Week 25 obedience brings forth blessings!!

That woud be way awesome if Seth got his call before mothers day ! I will definitely pray for that !!:) Yeah Taylor received his call this week he is going to ...... CALIFORNIA!!!!!!! Except a different mission. Sounds like a fun campout jaja , I love  it when it rains here because that means it is a little cooler, but right before the rain it is super hot! But what a nice dad jaja :) sounds like a great day to fish, for this reason I don't like fishing , but I guess it means all the fish are rightous avoiding temptation and all jaja. Kayden ran more than Josh and Jared ? we can buy all that stuff down here. My shoes are good except my pday shoes they are officially  trashed after futbol today. Thanks for the great advice and support mom.

Anyways so this week in Colombia looked a little something like this...

Starting with miercoles because I don't really recall martes for some reason. 

Miercoles: We had a district meeting in the morning with our new district. So our New leader is Elder Lendley he has one more Cambio than me in the mission, and he is training also right now. Then it is his companion Elder Aguilar, My comp E. Henriquez, yo, and 2hermanas. Anyways Elder Lendley gave a good lesson on the type of missionaries we should be , he used a talk that talked about 4 different types of missionaries. it went well. Then afterward we went back to the apartment and I killed like 4 Cucarachas and then 2 more later in the night. 

Jueves: Weekly planning that always takes forever, so we buy some food from the tienda by our casa to eat while we plan :) After we went to lunch it was good minus the jugo oshhhh horrible, but none of us said anything we just drank it. Then the mom was like isn't the jugo super rico, and we all looked at each other and were like sí hermana muy rico el jugo. then she asked if we wanted more and we gladly rejected the offer but thanked her. Also this day no one was in their casas super pailas! but at the very end of the day we had a lesson with G* who we found on Sunday but the lesson didn't go as planned because he talks a lot and has a lot of questions because he had basically been studying a bunch of different religions so I've been trying to have patience with that.

Viernes: we had almuerzo again in the moutians with the family with the pet parrot named Blue however during the week it flew away , I think it probably flew home to brazil, and to go visit Jeremy in RIO. jaja Then we had a lesson with a Menos activo familia and my comp basically called them to repentence and in a super direct way , but I think it is what they needed. Fam A* we had one of the young men accompany us who just got the priesthood a week ago. We are having like no luck with this family for some reason , the lessons are super good , but they never follow through on stuff so that is a bit frustrating at times. But hopefully in the Lord{s time. 

Sabado: So this day was interesting so we didn't have any progress at the beginning  of the day minus the lesson with a return missionary who is less active and is having trouble with self doubts and things like that. The lessons are good  but yeah. Oh, so while we were waiting for a lesson  we were robbed buy 2 jovenes claiming thay had a gun, but luckily they only took our cell phone , and they didnt have a gun so you can relax mom it was just a pipe but yeah it was kind of intense , but we are safe and good :) So we ended up staying the night with the other Elders that night, then went back to our aprtment early in the morning. So now both companionships have had their cell phones robbed. 

Domingo We met a new family, family Bayona.(We had a super good lesson with a family who was a reference from a Less active family that we are in the process of rescuing , and they were able to accompany us to the lesson it went really well . The family is super excited about the church they even came to church Sunday and that is how we met them. They loved how the church was so focused on families and so organized so we taught the lesson 1 the restauration which went super well, and they excepted our invation to read the Book of Mormon, and pray about, and also our invitation to be baptized so that was super cool to see the hand of the Lord at the end of the week. We have also received a lot of help from the ward members this week so that was cool ! )It was way awesome  

Hoy: was typical Pday futbol and dominos , execpet my shoes ripped today , but it was fun and I saw Elder Tipton again because he came to the Zone this week so that was cool !

How are you guys? it is great to get the updates and all the advice . I love you guys so much .

and if you want to send my indoor soccer shoes that would be awesome, but if not Ithink I can buy some  here. 

Love you guys ,

Elder Strong :)

Week 24 I am staying in the same area

Wow that sounds like a super cool stake conference. I just fasted this Saturday and Sunday for a couple of our investigators I'm not sure it helped but I'm  hoping it will help in one way or another. There was also the first talk in General conference about fasting that I really enjoyed and was able to find strength as I was fasting. That also sounds like a super great talk from President Brown I wish I could here the whole thing but thanks for giving a summary. Ward Councils are definitely important and honestly didn't even now what exactly they were and what they did until I got here in the mission, but yes they are important in the work of the Lord. Hopefully Seth can get his papers in soon , the suspense is killing me waiting to here where he will go. Also Taylor said his call might come this week so that is super exciting!!! Fishing wow that is cool, showed them up , put them in their place jaja. Eagle project,fishing hopefully soon missions starting. ( SOAR like an Eagle). Super cool Jared keep up the good school work. It is definitely important man. Kayden man what a great example of living your faith bro, you are a hero to me man, because I know that I wouldn't even think of that at your age, so that is awesome , preparing to be missionary! Temples are truely amazing and beautiful. 

