April 25, 2016

Vamos Ovalle!!!

Firstly, CONGRATS AMY on the engagement!!!! I am really happy for you and Craig! I am excited to meet him when I come back! Also, HAPPY BDAY Mom! People never believe me when I tell them how old you are.  The other day someone said you looked like you were in your mid 30´s haha.

This week we spent a lot of time traveling to meetings in Viña.  So 3 days this week we were working in Viña and Elder Avila was my companion for a day! haha just like good old times! 

I am staying in Ovalle with Elder Barlow so we are just going to keep working hard and seeing miracles.  Today, I learned a lesson about sacrifice and honoring the priesthood.  We had A TON that we need to do today and planned our time very wisely.  We received a call right as we were leaving the pension of an old man that needed a blessing that had just come out of the hospital.  I felt that we needed to go but thought about all of the things that we need to do and I told myself that we didn’t have time.  As I thought and also as Elder Barlow and I talked, we decided that we needed to go.  We made some changes in our plans and went to this man’s house (that is a little far away) to give him a blessing.  When I first saw him, he made me think of Papa Goodman a few months before I left on the mission and before he died.  I was grateful that we accepted the call to serve even though it wasn’t the most convenient thing for us in that moment. We gave him a blessing and the family (that was a part member family) was really grateful that we had come.  Hopefully I am never too busy to accept the call to serve.

I am aware that time is ticking.  The truth is I feel better than ever.  I am doing my best to not be trunky and I feel I am being fairly successful.  I do love and miss you guys but I wouldn't be anywhere else.  Don't worry.... I am a finisher.

I love you all! Have an amazing week! I will be praying for you! :)

Elder Crofts 

Zone activity! We ate pizza and played soccer! Good time!

Thanks Alicia for the package!

I loved it!

April 18, 2016

Mi querida familia! 

I am doing great! This week literally flew by.  I can’t believe we are already in the week of transfers.  I am hoping to stay here in Ovalle with Elder Barlow.  I have met so many amazing people here and I would love to keep working in this miracle filled town! 

Cleyde was baptized.  Her baptismal service was great.  A lot of members stayed after church to support her and she looked like an angel.  She seemed really happy and also bore her testimony after being baptized.

This week in an interchange in another Elder´s sector, a recent convert that was an all-star who was really excited about his conversion and LOVED the church, told us that he would be stepping away from the church for a while because of some family problems.  He said how he felt it is what the Lord was guiding him to do and he hopes we can understand him.  Elder Clifford told me that they were trying for months to get him to read the Book of Mormon but he always had excuses and never would read. It made me think of one of the 1st scriptures that really got to me (1 Nephi 15:24) when I was younger.  I learned then and I know more than ever that the iron rod is the word of God.  We can’t let one day go by without really searching the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon).  I love the scriptures and sincere prayer.  I hope you all have a great week and that you can make time to search, ponder and pray about the scriptures.

Besitos,

Elder Crofts

Cleydes baptism

LA FERIA! So cool and SOOO CHEAP!

The lovely dogs of Chile

Interchange eating "humitas" (they are like tamales) with Elder Clifford.

Nothing like pomegranate and nuts for a good snack.

We had an AWESOME branch activity

Sorry time won't allow me to explain

Halloween pumpkin carving served me well.

Yes, I DID carve that piranha/shark looking thing.

Cleydes baptism

Some awesome families came to the baptism.