January 26, 2015

Well howday,

SEGUNDO Y MERI!!!! Well these two abuelitos (grandparents) are just angels. Meri has been having problems with hearing voices and she has a sincere desire to really feel closer to God.  Last week we gave her a blessing and she has started to feel and sleep a little better.  When we first met them I was afraid that they would not be able to retain the things we teach them but the Lord is really blessing them for their efforts.  On Sunday we passed by their house and took the bus with them to the church.  They entered hand in hand and loved it.  We received a lot of help from the members and they felt super comfortable.  Tomorrow we are going to have a family night with them and a few other awesome members.  The plan is for them to be baptized on the 8th so hopefully all goes well.  They are really the only people that are progressing.  The others are essentially trying to decide what is more important to them.

Well this week we had two different circumstances where couples that we were teaching started to argue right in front of our faces.... talk about awkward.  We tried to help them calm down but it wasn´t working to well.  We ended up having to book it to the house to arrive in time.  We have this big old hill right to the side of our building that we have to climb to get to enter.  Elder Garcia was DYING. haha I gave him crap after and told him that if he did better exercises it wouldn’t be so hard.  In his 30 minutes of exercises every day, he does about 60 pushups while I run in a big circle around him. Haha

Well the father moment of the week..... he sucked up a bunch of water that he spilled on the floor with the vacuum.  So this morning I went to clean it without knowing that he did this and we have some bug colony that is like some sort of mold that is growing..... so that has been sitting out all day and we are going to have to go clean it.... should be fun. 

 Well not much more has happened this week.  I hope everyone is doing well.  I am sending prayers grandpa´s way.  Thanks for everything

Love

Elder Crofts

The view from Segundo & Meri's house

January 19, 2015

Well it is another great day to be a missionary.  This last week we went and talked to an old couple who was sitting on a park bench.  They told us we could pass on by their house so the following day we went and taught them and committed them to be baptized.  Her name is Isabelle Meri and his name is Manuel "segundito".  They are pretty old so it is a little tough to help them understand.  But when we invited them to be baptized Meri turned to Segundo and said "What do you say Segunito, should we get baptized?" hahaha oh I almost died.  They didn’t come to church Sunday because they have sleeping problems and were exhausted Sunday morning.  We set their baptismal date for the 8th of February so hopefully they come to church and we can help them enter in the waters.  They struggle to understand and want to feel more prepared to be baptized but I feel like they recognize the spirit they just need to trust in it and have faith.  We gave them both blessings of health and also blessed their home because Meri is a little preoccupied with "bad spirits.”  As we were leaving they said that they felt better and Segundo said that his head/neck pains were gone.  The power of the priesthood is real! 

So Jesenia... she is now living with a friend who drinks and smokes a lot.  So she has given in to the temptation.  She says she understands that it was a promise that she made with God and not with us and that she feels bad about it but she only took a little bit.  She didn’t come to church either.  Our last lesson with her I was with Elder Anderson from Wyoming.  He has 3 weeks in the mission.  The lesson was a wreck because as we started to teach about the importance of the Word of Wisdom and baptism, her son arrived and was running all over the place, then their neighbor started cutting their lawn so we couldn’t hear anything, and to top it off, Ricardo, her son, lost her friends daughters turtle and we had to start looking for it..... so we looked for a turtle for about 10-15 minutes (This was Elder Anderson’s second time looking for a turtle here in Chile in just 3 weeks.....haha tough luck).  So essentially, we lost all the time looking for a turtle because we had to leave for a meeting.  But on the bright side, she believes that the church is true we just have to help her use this knowledge to leave behind a few things and to act in her faith.

Wednesday, we had interviews with President Kähnlein.  It went well.  I always feel super pumped to work hard after interviews with him.  He invited me to be a little more diligent in a few things and I have been trying to do it.

It was a super great week.  At one point, we had 4 people with baptismal dates  but now we just have two (Meri and Segundo).  Hopefully, we can get Rita´s daughters going.  We will see what happens. 

Thanks for all the love.  Shout out to Makayla and Hailey on the mission calls! I am stoked for you guys. Thanks Alicia for the package! I just got it last week! Love you all.

Love,

Elder Crofts

We were waiting for one of the members to come pick us up in his truck

Lunch in the country

To get to the house of Meri & Segundo we have to climb some killer stairs. I have heard that all of Valparaiso is like this. Hopefully I go there so I can get rid of these love handles. Haha.

He is just like a girl always wanting to look at his photos in the camera. Haha.

Almost hopped in with that guy there.

January 12, 2015

Mis queridos amigos y familia,

Firstly....happy 50TH DAD!!!! Sorry I wasn’t there for it but I´ll make it for the next half century (100) haha.

