September 10th 2013

Hola!!

Well, I went to the consulate yesterday and all is well with my visa. They should be receiving it later this week, and I will most likely leave at the end of the transfer which is the end of this month! Viva Mexico! 

This week my companions and I definitely learned a lot. We've been having some problems getting along and being united. It's kind of difficult to have 3 teenage guys all agree on every decision made, but we have really been working on obedience and unity! I really feel like these next 2 years will be a period of growth, and not just in my growing belly haha. Disunity makes it impossible to teach with the power of the spirit. We have been working on it a lot and actually fasted on Sunday for unity and to be able to find someone new to teach. As SOON as we broke our fast we began to see miracles. Right after dinner we pulled over to figure out where we should go. Right after we prayed we saw a guy outside playing with his kids and me and Aragon both said at the same time that we should go talk to him. He has met with the missionaries before a couple brief times but he was curious why they stopped coming. We set up a return appointment and it just felt like that was who we needed to talk to. We went to check in on Rosario, but he wasn't there. So we went to go check on Saul (another investigator)  because we only had about 30 minutes left in the day. We knocked on his door and he wasn't there! We were so bummed! BUT a man named Adrian came to the door and talked to us for a bit and invited us in. He's a Catholic but doesnt really go to church often and is mainly Catholic because his family is. We had SUCH a powerful lesson about the restoration. We taught SO unified and the spirit was so strong! At the end we invited him to be baptized in 3 weeks and he accepted! and we set up a return appointment for tomorrow. I know we were led there because of our fasting and prayers and we definitely got an answer. It was so humbling to see the hand of God in His own work. 

On Saturday we had a meeting about how we can help our investigators understand the significance of the atonement and baptism. I realized that I quite often take my baptism for granted, because I don't really remember that much about it, I just knew it was what I was supposed to do. I DO however, recognize the power of the atonement so powerfully in my life. It's possible that I could have stopped smoking and all that stuff without the atonement. I could pass a drug test without the atonement. But, I reflected back upon the day I went and talked to Bishop Orton to access the power of the atonement more fully through his priesthood keys. After talking to him I remember such a great burden lifted off my shoulders that I didn't even realize it was there. I thought I was happy before then, but once I felt the true power of the atonement through many nights of praying for forgiveness and finally talking to the bishop, I KNEW that Christ lives and truly paid for our sins. Our leaders invited us to think of what the world would be like, or what our lives would be like without Christ. I know that if you all think of what your life would be without Christ, or maybe what your life COULD be like if you included Christ more, that you will come to know and realize that he lives and loves us! 

I have already grown so much and can't wait to see what path the Lord has laid out for me. He's taken me on a pretty interesting one already so I'm excited to see where it could go next! :) I love you all and want you ALL to know that I know I am exactly where I need to be right now. I know we all have people placed in our path for a reason, not just missionaries, so look for them!

Before I left I promised Thad Jesperson that I would be 100% obedient, and honestly that hasn't been the case so far. Nothing big, but just a few small rules like getting to bed and waking up on time, and other little things I need to work on. Our companionship has the goal to pay attention to the little rules and try to see miracles through our obedience. 

I love you tons and hope all is well!!! 

Mucho amor,

Elder Connell