Tuesday, September 22, 2015

This wonderful discipleship is all worth it!

WOW what the heck is it really over!? No me Diga! haha I cant believe that my final days are coming to an end. The first week in was like that hardest and I didn't know a lick of Spanish and not having any idea of what was going on in the lessons but here we are. We got to to this point ​with a lot of faith, so many prayers and a testimony solid and firm! I am so happy to be here at this point. All the missionaries have said that we should work so hard all the way to last days in your mission so you wont feel that remorse and honestly I feel like everything is in place! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to serve in this wonderful country and to have felt a little of what Christ had to pay!

Now this week my goal is to finish strong I want to work until the last hour and not slow down. I don't want to die until Wednesday! I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father for giving me these two years here to learn, serve, and love! I am know this gospel is completely true. I have seen the miracles and the blessings. They will always be stuck in my heart to help me and to keep and cherish! I know the Book of Mormon was passed to our loving prophet Joseph Smith and he did restore the church. I know that he was empowered with the authority by celestial apostles and that we are here for one purpose so that we can be tested, tried, and to put the atonement into play! I know that Christ payed the price for me and he did suffered every affliction and type of pain ever known. I know that this work, this wonderful hard discipleship is all worth it. I love this church and I love the director of it as well. In the name of Christ amen!

p.s. I will see you guys on Friday! :)

Love
Elder Santacruz




My companion sleeps with 2 fans

16 days!




SEPTEMBER 2015!

Wow are we already in September? oh dang!!!! haha
Do I still have to say that this week was another great week because I say it all the time! Every week is just amazing!
My comp and I are good friends, wow I just want more time with him because he's so cool! I can always extend?????? hahaha no just kidding. Yeah my two years are up and I feel so good that I don't want to spoil it!
This Sunday they I gave a talk about missionary work and I could feel the spirit so strong I wish you guys were there because everyone enjoyed it! Mom I mentioned you in my talk! I gave the talk and then suddenly everyone decided to do missionary work! This week we have already received 5 references and 4 lessons with members! My district has been telling me that I am not dying which means that I am not slowing down because a lot of missionaries slow  down and they tend to stay longer in the house and waste time but me NO WAYYYY!!! We are teaching in the mornings and in the afternoons! I am  not going to waste any time! I am so happy that everyone is giving us all this work to do!
The other day we met a family that is having lots of problems. They are members from a long time ago and they really didn't want anything to do with the church  at first but we have been going every week and we finally had a lesson with the mom who is a member. Wow she started crying and starting saying that one of her sons was saying to her that¨mom I would definitely not want to be your son after this life¨ and we started explaining to her that there is a plan after this life that she will be able to live with her son after we pass away. She felt so happy she said that she feels like her family is falling apart and that she doesn't feel like she is teaching her kids correctly about God and the gospel. She wants to start doing it! We want to help her more and her family and yesterday we left to go teach some lessons in the morning and we passed by her house and she was cleaning the house!!! SERVICE!!!  We got in there and we helped here clean the house and she was so happy and she even trusted us more!!! It was so great!
Eleazer is progressing even more, we are going to see if he will get baptized next week or the next week after that! He is definitely progressing and definitely wants to be a memeber of this church! This was my great week  and I hope you all love it and were able to feel the spirit!
Also I was able to visit crisot rey before I leave so I am so happy! I got to see my activated familys and my converts!

Love
Elder Santacruz

Bye to my Cristo Rey families




Elder Faalogo

Bye to Sis. Lopez

Sunday, August 23, 2015

God and his army is stronger

Hey guys!!!!! How are we all doing? I hope everyone had a great week! This week here in Sabaneta was great! It has been raining everyday this week which was so great! Everyone was saying that we are in a drought and that we were going to run out of water in one month but it started raining hard so not anymore!!! so that's good! Its pretty crazy that one river is the sourc of water here! But God always loves and he has blessed this little town! 

