My life is still pretty focused on marriage

Maybe the lord is prepping me;)

Man this has been an interesting week.

I had an investigator propose to me. I told her I want 5 or 6 kids...... Wide eyed, she retracted her offer..... that was pretty funny:) I love the mission.

Well we had 10 investigators committed to coming to church, and only Esteban actually ended up coming. It was a cold morning. I love that guy. JUST GET MARRIED ALREADY! Honestly, If only his wife would humble herself and just come talk to us, life would be sooooooo much happier. The guy literally has already fulfilled all the requirements to D&C 20:37 and wants to be cleansed. Haha he's even asked us to tell him when we have charlas with investigators so he can come and help teach (he'll be accompanying us this week). JUST GET MARRIED!

Well we have taught a ton of people this week!

Jorge and Beatriz should be going to court today to take out a marriage date. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM!

Also please pray for Matías and Laura, they're in the hospital right now.

We did have a really cool experience too with a contact that we had in the street that randomly showed up at church the other week. We've begun teaching her and her mom (Super humble great people. They just need to come to church together).

Some things I've learned recently:

1) man my life is so blessed. There are people down here that have had every rotten thing possible happen to them. Just think of something horrible that can happen, and multiply it by 6. Honestly, all that are reading this letter have it so good. Rough things happen in our lives, but you have so many opportunities and strengths. Stand up, confront the enemy, fight, win! You can! I wont get into specifics of what I have seen, but just give a prayer of gratitude. The Stable Nuclear family is literally the greatest blessing one can have in their life. Treasure it, strengthen it, love it, It's amazing.

2)ACT! One of man's greatest enemies is the ociacity (is that how you spell it? ....laziness). One of my favorite talks was the "to the Rescue" in the last conference. I can honestly just say that if people overcame their fear to act, and strived to bring to live their ideas, lives would change, the world would be blessed, and one would find great joy! IF you have an idea, that doesn't bring bad results, do it! the spirit speaks with us more through ideas that anything else. Elder Bednar answered one of my greatest questions a bit back: How do I know if it's my idea or if it's the spirit? "DONT WORRY ABOUT IT! you be a good boy or a good girl. You keep your covenants. The spirit will guide you." More often than not, spiritual impressions are recognized in recompense. Just be a good person and do what makes loving sense. 

Well those are my thoughts for this week. I love yall a whole heap!

Have a great week,

Elder Eliason

THE NEW QUAD IN SPANISH!!!!!!!! (this is the first)

What more can I say. I'm humbly just an inspiring person;)

Matias y Laura in their tent

I found the Uruguayin version of sparky sparky boom boom man (those who know what Im talking about, Im proud of you)

Elder Caudle drew this for me for my Bday:D

Us riding in the back of a guys truck

Really quick this week

So I dont have a ton of time, but this was a really good week. Everyone still needs to get married. But we're working at it. I think when I get back Im going to gain the legal rights to marry people just in case this situation ever arises again.

Well This week a TON of people came to church. We had 23 people in Gosple principles (the class for less actives, recent converts, and investigators). The room was so full that we literally couldnt fit any more chairs in there. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! Ive never seen so many people in that class.

Well I've got to go, but yep.

Esteban is doing super well. He refers to the chapel as his second home. Please pray for his wife, that she will begin listening to us soon and marry her husband.

Loura and Matias came to church. MATIAS IN A SHIRT TIE AND SLACKS! He had never put those on in his life. Pray for them, they're passing through a really hard time in their lives. 

On top of that, Two investigators we weren't expecting at all came. 

I'm pretty happy this week.

JUST GET MARRIED PEOPLE!

Thanks to everyone that wished me happy birthday.

YALL ARE AMAZING!!!!:D

Love

Elder Eliason

A mind focused on marriage

Don't worry, I'm not focused on my own......yet;D

No but honestly, Why can't everyone just get married already!!!!!!

For example: 

Loura and Matías: Amazing people that want to progress and get baptised. Problem= not married (though he did propose to her even before we met them)

Beatrix and Jorge Machin: Hno. Machin is a member that's living in Pareja (living together not married) with Beatrix. He wants to return fully to the church and become temple worthy again. She straight up told us that her main goals right now are: get married, get baptised, and get sealed to her soon to be Husband. Once again, the only thing impeding them from progressing is the fat that their not married.

