church so we can better know how to help them. It was a great experience and even helped me in my perspective of the converts in the Church. I love My Savior Jesus Christ and my EXTREMELY LOVING Heavenly Father.
I want to end by sharing a scripture I shared in my talk. It is in ALMA 31:33-35:

“33 Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them because of the iniquities of this people.
34 O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ.
35 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.”

Take Care, My prayers are with you all…especially Grandpa,

Elder Josh Boaz