My sector EXPLODED... Literally!

You´ll never believe what happened... There was a huge explosion and fire that lasted all night and the following day in the supermarket next door to the church. But to the surprise to us and the people watching the giant flames tear down this huge store, the church was untouched. Hooopefully we can use that as some spiritual "firepower" to prove that this is Christ´s true church...

The amazing things just keep on happening here in my little pueblo. This sunday we had all 3 of the women that I talked about in my last email come to the church and are super excited about their baptisms! We even had an even cooler experience happen with Maria (the abuelita with 93 years). We went out to go look for Lorena, another one of the women who is being baptised the 22nd, but after calling her we found out that she was already on her way and didnt need to worry about going to get her. So instead we climbed up the biggest hill in our sector to go to the house of the member who had been helping us teach the lessons to Maria. But she had had a change of heart and didn´t feel like going to get Maria in her car because she didn´t think she understood everything we had been teaching her and that we shouldn´t baptize her this week. But after talking a little sense into her, we got her to drive us to the house of Maria, but she said that if she wasn´t ready to leave right when she knocked the door that "Too bad, so sad". We found out that she was still sleeping when we drove by so we left.. then at the start of the 2nd hour of church, MARIA JUST SHOWED UP! This 93 year old woman knows the importance of the church so much that she woke up and walked from her house to the church (about a mile and a half -- with giant hills) just to be there. When we asked her about if she still wanted to be baptized this weekend, she pretty much told us "Well DUH!" Hahahaha, so we have her this weekend and Lorena and Sandra the 22nd. And we have even more planned for March now, which include a family of 6 with 3 sons who could possibly serve missions, and a young couple who is going to have their first child in 4 months.

My sector has taken a drastic change for the better and we are finding a TON of great great people.

And since today was P-Day, I went to Concepcion and blew a good chunk of my christmas money on the missionary essentials --- Shoes (brown ones of course to rock the Latin style) and ties.... Lots and lots of ties haha

Elder Mundell

Miracles happen as a result of Faith!

My Comp is a STUUUUUD!!!!!! Hahahaha, Or at least we just work really well together. This week we found SO MANY good investigators! 2 brothers, Felipe (17) and Diego (20), that 1 is "Atheist" and the other is a very faithful, level headed guy who doesnt go to any church! We were in a spirit-packed lesson when my comp asked the "Atheist" brother, Felipe, to pray and ask God if: 1) He existed, and 2) If he could be forgiven for his sins that he has committed in his life up to this point. He knelt down and offered the best prayer I have ever heard an investigator offer and then afterwards when we asked how he felt, he went from saying that he never felt anything from praying, "that he thought he was just talking to air," to now he felt a physical change in his being -- like he felt loved and happy. AND THE BEST PART IS...... He likes to play Basketball!!!!! Which means I finally have someone to play with and he said hes going to invite his friends one night to play basketball at the church -- MORE YOUNG INVESTIGATORS!!!! AND NO MORE FÚTBOL!!! 

-- MIRACLE # 1

This led me to thinking of a talk from Elder Holland (The Ministry of Angels) that I had recently listened to that day, and a scripture that he used and I later read in my personal study of the Book of Mormon -- Moroni 7:36-38. Which says that if Miracles happen as a result of ones faith, and there will always continue to be miracles on the earth so long as we have the faith. That if miracles have stopped, it is only because our faith has stopped. So looks like Elder Miller and I have got the faith!

We have been working very, very hard to progress with one investigator over the past month and have just been hitting a brick wall every time. But this Saturday there was a Dance that the youth were putting on at the church that night to raise money for EFY -- With the theme "80s Night"! I dont know why, but my comp and I suddenly got the idea to invite her to the dance, and lo and behold SHE LOVES 80s MUSIC! Who woulda thought! So she went, we did a tour of the chapel, and she loved it! She couldnt come to church this Sunday but has committed to come every Sunday following and looks to be preparing to be baptized the 22nd of Feb!

-- MIRACLE #2

In our hunt for more investigators that could progress, my comp and I decided to go through the Area Book and look for old investigators in the sector that we were going to contact that day. We came across one name, called the phone number, and she told us to come by the next day. We went and had an incredible lesson with her about the Restoration and she has committed also to start coming to church starting this next Sunday! The even more amazing part of this story is that she told us how the missionaries that she knew 3 years before had passed by 2 times, and each time was at a moment in her life where she needed help and peace in her life. This was the 3rd visit that she has had with missionaries and in the same way it was at a crucial time in her life. She told us how just 2 weeks before she had had a dream that the missionaries passed by her house with 2 bags of clothes and told her to choose out whatever fits. What could that mean??? BAPTISIMAL CLOTHES!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahaha, obviously we are taking it one step at a time, but she is another awesome investigator who we were blessed to find in this past week!

-- MIRACLE #3

All is good in the Hood

Elder Mundell