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.

\


Elder Santacruz Turns 20!

Hello everyone!!!! :) Wow what a week! First I would like to thank you all for wishing me a happy birthday! It was so great!!! It was really special too! I cant believe I am 20 now... wow I am still young! haha

The coolest thing ever was on Monday, it was a holiday here so on holidays everyone goes to the river! so... my district decided to plan a service during our proselyting time and so we were gonna dig a whole but it turns out that the whole was a surprise birthday party haha it was so great! It was so cool to see Elisaura she went all the way to Sabaneta to throw me a birthday party. She is such a great friend! Wow thanks guys for the video that was so special to me I LOVE MY FAMILY! It feels so weird that I am 20? Wow where has time gone! Well I am not a teenager any more dang so i guess that comes with more respect haha just kidding! 

With my comp, this comp has been a little slow he is kinda tired of working it makes me a little annoyed because all he is thinking about is going home and it doesn't help the work grow. I have been trying to keep my ANIMO up. The prayers are definitely working. The work is getting better little by little it's just that I'm limited and its sometimes hard but I can handle it don't worry about!:) Love you all thanks for this week! I am so excited to skype you guys this Sunday! Wow we're to our last phone call flip! haha but I think the time will be at 3:00 o'clock here so hopefully you guys can make that time! but miss you all and see ya on Sunday! 

elder santacruz


When Elder realized it was a surprise for him 




The one who made it all possible. Thank you Elisa