January 30, 2017 -- WEEK FIFTEEN

January 30, 2017



Well, I have almost made it five months in the mission. Crazy! The time flies when you are having fun.

This week was a pretty sad one.  I have been super sick since Thursday, with stomach pain and other things that accompany it.  Basically started and ended every lesson with a trip to the bathroom.

Friday and today specifically (Monday) were pretty uneventful also, because Ëlder Aguilar finishes his mission soon, his Cedula and Visa expired.  So we spent all of Friday and all of our P-day doing his visa stuff. It was really boring. 

Friday, also we had interviews with President! Woo. Saturday, we had our District meeting, and I gave the Training part of it to the District. I think it was good, and I will give a brief summary of it.

 

Virtue! That was the basis of my training. It is a prerequisite to having the spirit to be with us. And we cannot do the work of the Lord without the spirit! Then, moving from that, I talked about making goals and following the spirit as we are in the path to our lessons. 

A scripture which highlights what I said is in Doctrine and Covenants 61:3, I think.  Also Alma 53:20. Good scriptures.

 

The week also was pretty uneventful in terms of lessons. Nobody that I am teaching made any real stride in changing their life, but we are working with them all.

So I am still here in Colombia, just doing what I can to try and invite others to come unto Christ!

Also, I managed to snab a picture with Thomas S. Monson in my area this week, probably one of the highlights.  Also right before that, gave a rockin´ Lesson one, and a blessing of health to an older gentlemen who fractured his spine walking, and then fell. 

My Testimony this week is on member missionary work! Something that we literally cannot do without as full time missionaries is the help of the members. Just as it talks about in Corinthians, the smaller members of the body like the eyes, cannot say to the arms and legs I have no need of thee. We need to work together, as the body of Christ, to put the best chance of bringing others unto a knowledge of the truth. Every single person is important, and we all have our part to do, so that we can help the people around us who are searching for the truth.

Elder Aguilar and Elder Connor Tracy

I love you all. Still waiting on them emails. 

'Elder Tracy

January 23, 2017 -- WEEK FOURTEEN

January 23, 2017

Cedros is Cedros.  I got nothing else to say.

This was my first week with Élder Aguilar. He is a cool dude, and he is helping me a lot to get into a better missionary groove. Like I said last week, he finishes his mission within a month. That is super rico thinking about it. Twenty months to go until I get milk in a carton!

So Charles Phillip LeConte has his baptismal date. He read nonstop the Book of Mormon and has hit Alma in a week. Not bad. He is doing a lot of investigating, reading every type of Bible, and trying to find the true church. He is in luck!

Lucy is changing her life. Stopped drinking coffee, and is trying to get Sunday's off. She has changed to have every other Sunday off.  Also she has her daughter who is super sick, so we are praying for her also.

All the others are either minimal changes, or haven't changed.  We are still going strong with everybody!

A really sweet experience happened when we were contacting, and a lady told us that she was searching for the truth, but because of the many different pastors and ways they interpret the Bible, she almost didn't even know what she could get from the Bible. (sounds like Joseph Smith?)

Not much time, but I would to bear testimony on Baptism! We know that we can not get into the Kingdom of God, like in John 3:5.  Baptism is an experience that allows us to receive more light from God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, or baptism by fire.  To put it simply, baptism must be done under the proper authority of God, and there is no other church on the earth that can perform this ordinance to the saving of those who accept it.  It is literally a requirement to enter heaven, and for that reason even Jesus Christ was baptized, by the proper authority. 

Thank you for the time of reading my little messages. Feel free to write me! I hope everybody is feeling good in the chilly weather down in Missouri!

Élder Tracy

January 16, 2017 -- WEEK THIRTEEN

January 16, 2017

Elder Collahua officially leaves, and I am receiving as my new companion . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . .

Élder Aguilar, de Cusco, Cusco, Peru!

Anyway, this past week has been absolutely, rootentootenly bonkers. 

We had a man who (long story short) had a vision and is seeking to change his life. He lived in the states twenty years, lived in Colombia as of right now, six years. His name is Charles Phillip LeConte. He's a cool dude, super caring and open. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes with him. 

Diego and family end up not even being married, so all of a sudden then went from closest to baptism to farthest from it. Just hay que trabajar. 

We met with a lady named Rosio Errera. She is very good. Has a lot of the beliefs of the JW's, but she is listening to us, and told us that she really wants to read the Book of Mormon because one time missionaries tried to talk to her with it. As soon as she saw it she said no thanks, please go away! So for that, I think she'll progress very smoothly. 

We also had some really really really sad experiences, and one in particular that I just wanted to cry during the lesson because of how downtrodden this guy was. But that is the job of a Christian, to help the heavyhearted.

Anyway, I don't have much time, but I also took a lot of pictures with investigators, because Collahua leaves tomorrow. So you guys will be able to see four of the families I am teaching.

