July 23 Email

HEY FAMILYYY!
  Wow seems like we are almost reaching the 2 month mark since i have been in Nicaragua!! It's been great i have grown so much in these last two weeks then i have in my entire life! I have def. learned patience this week as our investigators have thought it to be funny to not go to church last week so this week has been frustrating! we really pushed for them to go to church teaching the blessings and how much it can help us in the week! We learn of His doctrine! the people here have really opened my eyes to new things and have really helped me to grow closer to Christ! I know i came here to help others come unto Christ however in the process i have learned about myself and have grown and truly leaped mountains! In the beginning of the week i said i was working on my Patience and now i want to tell of my experience of this and what i have learned! first off in my studying i wrote what i think patience is and i wrote " its when you put up with things you don't like and don't want to do" haha however patience is FAR from that! I learned that first off you need faith because when we hope and desire we put into action of faith and are willing to sacrifice our own needs for something greater.  one experience of this is one investigator wasn't receiving a answer to his prayers about the Book of Mormon and the church and so i gave faith i had fasted for him.  I was upset the next time we visited him because he still didn't have a answer and i thought for a second that he is doing sometime wrong.  However yet again that wasn't good for me to think.  I realized that just as we make mistakes and are forgiven we also need to truly love.  This week started off with me just struggling and not knowing how to do it.  However i have realized that patience isn't only putting up with something its believing and hoping for things unseen... Faith believing it is possible through Jesus Christ and through His grace and mercy.  Loving with a pure love of Christ and sacrificing our own needs for the needs of another person! This helped me to truly feel the love of the Lord! because 1 I put love in God and Jesus Christ believing that they will help me and strengthen me and 2 i love others and not think of how its helping me! Patience has shown me how to love and how i can show my faith more! It has brought me such joy! Through our trials and through our hardships we truly learn the most! God loves us that he gives us these experiences for our growth! i am full of joy when i am given trials and hardships because i now think what can i learn and how can i become more like Christ! Every time someone rejects me, or every time i get made fun of i am full of joy because i get to feel a tiny glimpse of what our savior felt and what he went through! I know Jesus Christ lives that He is my savior that we have a father in heaven that loves us and gives us opportunities to grow! i know Through Him we can be made strong

One Month in Nica

Hey family!!!
   Well what a amazing week it has been here in the mission for me.  First off i was able to buy some things for the birthdays everyones been having i hope that they get to you elder page will be home by the end of the week and he said he will be stopping by to give you the things!! Some events that have happened are one my camera broke!! so i will have to go and buy a new one either this week or the next so pictures will be a little short today.  But as for the people and the progress its been huge! It fills me with joy to see the people go from a state of darkness and somberness to a whole new life that bring them joy and happiness! we have two families that are schedule for the 28th to be baptized and I'm super excited about that i only hope and pray that they will progress and do the things necessary before!! I never really pictured how hard it is to really have people be converted to Christ.  Because there are some that know he exists and know that the gospel is true however they say that changing is to hard and that they would rather suffer then change.  I am filled with such sadness when this happens because i want it with all my heart for them to change and become better but they don't believe. However the work goes on and they have their agency.  I have been really studying the bible more because i was able to understand how important it is to use both the B of M and the Bible for the FULLNESS! I have been really pushing myself this week to study has hard as possible.  my schedule is wake up at 5 and start studying the Bible then at 6 start working out and at about 6 45- 7 I start to change and get ready for the day and by 7 30 start to read the Bible then at 8 start reading the B of M and by 9 we are studying in companions and then at 11 study Spanish!! I started doing this on Saturday and by the time we get to the house and i change i am completely exhausted! Its been a really great experience though because i have learned and gained so much more knowledge! some things that have happened are one they have a festival here that is a celebration of the president and the revolutionary of Nicaragua! however we were unable to attend and we actually had to return to the house at 6 because it gets scary at night with all the drunks and people that don't like gringos!!! However we were safe and protected by the hand of the Lord and we got to our house at 8 and were completely fine!! However their is a member of the church that didnt' do so well because at about 2 or 3 in the morning he was walking to his house with his son and their were two other men that came and attacked him! he tried to run but realized that his son wasn't fast enough so he told his son to run to the house.  The father had turned around and faced the attackers their were 2 of them and they both had machetes.  He was really beat up bad and was cut up all over he has 3 cuts on his head and his hands were cut up all over.  he was in the hospital and we had visited him and he was not doing so well because he had lost a lot of blood.  I am really worried for him I'm not sure of the name of the man but if you could keep him in your prays that would be great! we are hoping that he will be able to recover! However I was thinking of this experience and how much it can relate to the savior! i realized that we have a brother that did the same thing as this man did.  That Jesus did nothing and that he realized that we wouldn't make it and he turned around for us.  He gave the greatest sacrifice to us and took the beating and pain so that we wouldn't have to suffer.  This story of the man really put into perspective of how much Jesus truly loves us.  That like this story we are the kids running home for protection that if Jesus wasn't there to help we wouldn't make it.  The love of the savior is great and he  will  turn and help however all he asks is that we believe that he will help.  I have been really thinking of how i can grow closer to Christ and what things i can do to learn and believe more because i know that without him i am nothing and i am weak.  However he gives unto us weakness that we may be humble that if they would come unto me i would make weak things strong unto them.  This has been such a great humbling experience and every day i realized how much i need him and that i couldn't do this without him.  I just want to end by saying Jesus is the Christ that his atonement is for ALL that he loves each and everyone of us that he gave his own life.  He truly bore our griefs and our burdens.  That we can become strong through him and the atonement and their is no other name given whereby man can be saved. that if we will hearken to his precepts we to can be saved.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the words of God.  That the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through Joseph Smith.  I know with all my heart that it is possible to return with our father in heaven and that Jesus lives!! that we can return as a family with our father in heaven for time and all eternity! I know this with all my heart and all my soul.  I love you all and thank you for the love and support you give! Im glad to hear you are all doing well i will keep you in my prayers always!! love love love family family family!
              Elder Trujillo

July 1st Letter

HOLA FAMILIA!!
   This week has came and gone! The time seems to go faster and faster!  I am not sure what the mission address is because I do not have my mission book anymore.  This week things have been going great I have been able to have a few experiences that have really made me think and change me! One thing that happened was a recent convert had a dream that she was standing in a dark tunnel and at the other end there was a person who was dressed in white that kept saying read Alma 5 30 it is a scripture that talks about repentance and coming unto Christ! This was really good for her that she was able to have this experience because she was not going to church and doing the things she was supposed to.  I guess its tough love... however she has completely changed and has read her scriptures every day and also she comes to church every week.  However I started thinking about this experience and how much we really can change when we realized that there is a God that loves us and that Jesus is the Christ.  That this is real and not some joke! I started to think about how grateful I am to be able to know these things and to grow closer to God and Jesus Christ.  Another experience I was able to have is we were in the house of hermano Salvador and he has a son named Terry and Terry has a son that is about the age of 3 and 5 and he was severely sick and on top of that he has asthma or however you spell it.  But it wasn't looking good they didn't have any money to go to the doctors and it seemed like all the things they were trying just didn't seemed to work.  However Elder Veron and I came to the house and saw the need of help.  We could have simply given them money and they go to the doctors however Elder Veron has a strong testimony of the power of the priesthood that I am so very thankful for!! At this moment we gave the little boy a blessing! However it was complicated because the little boy didn't want to be touched and so we prayed that we could just simply give the blessing to him.  He calmed down and eventually we were able to give the blessing.  It was time to head to the house because it was about 8 50 so we left and the whole time I was praying in my heart with all my strength that this little boy Josua would be healed through the power of the atonement.  Because I remembered that Jesus also took upon him the infirmities.  That night was rough for me because I was not able  have a good sleep and I just wanted to pray and pray for Josua.  I was able to finally fall asleep and I had an amazing dream but for now the story of Josua.  The next day came along which was Sunday and we went back over to the families house to check up on the little boy and a miracle had truly taken place.  The mom was in tears with what had happened to her little boy.  She had said that after we left and she had gotten to the hospital and into the doctors that Josua was healed.  That the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him and that he was completely healthy!! When I heard her say that my heart was swollen with joy and I felt the arms of the Lord cover me!  We were able to have them come to church(they are less active members) so that was just great for them!! This week was fast Sunday!! I have no idea why I love it so much but it is honestly the best thing in the world.  I was able to understand a lot and I have never felt the spirit so strong and so much.  I Have been able to grow such a strong love for the church and when Sunday comes along i cant wait to just head to the church!! I honestly feel the love of the lord more and more each day as I strive to apply the things that i read and become more like Christ! I have been really trying to find Christ more and find how really the atonement can help me not only in my work but also in my life.  I have truly learned more about myself in this last month then i really knew.  It is only through Heavenly father and Jesus Christ I am able to really come to know myself because they know me better than i do.  They have helped me in the times of struggle and the times of joy.  One quote i remembered was [I didn't say it would be easy i just said it would be worth it This quote has really helped me think that we pass through struggles and hard times so that we can find the treasure at the other end.  However this week I wanted to ask how can we use the atonement more in our life also that you search Christ with all your heart and energy because through him you will find yourself
  i love you all with all my heart!!!
            Elder Trujillo

Letter 06/25

HEYYYY!! wow it was super weird seeing you guys out camping!! i wasnt too upset because i feel like im actually there with you just in a different part of the world!! hahaha this week has been crazy and like normal the usually challenges! It is weird to say but i actually like to go through challenges and struggles it brings the greatest joy and happiness for me!! haha Only because i know when i am going through hard times i am being taught the most.  This week i learned about the importance of sacrificing our own needs for the needs of others.  At the beginning of the week i was really struggling with how i could make the people like me and just stop making fun of me because it was what has been happening constantly.  I honestly thought the people were just super rude and just didnt like me and so that is why they were just being so rude.  However one night my comp. decided to do a comp inventory and it was just horrible because we were having problems and in the day i was just upset and i didnt really want to talk at all.  we ended sitting for 10 mins in silence because we didnt even know where to start.  we ended up talking little by little and we just couldnt figure out what to do and ended up calling Elder page for guidance.  He ended up coming over to our house and talking with each one of us and truly giving inspired words from the lord.  after about a hour things were great and fine and the day was good a little bit rough but good.  then the next day i went on changes with the zone leaders!! his name is Elder Nybo who is such a great missionary with about 3 months left!!  throughout the day i was still confused on what to do because people just continued to laugh and joke about me. I was so tired that i actually prayed to heavenly father to send me someone or teach me what i need to know. later that night Elder Nybo was talking with me and he explained the reason things are so hard is because i am fighting the fact that people are different here.  I didnt realize it but i actually was asking the people to change how they acted and were because it wasnt the way i did things.  It was such a huge thing to realize that it wasnt them who needed to change but me!! I realized that all the times they were joking and all the times they were playing jokes and messing around was there way of welcoming me.  It is weird to grasp and accept but once I realized it my whole mindset of the mission had changed! I went from having people make fun of me to people who were open and loving.  They really have been doing what they do when they are welcoming people however it is different from what I'm used to so i thought it was them being rude.  I have sacrificed my ways of thinking and have realized that they aren't correct for 2 years that i actually have to become a nica!! hahah After realizing this and actually trying to change things have gotten so much more better! The people truly have tons of love and open hearts and are so willing to change and it was right in my face i just didn't see it!! However another sacrifice my zone made was service!!! it was so awesome! i used a mecheti or however you spell it! we cut down grass that was super tall for a hospital! I actually had a ton of fun doing it and was able to get a ton of pictures that i will send you!! I have learned a lot about myself this week and also about the people of Nicaragua! I am still upset about how i haven't baptized anyone yet but I'm hoping that i will be able to! It inst to big of a problem to get people to want to be baptized because they see the need and want to change and become better however they don't do the things necessary for it! Its very frustrating and some days i just pray and pray.  A huge problem here is a lot of people drink, smoke and say they want to quit but say its to hard.  we do however have a lady that is really positive and we actually have 2 other ladies that listen to us and really are interactive.  its a mom and her two daughters however the one that is really positive is the daughter of about 30 named perla and she has gone to church 2 times and is really progressing and so on the 7th we have a date but not exactly sure what will happen there! i just am so frustrated because i feel the spirit so strong and we have the investigator progressing and when it starts to come close they drink or something happens that makes it so they cant.  Satan really works against us a lot and We just try our best and help them the best we can! we also have a FAMILY who was really interested and so we will be teaching them and i hope so bad that they want to come the husband has a drinking problem and also a problem with smoking but he has been trying to quit both for a couple months now and we told him that he can receive power to over come his problems and he really got interested! we will have to see about them!! but I am going well and in great health the heat is exhasting sometimes but somehow i find the strength and am able to do it every day!  I think my body has started to adapt to missionary life so thats good but i have a lot more strengthening to do before i am really 100 percent.  Thank YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FOOD AND CANDY!! i am trying to be wise with it because it is in really short supply(they dont sell it) hahah so I'm trying to be smart! anyways I'm glad to hear your all doing well!  I would like to try something though because my mission is going to change me and give me so much happiness i want you to experience it with me!!! This week I was able to learn the principle of sacrifice and what it means to sacrifice! I was able to pray to my heavenly father and he truely answered my pray and gave me Elder Nybo to teach me that I need to give up my way of thinking to truely help others.  In a scripture i read it explains this purpose(2 nephi 31: 6 or 7) not sure but it explains how the people will learn in thier language and understanding. I was able to fallow the guidence of Elder Nybo and the scriptures and change and use the atonement to become better and more like christ.  To be able to learn that through sacrifice i can be happy and i can recieve joy! So this week i would like you also to think of something that you have a challenge with and pray to god and ask for help and what his will would be!