Week 58: Fishing and Baptisms

First off fishing....it was fun to be fishing again! Its been a long time...but we are better missionaries than we are fishermen. Just fishers of men, not fish. We didn't catch a dang thing!!!!! The Investigator couldn't come so he just gave us the poles and tackle box and everything. He is a dad of some girls who were recently baptized. His wife is also a less-active member. But we are going to try again soon! When we went it was super windy and wavy. There were a few other people fishing and they didn't have any luck either. So fishing was a bust!

But the Baptism wasn't!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome! Eva called us on Friday night and told us that Lucia would like her dad to baptize her and that Eva would like for me to baptize her! It was really awesome!!! We met with them Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this past week getting them ready! haha the dates came up so quick that we didn't quite have time to space out our lessons! It was really good though and we made a good relationship with them!  After church they invited us to come down and have dinner with them and so we went and ate some tamales and tried to help Hno. figure out the prayer and how to do the baptism then hurried up to the church to fill the font. We started filling it and there was no hot water! at all! So we had no choice. We mentioned it to our Branch Pres. wife, Hna. Morales, and she ran and grabbed some huge pots and starting heating up the water! haha but the service started and as we were walking from the chapel to the font Hna Morales came and told me that the door to the font was locked from the ladies side and the person with the key had left. So I ran in from the guys side and spider-maned over to the other side and unlocked it. I got my sock a little wet though, so on the way back I didn't have quite the same grip........everyone had already started making their way into the room and I ate crap! haha I fell in the font! It was so funny, and freezing cold! Then right after that, I get brought 2 HUGE pots of boiling water and tried to dump them in by myself since I'm already wet and burnt my hand a little bit! It was quite the adventure! But after the little girls stopped laughing we had two very spiritual baptisms! Lucia was scared of the water and Hno wasn't quite sure how to hold her and it was super awkward how she went under but it worked! :)

Also this week we found an awesome family!!! and it was a miracle how we found them! We were talking about the spirit in Gospel Principals - about the Holy Ghost and how it guides us and she said how the spirit told her to go home and she didn't know why cuz she needed to go to the store. But she went home and just sat in her car staring at the walls and that's when we pulled up! Turns out she is a convert of 5 years but hasn't been in about 5 years.... but her kid's aren't baptized. We had an awesome lesson in her backyard that night because she is a single mom. She explained to the whole class how the Holy Ghost was the one that told her to do that. It was amazing to see how she recognized it! She doesn't really know anything about the church, the Book of Mormon, or Joseph Smith so it will be like starting over with her. It was really cool to find her this week! Especially with everything that happened during the week! We both had the flu! Elder Smith had it pretty bad! we had to go on splits with the English elders so we could get down and teach Eva and Lucia! it was a long night but we got them taught :)

Josefina came to the baptism. We needed to move her date back a week, and that happens to be stake conference so Pres. Morales wanted us to go another week so her date is now the 24th.

Con Amor y Respeto!

 Elder Erickson

Elder Smith and Erickson fishing - with no success

" we are better missionaries than we are fishermen. Just fishers of men, not fish. "

Elder Smith, Eva Lira, Jimenez Martin ( Eva and Lucia's father) , Lucia Serrano, Elder Erickson

Priesthood Power

Dear family,

I want to share a story with you about something that happened this week that really strengthened my testimony. Tuesday Elder Smith and I were super sick and having a hard time working and finding the desire to keep working because all our appointments fell through. We went to Walgreens and got some meds so we could sleep and Elder Smith got some NyQuil or the Walgreens brand of it. We took it about 10:00 and went to bed. I woke up at 2:30 to Elder Smith screaming and walking out of the room. He was screaming super loud and super high-pitch that he couldn't breathe. I jumped out of bed and tried to calm him down. He was in shock. He just kept yelling how it hurt. I knew he could breathe because he was yelling so I was just trying to get him to control it and count with him. I felt like I was at work again but with young people. After trying for a like 30 seconds of getting him to focus and just breathe slowly he put his face into the couch and was freaking out. From there I gave him a blessing. When I gave it to him I just felt like I should tell him to breathe. So I did. As soon as I said Amen he stopped screaming. He starting actually taking breaths. They were still fast but he was getting air in. After about 30 seconds he could talk normal. He said it still hurt a little but it was getting better.

