Week 65: Better Than Dr. Phil

Hello Family! Glad y'all are enjoying Miles!

I'M so jealous I cant bet there!

So this week nothing too crazy happened...ah what am I'm saying, there is crazy Cosas every stinking day!!!

One I want to share is a lesson we had with Rolando And Crystal!....they need to get married so they can make the date of 31st. We didn't really expect them to make the push so we haven't been teaching them at a pace to have them ready so we have been trying to visit them a lot to get everything taught to where they understand. Just the stories Rolando tells us of his background blows me away that he walked into a church...But he was telling us stories of how he has been sharing the gospel with people at work and on the streets! He is amazing!!! I'll try and get a picture with them this week! For sure at the baptism I guess haha. But this time when we showed up they were fighting. I was on exchanges with not 1 but 2 really new missionaries. Elder Willey has 3 weeks and elder Evans a couple of transfers. But they were fighting and didn't want to get married anymore and just hated each other....so luckily the spirit had us teaching Lesson 3 which is about repentance.

So we knew what they were fighting over before the lesson had started cuz I talked to just Rolando by himself. So while teaching what repentance was, how to do it, and the blessings of it, I made and example and pretty much took their story and twisted it enough so it wasn't obvious but they still knew. After Rolando was like... so what do you do with that story......and Crystal was just crying and looking down. I have a little wipe board I had written everything down on and just pointed to the word repent then just looked at Crystal. He was just kinda like...ah man,,,for real? and then I talked a little about pride hahah! Then he finally talked to her and they both started crying.. man I felt like Dr. Phil, but better! haha and I'm pretty sure since I have the spirit I am better at it than him! haha But it was so sweet!!!!! They talked it out and everything so they are all good to go! We then talked about how the devil is going to try everything he can to make them mad so they don't get baptized. They both said," it's so true! We have been fighting so much this last week!!" so we had a really good talk about that!
I wish you could meet Rolando and Oscar. I would be scared to talk to these guys if I wasn't a missionary, but they are the coolest guys ever! I just want to chill with them! 

I also went on exchanges back to Spanish land! my Spanish was still ok and we taught a couple lesson so I felt good about that...I kinda trip over my own feet though every once and a while. we did some service. twice actually. but one was sanding....sanding paint of all the cabinets in this guys kitchen.....I was so dusty is was gross! but I have a picture I will send you of it! It was a lot of fun! 

This week we also talked with the Hindu guy again, and a talked with a Muslim! and we have an appointment tonight with a family who just moved from the Virgin Islands! they have the coolest accent and White people are just boring so I'm glad we get to find some new cultures to meet!  

A lot really did happen this week! I recorded a guy who invited us over just to bash on us and try and convert us! It was so funny! I recorded half of it. The dude was super stupid and just funny....but by the end he wanted a ride to church. We didn't really try to get him one cuz we weren't sure if he just wanted to come cause problems but y'all will hear that soon!

 Love you all so much

Con amor y respeto

Elder Erickson

This is my exchange with Elder Tatom from Cali.

I'm still blowing dust out of my nose and cleaning it out of my ears...it was so much everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weak 64: Baby Miles

Hello Family!!

Right now we are adding one more to that family category! I'm so excited for Miles to come, if he hasn't already!!!! I hope and pray that everything goes/went well!

To answer some questions first:

Elder Conan is from Idaho Falls. He has been out for a little over 20 months so he is getting close to the end. He ran Hurdles for SUU before his mission. He is a pretty sweet guy. I enjoy my time with him. I have been really blessed with good companions. I really have not had a huge problem with any of the companions that I have had. I'm hoping that now that I'm in a leadership position that all of them will continue to be good companions! That was one worry I've always had, along with going English, so who knows. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Sadly in the new area it is still really big because we cover the YSA (Young Single Adults). Also we drive a lot and pretty far, so the bikes haven't really been touched....I'm pretty bummed about that! I miss my bike.

Responsibilities as a zone leader aren't too different. We have been helping to decide possible areas to open up for all the new missionaries. We don't get too involved with it though. We also have a lot to do with the numbers and getting information to and from one end to the other really. Its fun, we have a little time with President and get to know him, and all the missionaries within the Zone. President really just says, Here is this area and group of missionaries now do what you need to do to bless that area. So that's what we do, its fun because we get to be pretty creative in some of the stuff we do to help motivate people and help areas that are struggling. Most of our Zone is Spanish too, so its nice to be able to work with them in their area.