But guys guess what? We found two more people this week and we invited them to be baptized. The first guy is a Peruvian so that's cool. His date is on the 19 of September!! So the weekend before I leave we are planning to have another baptism!! The lesson was with him last Thursday. I don't know if I've told you guys about him before but his name is Omar and he works for Kola Real, a soda company here but he has taken the lessons before in Peru when he was 17 but now he is 28 so now he is really interested but anyways the lesson was so spiritual!!!! It was so calm in his house, there was no noise what so ever but he had read the whole pamphlet! He said that he loved the first part of the pamphlet so I just kept going and he understood everything! The thing that was so great from the lesson was at the end when my comp and I finished teaching and both bore our testimonies, just from his face we could feel that the spirit was touching his heart and let him know that all the things we had said were true. We invited him to be baptized and he accepted right away! He was saying that it seems true because just by our dedication to this work helps him realize more that these things are true!
Yeah he is a cool guy! So happy to have him!:) he has gone to church twice!! 


Now we have another investigator that is new but he is another reference. He has come to church 4 times even before were teaching him but his name is Eleaser and his advantage is that his girlfriend is a member and they are planning on getting married. The girl doesn't was to force him. She is so cool she doesn't want him to be baptized for her so he definitely knows that it has to be his own testimony which is great! We have told him that they have to be his desires and he says that he really wants to know if this is the true church. The girl was telling us that she sees a change in him. He goes to church without her invitation. He goes by himself so we feel like he is preparing himself to be baptized so we will see if we can see two baptisms next month!!:) 

Leonidas is still preparing himself to be baptized. We want him to be really prepared for his baptism so we don't know if he will be baptized this Saturday or next Saturday but he says hi! He told me the next time I talk to my family to say hi for him! He is a really great guy! I told him he has to go to my wedding and my reception to play bachata haha but he is such a great guy he is definitely going be a great member of the church. Just pray for all of these guys please. Satan is trying to tear them down but God and his army is stronger as you guys can see the work is so great here in Sabaneta! I can't complain!!!  I wanted to let guys know that I am getting home on the 25th of September, it's a Friday and they still havent got the flight plan yet but they think I will get home around 8:15 not 100 percent sure but that's the approximate time!! Wow that's so weird to talk about.... hahaa but love you guys so much!!! Have a good week! This week lets try to give a reference to the missionaries! It will help a lot! 

Love
Elder HOLYCROSS haha everyone calls me that! 

Elder Christianson

Hermana Dulce and her sister

Hermana Zagarra is leaving us

Nelson my workout buddy



A successful missionary is one who is dedicated

​¿Como estan mi gente?​ Que loco me falta solo 7 semanas ¿verdad? Pero... I'll stop talking in Spanish because no one can understand me only mom! Yeah buddy buddy mom we are just gonna talk in Spanish. English doesn't exist for us hahaha but anyways this week was so cool! Guess what we found a less active this week and here is a crazy experience for you guys! Okay ready...?

So when I got to Sabaneta I met a less active member his name is Napoleon. the president of the branch introduced us to him. He has so much time not going to church and also guess what he is an ex missionary... so sad... but okay I met him one random day out in the street and we have always wanted to find him. My companion Elder Pinales didn't want to waste time trying to help him so we never went to his house when I was with him but when Elder Lopez arrived I wanted to find him because he is a cool dude. He is super smart and I don't know why but I felt something when I met him. What I mean is I felt the holy spirit telling me that I needed to go see him. Anyways when I went with Elder Lopez to his house no one ever answered. I remember that sometimes when we went over there right before we got to his house we would see him and he would walk inside and hide from us or he would just never answer the door when the door was wide open. After like our 10th visit my comp said to me yeah we should stop coming we are wasting our time! So I agreed.

