Highlight of the Mission this Week, September 1, 2012

Driving the manual truck in Maipu....lanes just suddenly disappear?
This was a few weeks ago. Cole says driving is a little crazy.

Hey Family!  I had one of the highlights of my mission this week!

Well first, We did the standard of excellence in contacts last week: 140!  We did 58 contacts on Sunday.... It was a lot.  There are a lot of weeks, probably the majority, where I didn´t get 58 contacts in a week, and we did 58 Sunday.  I was happily exhausted.  And we taught a really good lesson on Sunday, and Camila was there!  Okay back up.  We have been teaching Jesica and Elsa, the wife (Elsa) and daughter (Jesica) of Nilo, the old man that died a few weeks ago.  We´ve been meeting with them, and we set a baptismal date with them last week.  They´re awesome, and it appears that they have a sincere desire to learn more and come closer to Christ.  So that´s awesome.  But on Sunday night, when we went to teach them, Camila (Nilo and Elsa´s grandaughter and Jesica´s daughter) was there.  She´s like 20.  I´d taught her once before, and we talked with her for just a little bit at the viewing.  But she was there Sunday, and we were with the Elders Quorum President from the ward (Brother Huentenao).  Camila came into the living room and sat down and was ready to participate.  She acted like she did it every time or something.  I was happy to teach her, especially because we were going to teach about the restoration and she was there!  So we taught them.  And they understood it all, especially Camila.  And it was good.

Then we went back the next day!  That´s always a good sign.  We went back with Brother Huentenao again (maquina!), and we went just to read the Book of Mormon with them.  We wanted to help them love that book so that they would learn more about their Savior.  So we just started straight from 1Nephi 1 and read a few chapters.  We stopped along the way to kind of help them understand the storyline.  It was good.  And at the end, Brother Huentenao decided to help them understand the Spirit a bit more-- to help them recognize when they feel it and what it means when the feel it.  He went around to the 3 of them and asked them individually how they feel and felt when we, the missionaries come over to share with them or when they read the Book of Mormon, things like that.  After they had all answered, we read Galations 5:22, where it explains the fruits of the spirit.  And so Brother Huentenao asked them what they were really feeling during those situations, and they were able to learn that it was actually the Spirit.  So that was really cool.  Then, with that wonderful "What´s the spirit" little discussion, we started talking, directing it specifically to Camila.  We always leave people with the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know that it is true, that it is the word of God.  And to that invitation, she told us how she already believed it was true, because she had seen a huge change in her grandpa the months before he died.  And he knew that it was because he was reading this book and applying the Gospel in his life (YES).  So that was cool.  We then asked her what it would mean to her if she knew that the Book of Mormon was true, and after a few minutes she said she´d need to follow it.  Elder Wharton started this process, and I knew it was going to lead to a baptismal invitation, which is what we had talked about as a companionship the night before.  So It was my turn to talk, and I started to explain that one of the many principles that the Book of Mormon teaches is about faith, repentence, and baptism (she understood Baptism pretty well from The Restoration lesson).  So I told her that we wanted to invite her to be baptized, and I asked her what she thought about that.  She said, "Sí, sí, me gustaría."  And so Elder Wharton said, "Camila, will you prepare yourself to be baptized on the 4th of November with your Mother and Grandmother?"  Camila said yes, and immediately she looked at the floor.  I could tell she was feeling something very very strong, and that it was the Spirit confirming to her the decision she had just made.  As Elder Wharton expressed how happy her Father in Heaven was for her decision, I noticed her eyes actually close for a few seconds.  She was definitely feeling something good inside!  And it wasn´t because of what we were saying, it was because of what she had committed to do.  So Elder Wharton just kinda stopped talking to let her really soak in all the good feelings that were happening (and we had just talked about the fruits of the Spirit!).  And then we saw the tears start running.  She had felt the spirit so strong when she decided to make a covenant with God, and to prepare herself to do it on a specific date that she started crying.  It was the first time in both my mission and Elder Wharton´s mission where someone had started crying in response to being invited to baptism.  So we let her sit there for a little bit, and then I told her (just to make sure there was no mistaking it), that what she was feeling right then, in that very second, was God talking to her.  It was God telling her, through the feelings sent through His Spirit, that He was pleased with her decision to be baptized.  It was definitely one of the highlights of my mission so far.  I testify that God loves his children and that he wants the best for them.  I know that as we come closer to him, He will bless us, and He will let us know that he is "well pleased" by blessing us with his spirit.  And He will especially do that as we prepare ourselves to make (or renew) covenants, or sacred promises with him.

I love you.  Go have the Spirit this week.  Go serve someone.  Go and be happy.

Elder Moffat

Fechas, 4, August 25, 2012

A member in Cole's area made this... too fun!

Hey family!!  Awesome week!