We sat there counting for a little and I was trying to decid whether we should go to the ER but Elder Smith didn't want to. We sat there on the floor for about an hour. Elder Smith just counting and me thinking about what just happened. I am so grateful for the priesthood! It's such a blessing to have it! I know that if we live worthy we can use this power of God to bless others!

I love you all!

Con amor y respeto

Elder Erickson

Week 57: Baptisms Feb. 3rd and 10th!

Buenas tardes!!

Man sounds like y'all are freezing your buns off! hahaha Its been pretty warm here! We have turned the AC on a few times in the apartment! haha Dallin sent me some videos of all the ice, that's crazy!

This week has been another great one! Not as much happened but still some great things!

Josefina got a new job yesterday! She talked with our ward mission leader, I'm not sure if I have told you about him? but he is loaded! But he decided they could use a maid in their house. So they told her they would take her in!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah! She is so awesome!!! She came to church again and she was the only investigator that came on time for Gospel Principles so we just taught a lesson right to her! She is still good for the 10th!

Lucia Serrano and Eva Lira. Eva in the mom of Michael. Her and her sister, Lucia have been meeting with us and they have been coming to church a lot over the past few months but just couldn't commit to baptism! Well, finally everything is good to go! They have a date for next week! I'm not sure if I told you this already or not! But they had a party yesterday, good thing we taught them about Sabbath day that night haha, for their kid. But she invited us! It was a really fun! Their parties are a lot better than ours! But we were able to meet with them after and things should be good for next Sunday!!

Mom I want to give you a personal apology because I know it was your week last week and I didn't get a letter off....and well...this week....we are going swamp fishing with a recent converts dad who is  a non-member...he is 100 % red-neck and married a Hispanic. It's interesting but it works for them and for us cuz we get to go fishing! haha...so I'll be sure to send pictures. I'll do my best to get a letter written but I don't want to promise anything. Especially since he said fishing is really good right now! so I Love you and am thinking about you and just have to go fishing! ;)

We also talked in sacrament yesterday! It was interesting because I've been pretty sick and stuffy this past week, the Polancos gave me some te de manzania con miel (manzania tea with honey)! It's pretty addicting stuff so I've been drinking a lot of that to help the throat. But I talked on every member being a missionary. I'm still not a great public speaker but it was a lot better than my last talk. I didn't have a problem with Spanish, I just called our members out for not helping us! haha not really they are good here in the branch! 

I read the letter about Hannah giving her talk Sunday morning cuz I was in Dayton for the weekend and it reminded me of my talk that I needed to finish! So thanks for the reminder! and good job on your talk Hannah! I heard you did very well!!!

I'm off fishing! Love you!!

Con amor y Respeto!

Elder Erickson!

Here is a picture of the party we went to! 

I took some video of us trying to hit the piñata and what not ha ha.

Week 56: Miracles!

This week was a miracle filled week!!!! I have seen so many miracles as a missionary! And many this past week! 

1. We invited a member to a lesson, a friend of the investigator who sat in happened to be a ex-member and missionary, sounded like he has been excommunicated but I'm not 100% on that. but he was also the brother of the member we invited and they had not seen each other in a long time. 2. We knocked into Josefina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. She is the lady who came to church but didn't know her address and was unable to describe where she lived.  We were in the area of a referral from other missionaries. It was a old referral and it was the middle of the day. We knew for a fact that the man wouldn't be there because he had told put down his schedule, but I clearly heard a voice tell me to try it anyways...It ended up being the house she was the maid of!  I couldn't believe what I was seeing when the door opened!!! I almost couldn't talk because I wasn't really believing what was happening! We were able to set up a lesson at our Relief Society presidents home and set a date for the 10th of Feb! Ever sense then they have been helping each other out. Josefina came to their house after church for dinner and Han Solis drove her to see her mom and they are getting a long great!!! It goes right along with what Hannah talked about. I know for a fact that the Holy Ghost guided us to find that house. There is no way in inferno that we could have found that house but God had a way laid out for us to find her!  and 3. A less active member of many years walked into church Sunday after service and explained how we was baptized in Nicaragua and raised in the church but has fallen away. He wanted us to come visit with him and his wife and three kids who are non-members! That is the 4th person is the past 2 months that has just walked into the church!!!!!!!!! its unreal! I Love being a missionary! I don't ever want to stop! y'all can come visit me in a year but I'm staying here! Just make sure Jamie brings my sobrino!

