January 28, 2013

So we didn't have baptisms.  We have five people with dates to be baptized, but the baptisms we wanted to have last week are still struggling with the law of chastity... on the bright side they all go to church pretty consistently and we can visibly see the changes taking place in the investigators that actually are praying and reading scriptures.

 Also, something interesting that is going on is that her son that is eight we are pretty sure needs psychiatric help he really is hyperactive and punches me and elder hunca during the prayer and pinched me until I was bleeding during the prayer, but he prayer like an angel and always smile when we come and hugs us. The thing is he doesn't know how to show love for people because of how he was raised and he has never had a father just a tough situation.

 I got brittan's dear elders and just about cried. I am so jealous of him that he gets to be wrestling ha and I want to be there supportin him I saw a tiny bit of film from his preston match. Make sure he knows that he can't cross his arms to opposite sides of his body when he stands up or he will get two on oned and also he should work on keeping his butt low on his stand ups and NEVER REACH BACK! hahaha I love him to bits and I know he has the athletic tools to be way better than I ever was but he has got to work on his basic in the cage keeping low and tight like dad always taught me. Tell him to keep writing me his letters keep me uplifted and happy and it feels good to be remebered by my best friend he is looking like he is in great shape too and the singlets this year are sweet! lucky...

I have less than two weeks with Elder Huanca I hope you sent that package haha and also he loves getting letters it gets him pumped so that was a great Idea :) How is your job mom? and how is dad? tell him he can send me a little more that a minute clip like at least one match completely ha :) and I think cassidy wants to see some of my matches if that is even possible ask dad if he can figure that out I love you all so much and will do my best to keep updating you all I geta new companion in two weeks, but not sure If I will get transferred or not love you all!

January 21, 2013

The baptism was awesome even though I had to do it twice because I forgot to say "Yo" or I. I really think that Tony is going to be a leader in the church a great leader he has so much spiritual knowledge it is crazy.

 Have you and dad got my letters to you yet? It is extremely important to me thatI involve my family in my mission and I am trying my very best!

 I find that my favortie parte of my testimony Is that Jesus Christ is part of my family and died so that I could be with my family for eternity in the kingdom of the rulness of the glory of God. We were in a stake conference yesterday and I was thinking about the words that Elder Russell M. Ballard was saying via satelite and I had an interesting thought come to my mind something like: " It is our own human nature and weakness to find a way to finish things quickly to avoid work and rest we want to avoid putting all our effort in every moment. But when we actually exert ourselves and energy to be better and learn our obedience and will to try enables us to becomes something better and God blesses us when we put off our natural habits to be or do something better.

I love you very very much I think we will be havin a baptism of a mother and her son in two weeks from now and I will send you more details about her in a letter this week :) Love you bunches! ,Elder Bell

yes! pero no envies mucho hah no quieroo destraerme demaciado realmente yo despertarme pensando de investigadors, mis padres y hermanos por favor diga a brittan que etoy orando cada dia que pueda tener el exito que el queire en su vida y igualmente con baylin brea mama y udsted. Realmanete es mas facil para mi a escribirle en espanol espero que no le moleste que quiero hablarle en espanol envie mis saludos a nuestra familia magnifica espero que udstedes no me olviden! le quiero papa much mas que pueda imaginar!

Gosh dang I miss wrestling and miss you as my coach is 160 a little weaker or what? usually mcfarlene isn't consistent like that... So brenn is in wyoming now then? and higbee is varsity?

haha weird, but we are having our first baptism on the ninteenth pretty cool!

 I miss you all so much , but it is getting a little easier the more I get caught up in the Lord's work email days can sometimes be really hard for me because I wish I could be there watching my brother and sisters,

 I really am getting more used to it here , but the transition from thinking in spanish to english sometimes makes my head a little fuzzy ha because my brain gets confused whether it should think in spanish or english. I Love you dad you are my hero and appreciate all the amazing  things you have done for me! Love Elder Bell

January 13, 2013

Four more weeks with Elder Huanca. Mom I think you might need to send me a better camera when you get the time that recharges this one uses disposible battereis and doesn't hook up to the computer really..sorrymaybe I can find one to buy with my extra money here.

 Cassidy told me that lots of people my age are getting married, and that is really weird. I love brit to death so glad he is doing so well and I am glad bay chose to play softball I know she won't regret that.

I am jealous that you all have snow so I am going to do you a favor and do a sun dance for Idaho because it isn't fair that you have cold and I don't :)

We don't really teach sunday school classes we don't have time to prepare them the ward members prepare them though and I study Lorenzo Snow twice every week sometimes it is hard to study all the things I want I often find myself waking up earlier and going to bed later just so I can read the Liahonna and really study it memorize my scripture of the day andread the principals of the gospel of Christ for the class in sundays for investigators also I want to read the book of mormon in the next three months, but really study it and all in spanish so that takes alot of time. There just isn't enough time to do all I want and at times it almost overwhelms me, on the bright side at least now I can almost always think completely in spanish and understand almost every person here.. and that is good because there are a lot of accents and dialects and every other person here is from haiti and speak in a totally different way.

