Villanueva Week 18

Hey everyone!

Ahhhh what a fast week! We had to do a couple divisiones with some other elders and we had to do a bunch of interviews. We felt super busy! Just running back and forth to all the areas in the zone. But all the missionaries are doing so well and are having success! Our ward still does not have a bishop and it's been rough. And the counselors work at night so we have had to run all the night activities. It's been fine but I miss having more order! Hopefully they can call a new bishop soon...it's been 2 months now!

Great experiences with Gabby! We have been visiting her with the young women leaders and she's opening up more and more and has changed a ton! She is very free spirited and says whatever is on her mind and it's been hard for her to live the commitments we have left her. But she has been reading and praying with her parents and I can see and feel the difference in their home. She, along with her aunt Roseli, have accepted a date so we are hoping they continue to progress!

One family we used to teach a while ago,the Gamez family, just contacted us and have decided to get married finally! They still have alot of challenges but they have the desire! They even came to church all together with some family and had a good experience. They both work so it will be hard for them to go to the capital to take out there papers but I know they will be able to! Other than this I'm just living up these last weeks! It's been so fun to get to know the members more. I love it here! 

I Hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Sessions

Moto Taxi

Sister Raquel

Duran Family

Elders Porter and Sessions looking dapper at a fancy house they visited.

Lots of rain...and mud!

Villanueva Week 17

Familia!

Many great experiences this week. Ahhh i just love being a missionary! I feel sad that it will soon all come to an end. But we are living to the fullest! I had a powerful testimony builder of prayer this week! We had a multi zone meeting this week where are the ZL's have to teach 3 different sessions for about an hour and a half. I was really worried because I woke up with a really sore throat and i could hardly get a word out. But when it came time to talk I just said a little prayer asking God to help me with what He wanted me to say and that I could do it without pain and that they could understand me. The moment we started to teach the sore throat was gone! And for the next hour and a half we talked and talked and as soon as the classes ended it started to come back. It was such a blessing! It was a really important topic for us missionaries and I know that Heavenly Father wanted it to be taught!

It's been so great to see the progression of the Paz family! This Sunday Javier received the priesthood and has been able to bless his family in many great ways. It would be great to come back and see them go through the temple. We are teaching Lourdes sister and she came with them to church and she loves it! And then there's Norma....so she found a job...she started to sell tortillas. And if you sell tortillas you sell alllll the days of the week. even Sundays! AHHH so frustrating she doesn't understand...butttt maybe it's not her time! I know she knows it's true so when she's ready she will progress greatly! I love you all! Start making plans to come to my Homecoming talk on March 13th! ;) 

-Elder Sessions
(He didn't have his camera with him today so no Pictures until next week...)

Villanueva Week 16

Hey family!

Pretty exciting week! Today all morning we played basketball and soccer and we are just dead! Good way to start a new week. Exciting news this week for our stake! We got a new President! It's a pretty big deal for us because we always have meetings with him. It was great to see the whole stake center full and to hear the words of Elder Alonso from the Seventy! Also President Dester was there... it felt like conference! They all talked about such important things that were perfect to say. They focused alot on the importance of making sacrament meeting more spiritual and doing all the little things that make it run more smoothy. We also get a new bishop soon so its going to be cool to see what happens. And I only have a couple more weeks to enjoy it ahhh!

So these last couple of weeks our investigators have been up and down. I feel like we have a great lesson and it's all going good and they will even read and everything. But when we come back I feel like we have to start from round one again! Most of the people we teach have many family members and friends who are against the church so it makes it kinda rough. We are just praying and searching for those prepared people that want to take this great step of faith! Love being a missionary and I love this beautiful gospel! 

-Elder Sessions

Enrique's Birthday

Painting a room with Elder Porter

Villanueva Week 15

Familia!

Everything is going great here with Elder Marte! We had a successful week even tho my comp sick. He had the same thing I had last week but it looks like he is doing better today. Just in time for Pday how lucky? haha This week was full of random stuff! First we had an amazing meeting with President Dester and all the district and zone leaders and I got to see all my friends! President was so great to motivate us and we all learned so much! Almost all of the leaders are new so it was nice to get help from President!

This week we were able to share the Restoration movie with a family and wow what an experience! I've always loved showing this movie to our investigators. It brings the spirit soooo strongly into a home and I really feel they come to understand who Joseph Smith really was. (Here everyone talks bad about him). Afterwards we gave some time to the family members to comment about their feelings and ask some questions and I just could feel each one of them receiving a testimony about the Prophet! They came to church and had a great experience. Testifying of Joseph Smith is one of the most powerful tools in bringing the people to this perfect gospel! I hope you are all well and are helping your missionaries out! 

Love you guys!

-Elder Sessions

Looking forward to electric washing and drying machines!

with Elder Berstrom!

Villanueva Week 14

Hey everyone!

Sweet week here with Elder Marte! We had divisions for a couple days and I just love my zone! They are just so fun and hard working. Today we all went to the waterfall and it was a blast! So we got a bunch of new leaders called in our ward and it's been fun to visit with them and to help the ward grow. What we have been doing for each organization is we take out the list of all the people that we have that are inactive or don't really come much to church. It's been nice to help them understand more the responsibility that we have to take care of those new members and I really hope as we continue to do this we can see results! It's a huge challenge here to keep visiting and helping the new people but It just requires love and some sacrifice but I know all will work out.

A while ago I commented about the Castro family, they are doing great! Well the mother Norma and her kids have been coming to church and they love it! Norma is so funny we just laugh all the time and we have gained her trust so much. She's like a sponge and really understands all we teach! She is living with a man named Luis but she's in a tough spot of not wanting to be with him and marrying him so we just gotta wait for her to make a decision! 

I hope you all have a great week love you tons! 

-Elder Sessions

Villanueva Week 13

My new companion Elder Marte

Hey family!

I got my new comp! His name is Elder Marte and he's from the Domincan Republic! The best part is that we have been great friends since the start of the mish! We were both hoping that he would come here with me! We are excited to be working together and to help this ward grow. 

This week has been pretty rough with getting sick. I got one of those weird sickness that got going around here and it's kept me from getting out of the bed alot this week. I'm really hoping to start feeling better but today I woke up with all my joints being swollen...hope this week will be different!

We were able to share a message with alllll the ward councils of our stake and it was so great! It was like 150 of all the awesome members ready to help with the missionary work! We were in charge of teaching the new stake missionary plan and help the ward councils get on board. Our  ward mission leader has been so great. He has been giving us references and helping the members get more involved. We are hoping to keep this going!

Well its a short letter this week sorry! Have a great week!

-Elder Sessions

Saying Goodbye to some friends...