Wednesday, March 26, 2014

After all that has been said, our greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel.

Hello to All!!! I think I am gonna stop saying my week was amazing because every week is amazing! So every email just remember that every week is amazing! It started on Sunday! We had 5 investigators at church and 2 inactive members! It was so great! I know fasting works I have been fasting every week so that more investigators come to church what a blessing! We were both so happy to see them! Our investigator that we had since I got here in this area came to church and it was so cool! He is slowly progressing!

Also this week we were supposed to have an appointment with one of our investigators and this investigator has a baptismal date and he was so excited! So we called him in the morning to confirm us meeting with him that day, and he answered and we asked him... hey still at 5 right? He said oh yeah hey guys I don't think I am going to be there today.  So we were like okay can we reschedule and he was like no I don't think so... We were confused and he also said in fact I don't think I can get baptized this month or next and we said why not and he said well..... I got deported back to Haiti..... and we were just like shoooot... He said sorry and that he would try to come back in 3 months or so. We said okay well give us a call when you do and he said okay! hahahhaha what a weird situation our baptism got deported hahah that's one for the journal!
This transfer is almost over and whats gonna happen is Elder Mata is gonna leave and I am going to show my new companion the area and then probably leave the next transfer. We have been working hard before Mata leaves. I cant believe I have been with him more than 4 months crazy hahah Wow time flew!! Everything is great! I had another bad bathroom experience Elder Mata and I were in a lesson and we had just barely started and I started to have problems with my stomach. Elder Mata and I have a secret code when we need to leave a house if something bad happens and so I did the code and we had a 5 min lesson and we were out of there.Right after we left I ended up vomiting right when we left the property hahah lucky me I guess haha but everything is good love this area I am lucky that I have more time in this area! 
I love you all and I hope you all are well! miss you! have a good week.

Elder Santacruz
PIZZAAAAA


Biggest Tie EVER!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

This is his work and his glory

This week was just great we have been working our butts off! We have new investigators and one of their names is David and he is 33 years old. He has been taking the lessons with us and he is awesome! We have gotten really close to him! This last Monday we talked to him about faith and we asked him how he can show his faith and we told him faith is important to have but that he need to show his faith! Keep doing all the things the Lord wants him to do like search ponder and pray! We told him to act to show his faith and that he will receive an answer. We told him that these things are true and at that moment we felt the spirit so stong it was so great! I had the courage to invite him to get baptized and and HE said yes!!!! He said to us that he loves when we are around him because he learns so much more and that we are like his friends and so he asked us if we could come everyday and teach him. It was so great! We were like heck yeah! So we have been visiting him everyday and teaching him, its great!
Also this week we had a meeting as a zone and president was there and he gave a talk and told us how we make goals for each month and he was telling us our goals for March and they were pretty high but he was so happy that we want to work hard! The things that will help with the work is being obedient because there is a lot disobedient missionaries. He said that at some times we may ask ourselves well their not being obedient so why do I have to? When I heard this I was like I know Heavenly Father has helped us so much because we have been waking up on time, leaving when we should be leaving, and following the rules. President helped us to keep on going and keep working hard so that definitely was great! His words were so powerful! I loved it!
So remember that missionary that wanted to go home his name, yeah he decided to stay!! He told me that and I was so glad he is a real cool guy I know he is going to be thankful for his decision later in his life!!!
So familia Moronta..... are acitivated and now they are active members of the church😁😳. When Elder Mata and I saw them at church we were so happy!!!! I know that we haven't had a baptism since January but we definitely have reactivated families and thats just as wonderful! I am so happy with the work that we have done!
I know that our work as members will give us blessings and that even better we are doing the Lords work! We get to see many miracles and I have never seen how much the spirit works. As members we need to take advantage of it. It is one poweful instrument, and Im so thankful I get to use it because it works through us! Lets strengthen the work! 
I know that this gospel is for each and everyone of us! Let us share his love and show how great it is!
Elder Santacruz!