This week we had some awesome lessons with Oscar and Rolando and Crystal and Sharif. we were not able to meet with Wayland. But the others are very solid for their dates. We taught the plan of salvation to Rolando with Oscar.  

Then taught a different day with Crystal and Rolando, It was so cool to see how Excited Rolando got to share things with her and he told her  - "Doesn't this all sound so good. Doesn't this all sound right?" Then after a pause he said "It's because we learned all this before, we are just re-learning it. We learned it when we lived with God before this life"....I wish you could see it! It's so amazing..this is a tatted, scary looking guy who works at a tire shop. We talked to his neighbor and he said "what did y'all do to him? last month he was the devil, didn't believe in God or nothing, I really thought the devil was in him, Now he is changed."

I Love the YSA, Still miss Spanish a ton but YSA is really good.

We also had a lesson with Sean, the guy who reads the bible every week with pres. Pomeroy. He is a doctrine wizard and knows so much. It was a crazy lesson! crazy stuff was flying. It was cool until the end then they got into some anti stuff that Sean had read.

Well I hope the baby is here! Give him a hug and kiss from me!!! Let him know I love him and hang a picture of me on his ceiling so he knows who I am!

Con amor y Respeto

Elder Erickson

Send me a picture of the baby please!!!!!

Elder Erickson's reply to the picture of Miles was ---

Ah I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could be there!!!!!!!

Miles William Heslop

Born 12:54 pm  March 18, 2013

8 lbs. 3 oz.     20.5 in" 

Week 63: New Area

Well surprise, surprise...I didn't even move areas really. So its good and bad. I'm in the Pine Trail ward. Zone's are split up by stakes so I am the zone leader of the Summerwood stake. The area that we cover really is just the bottom  half of my last area, Crosby, and a little more. So it is still a very Spanish area, I just don't get to teach them! Its alright though because I still get to see the Serrano family, de hecho today we went to Lucia Serranos Salon and got hair cuts! jaja she gave us a Mex-cut. Its all good though it was good to see her!

The area is doing pretty good. We are very busy and their a few investigators that are very close to baptism. There are a ton of changes in contacting and teaching and being with members, it is really hard to adjust to the changes. I feel really awkward with members! jaja I'm trying to get my personality back really is what it is like. I really miss Chile everything we eat just tastes bland and has no flavor! 

My companion is Elder Conan, He has been out 20 months and is also a Spanish missionary...we got flushed in so neither of us know the people or ward. It's been a good week still though. We got 23 new missionaries this last week and 23 more are coming next transfer so we have been opening areas all over! I like being able to be a leader and help people but I really miss the Spanish culture. The one thing I really do like though is we cover the Singles branch!! And a lot of them are Hispanic! Its really cool to work with all the returned missionaries and their friends, I really like it! We have 5 people that we have just started teaching that should be getting baptized soon! Sharif is a kid from Siberia and Oscar from Mexico and Wayland is black! We have a good mix! I Love Black people though! They are so fun to be around. With them I feel fine. It's the white people that are making life tough!

I'm learning to love it and trying to talk Spanish whenever I can! I've softened my heart a little bit and am accepting it more. I just have to study that much harder to keep my Spanish up!

I Loved those pictures of the Birthday boys! hahaha It made be laugh! Happy Birthday to all! and to all...But Jamie and Jon...a good night ;) (y'all wont be sleeping too much after Millito's b-day hits)

Our new address is:

1507 Goswell

Channelview, TX 77530

We live with a member, Bro. Jenks. He is a elderly man. I love him haha! He has been having missionaries in his house for a good while and usually they are the Spanish ones so I've met him before. But its really nice because he leaves for work at 6:30 and his home and asleep before 8. So we never see him except on Saturday and Sunday. So its really just like our house! 

I would tell you more about our area and investigators but we are still trying to figure things out! haha send questions and I'll just answer!

Con amor y respeto!

Elder Erickson

The Ruiz, Solis and Serrano families with Elder Smith and Elder Erickson

Week 62: Zone Leander - Engilsh

Sorry this is going to be a shorter one this week. Sadly I'm getting moved. I was having a really hard time with leaving when we got the call Saturday night. I hate to leave behind so many great people that I have become so close with. But then it got even worse...well I have really mixed feelings about it. President called last night and called me to be a Zone Leader. Which is exciting but the part that stinks is its English.....