Esteban: NOOOOO!!! Don't worry, he's still super excited and loves the church. However, the other day we were at his house teaching the Word of Wisdom (absolutely no problem), when I felt the prompting to ask him if he's married. After giving me a confused look, he responded in the negative, explaining that he and his wife had been living together for almost 27 años, and had always planned on getting married, but had just never done it. Well, we're going to have to postpone the baptism now. Darn it. 

On top of that we're helping an excommunicated member that goes to church every week, and wants to come back, she just needs to get married with her pareja (boyfriend).

To go with all this, the court house is on vacation here in Durazno.... "Im not happy Bob. Not happy."  all jokes aside though, I really hope it opens up soon. All of these people want to get married and baptised, they just need the state to cooperate!

On a more positive note, Super cool thing about Esteban:

As it turns out, he had put all his information into mormon.org last January, requesting a Book of Mormon. It should have showed up in the system of the Church and our emails, that very hour. However, It never did. In March, the Bishop (who lives next door had given his wife a Book of Mormon after talking with her about the church). He assumed this was the response to his request (although it was months late. Well this past month he had the cool experience I've told in past letters about being guided to the church and feeling the spirit stronger than he had ever felt in his life. Well As it turns out, the day of our first charla with him (the day after his first appearance In church), Literally 20 min after we had left, two Sister missionaries working in the offices in Salt Lake City called him. They had just received all his information from Mormon.Org and wanted to talk to him about the church. Both Sides were baffled as to the situation. He had sent the info months before, and they just so happened to call him minutes after the missionaries left his house, the day after he had one of the most spiritual experiences of his life. Well, Those Sister missionaries have continued in contact with him, and send messages with scriptures, and call him to talk about the church, sometimes for a full hour. Haha and we got the reference in our emails this last monday. There is no such thing a coincidence! I love this guy..... He's soooooo prepared. JUST GET MARRIED FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I love yall so much. Get married. It's important. God wants it. If you live with someone who you're not married to...... take a weekend trip to Vegas. They can take care of that for ya;D

Maybe I shouldnt say that...... just follow the commandments of God. You'll be happier.

Love ya,

Elder Eliason

Open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing

Oh my goodness sooooo many things happened this week!

first and foremost

DINA GOT BAPTISED AND CONFIRMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pictures to follow.

man that was such a cool moment where the spirit was so strong. many missionaries have helped in this process. In our records, they visited her and her less active mom when she had 13 years, 16 years, and now we found her at the age of 19. Both her and her mother were in tears by the end of the evening.

I love the mission.

On top of that, Esteban went to the baptism, and afterwards began telling all the members how he is getting baptised on the 23 in the river (haha I really hope the bishop lets us do this. July is heavy winter here, but he keeps insisting that the spirit will be so strong on the inside that he wont feel the cold. ( ten bucks says mom right now just left the computer in search of a blanket and a cup of hot milk just hearing this idea;D ). Well I very willingly volunteered to officiate the ordinance in a slightly frozen river. After seeing the John Tanner video, this has become one of my dreams.

We'll see what happens.

Another super cool moment happened with Matias and Loura (the two we found carrying a mattress and bed frame to their tiny tent last week). We have taught them a total of 3 times now. well, the on Tuesday we arrived to find they had already read quite a few chapters of the Book of Mormon, comparing it with the Bible. We proceeded to teach them the Restoration, inviting them to read and pray about the truth of our message. Well, two miraculous things happened. First, the following charla, we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with an emphasis on Baptism. Loura has already been baptised in an Evangelical Church, so upon explaining the need to be baptised by proper authority, We weren't sure what she would say. Well, upon inviting them to baptism, Loura slowly began to speak. "the last time you guys came, You invited us to pray about the truthfulness of your message. Well I did, and that night I had a dream where I saw myself getting baptised again. I was actually going to ask you for this." Needless to say we were pretty stoked to hear this. 

