Week two and three

Elder Strong is doing great! He says he loves Sundays the most because he can feel the spirit a lot more on Sunday. He also was able to listen to a couple of devotionals. In one of them he was taught that you can count the seeds in the apple but you can't count the apples in a seed. Relating to missionary work, that even if you plant a seed you have no idea how many apples are going to come from it. Then Elder Bednar, talked to them about is it the Holy Ghost or is it just me. Elder Bednar said in the end it didn't really matter, that we probably won't experience overwhelming feelings, and sometimes we don't even know why we are doing some things, but if we are worthy and clean, then every good thought is from God and we should act on it.

Elder Strong was able to go to the temple again, the temple in Bogota is really pretty, and he feels the spirit so strong in the temple. He says it is hard to understand in Spanish, but it still feels the same. He has also been doing a lot of praying and can definitely feel the difference in his life as he does so. 

They got to have a thanksgiving dinner down there. He was a little sad there was no turkey bowl. After dinner they got to watch Meet the Mormons, it is such a good movie he loved every minute of it. He said it was cool to see that the gospel is so strong all over the world, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ blesses the lives of everyone.

He said that the time he has felt the spirit the most is when a missionary who was getting sent home to fix some things bore his testimony, to tell them that he knows the gospel is true, and shared his thoughts with them. Elder Strong felt a sense of peace knowing that he is where The Lord wants him to be at this time in his life. Then another time is when a missionary sang a song that he wrote to his mom before he left on his mission it touched him so much it brought tears to his eyes, because he thought of his mom and how amazing she has been in his life and the love she has shown him.

They are going tracking tomorrow, and also a tour on Tuesday. He gets a Latino companion on Tuesday night. He appreciates all the prayers and support, please keep praying for him that the language will come a little easier to him.

Love, Elder Strong

First full week in Colombian Missionary Training Center

We were super excited to hear from Elder Strong. He sounds like he is doing amazing down there. His companion is from Arizona. He was able to attend the Bogota LDS Temple, he had to wear headphones so he could understand what they were saying, but he was grateful for the chance he had to attend the temple, and gain a greater testimony of the importance of attending the temple. He said he would probably be able to attend the temple two or three more times before he leave the CCM. He said his scripture reading is going great, and that as he studies the scriptures, instead of just reading them, he is getting a lot more out of them. He has also started saying his prayers in Spanish. He also had to prepare a talk in Spanish, but was grateful he didn't have to give it.  He likened himself to Nephi in first Nephi, where Nephi says, " I will go and do what the lords commands, for I know that The Lord will provide a way for me to accomplish those things." Tyler knows he needs to rely on the Savior, and Heavenly Father, to do what they have commanded him to do. He says he prays a lot, more than he has ever prayed before.
 Last Sunday they were able to listen to some general conference talk on missionary work. He really liked one called the Divine call of a missionary. He would recommend if you have the chance to read it, do so. They also read more talks about missionary work. They were able to teach an investigator well actually a fake one, they taught him all in Spanish except for just a few words. He said that the spirit was strong when they were teaching. He loves being a missionary! We won't hear from him again until around Nov. 25. He said his P-Days are Fridays and Tuesday, but they are about 10 days between each P-Day.

Elder Strong week one Colombia Bogota North Mission

Elder Strong has been called to serve in the Colombia Bogota North mission. Elder Strong will be serving November 2014 - November 2016. He left on November 4 2014 at 6:30 in the morning and arrived in Bogota about 9:00 p.m. He was able to email us Wednesday morning to let us know he had made it there safely. Elder Strong is in the Colombia CCM which is the missionary training center down there. He said it was pretty small, and all the missionaries are all very friendly down there. He said that the mission president of the CCM encouraged them to read the Book of Mormon while they are in the missionary training center. He also said that they start speaking Spanish first thing when he arrived. He was grateful he had taken three years of Spanish in high school, and also that he was able to speak some at work this summer. Sounds like he is doing great. His P- day's

are about 10 days apart, so we won't hear from him until November 14.