(This is the first email I got from Lincoln....He always says he "will do better next week!!".....)
I LOVE YOU, ALL, A LOT, LIKE A TON, LIKE MORE THAN YOU THINK IS POSSIBLE. Hope you all know that.
Sorry...don't have time to write today. Next week! later!
Love,
Elder Goodman:)
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(Then came this email about 20min later....He THINKS he is soooo funny!! :))
haha... jokes... you all thought I was serious. I am soooooo funny via internet.
Well! Happy summer! Our investigators finally left and are now on vacations! It is wierd to think you guys have been on vacation for months...hahahaha! I hope it is great! I hope you are enjoying every minute!
This week was great. Every week is great. All days on the mission are great. I hope you all know that.
First, is the story of Gerardo. He is great. Gerardo, the spouse of a recently activated sister named hermana Garcia. She is wonderful and they have a child named Emmanuel. He is 11yrs. old (in the picture behind his dad), and he is autistic! Well, we met Gerardo and we have been talking to him. He is amazing and he has had a great change. He went from drinking, being angry and depressed, to happy, loving, and looking for more happiness in this life. He has gained a strong testimony of his Savior. Gerardo wasn't baptized because he had some problems...forgiving others. And, figuring out the difference between the Gospel, Church of Jesus Christ and the people. But it was great to see the difference as he uses the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and has had a change of heart. It has been amazing. He is so stoked to keep going, to be a witness of Christ at all times, and in all places!
Also, we as a zone, have been working on many things. As you saw in the picture, we were teaching how to plan better for the zone, and it was great. We are so stoked for the work and how it is progressing. This zone is hastening the work and doing so well in that way!
We also had the baptism of a sister named Valentina. She has changed her family at the age of 9 years old. It has been a wonderful thing. We met her family my first week here in Colima. They were less actives members. Her family was at a point were they forgot the whole point of the Gospel. Well....Valentina told us she wanted to be baptized like her sisters, and that she was old enough to decide. hahahaha! Perfect! We prepared her, and she showed her family through her example how to change. She stopped using bad words (she is a little fiesty...haha!). And her family wondered why. After awhile, she said, "I am going to church." Her family said that they were too tired to take her, so she said she would walk. THE GIRL IS A FIREHOUSE! She was ready to walk like 5 miles to the church. hahahaha! Then she said she wanted to truly be baptized like Jesus Christ. She was hoping she could be baptized in the river next to her house, but she finally said it was ok if we baptized her in the baptismal font. She is great. Of course, with an example like that, she reactivated her family. They are now working to go to the temple so that they can be together forever, with that firey little beautiful girl Valentina. I respect her a ton, and I wanted to let you know how great she was!
Really, I think the thing I saw the most this week...was CHANGE. I think that is one of the best parts of the whole gospel. Is that we CHANGE. We aren't the same person. We shouldn't be the same person. We have to be better:) This week I was able to see, in the life of Gerardo, the ability to forgive, do the Lord's will, and grow spiritually. The zone... getting better every week, to help the work and get people to understand and come to Christ! And finally, Valentina, changing her family one Sunday at a time. I loved it. I love the gospel for this reason, for the reason that we can change. Always at the pace of the Lord, in His time. Somepeople seem to progress much faster, or slower, but it doesn't matter. If they are changing, I think that is the point. It has been great. I love it here. I love being able to change. I think sometimes we see ourselves and we have a lot of faults. But to work them one one by one, eventually, we change. We become different than who we were, and more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't mean to preach to you guys...sorry. It was just something I saw, something I have a testimony about.
I love the atonement. It is there to use, and we use it EVERY DAY. There shouldn't be a day that goes by that we forget.:) I love my savior! I am so stoked to help others understand that principle, to change!!! I love you all! I miss you. I can't wait for that day when I give you alll huge hugs. But understand I love it here and I love seeing miracles and the blessings the Gospel brings to the lives of all. The Chruch is true. Jesus Christ is my Savior! The Lord is my Light!!!!!
Love forever,
Elder Goodman!!
And uh...This is Elder Poblete....he isn't my companion...never was...but he is my friend and is super cool!!!! We were both in Vallarta for the same amount of time..this is when I left for Colima..but he is still there! Love to all Elders!
THIS IS GERARDO! HE IS THE BOMB! And he got baptized by the Hermano Guadalupe!
My new backpack...
I still haven't found out completely how to really use a broom...
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