January 24, 2015

 Familia:

I am soooo happy!! I have never loved the mission so much!! It is the best!! We had such an amazing week! This past week, in the beginning, pte smith told us that we could use his car all week but we thought about it and decided to leave his car with the office elders instead so we could just focus in our area. This has been the first week we have not left our area to go to the offices, or to the mission home, or anything else like that and it was so awesome!! We just worked a ful in our area!! And it is starting to explode!! We have dedicated ourselves to change the beliefs of the members in our ward that the assistants just come to their house for lunch and then they don’t ever work in their area to Sunday because of traveling, meetings, etc. Idk why they think that but we made it our goal to change that. So this week we hit our area HARD working a TON with members!!! And we have been reaping in the blessings!! :)

We have been applying all the things we have been learning lately from the area presidency and the quorum of the 12 and its been incredible. We have been helping the members to think about the gathering of Israel all the time. Now, when we go out with them, they take us to all of their friends and family. Basically, everyone we have found this week and everyone we have with a baptismal date, the members took us to their houses and bore testimony to their friends and family of the truthfulness of the gospel. It made teaching so much easier and the people became so receptive. I guarantee that if we had not gone out with these members, these people would have never received us, and now they are progressing towards making covenants with their Heavenly Father.

Also, we have been talking with everyone in our area (in the street, bus stops, in bus, taxi, etc) and they have all been giving us references for people to visit and have actually taken us to their houses! It’s been incredible! So easy! I love this place! The Lord has just been blessing our area so much! And we have been literally running all over because we haven’t had time to teach them all. AAAHHH!!! THE MISSION DOESNT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!!!

We had such a special experience this past week with a menos activa and her pareja. In the morning, we went to go look for a reference we had a while ago. When we get to the house, Nadia (menos activa who really wants to come back to church but doesn’t because she doesn’t feel support from her pareja) answers and invites us in to have a charla with her. We started talking about all the blessings she desires in her life and read a little in the scriptures and then she started explaining all the reasons she can’t or doesn’t do everything she knows she should do to obey. Long story short, she starts talking about Leonardo (her pareja) and about how she wants to marry him but that he would never join the church. We talked to her about putting forth the example, obeying the Lord, and then leaving the rest up to him. She committed to come back to church and then said she would talk to Leonardo about receiving the missionaries. It was an awesome lesson. Super strong. Extremely motivating for us and her as she started to see that the power was within her to overcome her obstacles. That same day, in the afternoon, she called us and told us that Leonardo wanted to meet with us and her that same night.

We went over there that night and started talking to Leonardo about what he believes and everything and then began to teach about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the most powerful first lessons we have ever had. As we taught, Nadia began to remember her testimony of the church and began to share it with such love and tenderness with Leonardo and you could see the spirit begin to work within him. He began really hard hearted (as we might say) in the beginning and at the end; it was a completely different person. He shared about what he was feeling and said he would pray to know it’s true even though he felt it already was and accepted a baptismal date for after his wedding with her. As we left, I don’t think I have ever seen someone as happy as Nadia in that moment. Ha-ha. It was one of those moments in the mission when you feel like you are fulfilling your purpose as a missionary.

I have been so  grateful for the experiences of this past week. Elder Trucolo and I have been learning so much together. We love working together and have been so excited to see everything that has been happening lately.

There is nothing better than sharing the Gospel!!

Lets all try a little bit harder to be a little bit better!

I love you all so much!! Thank you for all you do to support me and the missionaries that are serving in your home wards.

Un abrazo fuerte,

Elder Staffieri