Twas a good one

WE HAD 4 INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH THIS WEEK!

Man Im feeling good. It's really cool to see how the Lord prepares people to receive his gospel. This week has been full of a lot of interesting things. 

First off, It's been HOT like I mean HOT these last few days. Right now it's all good, but yesterday and friday we were getting a bit toasty;) However, the lord has blessed us for it and I am very grateful.

The first really cool New Investigator that we began teaching this week came through Alvaro. Nicolas, the Investigator, had technically been baptised in 2008, but never received a firm testimony, and as such, upon his baptism, never came back to church (AKA he never got confirmed, and isnt in the church records at all). So we began teaching him, helping him gain a testimony, and we're hoping to help him be baptised mid February!:D He has a ton of doctrinal knowledge and loves to read. Im really excited for him. Please pray for him!!!!:D

We also were finally able to have a charla with Susana. It was really spiritual, and helped her a lot with the death of her husband. 

now that I think about it, we have had a bunch of really good charlas this week.

Another one came through a reference from our Ward mission leader. A bit back, we were doing some visits with him, when one fell though. We tried a few back up plans, but nothing was turning out, so I looked at him and asked if he knew anyone that lived in the area. Well he guided us to Maria Jose and her husband Jorge. Jorge is a member, but suffered a bad Stroke about a year ago, and (due to some doctoral mistakes) wasn't attended for 52 hours. This has left his without the ability to walk or function properly in many things. Maria does everything for him and is an incredible wife, but you can see that the whole situation and kind of brought down the spirits in the house. We were able to visit them and have a few charlas with them and their kids, leading them to coming to church this week!!!!:D I think they were just grateful to get Jorge out of the house. They live on the second story of an outdoor apartment complex, and none of them are strong enough to safely carry him down the stairs. We brought Hermano Delgado. Technically in spanish Delgado means skinny....... he, thankfully, does not live up to his name. I love that guy. He has helped us out so much.

oh, another cool experience came while I was on an inter cambio (changes?) in Minas this week. I had gone on one about 5 months ago in the same area with Elder Delgado. In this instance we had contacted a really receptive woman in the street and found out where she lived. Nothing more than that really happened though. Well that is until this week when I was there with Elder Cary. I saw the house and mentioned that Elder Delgado and I had contacted the lady that lived there once. We knocked on the door, and asked for water. well now Elder Cary and his camp are teaching her. It's kind of cool how things work out:)

We also had a cool charla with an American who doesnt speak hardly any spanish. We had felt inspired to knock doors until we found someone to fill up my water bottle, and well, things turn out quite well. haha at first I asked her in spanish, and she thought we were a charity asking for donations. I remember what that was like..... The charla was really spiritual and she actually recognized the spirit during it.

Well Im out of time, but I love you all so much. HAVE A GREAT WEEK

Love,

Elder Eliason

Come thou fount

Yah that's our Jam right now! I love that song:D

So I absolutely love the opportunity I have to be district leader right now. honestly, I had a super spiritual experience this past friday conducting my first District meeting. That is one of my favorite things in the mission; feeling the spirit guide my words and Ideas. Along those lines, earlier this week I had one of those surreal moments where we were in a charla and I found myself saying all the correct words, but thinking in my head, ¿where are these words coming from? I love the mission, there is nothing like it. 

So this week has been a lot of walking. The bike has started to hurt Elder Neilsen's knee too, so Im kind of going paranoid and have pretty much completely rejected the idea of using them altogether.

 One cool experience came when we left with a recent RM (he had gotten back the day before from his mission in Chile and was kind of going through mission withdrawls, so we asked him if he could leave with us. Best Idea ever). I was able to learn that there is still a TON to learn. We had a charla with a reference and were able to really help bring the spirit by using better questions that helped them think and apply more. It's really interesting to see how other missions work and apply their ideas.

      

On top of that, Alvaro brought a friend to church, with whom we will begin teaching this Tuseday. I love that guy, and hope he can give up smoking soon in order to progress more in the gospel.

We also have a really good future investigator that We've been sending messages of hope too named Susana. We gave her a Book of Mormon and have been sending her verse too. She loves them and we should be having our first "charla charla" today:D

Darwin is also doing well:D

It's a really interesting adventure to be training. I honestly feel as if I am learning more of how to be a good parent every day. Though I am not sure how my future kids will be, I have discovered a lot more attributes I need to acquire to help them.

I love yall so much and wish the best to each of ya,

Love,

Elder Eliason

6 months going on 7 1/2

January 12, 2016

Yep:) so yesterday Elder Neilson and I got a call from president while we were doing service for a member. haha it's not every day that you look down and see president's name on the cell... Ill be honest, my first thought was, this is going to be interesting.

And it was. I have been asigned to stay here in Piriápolis another change/transfer as trainer/district leader. Haha It's a good thing I like this place. When I was talking with president he was just calling to tell me I was to be district leader, but midway through the conversation he must have looked down and saw my numbers because he stated "Oh wow, You've been in Piriápolis for a while." 

Well Im excited to take on this new responsability.

