September 24 Email

Yeah i heard that they dedicated it!! How many temples do they have now in Utah!! seems like a billion... or like 16 haha my companions name is Elder Montenegro and he is from Panama!! He is one change from going home and I think that I will be with him till he leaves!!! Things have been going great for us we have two families who will be baptized on the 13th of october!! We will baptize 4-8 people!!! Depending on how the people progress however I want to have 8!! To be like John the Baptist and do one after the other!! lol they are really progressing and they hvae a deep desire to be baptized!! We only need to get the Dad to want to get married that is his challenge he has!! It's really weird but there is a fear here that if you get married you will get divorced and so people just dont get married... sometimes its a big problem.. however we are working hard to be able to get them baptized!! We actually only have me and my companion in our house because it is about the size of the downstairs computer room in our house however a little smaller... lol we onlly have room for our bed a dresser and 2 desks and its completely full!! there is hardly any room to exercise so that has been a challenge for me... lol  we actually have a new bishop I am actually sad because the old bishop was really awesome and worked with us a lot!! We now need to get to know the other bishop and im not sure how well he will be able to go out with us.. However the work goes on. :)  This week has been really great for me and I have been able to learn about how our attitudes can change the work! how if we will follow the words of the profeta Thomas S. Monson and think "its better to look up" that our attitudes can really change every aspects of our lifes! I have truely felt the uplifting power of the spirit as I have applied the wonderful works of our beloved prophet! I am so glad we are able to have a prophet that directs our eyes skyward when times get tough and when we seem to feel insignificant! Because I know sometimes I feel like I am just a peice of nothing sometimes that I work all the days and sometimes people dont want anything.  I only think of the scripture in Doctrine and Covanants that a soul is great in the eyes of God.  That how great will be your joy if you bring one soul unto Him, however how great will be your joy if you bring many!! I keep this in my mind to help keep me going and  I have realized that some of the hardest days are when this passage of scripture comes to mind more.  And I realized why is because I have a Father in Heaven who truely loves me and is giving me his words of encouragement to help me keep going when it seems like nobody wants to listen!! I have been working on my attitude and trying to be positive in every situation!! I try to always to look up!! to try to bring light to a world that seems to be almost as dark as a cave! one people that I have been looking upto for guidance is Nephi and his example! He truely showed what it really means to have a positive attitude! He could have given up and just quit however, he always looked at the positive.  There are many stories when he showed how to look up! When his brother tied him up,  when he was constructing a boat, and when his brothers always mumurred! I have come to love the scriptures and they have become one of the ways I first look to when I am needing help!! I am so grateful for them and more for my family!!! I would encourage you to ¨always look up¨ that God really does love us and He will help us through any situation no matter how easy or how dificult it may be.  I know that through changing our attitudes we can be more filled with the love of God for others that you can bring light to the dark that when others may not be able to stand we can lift them up!! i love you all so much and miss you tons!! I pray for you ALWAYS!!!
Elder Trujillo

September 17 Email

  How is everyone doing? things have been going well here still no baptisms however. we do however have baptismal dates set we just need to keep them progressing and going in the right direction!! We have two families that are doing well and are really positive, the only problem is with one the husband doesn't really want to listen... which makes it hard to get him to be baptized.. but the other has been going to church and doing well we only need to get them to go two more times and they are ready!! It has been pretty hard this week as the mom (Ana), her father died and she has been really sad. However, with some words from the spirit she was able to overcome her sadness and she has found hope.  Hope and faith for me is everything, that faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement.  That I  know all things are possible through our faith.  I read in Moroni 7 and it says with faith in Jesus Christ all things are possible.  After reading this it made me really think about my mission and what I really wanted what I really wanted to accomplish.  I realized that if nothing is impossible then everything is possible.  Because God wants ALL men to be saved not just a few.  It helped me to realize how important my mission is that He has given me the opportunity to do the impossible.  However I am not alone He is with me every step of the way guiding me.  In one of my favorite hymns it says I will go where you want me to go dear Lord over mountain or valley or sea.  I keep this in my mind when we are out and the day seems to go bad and all the appointments fall though  I put all my faith in God that He will truly guide me where I need to go.  I have been working on building my faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement because I read about Lehi and how he ate of the fruit and after, he found a desire to share with all.  I have thought about this a lot lately and realized that if I want to have the desire that Lehi had I first need to partake of the fruit! That as I partake more and more of the fruit how much more of a desire I will have to declare these things to the world!! This week I have been able to finish the book of Mormon in Spanish!!! It was actually a very awesome thing to do and to realize how much power the Book of Mormon has! I have really grown to love it as I have struggled and how it has opened up my mind every day to let in more light and to give me more understanding! I know with all my heart, might, mind and strength that this book is the words of God! That it really was written like the prophets said (for instructions for my children and my generations) I have had questions answers and have received some of the strongest impressions in my studies of the Book of Mormon! Sometimes it was a struggle to read because I didn't understand however I am so glad for the mercy and the love of our God who has given me the knowledge to understand these things and to be able to learn this language that at first seemed almost impossible! I know this book was translated by Joseph Smith and is from God! I Know that through the power of the Book of Mormon I have been able to learn Spanish and it has taught me everything I know that because of this book I have been able to speak! I am so grateful for this book that through some of the hardest challenges in my mission I have been able to find enlightenment through this book! I have also been able to gain some amazing experiences here in Batahola that have really strenghthened me to know my God loves me and is really here helping us.  I was able to discern the thoughts of men.  We were teaching a family and as we were ending in my head I heard the words these guys are crazy.  I then started to tell him I know you think we are crazy and he was instantly interested. He asked me how I knew he thought that I told him that i just had a hunch... lol however looking back I realized that is was just like Alma when he taught the king and discerned the thoughts of men.  That I was able to be filled with the spirit and know the thoughts of men to be able to declare repentance! I have been able to speak with the tongues  of angels. I am so humbled knowing all of the miracles that i have seen! I don't have time to write them all however, I know that God lives! That Jesus is the Son of God who came to this world to save us! That he is the life and the light.  All those who come unto him will receive eternal life! I know that our family can be together forever! That I would make it a goal for you to really learn of the atonement to partake more of the fruit that Lehi speaks of exercising your faith.  It says in Doctrine and Covenants: " learn of me and walk in the meekness of my spirit and I will give you peace" I know that God will bring forth miracles unto you if you will learn of Him and exercise your faith.  That the blessings of eternal life are real and that we can live together forever! That what is bound on earth is bound in heaven.... however, what is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.  I know that the covenants with God bring true happiness... especially the ones in the temple.  I am so glad I have been able to know that my brother has been able to go through to be sealed with his wife for time and all eternity.  I love you guys with all my heart! I know that this gospel brings forth blessings from God! I know these things to be true that God really does love me and it is manifested to me every day! That there are miracles! That through our faith all things are possible!! i love you guys and i pray for you always i love you i love you I love you!!
            Elder Trujillo

