Elder Bobby Crofts

May 18, 2015

Buenos Tardes!

Well every week seems so go a little faster than the last. This last week, we had a meeting for all of the DLs in the mission and it was super uplifting. Some themes that stuck out in my mind were the need to be masters of daily repentance, the importance of being a good example, and the importance of mastering the mission language. President said that if a gringo doesn’t master Spanish and if a Latino doesn’t master English in the mission it is a sin! So I am trying my best not to be a sinner! haha President shared a video named "Lift" that the church made not too long ago. It talked about a woman who got Parkinson’s and was stuck in a wheelchair being only about 60 years old. She couldn’t lift herself up into bed and was widowed and didn’t have much help from just about anyone. The ward came together and 40 priesthood holders made a schedule and passed by every night to help her get into bed and to give her company. This was a process that continued for 7 years. One man talked about how at first it was a burden and that he and others didn’t want to keep doing it. One man in the ward said "well.... if you guys don’t want to do it that is fine. I will do it every night if that is what it takes." The attitude of the ward started to change and it became a delight for them. One man talked about how he sometimes had to do it alone and how it was his dedicated training in the gym that allowed him to be able to do it. When he did exercises, he thought of her. (You can just watch it to get a better idea) but the point is that it made me think of papa the night that he fell up at the cabin. He couldn’t get up and Mom, Heather and Nana couldn’t help him up either. Heather came running to me out on the snowmobiles and I had to come back to help him up. It was hard but I was able to lift him up into the car so that we could take him to the hospital. It made me think of the importance of always being ready for the trials that come. If we aren’t prepared spiritually, physically or temporally, at some point a trial will come and it will get the best of us. It gave me a stronger desire to prepare myself everyday so I can be ready for the people the Lord has prepared.

So Cristian didn’t get baptized. He smoked a cigarette Thursday morning so we had to postpone his interview and change it to today. BUT he didn’t come to church yesterday and we haven’t had time to stop by his house. I am a little bugged but I don’t feel too down. I feel like we have done almost all we can to prepare him it just depends on him now. I really don’t have a desire to baptize someone who is just going to go inactive a week later so we are going to talk with him and see if he really is committed. Hopefully all goes well.

So Elder Brown and I have made a new key indicator. GREETINGS. We have a goal to have 20 contacts every day so we try and talk with everyone. It happens A LOT where we go to talk with someone and they just keep walking as if they didn’t see us or they will shake our hand and just keep walking. haha so as we are walking I will ask Elder Brown "How many contacts do we have?" "ummm.... one second.... well it looks like we have 4 contacts and 16 greetings!" haha we are doing a super good job about having lots of greetings. A lot of people want absolutely nothing to do with us but we are looking for the chosen!

Sorry.... super long but one last thing... yesterday we didn’t plan to go to a certain area but Elder Brown felt we should go there. While we were on the way, we contacted a woman named Alejandra. I don’t know why but I felt as soon as we contacted her that she had a son who was about our age and that they were passing through some trials. Without knowing her situation, we started to testify to her of the plan of salvation and eternal families. She told us that she has a son who is 20 years old that has had brain damage since birth. She said that it is a matter of weeks or days for him to move on from this life. We have an appointment tomorrow and hopefully it goes well. I love being a missionary and I love the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Love,

Elder Crofts