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.

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