Another week in the books (email dated 04/12/2010)

Hola,

What a week we had here on the island of Puerto Rico. We finaly got some more investigators through those chapel doors who are progressing well. One is Esperanza who we contacted forever ago but finaly is now in the groove and ready to progress. We atualy lost contact with her for almost a month because she some how just droped of the map and left Elder Moran and myself wondering what happend. I honestly thought that she had heard some false story from some friend and had started to avoid us but fortunately i was wrong in thinkning that. We had been teaching her for a week when i first got back up here to puerto rico and it looked like she was going to progress well, until she called us up one day and had to cancel an apointment because she was going to visit a family member that was in the hospital. Then from there after we lost contact for about a month and she would never answer her phone when we would call. So we were all disapointed until this past week when we decided to toke doors by her house and check to see if we could find her at home. Luckly the spirit had been with us in that moment and we were able to find her there and she gladly recieved us in again which made us even happier. As we began to talk she told us why she had been out of touch for so long. I guess her daughter and herself had got into a big conflict and they weren't talking for a long time, and she didn't feel good about the situation and didn't feel in the right mind set to visit with us .... so for that reason she had been avoiding us for a couple of weeks. But fortunatly now she is doing well and on good terms with her daughter again and is happy to meet with us again. She even had a great experience at church and said she'd be coming back next week. So to say the least we were stoked that she was able to have a sudden change from off the map to back in church! I believe from here on we should be able to make a lot of progress with Esperanza which really made my week a happy one. Its sad to see how much the devil is really attacking the family because the importance of it that he knows. It truely is a great blessing to have been blessed with such a strong family and i hope we always remember that and take care of our blessing that the Lord has blessed us with.

Also some other great news was that Veronica came to church her in vega Baja for the first time which was a hudge step for her. She had missed 6 sundays straight before she was able to make it to this one! Finaly she was able to over come all the obsticales of life and make it to church to be able to feel the spirit there. After ward she was very grateful for having gone to church because she really felt good about it. As long as she's able to keep on keepin on like she's doing right now she'll be able to make it to baptism but only time will tell. She's gone through a lot of hard times lately, but the ward here has helped them out a lot and their now doing a little better. Little by little they'll be able to make it though. The Lord will bless them a lot as they keep on doing their part.

Also here's a little experience that made a big impact on me this past week as we were finishing up our P-day. So Elder Moran and i were taking photos at a pretty cool beach that we have here close to our apartment. As we were about to leave and go to work i noticed a lady that was sitting by herself against a cement wall that seperated the beach from some houses. Her hands were covering her face and she looked as if she had been crying. My first impression was she looks like she's had a bad day and really wont want to be interupted but then before i knew what i was doing i opened my mouth and started to talk to her to get her attention. Then i started to contact her talking about christ and his atonement and resurrection. As i talked to her a little bit more she told me her name was Michelle and that she was here crying because she had just lost her brother and she didn't want her mom to see her all broken down with tears. I felt a hudge pain as she told me her situation but at the same time i knew that God had put us in her way to testify to her of Christ and HIs plan for us. She listened and excepted a card with our number on it and said she'd call us. Honestly it was really a quick experience but it made a big impact on me because i really felt the love that God has for us for sending his only begotten son to save the world if we will except Him and his plan. I remembered President Monsons talk at general conference and wished i could have some how just at that moment planted his talk in her mind so she could hear the testimony of a Prophet that Christ lives and because Christ lives we will too after death. I'm not sure if she'll ever call us but i know at least she felt a little peace of Gods love for her and her brother. Its times like these that really just make me so grateful to be a messanger of God here on my mission.

With that being said i'll wrap things up. Know that Christ lives and Loves you.

Your's truelly,

Elder Lopez