This week my testimony falls on the topic of contacting!  As a missionary, I am always walking in the street, to and from lessons.  As we are walking, I'm looking for families, or people who look especially sad, or especially happy to teach and contact in the street.  I try to get their phone number and address to be able to visit them. Obviously, two young dudes in the street just stopping you to see if you want to hear about Jesus Christ doesn't always yield the best results, but there are times when you can find those people who are searching for the truth and poder enseñarles exactly what they need, Jesus Christ!   Knowing that he is always helping us gives us the strength to do all things (Phillipians 4.13). Just as prophets of old crying repentance to the people in the street, I am going a little more subtly, doing the same to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. 

I also am trying to learn quechua, but without people to speak it with it's a struggle. I should focus on Spanish.

I love you Scarlett! 

I also am expecting an email from you, Oscar. Get to it. 

Hope you all have a great week!

Élder Tracy

JANUARY 9, 2017: WEEK TWELVE

January 9, 2017

What up youtube youtuuuuube!

This week we did a lot of fun stuff. We are trying to help one of our families build their house, and I got to bear my third testimony in Spanish!

This week Marcelo has stopped smoking for two weeks. If he can keep going, I think he'll finally be ready for baptism.  We have been teaching him since November 11th, I think. He's getting very humbled though, so I hope that it all works out for him.

We've also started officially teaching Nislady. I think she'll be our next baptism.  She was basically a freebie. She is from Venezuela, and came to Bogotá after getting all of the lessons from the Élderes over there. Qué Suerte.  

The last family that I think is progressing well is Diego Gonzalez y familia.  They are super nice. They call us to ask us if we want to come over! They have a friend named Juan, who I have mentioned, who will be the driving force in them getting baptized, because he has a strong desire to be baptized right now. And he understands the principles, and can apply them.

The ward had 90 people attend last week! We normally get about 70. That was super cool. One of the people, a guy who hasn't came to church in two years, came because of one lesson that he just happened to come by for.  My first lesson with a dude named Jaime Londoño.  He gave a very good testimony, and I hope that it means that he'll come to church next Sunday also!  Hopefully he can bring Jaime also.

So, I'm thinking this is Collahua's last week in Cedros. I am going to miss that cheeky m8 (mate) of mine. Since it's his last week though, I think I finally have to fix my camera, instead of relying on him. Something I liked about Collahua, is that he always was ready to share whatever part of the lessons that I struggled in when my Spanish was super rough. Hes' from Lima, Peru.

I bought speakers for ten bucks that are super dope. I am expecting to have some very good mornings and nights following today. Anyway. . .

My testimony this week is over the reason for missionary work!  That is to invite others to Come unto Christ, and help them receive His Restored Gospel through Faith in Him, and in His Atonement by teaching Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. 

2 Nephi 31:20 says about the subject: 

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

I think it's pretty clear from there. That we have to continually be learners, and doers of the word. 

Just as it says in James 1:22. We all have work to do, so let's get to it!  

If you haven't been following the path to eternal life, change now. 

If you haven't learned, learn now! 

I would be wasting my time in Colombia for two years if 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wasn't true! 

Les amo! 

I hear Show Choir is starting up. Good luck to you guys!

Élder Connor Tracy

WEEK ELEVEN: HAPPY NEW YEAR

January 2, 2017

Well, this week wasn´t really anything special, but I had a good time during it.

I have started off the year right, with a lot of food and some baptismal invitations.

So Diego Gonzalez is my first investigator that I found on my own, and from him we have gotten like twenty new investigators who all want to learn the word of God.  One of these is called Juan Carlos. He is super ready, and I hope to see them all baptized before i leave this area.

I don't have much time, so i'll cut right to the chase for this one.

This is a new year, and a new start for each and every one of us. We have this grand opportunity, that really we have everyday, but especially in this new year, to try and improve some aspect of our lives, and to become more the person we wish to become. For me, this person is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who has given a perfect example of how we should be, and so for that, I am always trying to model my live to be more in line with the conduct of his life. For this cause, I am in Colombia also, trying to share his gospel with other people, that they might be able to get closer to him, and to be able to feel the power of his atonement wrought in their lives. 

My testimony this week is over new beginnings. One man who had many new beginnings that we can read about, is Moses. He was the lowest of the low when born, put into the river, and then found by the daughter of Pharaoh. He then became the Prince of Egypt. Then, saving one of his fellow Hebrews from a scourging, he killed a taskmaster, and then with a new beginning, left to the wilderness. He then had the calling of God to become a leader of his people, and to perform many mighty miracles. Accomplishing all of this, he then had the new beginning of leaving Egypt to bring them unto the promised land, but not into it. From Moses, We know he was the most meek man that lived on the earth in his time, and was dumb and slow of speech. But, God Called him to be a prophet, giving him all of these new beginnings to become more close to him. In Exodus 33:11 we can read that he talked with God  face to face, like a man speaks to his friend. He was a mighty prophet, but none of that came about without many changes and new beginnings.

I hope that we can all begin again this year, change our lives, and become more the person we should all strive to emulate. Our Savior. 

I hope that the new year rang in with some good news for all of you guys, and that you all passed it with friends and family. 

Love,

Elder Tracy