A Golden Family

Hello! 

This week was pretty crazy! We have been teaching the rest of the things to Emmanuel. He will get baptized this Saturday! He has been growing so much and is starting to being a different young man in just a short time. I love him as if he was a brother, he truly wants to change! His mom is so proud of him and she has so much more respect for him his mom is Hermana Reyes but I feel so happy that this family will keep growing. I hope their future will progress in the church!

This week we found a golden family! We found a family of five and the two parents are so humble and really smart. They know a lot about the scriptures and when we taught them they understood everything about the restoration. It was so cool. We invited them to pray about Joseph Smith and if he saw God and Jesus and if these things are true and they said yes! That lesson was so spiritual! I loved it so much it really made my week.

Today we went on a hike and wow we saw a waterfall it was so cool! I took a lot of pictures with my new camera wow thanks guys it was so awesome to get my package! You guys are the best I owe you all so bad! I hope you guys had a great valentines day! Love you all so much! 

We have changes next week so I think I will leave this area but who knows I could stay for one more transfer. W will see but love you guys that was my week.

Elder Santacruz

Emmanuel just got baptized

Hermana Reyes mom of Emmanuel

Beautiful Waterfall

My awesome Companion Elder Galvez

Elder Hollingsworth

Add caption

Its not about the number...

​Hey guys!!!! My week was way better than the last! 

First starting with Hermana Reyes she is a less active that we found when I was with Elder Vake. We found her one day when we went contacting! Now we have 4 months with her and she has been progressing a lot. She is not a less active any more shes active and none of her kids ​or husband are members of the church but we have been working with them all and two of the boys have dates for next week!!!! We will hopefully have baptisms next week I am so happy!!!! My first two in this area! I know that the Lord wanted me to learn something between that time, its not about the number its about having so much love for each one of the people! I love this area and I love Hermana Reyes.She is such a strong woman and she has changed so much. She has made me want to change myself even more. She used to drink but now she has been sober for about three weeks and she is still fighting against the temptation. 

Also this week I saw Elisa, Elder Matas soon to be wife, it was so cool! I surprised her at work she works in the city. She is doing good. She is planning on moving to the states in August and they are gonna get sealed in the Temple in September about the time I will be coming home so maybe I'll be able to go to their sealing haha that's crazy but she is doing good still strong in the church so I am happy that she will be blessed in that way. The Lord has more things in store for her! 

I am doing good with my comp hes such a good guy! I am still in the same pueblo La Herradura can't get any better than that! Love you all! Miss you all and I hope you have a good valentines! xoxo

Prayers are Longer, Shoes are Dirtier

This week was a little hard haha not gonna lie...... The branch is having a lot of problems. It was hard for me to take in. Some of problems was with some couples in the branch and it was with the families that are the strongest in the church. We found out these things this week. It was really tough to take it all in..but I know that I need to help these people and I know what we need to focus on. Last night we planned for an hour just talking about the families. We were talking about their situations and we talked about what we can do to change things up. I know that we need to help these people before we go to another chapel because then things will get worse.

I am doing okay! Don't worry this happens in the mission but the prayers are longer and the shoes are more dirtier haha this week we started to go to the gym. Wow I haven't been to the gym since Cristo Rey haha We are waking up at 6:00 so we are super soar and super tired after the day! ha 

Also we are still working with the two boys that have a date! We are teaching them little by little! Hopefully they will know the things in time but I have faith we can do it! Love you all! Miss you all! 

Shout out to my boiie home dog Jeff Carrrrrranza!!!!!!! Woot Woot missionary. So proud of you! You will be great!

Love,

Elder Santacruz

Keystone to our Religion

Hello guys! You will not believe how happy I am to have such a great comp! I love him!

Hes such a cool guy! You will not see us not laughing we are always cracking up and enjoying the work together! He is so humble! He is willing to do whatever I say! If we should go to that house or not to that house or if we should clean the house hes like yeah okay lets do it! I am like yeah!!!! Im like okay yeah lets do it!!!!!! In our first week we have already seen success. We had a family go to church that I have been teaching for a while now. So that was pretty cool! 