This is how far service goes

We teach him Spanish he cuts our hair

PUPPIES

Members have puppies

Putting them to good use

The Lord Blesses

This week was something we needed! Lately our investigators have not been progressing and we have been trying our best to work with them. Kelvin has been really busy and he rarely has time to talk to us. That was hard for me because he was on fire, he did everything  we asked and then he just stopped all of a sudden. He felt the spirit so many times with us and everything was good but we arent done trying! We go by and talk to him and have a lesson when he has time but that's just the mission for you. Sometimes people that you love so much will just stop participating in the gospel  but that just tells me that it wasnt their time but it definately helps me to think that I helped them get that far! We will see what happens I am not done with this area! The thing we fasted for this Sunday was to be able to find more people to bring the gospel to. The Lord has already blessed us with so many more people!!!!!! It is so great!!! We have been talking to a young boy, his name is Carlos and he has a brother on a mission in Mexico. His brother is the only member in his family and so we have been giving him the lessons and he has been reading everything we have asked him to read. i
I asked him to be baptized yesterday and we set a date of the end of March and he accepted and we told him that if he does  the things we tell him, he will know that this gospel is true! Right then I knew he trusted us and that he will do these things! I have faith in this kid! We invited him to church this Sunday! I will pray hard for him! He is the coolest kid ever, he is so funny! We love going over to visit. We have been working harder this week and we have been doing really good with our numbers. I am so happy that heavenly father will help us with all the things we do!
This week was definatly great! The lord never seems to stop helping us. I am so thankful for that! Love you guys so much! Miss you all, that was my great week! Have a great week! 
Shout out to Skyeler McCook for putting in his papers! love you dude!

Elder Santacruz

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Perseverar hasta el fin

This week was just great! So did I mention we haven't had a bishop for a month? He moved to another stake and so we haven't had a bishop to work with us and it has been hard to bring the less active to church without a bishop to help. This Sunday someone was called and he is a good member, but now we hopefully can help the less actives, its been hard for our district because none of our investigators have been progressing as much as we want them too. I'm not gonna lie its been pretty hard but I know things will get better. We have 3 main investigators that have baptismal dates, and the thing that they are struggling with is not going to church. What we've been doing that I know will work is we have been bringing members with us to meet them so that when they go to church they will know more people and not feel like they just know the missionaries. I know little by little things will get better!

So we have a family that we really like because they are so cool. They were less active and now they are reactivated and they always feed us which is awesome! One of the daughters is on a mission and there is another daughter that hasn't gone to church in 6 years but now she is reactivated and she is going through a repentance process so she can fill out her mission papers!!! We are so proud of her! Next time I'll try to get a picture with them but we are so happy for them!

We also did a lot of intercambios this week. One missionary in our district is not doing so good he is home sick and so Elder Mata has been helping him out because he doesn't want him to go home. We all don't want him to go home! We all have been trying to help him out in, hoping he doesn't decide to go home but we will keep praying for him. 

I know this mission is hard and at times it can be hard when the work is not progressing. This work is not easy at all but I know that Heavenly Father has helped me through my tough times here and that he makes this work wonderful. He makes me look at this as a blessing, that being here is the greatest thing ever. I have seen so many blessings and I know that my faith has grown stronger than ever! I know that this gospel is true without a doubt! That we are here to have a purpose in life and that we can be with our Father in heaven again. We all just need to endure until the end in any situation. I LOVE this gospel mushisimo! and I LOVE YOU ALL so so much and miss you all! This is God's work! Lets do something about it! 

Elder Santacruz

Sometimes I get a little distracted when I'm doing my studying

Found so machetes! 

Miracles do happen

This week was amazing! It all started on Sunday! We have been working with the Moronta family. They are a couple that has a boy and the mother has been a member for 8 years and the father is a returned missionary. They are so cool, we have been visiting them for about a month now and we have been trying to help them go to church and this Sunday they went to church!!!!! Right there was a miracle that I saw. They haven't been to church in 2 years and we are gonna keep working with them so they will be active again. When Elder Mata and I saw them sitting in church Mata said how work pays off and I definitely felt really happy for them! 

This week we also have been teaching a new investigator his name is David and we have been teaching lesson . So far he is doing great, he has been reading and praying and he is doing great! This week he said he is gonna go to church so lets see if he comes we will pray for him! Kelvin has been slacking and he hasn't been coming to church. Every time we have a lesson with him its so spiritual but he hasn't been coming to church so we will keep working with him! 

We had an intercambio this week and I was with Elder Sheffard for a day and he is new in the area  and in the district so Elder Mata wanted me to get closer with. He is the big football dude from Utah and one of things that President told Elder Mata was that he is not enjoying the mission. Through out the day he was telling me about him and that a lot has happened to him and that he doesn't really want to be on the mission. H said that his last companions were pretty bad! We definitely had a fun time working and being together! This transfer I want to try to get close to him so that he doesn't feel like he is alone here he seems cool already.


This past week I realized all the miracles that have already happened and I am so thankful for them! I am doing great! Time is flying by too fast! Love you guys! Thanks for your prayers and your support!
Elder Santacruz
Happy Valentines Day


The Pizza Mom and Dad ordered all the way from Tucson  because I haven't had it and have been craving it.

What I am wearing is called Tubees, all the females wear them to keep their hair nice while they sleep 

Playing Soccer 

Happy Valentines Day from Elder Santacruz and Elder Mata