WEEK 33 - PACHUCA

Link to more photo's from Trevor in Pachuca:

http://picasaweb.google.com/scottmster/PACHUCADISK?authkey=Gv1sRgCNfHu97ywtKiDw&feat=directlink

HOLA FAMILIA!
How are you all doing? It sounds like everything’s going good! Tell Brandon I said hi! Tell him to write me if he ever gets a second.
The package came! I got it Thursday in the Zone conference. Two weeks is pretty fast! Wow thanks for everything! I thought you had sent me a bowl of mashed potatoes! I couldn’t figure out what it was, I opened it and THEN saw the Graham crackers! Thanks so much, its an awesome treat! The FHE book was like you read our minds! We saw it in a members home and wished we had it! Thanks! The ties are awesome too, I gave one to Juan Antonio at his baptism. Everyone was eyeing the pens, I gave the one pieced one to Elder Jaramillo, my zone leader that goes home this week! I gave one to Elder Mora, and Elder Tanner wants one too. Thanks for the watch! Its great! Thanks for everything, I really really have enjoyed it!

See more of Ramon's incredible story in week - 25 Bares testimony - week 28 Bapt, and story of a 12 yr olds missionary efforts ! !
Ramon was sooo excited to get his missionary tag! So were his brothers! Ramon wore his badge and the tie I gave him to Church! His brothers wore their ties too. Jude and Toñito want one too! I have one left, so I don’t know who I’ll give it too. They really liked it!

I don’t know if you remember when I did the magic trick you sent me. It's the one where the cards are all White, then they turn color, and then change White again. Well I showed it to Elder Mora and asked him how I could use it for the Gospel. We came up with this…
So I start out showing how all the cards are White. Then we say how when we´re born we’re completely free from sin. But we go through life and we start sinning a Little, and a Little more, and a little more, until we have a lot of sin. I show that all the cards are colored. But when we receive baptism, our sins are completely washed away. I take the deck of cards and put them behind my hand and act like the cards are being baptized. Then I show that the cards are all white again. Haha! Its so fun to see the faces of the kids! They are so amazed! The adults like it too, the y just don't show their awe as easily, haha. Pretty fun.

Well This week was a miracle. Juan Antonio, Mari’s husband was baptized! When Mari and Griselda and everyone was baptized last month, Antonio couldn’t be baptized. They told us he needed to wait but couldn’t tell us why he couldn’t. So we just kept on teaching him, and this week he was baptized! President told us it really is a miracle that he was baptized! This family is so awesome. In Antonio's baptism, Mari bore her testimony and said how their goal now is to go to the temple in a year! I´m so happy for this wonderful family! I feel grateful that the Lord permitted us to be the means of helping Juan Antonio receive baptism. This family is so different now, the Spirit in their home is even different! I pray this family will continue strong and faithful so in one year, they can be sealed together as an eternal family.

This week was our Zone Conference and it was soo awesome! Elder Tanner and Elder Jaramillo trained us on how to McConkear. I´ve explained a little about this verb, basically its a Word the Mexican Elders came up with. It means to help others to accept baptism when they are keeping commitments and everything, but don’t want to be baptized. President Bulloch wrote a thing called “Baptismal Invitation” and it is truly inspired. I tried my best to translate it and sent it to dad through pouch, so you should get it here soon.
Presidente Bulloch´s message was the best! He read a letter from a pair of missionaries in Pachuca. I haven’t really told you guys this, but Pachuca has this really nasty reputation for not baptizing. Missionaries in all the misión say “Oh, they don’t baptize in Pachuca. En Pachuca, no se puede.” This companionship was in an area for six months, and saw their Ward was suffering because the missionaries before were not doing anything. These missionaries worked hard, and started to gain the trust of the members. After a while they started to baptize and baptize. This Elder left Pachuca with 23 baptisms. In his letter to President, he said how in Pachuca, sí se puede. In Pachuca, they DO baptize. We talked about their qualities and the things they did good, and then compared it to Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon. I left my study journal at home so I don’t have the scriptures, but it was great. President taught us with such power and authority, we all felt the Spirit so strong.
It amazes me how when people come to accept Jesus Christ, and His Atoning sacrifice, they come closer to our Heavenly Father. They start to change. They look different. They treat their family differently, they have a different aspect on life- an ETERNAL aspect. The Book of Mormon is true, when we read and study and mediate on the things in this sacred book we change, because we´re becoming more like Christ. I’m so grateful that we’ve seen these people change their lives for the better!

This gospel is true. I know it with all my heart. Thanks for being so supportive of me! Your prayers really help Elder Mora and I. Hey I was thinking, why don´t you guys put together a list of questions you want to ask me? I don’t think I’m explaining some stuff very well, so if you have questions just let me know.
Adios! Les amo,
Elder Rasmussen