Well..... we are really fighting to find people at their houses.  We set a time to pass by.... we do it... and they are not there.  So we are really trying to find people that are genuinely interested.  So Jessenia and Carlos split up.  Jessenia came to church but we could not talk to her to see how she is doing.  It is a good thing because now we don’t have to organize a wedding but we are hoping she still has the desire to be baptized.  The other day we called her and she said she thinks that her baptism is going to take some time... We are going to try and help her recognize an answer from God because if she chooses to she can now be baptized this coming Sunday because she will have come to church 3 times.  So hopefully all goes well.  Please pray so we can know how to help her.  

We reactivated a 19 year old named Adolfo.  He came to church for the first time in 4 years and really wants to stay strong in the church.  We set an appointment with our bishop so that he can get things sorted out.  It was super awesome to see him at church.

Well I have learned a lot about LIVING the gospel in my time with Elder García.  We are different in a lot of ways but we get along well.   For me, I always had sports and could self-motivate.  I always tried to motivate him the ways that I would get myself motivated but it didn’t really work.  I am really learning to apply Christ-like attributes and I have seen that when I really try to treat him like Christ would that he listens better and things go smoother.  He has a girl friend and I feel like he talks and thinks too much about her.  We have read the 4th missionary together and I am really trying to work on our consecration to the work.  I get a little nervous at times that I am not training him the way that he needs but I am working hard and really want him to be prepared for whatever calling that may come after this change.

I got a letter from Alan Christensen and I am super grateful for the support that he gives! Tell him I really appreciate it and that I prayed for Matthew like he requested.  It was probably the strongest I felt the spirit that day.  I really felt that the prayer was needed.  I hope that everything works out.

I am learning a lot about the importance of being like Christ.  In the fourth missionary, it asks "when you die, when all is taken away and you are left without possession and all the people around you.... who will you be?"  He invites us to ask ourselves "Who am I?" I know that I thought of a lot of things I need to improve thanks to this question! 

Well... this week is going to be a better week.  You can expect success coming in the next email. Thanks for all you do. Love you! 

Elder Crofts

The Sis & I

Nothing like a nice hug from family

Thanks Kristy. Haha

I made muffins :)

My view for New Years

Interchange with our district leader Elder Artiga from Guatemala

Well, this is Elder Garcia for you. Two weeks with the slippers you sent him

Haha Dad I have come to the knowledge that I am truly your son.  I know that the same things would bother you. Haha

January 5, 2015

Feliz Anos!

2014 is finished and 2015 is a go! 

Well... I can’t believe I am already in my 4th change.  I am staying here in Concon with Elder Garcia! I am super happy and hope that I can keep learning and that I can help Elder Garcia to really improve.  He is an awesome guy and we are good friends.  I am glad that I can be his trainer.  This last week we were contacting and knocking a few doors when Elder Garcia REEALLY had to use the bathroom.  So we asked this man who was standing outside in his patio if we could use it (because we already learned our lesson that when Elder Garcia needs to use the bathroom.....we do it.)  We entered and well.... I don’t really know what happened.....haha we tried to share a message with him and he was all for it.  He pulled out his Bible and started to read, throwing in a few prayers like "padre nuestro" throughout...... but now the good part..... We were about to leave this lively man when he said "Wait!!!! Give me your hand." (He then stood up and came near to us) He then gave us the “keys of the priesthood” and told us to go and spread it with everyone!!!! haha I almost busted out laughing I had to try so hard not to! Well, what´ll yah do? A little bit of liquor and false doctrine don’t really help a guy out....haha

So we found some new investigators named Jessenia and Carlos.  They are a young couple that is not married that has a 6 yr old named Ricardo.  They are SO good! She has been taught by missionaries before and came to church last Sunday and basically bore her testimony to us that she feels that this church is true.  They didn’t come to church yesterday because Ricardo got sick in the morning and they had to go to the hospital.  But they felt super bad and really wanted to go so we passed by after church. When we got there, they gave us some watermelon and can I just say it was beautiful to have watermelon again after about 5 months.  We started talking and Jessenia told us about a few of the drug problems of her sister.  I felt prompted to teach the Word of Wisdom even though they hadn’t read the Book of Mormon or received an answer that it is true.  We taught them it and committed them to live it! They were all for it and turned over all of their alcohol, cigarettes and coffee!!!! It was a MIRACLE. Ricardo says that he wants to be a missionary and he wants to be baptized so bad. haha Jessenia has said multiple times to him "pay attention so that you can be baptized in 2 years."  I am amazed how much the Lord prepares people.  This Tuesday, we have an appointment and hopefully we can commit them to be married and baptized in the next few weeks.

I am loving being a missionary.  I am learning a lot and hoping to keep on learning.  I know that this church is true.  I have been looking over the 4th missionary (thanks Jace Dalton for having Drake give it to me) and it really is a talk for life not just for the mission.  I know that if we turn all over to the Lord. He will make a lot more of us and our circumstances than we can.  Thanks for the support and prayers. It means the World.

Love,

Elder Crofts

Mission blog photo when Elder Garcia arrived from Peru

Zone Conference Vina Oeste

Combined Conference with Vina & Vina Oeste

Still smiling