Anyways, this week has been pretty good. We've had some ups and downs of really good charlas and kind of sad charlas. We've pretty much dropped Pablo and Cecilia, but have taken on a really promising new investigator named Susana. She was a reference from Grandma (the nice member with whom we live) from a few months ago. After multiple attempts to contact her, we kind of stopped for a bit. That is until this past week. We were just biking down the street when we saw her standing outside the house with her nephew (we actually didn't realize that it was her until afterwards). Her husband died two months ago and she's going though a really hard time. It was a really good discussion. She has a ton of faith and has, in her joking words, been anoying God with all the prayers for comfort she's offered.We gave her a Book of Mormon and have been sending her mesages of comfort with verses attached. We have a charla with her set up for Wednesday. Im stoked!:D

Darwin is being a boss. The Lord is really helping him give up smoking. He's in the last fight now. It's gotten to the point that he fights all day and might smoke once or not at all. It's funny though because in the weak moments when he goes to grab a cigaret, some member, investigator, or we pass by, and see him. The lord is hearing his prayers of help and is answering it with many humanly angels.

WEll I love this work, Im excited to stay here in Piriápolis, but haha Im starting to get a bit physically tired. I believe that all misionaries can relate to that.

THE MISSION IS DA BEST! Love yall so much,

Elder Eliason

Hey mom, you're so amazing!!!!!:D

the water here is kind of interesting. We're not supposed to drink it straight from the spout

THat was actually really funny. We have a super sassy mission nurse (who loves starwars and is one of the heads of comicon in Utah). When We were at the oro conferance (the conferance for trainers and their young lads), my comp from the ccm (who is also training) asked "what if we have gotten used to the spout. She gave him the death glare and said "would you get used to a paresite." 

Yah. 

So I've had a fantastic Idea. last time I posted on your face book profile that "I, stephanie Eliason, love tanner so much and want to give him a ton of M & Ms" .... Then it came true. Can I just do the same thing for yall's hawiwi trips?:D That would be great. Love ya ma!!!!:D have a great week,

Love,

Elder Eliason

Do you know what the new mission president's name is?

Oh way a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day

Im sorry, I've got to start writing this letter first, Im almost out of time.

This has been an amazing, but very tiring, week. 

but good things first. I sent this to one friend about some intersting things that have happened and this it would be fun to share:

 we live with a nice old grandma who was having her daughter over for christmas. the daughter and her husband have a crazy dog who tried to attack us every time we left our appartment, leading to us sneaking out of our apartment on tip toes, with a broom raised high like a golf club, trying to find protection from this creature. (that got our adreneline rushing for a few days). 

We eat WAY too many alfejores (uruguayo cookies) and have begun teaching the rest of the ward to do it too. (we save souls, but give diabetes to all...... not sure if that's good or bad. I've decided that if I die eating chocolate, I'll be dying a happy man)

It's been really good. We have done a TON of contacting this week. The interesting thing is that the bikes keep breaking, making it seem as if the Lord wishes us to walk more. There have actually been some crazy experiences with that.

 One really cool experience came when we decided to knock this door. a nice old lady named Yris opened up and began to talk with us. Well we sat down and began to teach the Restoration a bit. She had previously told us that she had listened to the sister missionaries for a bit, but that it had been a while. When we got to the part about the Book of Mormon, and asked if she had ever heard of it, she explained that she had. Not only that, but that all that time back when the sister missionaries had taught her, she had prayed to know if the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ were true. In this moment, she had recieved a firm witness of warmth and peace. They way she described the feeling of the holy ghost testifying was so powerful and filled us with a lot of hope. She knows that the church is true and that this is the way to follow God, but never continued in this path, because she didn't want to part from the traditions of her parents. We, yesterday, taught her a bit about the spirit world and how her parents are being taught the same gosple she knows to be true. Elder Neilson then invited her to pray about whether or not her parents, in this moment, have accepted the gosple and now want her to follow in this path. I kind of felt the way that Sarah Ayer described in her mission. "So you know the Book of Mormon is true? yes. Will you follow Christ and get baptised? no, Im catholic"

yep, we actually have a lot of hope for her though:D

Darwin also gave up s}moking Saturday. My comp was able to give him a blessing of health and srength to start off his new life all in spanish. That was cool.

okay, Ive  got to go. Love y'all

Elder Eliason

My comp wants to take me to red neck school and teach me the art of doing so

we found a frog in our apartment.

The art of milking Alfejores is catching on! We are probably going to make the whole ward sick

December 28, 2015 

IT BE HOT!     

Man my canadian comp is dying in the heat, but all is well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

So Ive have a fantastic week. It's been very interesting; receiving a new comp and all. I love him. He's pretty much the friendly Canadian giant who has really good Ideas and wants to work. We've had a really good time and have implemented many interesting Ideas that he has come up with. 

I've decided that's my favorite part about oros: they have not yet fallen into the routine that most of the missionaries find themselves in. This leads to them searching, finding, and receiving revelation for areas in ways that no one else can think of. We've started a plan he created called inspiration hour. This consists of one unplanned hour in the day. My big problem is that I plan a ton (every hour has a plan with two back up plans) and end up running from place to place trying to help out this person. We began doing this with the slogan "SLOW DOWN" as our motto. We have begun walking a lot more when things are close and have found ourselves talking to a lot more people. We have had some really cool contacts this week. 

On top of that, Gloria came to church this week!!!!!:D Man she's such a boss. She absolutely loved it and has a consistent desire to learn more. We have found that a huge help for people is sending out messages with scriptures attached to help them. It's been great:D

Well we have plans to work hard in this area and really help it out. It's going to be hard, but I love it. The mission is the best. It's weird, It's hard, haha you never expect what's going to happen, but yes...... It's wonderful.

Love you all a ton,

Elder Eliason

WE climbed the hill of Pan de azucar (sugar bread) again!:D

Christmas pineapple with chocolate:D