A-Names Are Amazing In Auburn

This was a slower week for sure. It's okay though!

Thanksgiving was part of the week, so that part wasn't as bad. I got to make some cookies with several other missionaries, and we took them to friends and members! It was a neat opportunity to serve on this wonderful holiday. We ate our big dinner at a kind member's home, and we felt welcome and loved!

Things are definitely getting colder! It's surprising how we haven't received any snow yet--at least not in Auburn!! It is getting foggy and icy little by little, so driving safety is a huge priority for me at the moment.

The reason I said things have been slow is that being committed and serious about the gospel takes time. For some people, it clicks with them really quickly; however, with our friends, it develops over time and comes with a relationship not only with us but also with Heavenly Father. I am learning patience with this. I want our friends to grow and feel meaning in their lives, but the timing is up to the Lord. It's not up to me. To illustrate this, we have stopped teaching four friends. We are no longer teaching Reynolds, Raúl, Christopher, or Gloria. Raúl was tough to let go, but he isn't willing to make time for the Lord and move along with his divorce papers right now. We are thrilled when he comes to church and everything, but we won't meet together weekly anymore. Although we are discontinuing weekly contact with these people, we can resume teaching them when they indicate that they'll really learn and change. It's not like they're gone forever.

On the bright side, the Lord has provided us with three or four new solid people, which makes up for our losses! They all happen to start with the letter "A," which is interesting. Their names are Anastacio, Alberto, and Audry. Anastacio referred himself to us recently and indicated an extreme longing to hear our message! We taught him a little bit several days ago. However, after over ten attempts at texting and calling him, he hasn't responded. We want to continue teaching him and not lose momentum. If he ever reaches out to us, we plan to make room in our schedule immediately to talk to him some more. Alberto is a referral that we received from some generous missionaries. We made him a new friend once Elder Wood taught him about the Book of Mormon and invited Alberto to read its introduction. After fourteen days, we talked to him again last night! He said he legitimately read the Introduction!!!! I was so excited to hear this. We also got his phone number, so we can coordinate a time to sit down and talk about his studies. He is happy to do so! When we mentioned church, he immediately replied that he'd love the address and wants to come! What a neat visit that we had. Audry is the person that I'm most excited about. She is one of our English class students! She is so kind. On Saturday, we had a Nicaraguan dish for dinner with her and our two members, the Fuentes'. It was great to have Audry see that we are fun people outside of teaching English. We asked her what she thought of church, and she said she loves it--especially the love of the members. We also asked her what's most important to her in life, to which she responded: "Dios." In English, God. What a wonderful answer! We informed her how happy we are that she wants to grow closer with God, and we told her that our purpose is to help her on her journey to Him. She is okay with having a lesson this next week with us and the Fuentes'!! On Sunday, Audry came to church for the THIRD TIME IN A ROW!!!!!! I was amazed that she came again. We are seriously going to take advantage of this by discerning her needs and desires.

As for Hugo and José, they're doing well. Hugo and Hermana Gastelum were sick, so we didn't meet with them. However, they want us back this Wednesday. José keeps reminding us how hard it is to talk to Maria about separation/marriage. We are pushing him to act on his faith, but it hasn't been easy. Please pray that he will feel what's right for him and that he'll take appropriate action. We can set up a plan for his baptism once he figures out this relationship obstacle.

All in all, this is an exciting time!! This upcoming week is going to be a great one. Elder Wood and Elder Townsend are continually hard-working, obedient, and driven. I love serving with them SO much! We get along really well. When disagreements arise, we apologize within ten minutes and make amends with each other. We value the influence of the Holy Ghost like nothing else.

I just love Auburn in general! What a privilege it is to be serving out here!!

I love my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They only want joy for us! Living like the Savior is ALWAYS worth the sacrifice. I testify of this truth.

Estoy tan bendecido de saber que puedo mejorarme por medio del arrepentimiento. La ordenanza de la santa cena es el recordatorio de esto. Al renovar nuestros convenios con Dios, ¡estamos cambiados completamente! Use la Expiación en su propia vida cuando ora, y sentirá gozo profundo. ¡Les prometo!

(I encourage you to translate the Spanish above if you don't understand it.)

¡Hasta luego!

Elder Talmage Jones