Somebody At Home Is Praying Pretty Hard!

Dear Familia Loveless y Amigos!
 
Well some great news and some ok news. first the Great news.  Yesterday we had 4 people at church! its the first time that has happened for the last 6 months elder Hernandez has been here.  We had Felicitas, Alicia, and 2 others that I will talk about.  

Felicitas has been reading in Alma, and she read about the Amlicites and how they marked them selves, then she realized that she has never seen anybody in our church, other then whites and mexicans.  we told her we would bring another person.  we have a black missionary who lives by us, and he speaks some Spanich.  Also we have read Alma 5, 6, 7, with her, she loved 7.  She is very excited for baptism on the 29th of January, and has been getting alot of questions from her family about her desision.  But she tells them that the answer she recieved didnt come from us, or Joseph Smith, or the Book of Mormon, that it came from God.  She's AWESOME! 


This is Felicitas, and her grandsons, Isaiah, Joesue and Ricardo

Alicia has had her niece and nephew at her house this week, they live in mexico, so we have taught them a bit, and they have gone to church.  So i really hope the Referal center got those names off to Mexico. 

Ok  so now about those other 2 that went to church....Who are they?  Well... we were meeting up with Brother Urias to find an investigator, but he was running late from work.  So we decided to put a clases de ingles (English Class) flier up at a mexican tienda down the street, i decided to buy a sangria, because i havnt had it since the MTC.  We were out side of the store, and got a call from Elder Rusk.  So we were just standing outside.  Then we decided to put another flier up on the outside of the building.  Then we crossed the street.   Well on the other side of the street.  we were walking in front of a gate. and a truck pulled up, i thought they wanted to get into the gate.  But they wanted to talk to us... They asked us if we were Mormon Missionaries.  They just saw us walking across the street, so they turned around and came to talk to us.  They have been waiting for the missionaries to come by their house for a few YEARS, and nothing....  So when they saw us they knew who we were.  Their names are Arturo and Maria-Cruz Valencia.  And they have a grandson on a mission in San Bernadino, California.  They gave us their address and we set an appointment for the next day.  we went over there with a member, (it was actually down a street that we have driven down a ton of times when we taught the torreses)  They were so excited, and Arturo was talking so fast, with Brother Garcia.  Maria said that she wanted to be baptised, and has been to the visitors center for the Mesa Temple many times, and talked with the sisters there.  I'm a little mad about why the Referal got lost....but we found them...or i mean they found US!  We didnt even extend the baptism comitment.  Just told them the date and they said YES!  we also invited them to church, and they said they would come.  Well The next morning they did!  And arturo said that at church he felt really great, he even told that to some of the members.  It was amazing.  Truly a miracle!   We are never walking by that Store, never, and now we found somebody by being in the right place at the right time.  The whole lesson me and elder hernandez couldnt even say anything, we were just smiling so big, and they were so excited.  Surely the lord is in this work!  We are planing to go over there tonight. 

Another miracle is Manuel, that man who went to church last week.  We found his house, and talked with his wife, then he got home from work.  So we taught them the 1st lesson.  and extended a baptismal commitment 3 times. (alittle pushy)  First they were saying they have already been baptized.  But the 3rd time the wife said that if they studied about it, then she would.  We we went over after church because they didn't go to Church this week, and we read 3 nephi 11 with them.  They accepted their baptismal date!  and then we asked his wife to pray, she asked if the Book of Mormon was true, and then was very quiet for a few seconds.  Then she finished the prayer.  She received her answer!  Manuel was also a bit quiet after the prayer too.  We just have to keep working with them, but they are a great family.  So the blessings are coming.  Somebody at home is praying pretty hard!  And so are we! 
Well that was alot of good news so it overshadows the bad news pretty much.  Well weve been trying to contact Blanca this whole week.  She didnt go to church.  and on tuesday we stoped by, she opened the door said " i cant atend you right now" and shut the door.  I still have hope that she will pull though, but we are going to hold back from stoping by as often, so as not to bug her.  Hopefully she will realize that what we taught is true.     
 
But other then that, this week has been great! We have been going to a mexican taco truck on valencia a few times, called Molcas.  They have Muy Rico Sonoran dogs (hot dogs wrapped in bacon, with cheese, tomatoes, onions, beans, mustard, mayonaisa, salsa, which make you never want to eat a regular hotdog again!)  They also have tortas, which is a kind of sandwich on a special kind of bread.  Very very good food.  We put up an english flier there too.   We've been eating really well this week, we had quesadillas at the barajas last night, gorditos, sopa de verduras.   alot of stuff.  
 
Well i cant think of anything much else to write, just that this was an awesome week.  And im pretty sure the rest of my mission will be too :)  This is such a great work, such a great place.  Im so glad, and i know that i was called specifically here by a prophet of God.   Thank you all for everything,  Espically the prayers...Aparantly they are working.  :)  
 
Love Elder Loveless