The Mish

Hola como estan! My week was crazy! This last week was Semana Santa and everyone comes here. Usually everyone is out for school and a lot of our investigators were all out of town and so we didn't have a lot of lessons this week. We still worked our butts off  though. We found a lot of new investigators and we met them all by references! Our mission President said that we can't contact anymore because its not effective. Elder Story and I just met new people and we are really working are area! I feel so happy with what we have done, we still have two weeks but we are gonna kill it.

One thing that happened this week is that a family in the ward is having some marriage problems. They are a young couple and have only been been married for 4 years. We have been trying to help them work on communication because that is what their problem is. They were talking to us the whole time about the other person and that's not what you do. So this past week we have been doing family home evenings with them so they have been getting better. We do a lot of activities that help with communication and it seems to be working. I am glad the Lord is helping them! I never knew I was gonna be a marriage counselor wow...

Any way everything is great I cant believe I only have 2 more weeks with Elder Story its kinda sad he is awesome! I am nervous, I think I will be leaving so we will see what happens... Everything is all good I am enjoying life! I can't complain! I love you all! I hope each and everyone of you are doing your part to share this gospel but as for Easter hope you all had a good one I know that Christ still lives and that his church is here for us so let's take advantage of it!!!! Miss you all! That's all for this week folks!

Elder Santacruz

It rained all Week!

Beautiful Rainbow

Soaked!

Really Soaked! 

Another Week in Paradise

Hello everyone!!!!!!! I had an amazing week. It all started out with our baptism that we had this week!!!!!!!!!! Alan got baptized, I had the privilege to baptize him and it was so awesome! He's so happy! The baptism turned out great. Many members of the ward went and supported him, it was great! I was just in shock the whole time. I was thinking, wow he is getting baptized and a few months ago he was asking why we needed prophets and why we needed to get re baptized its just a miracle. The next day he received the the gift of the Holy Ghost and he was presented in front of everyone and he just smiled and I was so happy for him. He knows what his purpose is now! It truly is a blessing to know why we're here and that we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

This week was kinda hard also, I had a pretty bad fever. I was taking so many things so that it wouldn't effect our proselyting time. I asked for  a blessing from my comp and that definitely helped. The rest of the day I had the strength to work through it! We had a lot of success! Now I am better and ready to go haha but everything went well this week can't complain! I am just so happy about Alan! Everything is great miss you all and my companion and I are having such a great time he is awesome! Time is flying by so fast with him! Hope you guys have a great week! Love you!

Elder Santacruz

Three Americans and One Peruvian

Alan's Baptism :)

I love his Cute Daughter Aleah

Alan's Family

So Happy

Rooftops with Elder Story

Can't believe it has already been 6 months.

Well another great week like always! Saturday and Sunday were the best I just loved all the talks that were given. My favorite was probably Uchtdorf's talk. It was so great all we did was relax and just listened with the spirit. I definitely took many things from conference as do I hope you all did. It was the best! We watched conference at our church. A member let us borrow his laptop it was great!

We have been working our butts off this week. My companion and I are so tired everyday and we just have been killing it! The great thing that happened this week was our investigator Alen was asked the interview questions before he gets interviewed for his baptism and he rocked it. He knew all the things he was asked and he is prepared to get baptized! That made me so happy! This week definitely helped with my strength to keep going and to just be happy about everything! My companion Elder Story is such a great missionary. He is so humble and really obedient. We always have the spirit with us and it is so great! We are making the best out of everything. We don't waste time, when an appointment is canceled  we find a less active member to teach or do something that doesn't make us feel like we're wasting time. We are just in Missionary Mode and its awesome! I miss you all and I am so thankful for all your prayers I am doing fantastic! 

I cant wait to send you guys pictures of the baptism! 

Shout of to my man Garth Hunt for receiving his mission call to Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez. They are so lucky to have you! Shout out to Skyeler McCook for receiving his call to Peru Arequipa. Proud of you Do work guys! Representing Tucson all over the world!

Elder Santacruz

Watching Conference

Companero

Studyingggggg

Miracle Week 4/2/14

This was one of the best emails we have received from Elder Santacruz. It brought us all to tears to read about the miracle he witnessed this week. The Spirit is real and to hear how it touched our Elder Santacruz brings joy to our hearts.


Oh my gosh! Everyone I am sooooo happy! I have seen a miracle this week and I am so grateful Heavenly Father has blessed me and I know that he has answered my prayers. I have been fasting every Saturday for an investigator named Alan. He had been taking the lessons with us since I got in my first area!!! He is a Haitian and he has been wondering what church to join. He had a dream when he was a kid of him getting baptized to the real church and he has just been waiting for an answer. He finally received it this last week! He said to us that he had just finally realized that the answer was right in front of his face the whole time and he had just felt happy inside. He told us that he.... is.. now ready.. to be baptized. I just was at peace. I had the Spirit run through my body telling me that Heavenly Father gave him an answer and that the spirit testified to him the truthfulness of the gospel. We had been teaching him for about 4 and half months and I just felt so happy to be able to help him find his way! He told us that he wanted to get baptized on the 12th of April and that he is now ready to change his life! This was a miracle from God and I am blessed to be Gods servant! I will always remember that moment! I will call this week miracle week!!! My new companion and I have been working extremely hard and we are seeing the fruit of God I know that through me, he will touch the hearts of many people! I love you all and I miss you all! I know the Lord gave us this gospel and I have seen the blessings of what it does. Have a great week everyone! 

love,
Elder Santacruz

I "mustache" you a question

Love Elder Story already

Made tacos like mom but not as good of course

Transfers! Saying bye to Elder Mata

This week was crazy! I got told that Hermana missionaries were coming in my area and that they are going to take us both of the area! Elder Mata is gonna be a zone leader and I am still gonna be in Cristo Rey. I will be in another area in Cristo Rey. I will still be in the same ward and everything, I think I am still in Cristo Rey because I have to show the hermanas their area. All is good I have a new companion and that I already know him, he is an American! His name is Elder Story and he is from Utah. He has 9 months in the misssion and he will be a district leader with me too. He is so cool!

This week we visited a lot of members that Mata said bye to. It was hard for him to say bye because he had been in the area for 10 months so yeah it was hard for him. It was a great 4 and a half months with him but now its time to move on and learn even more with another companion.

This week we also got to hear from a general authority Elder Zivic! He is in the first qourum of the seventy and it was the best thing for us missionaries to hear! He told us what we could do to improve as missionaries. What we can do is we can schedule more baptismal dates with our investigators so that we have goals with our investigators so they can work up to that goal. There was one moment that Elder Zivic asked all of us more than 100 if someone could demonstrate how you could ask the investigators and so Elder Mata volunteered and then I went with him. I remember how strong the spirit was when we did it with other missionaries. It felt like the real deal but after we were done Elder Zivic was saying how we did such a great job. He told us that they felt the spirit when we asked the other missionaries to commit to baptism. It was so great to finally know how to talk and to really be prepared.

This week was great its crazy that I am not with Mata and that I am not in the same area but I know President needs me close by. I love you all and I am so grateful to be here and I miss you all. I hope you all had a great week!.

Elder Santacruz

Elder Story my new companion!

Two Families that we love dearly

My last district

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!

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