Anyways so this week in Colombia , Last week of this transfer, but me and my Companion are both staying here. 

Martes: We had lunch out in the farm in the mountians area , the family has a pet Parrot named Blue like the movie Rio, and they also have two crazy hound dogs, which are super cool, mostly because I love dogs. The view from there house is spectaular, it is super beautiful. Also we had a really good original clombiana lunch.

Miércoles: In the mornig we had District meeting , then later we had a lesson about the plan de salvación with Familia Nuñez which went well. The 2 hijas (daughters) who arent baptized will be baptized in the up comming weeks. Also we finally had a lesson with M Reyes about the Restoration which was super great and  she was really interested in it. Also later in the night we had a Noche de Hogar en la capilla , and we played a game were we had to act out a prophet and everyone had to guess, luckily it was acting so i dont have to use spanish jaja jk. I had to act out Lot which was pretty hard, but evntually they guessed after going through like all the profetas jaja. 

Jueves: for lunch we went to a casa de una familia que tuvo a BBQ so that was awesome and super rico. También tuvimos una lección con la familia Nuñez otra vez y miramos un vídeo sobre el bautismo de Cristo. In the youngest hija is super animada para ser bautizada. 

We also had una lección with Famlia Arenas a part member familia, they are really friendly and always have time for us, but they have been struggling with keeping there part with out invitaciones. I was alos to teach a little english becuase one  of the thier hijas wants to be a english teacher I feel like every young girl wants to do that here, but it was fun teaching english. 

Viernes : well not much happened , but we did have a great lesson with A new investigator. 

Sabado : not much happened this day tampoco, but I did start a fast to help my investigadores , and also for you guys back home. I was hoping more of our invetigatores would be at church but , Pialas! But we aren't giving up, it is just kind of frustrating at times . 

Domingo: so I ended my fast with reading scriptures and prayer and I found a really cool one in Alma 5 verse 26. 

Also we had a great lesson with Erkia and Julio who are super awesome , and they want to get married in the temple, but first they need to be bapitzed, but it is great they have this desire! 

Hoy: we went bowling I bowled  super lousy for some reason, then you know it DOMINOS !!! :)

I hope all is going well back home thanks for the tips and counsel and everything else , I very much appreciate it!!!!!!

Package: flash drive or memory cards. candy ,my pv soccer shirt or a new pv soccer shirt , letters , and more food ! :) 

Thanks love, Elder Strong

Week 23

The Book of Mormon is definitely super great !

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS KAY MAN !!!!!! so cool bro you are growing up so fast soon you will be a great missionary!

Seth super close that is great , keep me updated. Also the temple is wonderful I Wish I could go more, but after the mission! yeah it is great to see the work progressing with everyone going on missions!

Martes we were in San Gil for intercambios with the Elders there, it went pretty well we had a lesson with a less active who has been struggling with his testimony. He was also explaining how life was hard and everything about the church was difficult and that he would rather live a simpler life. In this moment my mind went back to the lessons I had in Sunday School, and I had the thought to testify about the atonement, so I did and it was awesome the Spirit was strong in this moment, and everyone was speechless. I dont now if he will come back to church but I was glad I could stand up for what I Believe

at least.

miércoles: We had a zone confrence then after wards one of the Zone leaders Elder Calaway came with me to Pidecuesta and worked in my area. He is really cool , and we have a lot in common. he studied one year at byui in the ag apartment before coming , and I think he wants to do what dad does with AG business. Also he is from Washington and he said me might now Carrie Anderson or well her Family, becuase his family farms in that area of Washington. Anyways we had a really good lesson with a part member family , and invited those who aren't  members to be baptized and also the boyfriend of one of the girls in the family, and they accepted. 

Jueves: We went to Bucramanga because my comp had a meeting Called TIME TO SHINE, so I was contacting people outside the church with other missionaries with the big sign that we saw with questions on line when we looked up photos about this mission.

Viernes not much happened this day because my Comp had another meeting this time as the leader of our disrtict.

Sábado: For lunch we had pasta which is really great to have a break from rice jaja. Also the other missionaries had a baptism , and need the keys to the chapel, but they were robbed the other day so they dont have a cell phone so we were literally running every where to find them and with luck we found them in about an hour or so, tender mercy for sure. 

Domingo: During testimony meeting there was a young boy who was bearing his teatimony and then didn't know what to say so he went in ran back to his bench then later during the meeting he got back up and bore a testinmoy. That  takes a lot of courage! Also one of our investigators was talking with us because she really wants to be married in the temple to her husband which is SUPEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRR COOL !!! Also I gave a Blessing of health to one the members of the family Arenas. I am pretty sure my spanish is horrible when giving blessings but , hopefully the spirit could make up for my lack of porper grammar. Also we found 2 new investigators so that is awesome.

Lunes: today we went played Futbol with the other missionaries so that was super fun . I love Playing soccer !! I think I might be getting better playing with all the latinos. Sometimes we play gringos vs Latinos  and we have actually won a couple times. crazy I know. 

So that has been my week here in Colombia, Cambios are next week, but hopefully I will be staying here! :)

Con muchismo amor ,

Elder Strong 

Week 22 Easter in Colombia

Thanks Mom for all the updates and great advice! One step closer for Seth then I wont be the only Strong out here serving!:) Also Ribs sound so good and dutch oven potatoes too! Thats too bad about Daniel, but yes please send him a copy and also mention that he can watch conference online also. Easter here is a little different , they have this thing called semmana Santa it is more of a catholic tradition  but it is super big here, so we didn't have a whole lot of lessons this week.  Electives well he has to take P:E  what math is he in ? Also Piano or instrument would be cool . I wish I would have  learned  how to play the piano better or guitar, culinary would be good for him to take to prepare him for his mission.

Tuesday- was a really good day and I had kind of a humbling experince more or less, so my Comp was hungry  like usual so we went to buy empanadas, and as he was eating I was talking with the owner of the mini restuarant about the gospel, and our purpose as missionaries, then I asked if he had seen or heard anything about us before , and then he said yes.Then he said I have seen you guys walk by, but I never see you greet anyone,  its like you are always in a hurry to be somewhere and don't have time to talk to anyone. That really made me stop and think.  I could have been angry at his comment, thinking as missionaries we do a lot , but instead I just thought about it , and asked myself how I could improve. So this week I've been working a lot 

with trying to greet everyone , with a Buenos Dias or something to the sort. 

Later in the Noche after a lesson we had the lights went out in the city which was REALLY WEIRD SO WE DECIDED  IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BEST TO HEAD BACK TO THE HOUSE, plus it was almost 9pm. 

Wed: We had a distirct meeting , also my Comp had the hiccups all day that was pretty entertaining especially during our district meeting because he is the leader. Also we had a noche de barrio which went way better than the last one, we even had some investigators show up!

Thur: We had a lot of lessons with Less actives ,even a return missonary who served in Chile, also with family Sandoral who are super friendly and gave us a ton of food to eat! 

Vierenes we had lunch with an Investigator and her huge family , she has almost as many siblings as dad. But it was great we had fish ,and of course it wouldn't be Colombia with out RICE. Also we had a lesson with Judi and her son about the Resurrection of Christ and shared Luke Chp. 24 . Also we had another lesson with a family and they have a son who reminds me of Josh . He is a year older but he has the exact same personality and even looks similar it is crazy! The only difference is he speaks spanish and has red hair. 

Sat: conference was super awesome , so I guess Marriage is like Super important!! But is was cool to hear the importance of families and how we should have strong bonds in the gospel as a family and all that. We also had Dominos for lunch that day so that was good! That night we stayed at the Zone leaders house. 

Sun . Easter! resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ , and thanks to him all of us will live again! :) Also conference was really good , loved the talk by Anderson , but they were all super good , and it is like the first time I haven't fallen alseep during it! Success! 

For our Easter Lunch ... you guessed it Rice !! and chicken and arepas. 

hoy: we went to San Gil 2 hours away to have intercambios with the elders here, and on the way there like half the people on the small bus were sick throwing up including my Comp, yeah it was super gross . Anyways on a brighter note when we got there we visited some beautiful waterfalls that were spectacular.! 

So that was this week , I hope all is going well back home , remember to follow the council  that was given to us by our prophet and apostles. Have a fantastic week . Love you all !!!

Elder Strong