The time goes slow when I think of home so I try really hard to not think about anything , but the work while I am here my head needs to always be here and I don't want the time to feel like it is going so slow when It could feel like it is flying by. I think that might be a blessing that the Lord gives missionaries who focus in the work the time goes faster and the work is more enjoyable too.

 I love you very very very much and all the family too please tell the rest of our family that I love them :) Elder Bell. P.S. is you talk to brenn again tell him to email me when he gets time or the chance! love you!

January 7, 2013

Ok so I don't really know what to write about except for this so I will try to explain it, but won't do it just. Yesterday was a day of miracles! we had six investigators come to church and this is kind of funny, but we found out one of them is a drug dealer so interesting. Before yesterday there were only two people that had ever come to visit with us. I think the reason we had so many is because we are trying and striving to make 15 contacts and set up appointments with each one every day and it is working! but usually we don't see any fruits of our labors until the end of the day or the last moment of sunday. Last night we were meeting with Tony Zapata who has a baptismal date in the 19th of this month. his niece randomly just came out( she is twelve years old) and said she was curious and so we kept teaching about the plan of salvation with both of them. something amazing happened. Tony knew every part and every detail of the plan of Salvation and he basically taught the entire lesson with a little bit of our help.. But, the cool thing is that before the lesson he has been wondering since he knows this is the true church. How is it fair that people die without hearing about the Gospel? he thought that we are usually reacarnated as a new person if we didn't get the chance, but was willing to listen , especially to the Holy Ghost, to what we were teaching. We had the opportunity to talk about the people waiting is spirit prison and then ordinances in the temple. Then he basically told us what baptisms for the dead is and that he can be baptized for his father who was a good man , but never heard the gospel in his lifetime. He is really excited to get baptized and get this. He has been praying his whole life specifically for a restored gospel like in the bible in acts 3:21 and he has been praying specifically that his niece would be the next person to be baptized so she could help his sister and bring exaltation to his family. My companion and I felt the spirit so strongly when she asked questions and she was really being inspired by the Holy Ghost because she was asking specific questions like why did heavenly father put a tree that would give them knowledge of good and evil and forbid them from takin the fruit then she asked about what happens when we die and lots of other questions, but each time she said something the spirit was there infuencing all of us. And tony bore a testimony at the end that everything he learned or knows comes directly from God through the Holy Ghost and he e knows this with only reading the bible praying and he has gone to church three times. I haven't met someone that wants salvationfor himself and his whole family so badly in my entire life! Also his niece sad so how long do I need to wait to be baptized then? Absolutley crazy and she is only twelve years old. this wa s the last a ppointment of the night after a day of people telling us to come back another time or not come back at all. The best things that are worth while are always seeming to come toward the end of the day and I know it is because Heavenly Father is testing my faith and then perfoming miracles in front of our eyes according to the work we put in. Love you all to peices! Love, Elder Bell

JAN 2, 2013

Haha so his name is Elder Huanca not juanca :), but anyways yeah new years is a big deal lots of drinking in the streets and everything we had to be in our house by seven thirty like on christmas eve.

I really like making pancakes.. that might sound a little random, but I just had to say it before I forgot.

We had some really good new investigators that we met and gave out fifteen wrapped books of on the first. And I feel like it went really well. I guess the area I am in has a lot of rich people which makes it hard to contact, but I really feel like it isn't that hard to talk with the people here. The other day we ran in to two people thay only wanted to contend and one only wanted to talk about how "The ancient Mayans have more power than Joseph Smith" that was pretty funny. Also we ran into a couple people that really only wanted to talk about how the United States is creating a monster in society and corrupting all the other countries:) ha awkard for me I just chose to not say anything except that it is true that people are choosing to let satan's power corrupt them which is sad..

 Something funny was that on the night of December 31st our neighbors in front of our house decided to have a karaoke dance party, and they have some really big amps for their stereos they sang and danced and drank from nine a clock at night until ten in the morning. and the noise literally shook our house at times ha.

My spanish must be pretty good becaue alot of people think I have been here for a year or more. Some more information that I may have forgot to share is that there is usually always some kind of little party going on in every street corner because there are convience stores called colmados that have loud stereos and lots of beer and food. The people are really kind here and usually love to talk with us and I taught an English class last Saturday that went pretty well.. four people came and they all seemed to enjoy it.

 I miss giving you a hug every night a little bit mom. Just to let you know, but things are getting easier and I am finding my routine. Our first investigator came to church this last Sunday her name is Yolanda and she was the last contact we had on Friday night, Something interesting is that our good lessons and the people that actually want to learn are almost always the last people we find at eight thirty at night. Heavenly Father has a purpose in this it isn't by accident that this happens it is always important to endure the whole day (or mission) with joy in my heart love you all miss your hugs and your voices, but at least we will always have eternity.

Love, Elder Bell