Now, last week on Thursday we saw him in the streets which was weird because he never leaves his home. He lives by himself and he doesn't work and he has no friends so he likes staying in the house....anyways like I was saying we saw him in the street but we actually bumped into him... like it was perfect!! We got his number and he was saying yeah go to my house on Saturday at three and we were like yeah buddy!! When the day came at three we tried calling him and he wouldn't answer....and when we got to his house he wasn't there. My comp was so annoyed I was a little also but get this!!!!! On Sunday, the next day I get the the impression to say to my comp, "hey lets go visit napoleon again tomorrow." My comp was saying why? like thinking I was crazy but we did and when we got there the next day he was there!!!!! He let us in and he said hey guys sorry I had to do something the day we planned the appointment we were like no its okay! We sat down and guess what? We talked in English. He is fluent in English and he is super cool. He just has a lot of problems! We talked for 2 hours about his life and everything but when we got out we realized that we were being that successful missionary according to preach my gospel!!! It says that a missionary that is successful is one that is dedicated and we are definitely that!! We kept trying and trying until we even doubted but I learned so much by that little moment from the beginning until now to always pay attention to the spirit and always be persistent. I learned that from Elder Holland!!! Wow I love the mission!! I love you all so much hope you like my week!

Also Leaonidas is not ready to get baptized. We think that he needs to wait another week because we don't want to baptize him until he is sure that he will endure to the end and until his testimony is strong! 

Love you all!! 
Elder Santacruz 

Shout out to My Boy Elder Jake Peterson for being a boss and finishing your mission! You are a great example to me man! Keep going dude!! Love you!


God is Love

​Hey guys!!! Wow this week already finished? Flip... haha 

Well this week was a little loco. We had to go to Santo Domingo because we had to renew our Visa. They are doing it because they are sending all the Haitians back to their country because most the Haitians don't have papers so that's kinda sad! We did that Monday and yesterday it took us 5 hours to get back to our area can you believe it!? Wow Santo Domingo is far. Oh by the way Santo Domingo is the Capital!

This week we were able to find 5 new investigators. Can you guys believe it, they were all references!!! Hey we might be seeing some more success soon! Woot Woot! One of the investigators is a Peruvian and he is so smart. He works for Kola Real, its a soda company. He is an engineer but he is so interested in the plan of salvation. He has studied about everything. He looked into Buddhism, Jehovah witness, Atheism but he is understanding everything we are teaching him! Wow he asks a million questions so that's good! He did go to church last week, not here in Sabaneta in a another city. He enjoyed it, he said he will come to the one here so were excited to have him!

Leaonidas went to church again!!!!!!!!! That's four weeks straight going and he is still focused on it!  He is making sacrifices to be a member of the church of Christ!! It's so great! He said to today that he feels apart of something and that he is starting to feel happy for once in his life!! Wow!!!! That's so cool! The Lord is definitely helping him!! 
He might not get baptized this Saturday because we want him to really have a strong testimony but he will get there right? Yeah buddy! 

President of the branch is happy! Today we saw him and he said he is so happy about the work that we are doing, he is seeing a lot of progress and its true the work here is changing! People are more motivated to help us. 

I am so excited for this week. We are going to meet a new family. They are a reference but they are really cool. They want to know more about the church so we will see how it goes. Please pray for us!! Prayers do work!!!! I love you all Mucho!! This work is great!!! God is love!! Christ lives! This is his true CHURCH!

Elder Santacruz

Super funny man

Dominican working in sandels

Temple selfie

One doesn't work without the other...

Well.... another great week here in Sabaneta! We are seeing miracles all over the place! I gotta talk about the VECINO, the neighbor first because he is so cool! The neighbor is progressing more and more, we put his date for the 1st of August! We set if for that day because his girlfriend is coming down from the states for these next two weeks and so we will do it if he is willing to make sacrifices. We talked about the law of Chastity and we really hope that he won't do anything dumb with her. He needs all the help he can get so please pray for him that he wont fall into temptation. He sounds so pumped to be baptized and he has that desire to change. We hope the best for him but what has been really cool is that some nights we have been reading the book of mormon right before he goes to bed and he is starting to get used to everything. Also this last Sunday he went to church on his own and he got there on time at 9:00 exactly. We will see what happens this week! 

