I hope that everyone had an incredible new years. And that you were all able to enjoy the company of familia.
This new year we were able to start it off with a couple miracles. So we are teaching a less active familia right now. They have not gone to church in years, but they give us lunch every friday and we have been trying to help them come to church. And this week we comitted all of them to go to church. Then right before the sacrament hymn they entered the chapel and they were the only complete family that was there.
Also we had another miracle. There is another family that gives us lunch on tuesday. They all have a testimony that the church is true and I think they are the only family that has FHE in the branch. The only problem is that they are not married and they live together. (the problem is that the woman was married to someone else and she still has not gotten divorced, so these two cant get married yet). So with my other companion we have always avoided the talk about the law of chastity and what they need to do to fix it. But the other day I felt that we should go and teach them and invite them with love to repent. So we visited with them and reminded them of how they felt the day of their baptism and told them that they can all feel these feelings again. We told them that the lord was calling them and that he needs them now. Then we invited them to set a goal as a family so that they can get married and become active members of the church. It was kind of uncomfortable, but i felt fine afterward. Then the next day the mother of the family called me and thanked me for the message that we had shared the other day. She said that it was exactly what she needed to hear and she felt as if the Lord was speaking directly to her. Then on Sunday their entire family came to church for the first time in a long time. I know that the spirit touched their hearts. I know that this work is impossible without the spirit and it is only with the spirit that we can help and teach others.
Well those were the two large miracles that we had. But miracles would not be miracles if they did not come with many difficulties which we had this week. So I tried to talk with the branch president about how he needs to call people to be his secretary and counselors. I even suggested that he make one of us his secretary, so that we can help him out with all of the work that he has. But so far he hasn't done anything about it yet. Then on sunday all of the teachers did not show up. There was no one to teach relief society, primary, gospel principles, or priesthood. So we had to teach the primary kids because there we so many. The seminary teacher taught sunday school. Then the third hour we were able to get the branch president to teach priesthood because we really needed his help. But that was our sunday. I was pretty stressed out with all that was going on.
I hope that things will start to change soon. I am trying everything I can to help out this branch but sometimes I feel like what I am doing goes in vain. Hopefully we will start to see more success this next month. I know that the Lord will help us and that he never sets us up to fail so I know that we will find a way.
My new companion Elder Sosa is pretty shy. He is 18 years old and has about 5 months in the mission. It is just such a change from my last companion, Elder Chavez. We always had something that we were talking about but with Elder Sosa I feel like i am always trying to think of something to talk about so that we dont stay in silence. But he is a great guy. He is very humble. I hope that I will be able to help him feel more comfortable talking with other people and in the lessons.
Well that is all. I love you so much and wish you all a happy new year.
con amor
Elder Snyder
