Elder Andrew Edholm -- Week 69

 This week I got a new companion! Elder Kaiser! He's from southern California, a city called Wildomar, he was supposed to go to Bogota Colombia but got reassigned to this mission. This is his first transfer so I'm training him. He doesn't know Spanish so I have to do all of the talking during lessons, with members, and with other Spanish speakers we run into. My Spanish is still not the best, but I can do everything that I need to, so I'm not complaining too much, plus my Spanish will get better because I'm using it more. Yesterday we had three people come to church, Ruby was able to come with her husband and we going to set up a lesson with them this week. They are really awesome, they make it very natural to talk with them, and they know both Spanish and English so Elder Kaiser will be able to understand and add his insights. The other two people that came to church are a Venezuelan couple who are friends of the Brito family, who are also from Venezuela. The husband's name is Gonzalo and the wife's is Francesca, they got to the U.S. at the beginning of September and they seem extremely nice! We also have a lesson set up in this week to pass and get to know them a little more.

I was able to finish the Book of Mormon for the second time in Spanish on Saturday! My goal is to finish it two more times before I get home, which is in about 8 months. My Spanish is better than how it was at the beginning of my mission, so I'm going to be able to dive deeper into how Spanish conveys the meaning of the scriptures. 

Here's a scriptures that really stuck out to me as I read this week, it's found in the Book of Mormon. 

Moroni 10:32-33, 

"32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot."

I really love how it says that we need to love God through our actions, with should love him with all our "might, mind, and strength". I truly know that I'm showing my love for the Lord through serving a mission, that I'm working with all my might, mind, and strength to share what has brought me so much happiness. I hope all of you share the things that have brought you joy to everyone around you.

Sorry this letter was so long, but I hope you liked it! Love you guys!

Elder Edholm