July 28th, 2014

This week was pretty interesting - we didnt have one day where we could work the whole day, it was kind of frustrating. One of my zone leaders got super sick, from tuesday to thursday we were on exchanges running around to be able to work in our area and thieres a little bit. So its been difficult trying to find new people to teach, but this week I have seen a huge change in one investigator. myself. Really I have felt more closer to Christ this week than never before, and I feel a lot more happier and immursed in the work. Im super greatful for the challenges I have right now they are not that bad but they have molded me and pushed me up a lot and I feel a lot better and secure with myself as a missionary right now.

Thursday. we had a little training thing from President, he started sharing from matthew 10, about following Christ- chapter 10 is loaded with good stuff I recieved a bunch of revelation that I completely overlooked before. In verse 37 and 38 it says basically he that loveth his family, or his life, more than Christ is not worthy of him, neither if we dont take up our cross. Look at that with Matthew 4:22 - Christ called his disciples, they immediately left their job, their family, their life to follow this stranger. Thats a huge example of faith and obedience - if I as a missionary expect investigadors to leave their familys traditions to follow us to Christ, I too need to take up my cross no. Give everything to him, drop my nets, drop every desire every ounce of worldliness behind. Its hard but thats really what he expects of each and everyone of us. To immediately follow him. with faith. with diligence. with whole heartedness.

I gotta tell you that friday we had a stake mission activity, a talent show thing, our ward did a play of the Prodigal son, haha I dont know how but I got cast last second as the adopted albino brother of the Prodigal son haha I dressed up as Alfalfa. Im sorry that Im staining the family name down here.

We had a super good baptism, the main man Emilio (I said he was 70 cause i thought he was, but really hes 60- he shaved his Grizzly Adams beard and lost about 15 years). He was super happy the whole service and the spirit was super strong. It was funny, hes one of those super calm people, and super timid, but when he came to church yesterday for his confirmation, he was running around greeting everybody haha he just opened up to everybody. So that really was the highlight of the week is the main man Emilio. Besides that we couldnt accomplish much, but I am super happy and content right now.

Elder Crisp

July 7th, 2014

It was wierd no one here celebrated our independence day....but ya it was a good week. Right now we only have a few investigators, ones a little girl Korina whos grandma and brother are members, shes super excited for baptism. And the others name is Emelio in his 70s. I think he was a drunk all of his life, his mind isnt all there, but he listens really well and really does have good faith. So apart from them two we dont have much, something Ive realized is that here everyones really old...theyre in that stage where nothing matters haha so its a little funny trying to work with them but at the same time not that progressive. So really my focus has turned to reactivating less actives, I really now see the effect that has on people is seeing someone come to their door worried for them. We now have a couple of them coming to church, from more than anything just seeing that somebody remembers them. So do your home and visiting teaching every month every single one youre assigned to.

We had a good training from the new president (thats crazy that dad knows him!), hes a super good teacher obviously, gave us a b unch of good tips about finding the "chosen". To not waste a bunch of time and help those who are really ready for this gospel. He also talked about being edifying to the people. In d&C 50 22, It says that which doth noth edify is not of god, and is darkness. Everything we do as missionarys (and people) needs to be to build those around us up, or else we are doing something dark. It was really good the whole thing, Hes super energetic and cool im excited. So ya do your home teaching and be edifying in every place you go.

With love
Elder Crisp

June 30th, 2014

This week President Amayas mission ended, its been kinda wierd it was like the pope died. Now we have an American, he was a professor of religion at BYUI, im ecited to meet him. We had like a good bye zone conference to PRes Amaya, He told us a lot of good things, one thing that stuck with me is that a sister in the mission asked him the other day what class of missionary am I. He had to think for a while, but his response was that you are the class of missionary that you believe yourself to be. It made me think about if Im really the missionary I want to be, or that I should be. Some missionarys do all of these things just to look good to others, but really i Realized the only thing that matters if were making our ownselves proud and obviously God too.

Weve been stressing ourselves to really find people by the spirit, not just talking to whoever but contacting those who we are led to. Its been interesting and weve had some good conversations, a lot better than those when were just going through the motions with contacting. The thing i realized is that none of the people that I have taught that were baptized, were found through contacting, theyve all been from members. Which isnt a bad thing, but it means that there has been people Ive missed, thats unacceptable to me. ha.

Last night, the parents of Lucho, an investigator of ours who is still waiting for a interview for baptism from president, invited us for dinner and it was really neat. They are super duper Christians. I say christians cause i dont know what theyd be called in america, Here theyre called Evangelicos which would mean gospelists. So ya they were telling us about how theyre son was converted with the BoM. That it was day and night, he woke up after having read the BoM and was a completely new person. They said that they know it has to be the word of God, We have to have been sent from God for him to be converted. Cause really he already is converted. We found out he has been holding FHE with his parents to read the BoM with them. the only problem is they cant accept that theyre pastor isnt a prophet, they "cant" leave their church. But I can see that they are slowing being worked on by the SPirit and the whole family will come around.

Thats just a small testimony of how powerful that book is. I truly now see that its true that it brings people closer to god than any other. It cant be denied if it is read with an open heart. It came straight from God, and there is nothing more important on earth if one wants to be brought to a true testimony of how to gain salvation.

Con Amor,
Elder Crisp

With the zone and Pres sist Amaya
Check out my awkward pose trying to aviod contact with the sister