This has been a fear that I have had ever since Elder Mandernac was called English at the start of my mission. This will make 2- AP's and 3- zone leaders who are Spanish missionaries serving English. And one just got released.

I've been singing in my head a lot. Ire y Hare lo que tu quieras Senor (I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go"), but its still pretty tough.

I've got a lot of packing to do so I will try and get a letter off tomorrow to let you know my new address as the return.

I'm going to be sending some boxes with some random stuff. Clothes that I don't use or need and some old shirts for the memories!

Hope y'all have a good week!

Pray for me to not be so stubborn please ;)

Con amor y respeto (or should I say With love and respect.)

Elder Erickson

Soriano family with Elder Smith and Elder Erickson

Week 61: Josefina's Baptism

Baptism went well for Josefina!! It was one of the most powerful baptisms of my mission!!! Her whole story has been a miracle! I Love that lady so much!! Now it truly is a Cinderella story!!! After the baptism Pres. Morales was making a few comments and she stood up and started to thank everyone for what they had done to help her and she broke down and started crying and looked and Elder Smith and me and said "I want to thank my instructors and all the help they have given me" it took a while for her to get it out but it hit me right in the heart! The spirit was so strong at that moment. I Love being a missionary and seeing someone go from day 1 of meeting us and the church all the way to their baptism is amazing!!!!

Other awesome things from this week,

We got to have lunch with Hna Ortega!!!!!!!!!!! I asked her how her reading was going and she said not so good.....I'm not done with Doc. and Cov. yet...! she has read the whole Book of Mormon and is in section 127 of the Doc. and Cov. That lady is so amazing! It was such a great feeling seeing her again! We shared Alma 17: 1-2 about the sons of Mosiah meeting again and the joy he had because they were strong in the Gospel.

We had a new family in church this week as well. Maria Arellano. She is the sweetest lady! She was raised by her aunts who were Testigos (Jehovah Witness) and then married her husband and he was raised Catholic. She wanted her kids to know God so she just took them to Catholic church...Pobrecita didn't know up from down when it came to the gospel. We have been having some really powerful lessons with her. We set a baptism date for the 24th of March. She came to church and loved it, she was participating and answering questions now and asking questions. She never went to school so she doesn't really know how to read but we left her with Alma 32 and she said she read it 5 times! Elder Thomas and I found her one day, we were biking and saw some people sitting outside of their porch. We went to talk to them, they were waiting for food, Maria Arellano sales food for her business out of her house. When I saw her I got the same feeling I got when I first talked with Yaneth. We didn't even talk to her cuz she said she was busy. She was very nice though and I told Elder Thomas as we left that we were going back the next time we passed by. Now we have been teaching her ever since.

On a sad note we talked with Armando the other day. He said is wife doesn't want anything to do with us. She has been hiding his books so he can't study. He said he knows where they are and will study once and awhile when she is gone but not much. They have only been married 1 year. We had a long talk and told him that the gospel isn't about breaking up families so we told him to keep studying. We set up a fast with him for the 3rd and pretty much told him to call us when things have gotten a little better. It was one of the hardest things I have done on my mission. I felt like I just broke up with my girlfriend walking away from him. It was so sad because he wants it so bad but doesn't want to have problems because they have a new born as well. He is pretty focused on his families safety too. In his neighborhood a lot is going on. Everyone is getting robbed. He had 3 big dogs and 2 are gone and his German Shepard's hips got broken and 5 houses there have been set on fire. He is such an amazing guy but I guess it just isn't his time right now.

Love you all! have a great week!

Con amor y respeto

Elder Erickson

 

Elder Smith, Josefina, Elder Erickson

Week 60: Without God's Help We Are Nothing!

Hello family!

Sorry Emailing is always on different days. Libraries were closed yesterday, and now I have to be super fast because we have a full day. I'm on exchanges with the Elders from Dayton, Elder Evans came here with me so we are just going to be short today!

First off the baptism for Josefina is next week. Everything is on track and going well. We are meeting with her tonight to go over the baptism interview questions.