We are teaching a family and we have been teaching for about a month now. They haven't had the time to go to church because they always go out of town but this Sunday the father and the daughter went to church. It's great to see the father finally wanting to learn more. They have so many friends in the church because they were our reference from the branch president! What we haven't been doing is we haven't been visiting them that much weekly so that is what we need to change! 

This last Saturday, we had a lesson with a less active member. She is a mother of three kids. I took a picture with two of the kids. The little girl does poses haha. The mom lost her husband two years ago and around that time, she fell away from the church. We have been helping her with her family home evenings and also we have been helping her try to let go of what happened to her husband. She needs to move on with her life. She is getting so much better, the other day we got to her house and she tells us that she had read three chapters of the book of mormon on her own. Usually we have to try to push her to read the book of mormon but this time she did it on her own which was great! She is motivating herself! The other day we shared a great message with her which the scripture is in Corinthians 12: 20-22 and it talks about how even the weak ones are necessary which I think it is so cool how it talks about each part of the body being necessary and that one part doesn't work without the other! 

So many great things are happening and it is so cool to see more and more people interested in knowing about the gospel! The church is true I love this gospel, Christ lives always, and this work is only gonna get bigger! 
Love all of you guys have a good week!
E. Santacruz

Said goodbye to my great friend Elisaura. See you again soon. Congratulations on your marriage.

Leaonidas and his madre

Sabaneta til the End

​Hello everyone! Guess what!?! I am gonna stay here in Sabaneta for sure. I am gonna finish my mission here! Yes! I know that because I have to kill my companion... that means he is gonna finish his mission in 6 weeks and then I am gonna leave 4 weeks after that. Wow I only have 10 more weeks isn't that crazy​. Yeah I am excited to know that I am gonna finish here! This week was so great! It first started with Leaonidas our Investigator!

He went to church again that's so cool. We are starting to notice that he really has the desire to be baptized but he needs a lot of prayers! He is such a great guy! We both love him so much! One thing we need to work on is him going to church on time but also he needs to go to church on his own just so he doesn't get used to us taking him every week! Other than that he always talks about his date! He is like so I am still getting baptized on the 25th right? so that helps us know that he is still excited! 

Also on Sunday we sang the song glorious by David Archileta in the movie meet the mormons. It was a duet with my comp and I and Hermana Frost playing the piano and wow it was so cool. First time singing in church and it was so special everyone felt the spirit I wanted to do it because I have never sang in church and I knew that mom would have wanted me to do it! After we sang, everyone was like wow you guys need to sing every week! haha I was like umm... nah but we sang it in Spanish! It was cool! 

Yesterday when my comp and I found out we were gonna stay together we were like yeah buddy we are gonna kill it in such little time. So much work to do! Our goals are to have a member leave with us everyday! That a goal that we really want to work on. I am so excited to be here and wow I am so pumped to have time still in the mission because pretty soon I will be with you guys but love you all this week will be even better promise you that! Have a good week! 
Love 
Elder SANTACRUZ.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Happy 4th of July

Well hello everyone! This week was an okay week we didn't have so much success like last week but hey its all good life still moves on Happy fourth of July I hope everyone enjoyed it, we did as well.

We had a barbecue planned with are investigator he is such a cool guy he is the singer that we teach. On the fourth we had everything planned we invited some members to have the barbecue with us so that he could meet new members and so everything was planned to have it at 8:00. We were going have a lesson and then eat but didn't turn out too great... when it was 8:00 he wasn't there in his house, so we called him and called him and he wouldn't answer until like 8:30 he got back and he arrived to his house drunk! Turns out he was singing at a party and they peer pressured him to drink so he was a little drunk, and it was a little sad to see him like that because he has a date set and everything. Hey we cant judge him because he is trying to live a new life and he is trying to get back on his feet so we are going to keep pushing with him and I know that was just a little mistake and the good thing is he knew he did something bad so everything is all good! 

