6'-3"!!

Hola Familia y amigos!
Como les va con todo? Aqui estoy bien, y animado siempre para ser un misionero!!

Sooo I decided the other day that I have gotten taller, and I wanted to check to see if it was true. So after a slightly complicated process, I was able to measure to see how tall I am. And I am already a little past 6'3"! So that was kind of exciting! hahaha I don't really know if I actually want to be any taller, but when it happens, i just naturally get excited because it is like I just accomplished something hahaha. Anyway enough of the useless information.

Update on the exercise: We are still going strong, and it is getting harder and harder each day. The sets are getting larger and larger at an increasing pace, and I am not sure how I feel about that. We are already up to doing 250 squats, 185 push ups, 230 sit ups and so on with a few other types of workouts. But the best part is is that I can already see the results. There is a high probability that I will not finish in the office with a "financier's gut" haha But we will see.

As far as things in the area goes, we have had a couple interesting experiences. As I explained last week, we are starting a new method of working, and it is focusing a lot more of our efforts on member missionary work. We have successfully handed out 6 sheets of paper and committed to each of the people to write at least 10 names. To the date, we still have 0................ BUT we are going to have many in the end, because the members are beginning to trust us a little more. Unfortunately, some of the missionaries that were in this area a long time ago were not exactly the most dedicated type. They were what we call "fritos". I don't know exactly who they are, but this is what some of the members tell us. Although the members still loved them, they did not really want to give their friends and family to them to work with. So now with this project that we are doing, we are really changing their minds. They are really opening up to us and sharing a lot of experiences and willingness to help. And on a very important note, they are also sharing their food :D haha that is a good sign that the people here like you, when they give you food, not just something to drink hahah So anyway, that is moving along forward.

But honestly this week overall has been a tough one. I guess I just feel like I am not getting as much time in the area to work as I would really like. I am kind of done with the office style life. I mean its cool and all, with the air conditioning, ;) but I just have a huge desire to work. With a new secretary it always takes a little longer to do things, so sometimes we get trapped here with an assignment that he has to do. Other times we just have a lot to do in the first place. So overall we have not been getting into the area a whole lot. But I know that it will improve quickly. I just need to keep focused, and then when the moment really does come that I am out of the office, I will be so much more grateful for it!

One of the biggest things that I think about right now is the promise that when we are doing the things right, we will have Jesus Christ by our side in this life to help us through everything. We have really been focusing on teaching that to the members in this last week, to help them remember why we keep the commandments and come to church. And then at the end, why it is super important to share the Gospel with others; so that they too can have this help in their lives, so that they can aim for celestial glory. It is a journey that needs to begin today. It can't wait. We cannot procrastinate the day of our repentance. It is amazing the little things that satan uses to guide people off the path. Many people here think that when they are offered a job, it is the only option, and that even if it requires them to work on Sundays, they have to take it. Or the same with studying. It is even super common for returned missionaries to say that. And it is so frustrating for me. It is basically saying that they don't trust that if they just keep enduring, that God will help them out of their rough situation. They are accepting to leave Jesus' side in this journey of life because they see an "easier route". Jesus wants to help them climb the mountain, or get across the river in their lives, but they see an alternate route and decide to leave Jesus because they lack the faith in the moment to believe that he can help us through the challenge. I just want to tell you that that is not the correct way. We need to trust in the Lord with all of our heart. Trust that if we turn down the job offer on Sundays, that a better job is waiting around the corner. Trust that even though we don't have enough to buy food for dinner, that it is more important to pay our tithing, that the blessings will come and we will have food to eat. Trust that when something goes wrong, He will help us through it. I know that this is true, I have lived it and I have seen many powerful examples of it.

Kind of a cool story...One of the sisters in the branch was telling us when we visited her in her house about how she used to sell sodas from her house, and that of course she would not sell on Sundays to make sure she was keeping the Sabbath day holy. With this little "job" she was really making just enough to get by. But every Sunday when she came back from choir practice, she would have a lineup of people begging her to sell them sodas. She decided to make a very hard decision! Instead of putting up with the temptation always of people wanting her to work on Sundays, she decided to take out the business completely! She had faith that taking herself out of the temptation, the Lord would help her find a different way to make the money that she needed. After all that, she started sewing, and that was how she made her money after that! So that was a really cool story to me, of really having faith that the Lord will help you through your trials if you have faith in him!

That is about all for this week, but I want you to know that I love this Gospel and I want to be more and more like this sister that told us this story, every day!

Love, Elder Moser