The second cool thing with them. Given that they lost their house, Loura and Matias' children were taken by the state until they can build one (which they plan to do this coming month when they save up enough money. #Elders quorum project). Due to this, they only get to see their kids when the state brings them. The last time that had happened was over 2 months ago, in the which, they found their 8 year old in a wheel chair due to a heart surgery. Recently They were notified that the state was going to bring the kids up to visit this past Thursday and Friday. Upon learning this, Loura made a promise with God that if her daughter was out of the wheelchair, she would begin going to church. Her daughter was not in a wheel chair. They came to church this week:D

Well this has been a long letter, but there is one more thing: WE MET PRESIDENT EDDY THIS WEEK!!!!!!! That was really cool. He brought with him his wife and 5 of his 6 kids. One of which is 16 years old , and will be leaving for his mission from Uruguay when he turns 18. Yes, he will in total be on a 4 year mission. That's pretty cool but crazy. 

Well I love yall so much!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Eliason

P.S. This is my study journal I've had since I had 6 months in the mission. Those who understand the joke I am proud of you.  

Bautismo de Dina

On the Lord's Errand

June 27, 2016

Thomas S Monson: "The sweetest experience is acting on a prompting, then learning it was the answer to someone else's prayer."

This week has been simply amazing.

I forgot to say this last week, but We had Transfers! Im staying here with Elder Budini again:D We have a lot of good things going for us and Im excited to see what happens this week. 

Well Dina gets baptised this Friday!!!!:D We're all stoked! IT's been announced in Sacrament meeting and everything. 

Esteban. Wow. He is probably the most incredible investigator I've had in my entire mission. Upon arriving for the second charla, he straight up told us that he had anxiously been awaiting our arrival. Opening up to Alma 37:6-7 he began reading some of the cool things he's found. His wife says that in a week she has found a changed man. The spirit has worked so heavily on him that he reacts completely differently to situations. With that scripture in mind, he shared an experience he had the day before: A Man showed up at his house the day before. A year before, he had loaned the man money, to the which, had never been payed back. The man repaid him all that he owed, and left. Upon the man's departure, Esteban fell to his knees in embarrassment before the Lord in how poorly he had thought about the man, and much he had judged him without considering the situation of the man. 

I told him of how whenever we were late waiting for someone, I would be really impatient thinking "come on, get here all ready!" My mom on the other hand would say, "I hope they're okay. I hope they didn't get in an accident or anything." Me on the other hand: "come on, get here already, we're late!!!!" Really my mother set the example for me in these moments, and taught me a similar principle.

" 6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; butbehold I say unto you, that by small and simple things aregreat things brought to pass; and small means in manyinstances doth confound the wise.

 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring abouthis great and eternal purposes; and by very small meansthe Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about thesalvation of many souls."

 These are the small and simple things. Embarrassment before the Lord. The words of a mother. cool things.

So now for the quote by President Monson:

We were walking to the almecen (a small store people make out of a room in their house) of some investigators, when we saw 3 people ( 2 men and a woman) struggling to carry a mattress, a bed frame, a super old tv (with a dial for channels and volume), and a few other things. Feeling impressed to help, we grabbed part of the mattress and the frame and helped carry them. The destination ended up being a tiny tarp tent at the edge of a field. Before taking off to go to those investigators with the almecen, one of the men turned to us and said, "If you ever want to share the word (what people here call the gospel) with us, you're always welcome." This was Saturday

Well we didn't think much of it, but Sunday in the evening, we found ourselves close by, without set plans, and decided to stop by and see who these people really are. When I think of the poor zoramites that were cast out of the synagogues, I now think of them. Very humble couple in every sense of the word. Well Im out of time, so long story short: Matias(the husband) had been in prison for the past almost 2 months after unknowingly buying a stolen horse and taking the blame. They had lost everything in that moment that he left: House, children (the state took their 3 kids), and more. He had just gotten out that week, and they were trying to start over. The thing is, he legally cant be outside after 8, and had been hurrying and struggling with the bed frame to make it on time to their tent (literally the size of their bed... it  takes up the whole tent), when he offered a prayer of help to God. We showed up. 

Sunday they had been feeling really depressed, prayed, and we showed up again. That was some pretty cool experiences.

Well I love you all so much!

Have a great week,

Elder Eliason     

My mexican Zone Leader!!!:D