This week we also were able to teach an Atheist, wow the first time in my mission and it was hard at first but it was really cool because we taught an american. It was so weird teaching in English it was kinda of embarrassing because the last time I taught in English was in Cristo Rey almost 1 year and six months ago. When we started testifying she was willing to pray so that was a start! I don't know how people think that God doesn't exist. People just say that because mostly atheist were Christians before they just had a bad experience in life that made them think that God doesn't exist but honestly that just means that they hate God. 

This week will be the last week of the transfer and I am kinda nervous because I think they are going to move me. I don't know but I hope not because we are having so much success! I know that Lord will send me where ever he needs me! I hope you all enjoyed my week and I miss you all and hope that your guys's week was great just as much as mine. 

Love 
Elder Santacruz


boy can he play

We are teaching their mom. Love these girls

Youngest is a poser

I'm a Mexican American

Waterfall


Infite Love

​Well hello home! How did everything go this week? Did you guys like my experience last week? Well you guys are gonna like this week even better! It all started on Saturday. Every Saturday the bishopric has their meetings and they are doing them so that's always good because in this country they are terrible at doing their meetings but anyways... we asked President if we could join this week because we wanted to know what they doing and what they talking about or if they are just slacking off because we want to speed up the work a little bit. We of course want to help people with their calling because there has been members that have had the same calling for 10 years and they are practically tired of doing the same thing! They let us in the meeting and wow this meeting was the bomb the president was pumped to change callings and put new members in big callings because we feel like the new members need a responsibility and they need to have a commitment in the church. So we get in there and everything starts changing, all the callings.... everything! They were all excited and ready to see if the Lord wants these things! This place is gonna be on it's feet in NO time! As you can see I am really happy about the church being be more organized! 

Then came Sunday!!!! Wow what a treat!!! So guess what? Leonidas and Blas Bueno came to church!!! Yes!!!!!!!! The Bachatero went to church and wow it was such a blessing from the Lord. The whole night before I was praying for like an hour just saying God please help everyone be excited to go to church. Hey the Lord had answered my prayers and everyone else's. When we started seeing them come into church we were just jumping up and down in side! It's such a great feeling when you really see the people you love follow something you love the most. It's awesome that you can help them have the same feeling for it too! They both loved it, they are progressing and they are preparing themselves for their baptismal dates!!! So the Lord's work is moving here in Sabaneta! :)

On Monday we had such a spiritual district meeting and one thing that made it the best was that my topic was on the Atonement and wow I can not tell you my feelings on that topic is so strong. That is just such a blessing to talk about! All of the district was just feeling that spiritual drive when I shared Alma 7:11-12 and I invite you guys to read it but when we all read that I was just explaining the atonement and how it is for me. I was saying that Christ had to go through all of that to be able to make us feel like we are never alone and that when he was praying to his father he asked.. if there was another way but how willing he was and faithful he was to be more than happy to fulfill his fathers will because he loves him and he knows it was the plan from the beginning. I know that the atonement was for me and that Christ met me in the garden and he knew my name. I know that he knew what would happen with me that he would feel my pain! I love my Lord so much and I know the the atonement has made me be the man I am today! These things are true and Christ lives and he has his true church here on earth for us to know of his his eternal and infinite love.  
The church is true everybody so lets do something about it!!! 

Love 
Elder Santacruz






It's the Lord's will now

​​Hello people!!!!! How was your guys week? I hope it was great because mine was great!!! Lets start out with our neighbor/investigator. Wow he is really great, he is a little LOCO but he is so nice haha. He was a bachatero, he was into music and a lot of drugs and that was life for him but then we started teaching him a month ago. He progressed so much two days ago. He had such a spiritual lesson. We watched the restoration video and at first he didn't understand it all but then after, he had tons of questions and then we explained and he started getting it. He was just saying,"I am starting to believe it." I think those are my favorite words! :) We put a date for July 18 and he accepted and then we finished with a prayer which was so simple but sweet ¨God please let me know if this church is true and what these guys are saying is true in the name of Christ AMEN¨ I cant tell you how amazing it is hear those words from some one that is investigating the church it makes everything worth it!!! I know the progress is the hardest part but its the Lord's will now!!! Sabaneta is slowly but surely progressing. I love it, it makes me sad I only have a little time left to work! 
:( I love these people.
Well I think that's my favorite part of this week I hope you all will enjoy it Love you all! 