Also a couple that we have been teaching have been progressing. We had a lesson with the wife two days ago and the lesson was so spiritual. We talked about how the book of Mormon is the key stone to our religion. She heard our testimonies and she could feel the spirit strong enough that she was crying... tears of joy! I love that couple! They love us too the reason we know they love us is because they feed us always. That's how you know someones has love and trust for you in this country haha yeah buddy!

I loved this week! Love you guys thanks for fixing my card! You guys rock sorry that was a pain but everything is all worked out! 

Flippin Amazing!

Guatemala and Arizona 

Elder Galvez and Elder Santacruz

MY AREA!

God sent you

Wow this week I felt so great! Oh wait... Hi guys haha

Anyways this week it all started with a guy named Brian Honore. He is from the Bahamas, he was born and raised there and all of his family lives there. One day he went to the states because one day a guy asked him if he wanted to make some money and so what he did was help on a boat. They were taking shipment to the US, little did he know that there were smuggling illegal immigrants from Haiti so they all went to Haiti they got deported! He was in Haiti for 2 years and now he has 6 months here and he has been fighting to go back but they haven't been excepting him to go back so we have been helping him. We found him a lawyer so he can get him some help. The problem is that he is living on the streets and so we have been helping him. You know some of that stuff that you guys sent to me well......yea I gave that to him. He needed it more than I did and he is in the process of going back but he had lasted 30 months on his own not knowing french, Creole, or Spanish. He has been on his own without family! When he got all this help from us he was just like God sent you guys and he just started crying and just thanking me every 5 minute. He was just giving me tons of hugs haha he such a cool guy!

That was my favorite part of my week. My comp went home and now I have a missionary! My comps from Guatemala he seems pretty cool so we will se how thing go I know it will be a good transfer I can feel it! 

Put Forth Effort!

Hey Everyone!!!!! This week was pretty interesting haha but first HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The DR celebrates the new year really good hahah everyone was drunk hahah so we had a hard time meeting new people but hey its all good! This week will be better I can feel it! Yeah buddy! Hey good news we finally had some investigators go to church!!!!!!! It was so great!!!! Wow its like Christmas when investigators go to church! Especially because our area is so far away from the church that people just don't feel like it but this Sunday was dope! 

Guess what! A family that we have in our branch is not homeless anymore! We are building a house for them! Its so special that the branch is donating money for this family of 8! Isn't that crazy? This family has been living in a little hut so yesterday we started with the base we spent the whole day just making cement and just building the base it was so great, because this family is so special to us! Hopefully we can see the house done before I leave! I know I am going to stay for another transfer because the mini missionary is going home after this transfer!

But I hope all you guys had a special happy new year and that you guys put forth effort to your new goals! I love you all and miss you! I know that this is the truth that I share with everyone! 

love, 

Elder SANTACRUZ

Yeah I like to get my shoes cleaned. Its only 15 pesos

Working out every morning

We're cool

New Year New Goals

Hey guys!

 

Wow this Christmas was great! Even though it wasn't with you guys I had a great time. I enjoyed the time with you guys on skype, it was so cool to have my family in front of me! It was so nice to see you guys! 

We spent Christmas Eve with members and we ate so much haha by the end of the night I was so dead from eating food but  I definitely enjoyed spending time with our branch! We went Christmas caroling on the 26th and it was so cool, even though it was late we spread the Christmas spirit! 

Now its time for the new year and we all know what that means new goals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow bye bye 2014 so...... What are some of our new goals? 

Lets be more like Christ this year! We all need to work hard! I need to finish the hard work on my mission this year. I just want continue rising and I always progress that is my goal for the year!

 

I hope everyone has a good happy new year I love you all and I am grateful for each and every one of you! 

Happy new year!

love elder santacruz