WEEK - 83 Neza/Pantitlan Zone (Senior ZL)

16-Agosto-2010
Hola familia!

Everything's going great here. I received my new companion, his name is Elder Lara. He's from Merida, Yucatan and is from my "generation". We both started the mission the same day. He is a great Elder and the Lord has already blessed us with a lot of success. This is his first cycle as a zone leader, and has been a district leader for about 8 cycles (one year!). Time flies!

Well some exciting things have happened this week. We had our zone leaders council with President Hicken. It was just great! He is an inspiring leader, and has such a high vision for the mission. He wants us to put high goals and elevate the vision. He taught us about "I will go and do" and I learned about going to work with a plan and with the Spirit. We talked about Grandpa and he was telling me how great Grandpa was with the missionary papers. He told me he hopes he's still doing that because he was so good at it! He said Grandpa was always on the ball, and that he never had to worry about anything with the missionary's papers! He loves Grandpa almost as much as I do!

This week we have our "leadership training", and by Trent's letter it sounds like that's why he was with another companion. Leadership training is for all of the leaders in the mission. It's going to be this week from Tuesday to Friday! We are going to be traveling to the Temple everyday for our training. It should be a great experience that is going to really help out our mission.

Elder Ras and Hermano Jose

Wow! Yesterday was great! JOSE blessed the sacrament! He came all ready in a white shirt he had just bought and a tie too. He was so excited, but I think he was more excited because his wife, Fabiola, came for the second time and their kids Joana and Luis came as well! Fabiola is going to be baptized this week, and of course, Jose is going to baptize her! That will be a great experience!

Yesterday Dulirza gave a talk on faith, it was just great! The ward sister missionaries went to help her out, and Elizabeth gave a talk on Prayer! She really put a lot of time and effort into it. She bore a powerful testimony of how she prays when her son goes to parties. It has been great to see this little ward grow and see how they really can help the converts stay. I can see how they are putting a bigger effort in. They are seeing that we as missionaries are willing to put time into missionary work, and they are doing their part to make sure they stay in the Church. Almost all of the men and young men we have baptized have the priesthood.

Rodolfo was confirmed yesterday and is going to receive the priesthood this week.

Mariana Ortega and sons, not sure which one is Brandon or Rodolfo 

        Mariana is just great! She wants to enter the Temple so bad, and told us that in one year she will be there! She told us earlier this week that she wasn't going to be going to church for the next three weeks because her work starts in three weeks and she needed a temporal job. She found a job but said she would have to work on Sundays. We were kind of bummed out but told her if she needed to do it that was okay. (She's a single mother and her son just had a bad motorcycle accident). We went to eat with her on Thursday and she told us "Well I decided not to go to work! Actually I quit! I'm just barely starting in the Church, I can't stop now!!" The ward sister missionaries have been going to visit her everyday, they're doing just great! Arenal is going to end up being one of the strongest wards in our stake soon, because the members are working!

Next Sunday we are going to give a talk, they just barely told us so wish me luck!!

Also a I remember a few weeks ago you asked me if the houses in one of the pictures was my house and it's not, they're just houses in the area. Our house is really really nice! Also, I'm going to be sending Tyler's scripture case next week. The sister that makes them lost it and had to do it again! Oops! I didn't pay again though, don't worry.

Love you! Thanks for everything. The work is progressing here, and I'm really excited to be with Elder Lara. I was saying all last cycle that he was going to be my companion. I think we'll probably only have one cycle together, but we'll make it count.
Con mucho amor,
Elder Rasmussen