Sunday, a Member family brought another family to church, and we talked with them after sacrament meeting and had a class with them.  They´re really interested in the Gospel and learning about it adn everything.  We talked about Baptism (because the member asked us to have a lesson on Baptism for his friends) on Sunday, then we went back on Tuesday.  We were able to teach them a spirit-filled lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then talk about the Book of Mormon as physical evidence of that Restoration.  Because they already had a pretty good base on Baptism from our Sunday class, it was a pretty good transition to invite them to fulfill what God wants them to do by making a sacred covenant with him through Baptism.  They realized the importance of it and were quick to say yes!  However, they were a bit hesitant on setting a date.  Yesterday, Friday, we went back and read through 3 Nephi 11.  In verse 18, the people shout "Hosana!" upon realizing that it was really Jesus Christ, their Savior, in front of them.  "Hosana" literally means "Save us."  So in response to that plea, Jesus gives people the authority to baptize, and then proceeds to explain the proper manner of baptism.  We stopped and talked about what was happening 3-4 times while reading.  Jenifer, the mom, just understood everything, really well!  So when we finished chapter 11, we asked them, "So, what is Christ´s invitation in this chapter, based on what you understood?"  and the immediate reply from Jenifer, "That we get baptized!  That we have faith, that we repent, and that we get baptized, according to the Doctrine of Christ."  It was an AMAZING experience.  MIRACLE.

On Monday, we were with-- OH MONDAY!  I forgot to say, 7 missionaries left in the middle of the change to get back in time for school!  So, that was pretty crazy stuff.  Elder Rios´s companion, Elder Smart, went home, so he was with us for the night.  We went, Elder Rios, Elder Wharton, and I, out into the sector to work.  Well, Elder Rios served in this ward almost a year ago, so we took us by a bunch of investigators, and with some we set some FECHAS!  it was awesome!  We also got some other new investigators.  MIRACLE.

On Wednesday, we taught Jesica y Elsa, the mom and

These past few days we´ve also done a lotttt of contacts.  I feel that in our mission, there´s this stigma that contacts are super hard and boring and not what you want, and so as a mission, we are wayyy low on the contacts.  I would say that most of the contacts we do are pretty good contacts, but we just don´t do them as much.  So the past few days as the office district, we´ve just decided to do what Preach My Gospel says, and literally talk to everyone.  We´ve gotten more than 20 contacts the past few days, and we´ve done it just taking 2 hours each day and talking to everyone we walk by.  Put that in contrast to my first 2 weeks this change, we got 23 contacts total (granted, the first week of the change is always nuts).  But we did that in two HOURS.  The people need to hear our testimonies.  They need to hear that God loves them.  They need to be given the opportunity to use their agency and choose to learn more about their Personal Savior, Jesus Christ.  Unfortuneately, there are people that simply don´t want to learn more about the being that gave His life for them, but we as missionaries, and as members of the Church of Jesus Christ who live His gospel, need to lift our voices and share what we know and why we know it.  We need to share the blessings we´ve recieved from God by following His plan.

I hope everything is okay there at home, and that you have a WONDERFUL start to the school year!  Love you guys!
Elder Moffat

Busy, Busy, August 18, 2012

Not much to tell this week, sorry. but I did get the letter from the
primary! Yay! That was really cool.

So basically this week in the office was really busy with the people
leaving in the middle of the change for school. I had to do all the
things I normally do week 3 of the change, plus most of the things I
do (and will do) weeks 5 and 6 of the change (Go-homer stuff). So
there was quite a lot of trabajo this week-- plus some different visa
stuff. BUT! well, okay, let me give the back story first. We were
teaching this guy in Las Avenidas (like May-June ish) named Francisco.
He was a friend of the Duran Family and really cool. We couldn´t
teach him all too often because of his work schedule (front desk of an
apartment building during the night shift 5-6 nights a week), but when
we did, he understood and was very interested. He was reading in the
Book of Mormon when he could, and came to church 3 times when I was
there, the 2nd and 3rd time by himself, without us or another member
picking him up. Pretty cool. The Duran Family was helping a lot with
him and we had a few lessons in their house. Which brings me to this
past Sunday, HE GOT BAPTIZED! And president knew that I started
teaching him, and that he got baptized, so he told me to call
Francisco this week to congratulate him (it wasn´t that he let me, he
actually told me I needed to do it, which was really good haha). That
was cool. Apparently there were like 40-45 people that went, and
that´s a whoooollle lot, considering that regular Sunday attendance is
50-55! And Hno. Duran, who baptized Francisco, apparently was really
sick that day, and could hardly walk. They were all worried that he
wouldn´t be able to go to the service, let alone baptize someone. But
then came the time to go to the baptism, and suddenly Hno. Duran felt
great! So there were some miracles there as well. It´s great to be
about the work of the Lord.

Last Sunday, here in Maipú, we got to teach about the Restoration to
an investigator family. When we got to Joseph Smith and the First
Vision, the Spirit was soooo strong! Incredible. I felt it, my comp
felt it, the members that were with us felt it, and most importantly,
the Family felt it. I was then able to testify of what they were
feeling (applying Dad´s advice, yet again), and help them recognize
that it was the spirit, testifying to them that what we just finished
teaching was absolutely 100% truth from God. Lately, we haven´t
gotten to teach the restoration as a first lesson to investigators.
oh it was so refreshing.

Other than that, not too much to tell, other than the Lord is always
in this work, and he loves people so much that He will never infringe
upon their ability to choose-- he will always respect their agency.

Well, write you guys next week. Have fun starting school (is that
this week or next?)

Chaíto,
Elder Cole Moffat