May 27, 2014

  Well we have been having lots of rain these past few days. I remember all I ever wanted when I was boy thinking about where I was gonna serve my mission was that wherever I got BETTER have crazy monsoons. It doesn't rain that much but when it does it definitely pours! It's all gone now sadly and we will have to wait for the actual monsoon season! I guess the only thing I dont like about the rain is it is really hard to go walk around and talk to people lol pretty much impossible because no one is outside!

  So the work is definitely picking up here in the Bandelier ward! We were gonna have a baptism this Saturday but the family wants to push it back a little so they can fully understand everything. We were pretty sad! But also very happy cause it shows that they are serious about all of this. I strongly feel they will be baptized and hope it comes soon cause I know of the blessings that it will bring them individually and as a family! I always tell them they are what makes it worth not seeing my Mom for two years! Then the mom will say," I'M not worried about you not seeing your mom I'm worried about your mom not seeing you!" Pretty funny :) I assured her that they also are the reason it's okay my mom doesn't see me for two years!!!

   Well things are going great here! I'm really loving my new ward! The members are amazing! School is out for the year here now. They get out really early! But start a lot earlier too.

  I hear Cortez and Roman made state for track! Thats so exciting! Wish them luck!

Love Elder Espinoza

Miracles this week!

                                                                                                                         May 20, 2014

   There have been so many miracles this past week it is almost overwhelming to think of all of them! One special miracle is the family who showed up at church a week ago and are now being taught by us! All three of them have baptismal dates for the 31st of this month! We are so excited for them and they are progressing so much! The Lord really has prepared them for His gospel right here and right now. The fellowship from the ward and the help they are receiving really is a miracle in itself. It is so amazing how humble and optimistic this family is! It shocks me every time how they really are optimistic about even the smallest simple things. Just for example we were at dinner at a families house and the had invited them over and we were talking about rocks for some reason which led to a conversation about the volcanoes around here which led to how terrible it would be if they erupted and then the husband said, "Well, at least we will have new rocks to look for." It just shocked me how optimistic this family is and how they really don't have the greatest circumstances right yet they choose to be happy and optimistic in all things! They have been a blessing to this ward already in so many ways.

   There are also many other miracles happening in this zone in other wards. Everyone that is one a baptismal date is doing everything they should be doing and progressing so well which is something I have never seen! We are really excited to get this zone out of the rut it has been in for years and slowly but surely it is happening!

   Also something crazy happening in Albuquerque is that we are having swarms and swarms of grasshoppers coming through. its kinda cool actually. They're just little ones. I guess they are supposed to go away here in a few weeks and aren't doing much harm. No one really knows what caused all this! Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Love Elder Espinoza

 

May 11, 2014

   Well I hope all the mothers had a wonderful Mothers day! I know I did cause I got to skype with both of mine! It was so nice to get to see my family I miss them all very much but it seems like they are all doing very great! :) I can't believe I only have 1 more time to Skype them. Kinda scary!

   Last week we had such an amazing miracle happen to us. We got a call from a kid in our ward telling us that there was this family wanting to speak with missionaries that showed up at the church. It was a half an hour before we had to go to district meetings so we went and met with them for a little while. At first I thought they were just looking for help but I was so amazed at how interested they were about the Church. I guess two years prior they had come to this very church building looking for help and a member took them to the gas station and filled their tank and gave them extra money as they were making their way to Arizona looking for a job. The husband had just gotten laid off of a really good job in Florida. But since then they have moved back and the wife has had some very bad health problems and has actually died for over an hour once but was brought back to life. She has questions as to why God would do that and why the heck are Mormons such nice and loving people and they were wanting to be a part of the Church. So Sunday comes around and they were all excited about coming to Church and they were so welcomed by the ward even I was impressed! A family invited them over to dinner that night. (On Mothers day!) And tonight the Bishop is having them and us over for dinner! We are so excited to teach them and to see them be baptized and join the Lords Church. They are so optimistic for their living conditions that they are in its incredible. Right now they are actually living in a van in the walmart parking lot where he works which is in our area and once a week they get a motel room so they can relax. They are such humble people its almost unreal but we can honestly tell that they sincerely wanna learn more about the Church and become part of the Lords kingdom here on Earth. They are going to be a wonderful addition to the ward. It makes me thankful for the wonderful life I was able to have growing up! Anyway it was a wonderful miracle that happened last week and we are looking forward to being able to teach them soon! Love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love Elder Espinoza

 I got to meet up with my first companion Elder Becar!

 

It's what the gospel is all about. Applying the things we learn!

May 6, 2014

Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to go to the temple as a zone. I think honestly the only thing that I haven't liked on my mission was the fact that we only get to go to the temple twice a year on the mission but yesterday during a devotional inside the temple the temple president talked about how lucky we are to get to go to the temple cause lots of missionaries do not get the chance. I was chastised to say the least haha Also very humbled and appreciative of the opportunity I had to go to the temple. There really is a special spirit inside the temple that is not felt anywhere else. After we were done with the session we got to go to a sealing room and hear from our mission president again and it was so amazing to hear and know that he was receiving revelation at that very moment for things that we as missionaries needed to hear. The blessings he promised us were so amazing. The biggest thing he talked about was letting this temple experience change our nature. I think that's what really sets us apart as disciples of Christ. When not only our behavior changes but our nature as well. It was an amazing experience! I can't wait to be able to go whenever I want!

Last week we had MLC which is a meeting where the leadership of the mission gets together and has a training. All the zone leaders and sister training leaders go and then the next day we have to train on that during our zone training. We had two special guests come from the mission department up in Salt Lake. I'm pretty sure everyone thought that they were coming to give us Ipads! We were so excited to be able to give our zones ipads the following day. Well, we definitely did not get i pads. We got something far better and of more worth than any ipad! The training that we received was amazing! I think the greatest part about it all was that it was just two very simple things that most missionaries should already know. We were definitely more excited about training on the things we learned than giving i pads to our zone. Its amazing how i'ts the small and simple things that are most important and those are things that we need to perfect! And as we do that we will see other aspects in our life change for the better.

We really should see some changes in our mission now from these simple things they taught us. I think the thing that hit me the hardest was a quote from one of the men that came. He said, "All Satan has to do to make a mockery of the Savior's atonement is to get missionaries to not invite people to be baptized." I think that made a big impact on the whole zone. We are all determined to set more baptismal dates and not allow the adversary to make a mockery of the Saviors atonement! I can't really express in words how amazing the training was! I wish I could but all I know is now I need to apply to my area and help my zone apply it to theirs as well. Which is what the gospel is all about. Applying the things we learn! Well its crazy to think that this is the last week of the transfer. We think Elder Reams is getting transferred cause he's been here for 6 months! I think he's going to my last area! That would be way awesome! Well, love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love Elder Espinoza

 Matt Klipstine and his girlfriend Jenna. She's from Kennewick!

 Almost our whole zone at the temple yesterday!

 Elder Espinoza &  Elder Reams at the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple