DECEMBER 18, 2017

This week came transfers, but I stayed in La Cumbre Area, Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Elder Blair got sent back to Suba which is pretty crazy, he was my Zone Leader here. And my new Zone Leader is Elder Aguilar, my companion from back in Bogotá like a year ago. Pretty crazy.

This week was pretty cool. We had eight people come to church, and we met a dude named Juan Flores. Juan Flores has a lot of desires to change his life,and he says that he had a pretty bad life before but he wants to change. We met up with him, and taught him about the Restoration. He went to church and he is a pretty cool dude. Drives a taxi, does jewelry, he does electricity, he does it all.

This week we got a new Ward Mission Leader, which is somebody who lives where I live. He is in charge of helping us with our mission work. His name is Ernesto Rodriguez, from Guayaquil, Ecuador. So we are gonna start working smarter and not harder in this next month.

Christmas is coming pretty close and I love the season. In the mission it is not so much about spending time with the family, or buying the best gift, but I am giving literally everything I have. All of my time and my talents I'm giving to these people so they can receive eternal life. A little bit like Mormon, from the Book Of Mormon found in

3 Nephi 5:13.

Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.

I know that my Savior was born, and He came into this earth to save it!  

2 Nephi 2:6. 

Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

I feel his spirit strongly in this season, and I know that he wants all the ends of the earth to come unto him, and the best way to do that is to  #LightTheWorld . IF you guys haven't started the initiative yet, it is golden. Go to Mormon.org to figure out how you can help others feel the light that Christ shined into this world. 

John 8:12.

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Elder Connor Tracy

DECEMBER 11, 2017

Well I've been a bad dude and haven't been writing like I should.


So these last few weeks have been pretty good. I hit fifteen months in two days, so I'm feeling pretty blown away. The Time has been chugging along. Here in La Cumbre, Bucaramanga, Colombia, we had people who were supposed to get baptized this Saturday, and last Saturday, but all four of them couldn't get baptized so we just end up without any baptisms this transfer. But we've revived the Ward where we are at and it's going great.

So the Ward also has had some changes. Leaders here in the Ward have been rotated. We are still working hard.

I've been thinking about my behavior also. In the scriptures, there's a part that talks about The Natural man. That he is an enemy to God.

Mosiah 3:19 

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

I have been studying that, and wondering what our purpose here on the earth is. As I was studying, I found one of them! 

Alma 34:30-32

And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance.

Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

I realized, that we must repent here. We all are unique, and have special parts to play here on the earth.  But our purpose is to Prepare to meet God! Repent. Be Baptized by his proper authority on this earth, and to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by that same authority. 

As an authorized missionary of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I know that I have the same power that Jesus Christ had, but that I am weak. When I think about how I was when I was still at home, I cringe and just try to forget. But I know also that it´s possible to change, and I feel like I've had that chance and that change here in Colombia. God wants us to make those changes here in this life on earth. Through the power of the atonement of his Son, we can do it.

Élder Tracy

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 -- YEAR ONE WEEK ONE

Sup dudes.

This week was pretty awesome. I think this next coming week is my last one here in Atalaya.

We received a reference from the Stake Mission Leader yesterday. We went, and the lady said that three weeks ago (when we invited him to kneel and pray to know which of his friends to invite) she felt something that told her to go to church. She went to one, but hadn't went the other week, or the day we visited. We had a great first visit, and we asked the wife of the family to say a pray. She cried during it and asked for the Lord to guide her to the truth. I know she found it.

Another family. We showed up with Familia Camacho and we went to visit their friends in Nuevo Horizonte. The father wasn't home, but we visited anyway. We found a daughter, and the son in law. We did a lesson, and the same thing. The daughter at the end was crying, and said she wanted to know the truth. She said the prayer and cried through it all asking for the same guidance from the Lord. Really great experiences.

This week, I testify of a new beginning. I have one year now to get done, and I am feeling motivated! 

I don't have all the time in the world like before, and so I'm feeling like I need to step it up and make the most of this year. 

I am very pleased to have all of the opportunities that I have had to serve the Lord, and I know he calls worthy men on the earth today to direct his work.

Elder Tracy

September 11, 2017 -- THE BIG ONE YEAR

This week I hit the one year mark. 



When I first started, I began to put a sentence to every week I served, and so I decided to just let you guys see into it. I was thinking about saying them all in my Homecoming talk, but that would take way too much time.

Week 3: In the Field --   Psalms 82:6 

Week 4: Nothing chévere (cool)

Week 5: Lamentations 3:40

Week 6: Exodus 33:11

Week 7: Matthew 5:14-16, Jeremiah 16:16

Week 8: Isaiah 7;14

Week 9: First Baptism. Gilbert Venegas Alexis Sans -- D&C 18:18-19

Week 10: Ecclesiates 3:14 (Christmas) 

Week 11: 1st Nephi 10:20

Week 12: 1st Nephi 17:49-51 

Week 13: 2nd Timothy 2:15-16

From here on out share one sentence from each week for Homecoming talk.

Week 14: Give it all you got for 2 years Connor!  D&C  58:27

Week 15: 2nd Corinthians 3:3. Ponder upon the words of eternal life       Connor!

Week 16: 5 months out. Marcelo got deported. D&C 111:11

Week 17: The Lord has answered my prayers. Scripture D&C 25:13

Week 18: Open your eyes and see the blessings!

Week 19: I'm enjoying the mission, fasting works! Jeremiah 51:15

Week 20: Be a tool in the Lord's hand. 2nd Nephi 20:15

Week 21: Everybody is ready if you are!

Week 22: I Wasn't less active 2 years, I served a mission!

Week 23: Forgot to say that in Week 20 I baptized 2 people! (Samuel Acurero y Yuzara tapias carpio) D&C 18:17-18

Week 24: I'm eating that corn!  Deuteronomy 25:4 

Week 25: 7 months. The Lord lives. The Lord of Peace! 2nd Thess. 3:16

Week 26: Cúcuta is really HOT! 

Week 27: The Lord answers prayers. Jeremiah 33:3

Week 28: The doctrine of Christ. 2nd John 1:9-11

Week 29: The Book of Mormon is our strongest tool, quote Thomas S. Monson April 2017 conference.

Week 30: Endure the Lord's trials for us, and he'll help us become more humble.

Week 31: Shut your mouth and then learn. Job 13:5

Week 32: The priesthood gives us the authority, not our knowledge. Matthew 10:1

Week 33: Baptized refugees, turned them into VIP's into the celestial kingdom. Juan 3:5

Week 34: A Question. If I have a bad companion, will it be a bad transfer? 

Week 35: The Lord placed you guys together so you could learn from each other. I know because I just learned that here in Cúcuta! Mosiah 4:9

Week 36: I know that the Book of Mormon is blue! And True! I'm district leader

Week 37: Learning to serve my fellow beings will help one throughout the lifetime. Mosiah 2:17

Week 38: Faith brings us miracles. Mosiah 4:9

Week 39: In this life, the main goal, is to take off the natural man. Mosiah 3:19

Week 40: I don't know if I'm going to actually read this in my talk. Alma 5

Week 41: My companion left to be Assistant to the President. He was the 1st companion I had that worked hard.

Week 42: My new one is pretty cool. Elder Rodriguez from Bolivia!

Week 43: We have started fasting two times a week to see if anything happens.  Helaman 3:35

Week 44: I have a fire in the bones! I truly feel like I'm a different person.

Week 45: I am really off count on the weeks, because I just hit a year!

Year 1: Jacob 1:19, Moroni 9:6

This last year, as I reflect on all of the experiences I've had, and all of the people that I've met. I think on how blessed I've been by the Lord. There is revelation today on the face of the earth. I know that I was called of God to serve in Colombia. This place has been so extraordinary for me. I love my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for my family. And I am repenting every day of what I didn't do, or what I did poorly while I was still home. 

With one year under my belt, I have truly not even began to understand the masters teaching, of service. Matthew 20:25-28

25 Entonces Jesús, llamándolos, dijo: Sabéis que los gobernantes de los gentiles se enseñorean sobre ellos, y los que son grandes ejercen sobre ellos potestad.

26 Mas entre vosotros no será así, sino que el que quiera hacerse grande entre vosotros será vuestro servidor;

27 y el que quiera ser el primero entre vosotros será vuestro siervo,

28 así como el Hijo del Hombre no vino para ser servido, sino para servir y para dar su vida en rescate por muchos.

In Spanish there is a phrase ¨El que no sirve, no sirve¨. It means- He who doesn't serve, doesn't work, (thinking of a broken tool that doesn't work for what it was made for). I know that's true. The Lord has a great work waiting for everybody, and I know that that great work is here in the mission field! I still have yet to begin my true discipleship of Jesus Christ. When we think we have hit that point, we should think that it is truly just beginning. As I started my mission, I thought about competition, being better than everybody else. What I've learned in the mission is all the opposite. It is a gentle response, being humble, Matthew 5:39.

It is this selfless service. I can't wait to get to that point. And I pray for all of you to learn these truths. I miss you all. I won't say a lot because I feel like I'm at home down here in Colombia, but I miss you. 

Thanks for all the memories we've had, and know that I try to apply them to my time here, to bless the lives of all those people around me. Especially my father and my mother. They are some of the most devote followers of Christ I have had the pleasure to meet. 

If I could write a book of scripture, it would probably have the first verse something about the same as Nephi, when he wrote 1st Nephi 1:1.

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

ONE Year down, ONE more to go. I expect you all to start writing me. Seriously!

Élder Tracy

WEEK 41 -- August 7, 2017

This week we had a baptism fall through, and the dude avoided us for the last 4 days of the week, so that was kinda weird. But it was alright because we have been working pretty hard down here in Atalaya.

This week I have been thinking that it might be my last, so I am trying my best to leave the members with a great impression, and to get them all to add me on facebook also haha. I am reallyloving here, and I can feel the lord guiding us. Truly it´s a great work. 

A cool experience we had, is that we were waiting to have a visit with the dude that avoided us, and one of our investigators that has been passing through some pretty rough times, just opened up to us and wrote us a huge text message about everything that they are going through. It was super awesome, and the family now is getting prepared to get baptized for the 2nd of september. The members are grouping up to build stuff in their house, and to get stuff cookin´for them.

With another family we had problems with money to get them married, so we did an hayacada, or just made a heap of tamales, but a little different. We used the relief society to do it, and they also kept the money so the people don´t spend it on other stuff that doesn´t matter. So we are getting ready about 7 people for baptism, and we are expecting a lot of them really soon. 

This week I bear my testimony on Humility. I had been reading in alma 5 this week, in verse 27, and it really smacked me hard. 27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?

28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.

29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.

30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?

31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

32 Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.

The lord has this invitation out for all of us, that we must repent, and humble ourselves before him. There is a lot to say about the topic, but it is something deeply personal, and I feel that all that is to be said, is spoken to every person who will read this or read the scripture through the power of the holy ghost. I invite you all to pray and fast, that we can sweep this weakness of pride out of our lives. 

Élder tracy