December 22, 2015

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Well we’ve got sunny weather and it’s 75 degrees here so it is feeling more like May than December.  I guess that makes it a little easier to not miss Christmas back home all that much! haha Today, we had an AWESOME activity for Christmas as a zone.  All of the zones in the south of the mission had a conference with President Diaz where the office just prepared everything.  We were alone up here in Ovalle and had to get everything going by ourselves.  Luckily, we have a missionary couple (the Jones) that were here and helped us to make it great.  We had a turkey lunch with funeral potatoes and everything.... good stuff..... SOO much food.... TOO much. Everyone really liked it.  

So I found out that my investigator Victor (from Villa Alemana) was baptized on Saturday.  Guess who baptized him....HUMBERTO!!! The ward also had a temple trip on Saturday so right after the baptism they all just hopped on the bus and got on their way to the temple.  I was so excited when I found that out.

We had a little "miracle" I guess you could call it? We really wanted to have a baptism this weekend for Christmas and we have been working a while with a member named Ana who has been reactivating herself in the church.  Her two daughters were also baptized a few months ago.  Well after looking like crazy to find her membership records, we couldn´t find anything.  So we are going to baptize her AGAIN this Saturday. haha She got baptized like 8 years ago but then went inactive. Maybe not exactly what we were expecting but we´ll take it! haha

I gave a talk in our mission leader’s meeting at the start of the month about “how to be a more faithful disciple of Christ.”   I have been thinking a lot lately about sincerity, desires and real intent.  I realized that if we obey, but do it grudgingly, we not only don’t come closer to Christ but we get farther away from Him.  Our prayers, scripture study, service we do for others, church attendance and many other good things we do may benefit others but will never do us good if we don’t have our heart in the right place.  I realize that I have a long ways to go to really develop that kind of relationship with God.  I am excited to Skype with you guys on Christmas day. 

LOVE YOU,

Elder Crofts

Speaking at the mission leader's conference

Photos were from the Vina Mission blog

Mission Leaders Conference for December

Greeting President Diaz

hola soy Elder Santa Ana y su hijo es mi lider de zona y soy un agradecido de dios por tenerle y conocerle y saber que es un hombre de dios envio feliz navidad a uds cuidense y envio foto : (Hi I'm Elder Santa Ana and your son is my Zone Leader. I'm thankful to God to know him and I know that he is a man of God. Merry Christmas to you and I've sent you a photo).

 

 

 

 

This is Victor and his little trailer. Let's just say some miracles were brought about. haha

Our Ward Mission leader, Paolo is on my shoulders. He is blind.

Our Christmas activity today!!!

Sister Andrade is from Brazil.  She was the girlfriend of one of my Dad's converts son.....small world!