Elder Santacruz


My best friend!

Good Bye to our President and his wife

Temple Time

Hello everyone!!! Wow this week was so special!!!! I will never forget this week because I went to the Temple!!!! It was just a spiritual week. It made me stronger, even more now to just finish my mission strong. 

It all started on Friday, we had to go a day earlier because its four hours from here to the temple. We slept in Santiago because Santiago is in the middle of Sabaneta and the capital but wow Friday was great because I got to hang out with some good buddies Elder Hollingsworth and Perez remember them? They are such good buddies, they are in the office so they have a truck and were able to take us to the temple. So that Friday we helped them around the office. 

That Saturday we got to the temple at 8:00 in the morning and wow I couldn't believe that I haven't been to the temple for so long. It's been about 1 year and 7 months FLIP haha but wow right when we got in the temple I felt the spirit right away. We did a session and the coolest thing was that I did the session in Spanish and I was a little greenie last time. Funny thing, everyone was asking us....so how much time do you guys have in the MTC? We were like hahaha we have like a year and 7 months almost finishing the mission but wow I was just balling my eyes out in the celestial room. I was saying my prayers and we could really feel the spirit. That was really the highlight of my week! I loved it so much I can't wait to go back in a few months! 

But other than that my comp and I are working hard with the President of the branch. He is the best leader I have ever known. He is just so humble and such a hard worker! He had a good week with the members, they are finally working now. We had 9 lessons with them last week we will see how many we'll get this week! I love you guys so much I hope you enjoyed my week. Have a good week! Keep working hard, I know that the gospel is true and that temples are true... They are for us to be able to be sealed to our families by the power from the heavens but I I know for a fact my family will be sealed forever by God, by his divine power.... the CHURCH is TRUE Christ is real and ALIVE here with us in the name of Christ AMEN!:) 

Elder Santacruz


I cant keep calm hahaha

Fish pedicure

We signed up right away!

La PLaya

Add caption

I love to see the temple



Put myself in his shoes

SO this week was just great! Do you guys know why it was great?, because it was filled with obedience, dedication, ​and full of hard work! I loved it. My comp and I are just having the same vision, he in Sabaneta and we want to work! My comp and I are just hitting it off great! We are just goof balls just playing around with each other. 

One thing that happened this week is first the lesson with Blas Bueno, he is an old investigator that my comp had when he started his mission here. He is a father and a husband and is one smart guy. He is actually a lawyer so that shows how smart he is but wow he is progressing great now he actually has a date for the 4th of July and we want to involve his family and really try to teach them at the same time! The other day we were teaching Blas and we reading the Book of Mormon, reading the first chapter in first Nephi. After we read it he was saying that every time we come to his house after he just sits for 30 min just thinking about the things we say to him. We were just shocked, we believe him too because he knows everything that we teach him and he knows it extremely well. In that lesson we just felt the spirit and he was saying he believes in all this stuff so we are just excited for him and praying hard so that he can reach his goals! 

