Week #52 Here's to a New Year!(In the middle of July...)

Hey everyone what s going on? I cannot believe it has been a year since I got set apart as a missionary and flew to Chile to serve the Lord with all my heart, my might and strength. Time is weird in the mission. There have been days I felt like I have been here an eternity and I will never be leaving here. There are many others when I feel that I got here last week..."shrug" well it is time to keep going and keep serving. 

Q&A

1. After writing we are heading back to the apartment to rest and get ready to work tonight. There is not much to do here in La Florida. But that is Ok. It is fun hanging out with my roommates and making food. I also have plan on studying during my free time. It is what I love to do. 

My updated folder of general conference talks. It is pretty huge now 

and it is going to be getting larger

2. We have been teaching an older gentleman named Domingo Espinoza. He has a lot of health problems. One of them is that he is practically blind. We were able to teach him this week about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite him to be baptized. He said not yet but we are just going to keep teaching and inviting him. My love for this man has grown a lot over the last few weeks. We have had some great spiritual experiences together and he has progressed and changed during that time. 

3. What I love about this ward is that all of the members are very willing to help and friendly. They are also very organized. They also let us know that they trust us. Not just through their words but through their actions as well. 

4. A goal I currently have is to finish Doctrine and Covenants. I am in Section112 right now and plan to get some more down later today. Once I get that done. I am going to read either the Pearl of Great Price or the New Testament. The idea is that by the time I finish my mission, I will have read all of the standard works at least once(except the Book of Mormon. I have read that 3 times in 2 languages and I am starting on my foruth. I just love the scriptures)

5. One thing I have been studying lately is serving joyfull. A scripture I found this morning that I loved is in 2 Corintihans 9:7. The phrase I love is "God loveth a cheerful giver." There is a huge difference in obeying, sacrificing, and consecrating ourselves because we have to and because we want to. If we do it because we want, we will be blessed even more. God will trust us more. And we will find purpose and direction in what we are doing, especially when we do not understand completely in the beginning. 

6. The moments I felt the happiest is best explained by a quote from PMG"The ultimate measure of succes in achieving goals alone but in the service you render and the progress of others" The moments I felt the happiest is when I was able to help someone in need physically or spiritually, especially when we did not count it in our numbers. We do not count priesthood blessings, simple conversations, opportunties to minister, etc. But to me, they are often more fulfilling than how many lessons I taught in a day. 

Yesterday I got to meet President Brotherson and his family. They are all so good. Fun fact: they have a daughter named Grace. Thought you would want to know. There could be a lot of huge changes coming up(including transfers) in the next few weeks. It is an exciting time to be a missionary. I love that I am living my dream!

Love you guys!

Elder Evans

My old friend Reese's Puffs!!!

 A lunch we had this week. It is all Peruvian food. Elder Lainex was pretty happy and so was I.