We had another miracle that I thought you might like to hear. Each week the Lord shows me a new subject of the gospel. This week was prayer. We had zone conference on Thursday and after we were going straight to our hour of power lesson. We didn't know who we were doing it with but we wanted to do it with a less-active in the southern part of our area, we hardly make it down there. After zone conference we decided to pray in the parking lot to know who we should go see. Elder Smith said the prayer, While he was praying the letter "S" came to my mind. So right after the prayer we opened up to the names that started with S. We hurried through a couple of them and then came to one named Sauceda. Neither of us knew that name but it felt right so that's what we decided. 

When we got there and talked with her for a little, it looked like a bust. She has been going to a baptist church for the last 1 or so. She got offended when they told her she had to move churches. She invited us in and told us to wait because she had to make the salsa real quick, but instead we hurry and asked her if she could show us how she makes salsa. So we got taught something and while she was showing us we were teaching her about the restoration and the reason it makes a difference what church she went to. She still had a testimony of Jose Smith but didn't understand what that belief really meant. Her husband came home and we made a quick relationship with him and he invited us back for dinner this Weds. Hna. Sauceda said she is going to come back to church next week as well! When we ended we explained hour of power and invited them to pray. after the hour we called her back to tell her how it went. She thanked us for having her pray. She said how her house felt so much better after she prayed and how she has been having marriage problems as well but now she felt calm and good and said she was excited to have us back!...Mission life is almost unreal how much God helps! and I'm glad he does because without it we would be nothing!!

I hope you all had a great Valentines day! I miss you so much!

Con amor y Respeto

Elder Erickson

Week 59: More Awesome Miracles!

Hello!

Did you think I forgot about you? haha

Sorry I didn't e-mail yesterday I didn't really feel like talking with y'all but then today I changed my mind....

Just messing. yesterday we went to NASA! it was so cool!!!! I'm not a museum guy but I was blown away by some of the stuff they had there! We got a really sweet tour and got to see some things that were unreal!! I took a ton of pictures and will hopefully find time to talk about the pictures and send the card....probably not in this transfer though because we are so dang busy!!!! So maybe in a while you will get to see them! bastame deciros (do I sound like Nefi?)  that it was awesome! and Eli would love the place! and I'll send a couple pictures today!

So this week we saw some more awesome miracles! 

First off Hno Munguia, the inactive from Nicaragua that just walked into the church one day. We had dinner with his family and they made us some food from Rebulica Dominical! It was really good, they don't eat anything spicy but we did learn how to cook plantain! After, we had an awesome lesson with them and set a date with them for the 24 of March! I really hope I'm still here by then!  He became really good friends with all of them that day and made a good relationship. The husband who is a member works Sunday mornings so that is a tough part. But he came up to us as we were leaving and asked if he could come out with us. For a past lesson we had a member come, he said he wanted to do what they did and be "involved" it was soo cool! He hasn't been to church in over 30 years but he knows it's true and wants it so bad! it was a really awesome lesson for us. 

Then on the way to our next lesson we got a phone call from Josefina, whose date was set for the 24 but she was still a little unsure about it...but she called us and said something a long the lines of "I just wanted to call you and let you know that yes, I will be getting baptized on the 24th!!!!!) it was so amazing! We were celebrating in the car as soon as Elder Smith hung up! haha She is awesome and the whole story with her has been a miracle!

Also with the Soriano family. I think I told you about the miracle of them and the story she shared in church, I told it to someone. but we called her to confirm an appointment and her kids told us she was in Jail....so we went over to make sure the kids were OK.  The oldest girl, who is about 20 with a kid of her own, came down and was staying with them. I'm not 100% sure what happened and it doesn't really matter but she got out a few days later and she called us and asked us to come over and told us how she wants her kids to get baptized as well! We went over and shared a lesson about the Book of Mormon and the husband of the oldest daughter was really getting into it as well! They all came to church this past Sunday! We had 12 in church! Some of them don't live in our area so we passed them off to other missionaries but they are coming to church! It is going to be another busy week and I'm looking forward to it!

And to clear things up about falling into the fount... so I don't look like a tard....there were lots of women in the restroom and the door leads right into there, so I felt weird walking out with all of them in the bathroom so I just decided to go back the way I came. I didn't it once so I thought I could do it again!

Love you all!

Con amor y respeto!

Elder Erickson!

Elder Smith and Elder Erickson at Houston Space Center

This is "Control Room"  where everything is run for the space missions!  

It gave me chills being there!