Now every week I don't know if I told you guys this but we give service and we bathe an old man! He has no one and he is like 85 years and he's crippled. He can't move his legs and all he does is lay in bed all day and really its sad! We bathe him and then we have to clean a wound on his leg. I was thinking last week, like do we have to clean his leg and also how long we were going to do this for and just feeling like doctors need to do this and I was kinda complaining in my mind and just saying nope not anymore we are not qualified for this but last p day I saw a video in Mormon messages its called lift https://youtu.be/YAuqdPWTGLI
and it helped me realize that if it's not out of love it doesn't count and that I have to put myself in his shoes..... he has no one! It helped me a lot to think about what Christ would do.... maybe he would heal him right but I am using my faith and saying that he will benefit from this one day! :) That was my week, really spiritual and the branch is getting better and better every week! I love you all and hope you all have a great week! This work is true and it is full of miracles it truly is! 

love you all 

Elder Santacruz


My friend Fran


Water has been this way for two weeks.... mission problems

Enjoy what they really have

​Hello everyone! Another good week in the mission. Elder Lopez is a great companion, he and I are getting a long so well, too well actually haha We are always laughing haha and having a good time but we are working way harder and seeing more results! The spirit is working with us more! Did I tell you guys that Elder Lopez had already worked here before in this area and he started his mission here so he knows all the members and he already knows the area so it was super cool because it does take some time to learn everything but yeah he already knows it! 

We found a family that Lopez was teaching a long time ago almost a year ago. They were so excited to see him and that they talked for a long time with him and asked him tons of questions. Lopez wanted to share with them again and so when we left the first pamphlet. The father read the whole thing and he really understood the meaning of the prophets and how the lord works with prophets. It made me really happy that they are willing to try again to see if these things are really true! 

So in the ward, president had thought of an idea that is so cool. It's about the Book of Mormon. What would happen is that we would get a Book of Mormon and each one of the members of the branch would have one night with the book in their house it would start with one member and that member would visit another family with a Book of Mormon and they would read together 1 chapter and talk about that chapter together, mark their favorite scriptures, and write down what had happened in the chapter! It would keep going until one of the books in the Book of Mormon would finish! We are going to read 3 Nephi and then when we are done we all would have an activity and talk about that chapter that they read in their home. Hopefully you guys get it but it is kicking off great, yeah its already been passed by two families and really this will help the ward want to read the BofM more! These members need to get more excited about the truth and just enjoy what they really have! 

but my week was great I loved it and I cant wait for the next one!!!! We will see what is going to happen! I am excited! Not that much time left so I need to work even harder!  Love you all have a good week! 

Shout out to my sis CYN love you happy birthday!! Wow your old hahaha just kiddin! 

love Elder Santacruz


Why are we poor?

sanding service project




Saturday, July 4, 2015

Honors where it matters most

Hello everyone!! How is it going!? 
All I can say is I did it!!! Yep I finished the transfer and I used all my faith and strength in the Lord! Do you want hear such a spiritual story?? 

This week I had been trying to finish well with my comp, and he is a great missionary just we didn't get a long in this transfer it was always hard to work with him and help him get focused on his mission! It was pretty hard to feel the spirit and to stay focused on the most important things. I feel like had been praying all transfer to find and answer or to feel some comfort from God and it was 2 days ago when I was reading my scriptures and I was reading chapter 37 of Alma and I found a scripture that helped me and gave me the answer that I have been waiting for all this transfer and it says

"Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, anwhither soever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let althy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upothe Lord forever."

And I just felt relieved when I read this, I felt so happy. I got on my knees for that special moment, I was blessed. I had to put all my thoughts in the Lord. I put the affections of my heart and placed them upon the Lord forever. This truly was manifested from the Lord I testify of this scripture that these things are true.  

I have a new comp!I am still here in Sabaneta! The lord still needs me here! His name is Elder Lopez and he is from LA California. His parents are from Guatemala and president gave me another special assignment, to help him finish his mission strong! I am just dying to work, I want to work so hard to the point where I just feel exhausted everyday when I get home I want that so bad and I am gonna do it! My week is getting better and I am showing God who I really am in these last months that I have!!! Love you all and I hope you all have a great week! 

love Elder Santacruz

This is what President sent me:
Your next comp will be interesting. He has a sincere desire to change. I would like to help him. I have this feeling that if we can help him finish strong, it will change his life. I know I ask a lot of you, but I have great faith in you. You may not get the "honors of men," but you are getting the honors where it matter most.

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