09-10-12 Email

HEY ALL!!!!!! THINGS ARE GOING GREAT HERE IN NICARAGUA!!!
  This week went by so fast I can't even believe it!! I felt like I just wrote you guys!! lol However, I have been able to learn and grow a lot and have experienced some cool things!! I have seen so many miracles and the love I  have for the people have grown so much!! To start off, all is well as far as the earth quakes and the volcanoes it hasn't affected the south part of Nicaragua so that is good! There was a big earthquake in Costa Rica that we felt however it was only a little one!! The church has been taking all preoccupations for us and have been giving us instructions on what to do in case anything happens, so dont worry!! However I want to start to explain about the begining of the week and the struggle I was having! I felt like I didnt really have love for the people and that I was only just going through the motions! I Felt like I needed help from my Heavenly Father and so Monday night I got on my knees and with all the strength of my heart and might I prayed for help that I would be able to learn to love the people and learn to be able to become a better missionary! And what I learned was even more then I could of imagined!! He sent me a missionary by the name of Elder Coque he was truely sent to help me with my situation! He taught me to really focus on the people to find their needs and to show them how the gospel can help them in their lives! I was able to know that God does really love me and sends me people so that I can grow and learn! And not only that, but I was also given the opportunity to put into action what I learned because I was put with another gringo who didnt know very much spanish!! I am so grateful for this because I was able to really love the people to grow to know them and learn how to become a better missionary!! I learned that God will answer my prayers and if I will ask in faith He will give it to me! I am so grateful for this experience because I have grown so much from it! I Know this week went by so fast because I felt the love with every person I talked to!! I was able to apply what the Lord taught me!! This work is really centered in the love of the Savior and that he really will help us to love as He loves! I have learned that if I really care for others and desire to help them the work goes by faster and I actually love to go out!! I am so grateful for all the things I have been able to see and experience! All the things I have been able to go through and all the things I will be able to go through!! I'm so greatful for the help with my spanish and I am able to understand almost everything!! there are words that i dont know but i learn every day and i can communicate almost with exactness!! i love you guys and all that you do for me!! LOVE  LOVE  LOVE  FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY

September 3rd Email

HEY FAMILY!!!

  Wow! This week has been full of different adventures and exciting things as we have started to explore our area a lot more.  We have met some of the coolest people and have seen some miracles come through our faith. First I will start with contacting because that seems to be the thing we do most!! haha We were able to find two families and each one teach the restoration and every time I felt the Spirit really strong and we were able to put a baptism date for them both!! We have about 5 dates set for baptisms!! This area will bring a lot of baptisms!! I have been listening to the Spirit more and gaining more knowledge I am able to teach and help more.  As well as my Spanish has improved a mountain sense the first day I was here!!! I am able to have conversations with the people here and for the most part they understand me and I understand them. However I don't know everything I am working on mastering the language to be able to interact more!! The spirit has helped me with my Spanish in ways I couldn't even imagine! It was a struggle at first but as I keep learning and growing I feel the spirit give me words in my mouth and I am able to fallow the spirit more. My faith personally has grown as I have been striving to love the people here more and try to become more like Christ every day! I am working on love and charity this week and I didn't know but its actually a commandment of god!! To love others as ourselves and to give the pure love of Christ! That through this love we can actually feel how the savior loves us. I have been trying to grow that love for all of my brothers and sisters of Nicaragua!! Sometimes I just think that they are you guys to help me out a little bit!!! I have been praying with all my heart and soul that I can love as Christ does because it seems almost impossible at times because not all people like to listen to us... However just as you love your family you still love them no matter what mistakes they make.  I have truly felt the love of my Savior in these last few days as I have been feeling a little sick and sometimes really tired. However I have read the scriptures for help and I read about the savior and things he went through and I feel empowered I have felt him lift me up when I felt like I couldn't walk any more and give me love in times I felt alone. I am so glad for his love and the opportunity I have to serve him and to fallow his footsteps. Like it says in Doctrine and Covenants learn of me and walk in my meekness and I will feel your soul with peace and joy.  I have truly felt of his love and at times his arms wrapped around me to lift me up and to give me strength! I know he lives and that with all my heart he loves us that he truly cares for each and everyone of us! Always waiting to forgive and always waiting to help us we only need to ask!! I love you guys so much and I pray for you every day! I'm glad I have you in my life and for all that you do! All is going well here with me!!! LOVE YOU!!!

            Elder Trujillo