Elder Smith is from Payson. His foot doesn't slow us down too much. We use a ton of miles. We have a monthly total of 1200 and last month we used 1600. It's the toughest rule for me to follow as you can see, but hey we are getting people to church and now we have no option to bike. So that's the only real problem from his foot. He is a cool elder. He likes skiing and outdoor stuff and played Goalie for soccer so we get along. He came from Denver Harbor so we always have stuff to talk about from there! 

Armando didn't come to church again. He called us to the night before and said his brother in-law got in a car crash and so they had to go help him. 

Sorry time is short today since it's a normal proselyte day so I don't have time to reply to everyone! but know I Love you all! 

I'm off to find more miracles!

Os amo!  Os extrano un pocito!

Con amor y respeto!

Elder Erickson

PS We met with the One Direction crew again. We took them a "One Direction" poster Aunt Debbie sent me! haha it was funny! They invited new people again. We took a picture but some aren't there that were before and new ones are, so it's just changing! Their parents made dinner for us too. That was our third time we got fed that day. Nice people but I can't take it! haha

The other picture is a cake that Hno Vargas, My ward mission leader from DH gave me. He knocked on our door at like 9 in the morning with that cake! haha

The "One Direction" Crew with Elder Erickson and Smith

 Cake from Hno Vargas, The Ward mission leader from Denver Harbor

Josefina's Story

Elder Erickson wrote some of Josefina's story in a hand written letter that he sent home.

"So I think you wold enjoy the story of Josefina.  About 3 week ago she just showed up at the church. She is a lady who is the "maid" of one of the richer families that lives close to the church. They give her Sunday off so she walked to church.  We asked for her address but she didn't know it.  She gave us her phone number and told us to call her and then she would give it to us. And then what happened was she answered and said I'll call you back.  Long story short - we lost her.  We tried everything.
Then on January 13th we had no investigators when church started.  We teach the Gospel Principles  but no one was there.  So walking to the class there was a youth who was just sitting on the couch so we invited him to come chat with us.  While we were talking Josefina knocked on the door. She showed up on her own again!  We ended up just introducing the Plan of Salvation to her.  She loves the church!  She told us her story and it sounded a lot like Cinderella the way she lives. It made the day a lot better! "

Week 55: The Best Present Ever!

WEll sounds like y'all are freezing everything off.....haha. I felt like wearing a sweater today, but yesterday was a short sleeve shirt! haha.

My birthday was good! Thank you for all the stuff! It was prefect! I thought that card thing for the TRX was awesome! Thank you so much! Y'all are the best! I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to turn 20 so only Elder Thomas knew it was my birthday haha. I just didn't say anything so it didn't happen! right? But I did everything that I wanted to do on my birthday! I Work baby! haha. Not as many people came to church as I was hoping! We had 5. Armando and his family didn't come, but Senaida did. 

The Lord did give me a present though. We went to go and see Armando that evening and he said that they were sick and their baby was sick too so they stayed home, the flu is going around. But when we go to his house we park in front of this fence, it looks like a run down shop. But someone came out and said "hey who are you and why do you always park in front of our place?" We didn't realize it was anything so I was just being apologetic and trying to explain what we do and why we are always there and then she started crying. She said "well do you have a book or something about what you do?" So I got a Plan of Salvation pamphlet out and was just explaining it super brief. As I walked over to her, I was thinking this was her way of getting rid of us, but then as I got closer I could see she was crying ( it was Dark) then she said "well I know everything happens for a reason"...we talked for a bit and she said how she knew there was a reason she came outside right then and saw us. She asked us if we could come visit her family because they are really having a hard time and she needs some help. I don't know if that makes sense I'm sure I left things out, but it was the best present ever! She was super nice after that and very excited to read about the Plan of Salvation.

Now for the bad news. Elder Thomas is getting Emergency transferred! He is gone today! so sorry that I didn't really write anyone back, and I hope I can get some letters written, but don't count on it! We got the call 2 nights ago and they told him to have his stuff ready to go today. I guess another elder tore some ligaments in his foot and he is on a bike, so he will be coming here. His name is Elder Smith. So training is over, my son is going to spread his wings and fly right out of here. The good thing is that He is going to Denver Harbor! so he will have a great time! and get to meet the Ortegas!!!!!!!!!!! but that is why things are so rushed! We have to get him packed and then make the trade later this afternoon!

We had a good week though! We found a lot of good solid people! and we had Josefina come back to church! I don't think I told her story! but she just showed up one day and then left to Mexico and we didn't hear from her! but she showed up again! I hope I can write her story cuz it is amazing!

I Love you all so much!

Thanks for the snow dive for my bday! haha. y'all both are tiny! haha but it gave me a good laugh! besides the fact that Dallin is rocking my shorts??? haha thanks bros! I miss you! keep thinking of me and soon we will be the trio again!

Con amor y respeto!

Elder Erickson

Week 54: Senaida's Story

Feliz cumpleanos at mi! yeah. not!

no quiero cumplir mis anos de la juventud!

Well to start since I some how forgot to tell you about Senaida I tell you her story first. We found her a long time ago. Me and Elder Clayton did. We were in this G- Trailer park knocking some doors and there was a family moving in so we starting helping them carry stuff in. When we were done we offered to share a message with them and none of them were really interested, but the ladies mom was there, Senaida, and she was like ya you can come to my house. It was super far south. Right at I-10 so we didn't really get down there for a while. We started teaching her, sadly like a lot of the areas we cover are poor people with poor habits. She said she wanted us to come back but we didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to her but she isn't married and lives with a guy married in Mexico...sound familiar? and she is so far away and we had so much going on. But we invited her to church and she came! so we started putting a lot more attention on her. The changes that I have seen in this women's life are unreal. When we first went over to her house she couldn't answer any questions about God or Jesus Christ, nothing. But yesterday we went over there and told her we were going to review a little of what we talked the time before and mas o menos this was her answer "oh yeah, the atonement and how Jesus Christ made it so we could go back to heaven, we just have to have faith, repent, be baptized, and....i cant remember the other two but I read about that in the Book of Mormon."....haha I was blown away. Some lessons with her are really awkward, she says how she wants to get baptized and then explains how she cant because they aren't married and her pareja isn't really doing anything, but last night he said he would get baptized when they were married if he got his answer and said he would start praying about it! But she always just looks at him and tells us it's his fault and that he if doesn't decide he wants to marry her soon, she is going to kick him out because she is the owner and she is the one with the job. It's really awkward but I love how straight up she is with him! We don't openly encourage it but sneakily I try and encourage her to be bold with him! haha
Another awesome story with her is that one lesson we had with her outside in the cold because no one was home.  She told us how she had to work this Sunday, we told her just to ask her boss for it off and tell him she had to go to church, then she told us how she can't do that because she is lucky to have work as it is.  We promised her blessings and needless to say that the next Sunday, in a huge Texas rain storm, she and Jose made the drive and were at church! She is awesome! She is making progress but still got the same problem as this area seems to be...Marriage!

Armando Monreal came to church again with his whole family! we had to move his date back because we want his wife to be able to be baptized as well. So his date is now the 27th. We went over the commandments with them and they loved them, all except coffee, His wife drinks it a lot so that is the problem we have been running into.

But the area is doing good. They have been talking a lot about splitting the area and asking for borders, so it is very likely that we could be getting a lot of missionaries, so we'll see!

Hope you are all staying warm sounds like great weather back home.

Con amor y Respeto

Elder Erickson