March 27, 2013

HOLA!

This is so crazy to think that this is my last week in la CCM! I thought you would like to know when I leave so I will tell you my flight plans. On Tuesday next week I am reporting to the travel office in la CCM at 4:00 a.m. then from there they will drive us up to the airport and my flight leaves at around 7:15 I think. Then guess what I have a lay over in Detroit which is most likely where I am going to call all of you on the phones there in Detroit. Then I fly from detroit to PHILI! And I arrive there at around 3:30 in the afternoon. So ya I am so excited to get out in the field and to start sharing the message of the restored Gospel. I have actually been loving this past week it has been so amazing and powerful in everything that I have been learning. We are able to sing the choir which is awesome. We sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer Last night and i really felt like we were telling the story of the Joseph and then my choir teacher said that it was like 588 Elders and Hermanas were bearing their testimonies of the first vision in unison. It sounded so beautiful! And now we practiced to perform on Sunday for a General Authority. I am so excited because I love the song it is a really pretty arrangment.

Well since I thought last week I was getting released as Zone Leader on Sunday. Guess again I am not getting released till I leave me and my companion are training the new Zone Leaders this week but we still do all of the Zone leader stuff because technically we are still the Zone Leaders. I deserved that one for thinking that I was going to be realeased. But anyways I really do love la CCM because you can always feel the Spirit so strong. Yesterday we had a lesson in the morning with one of our investigators and he trully felt and started to gain a testimony about baptism and repentance for himself. Our last lesson is on Friday I think with him and we are going to ask him to be baptized. By the way all of our lessons are in complete spanish so I have been progressing very well. I am slowly starting to understand the El Libro De Mormon when I read it by its self which I think is pretty good. I truly know that the Gift of Tongues is true I could not have imagined myself here and speaking and understanding as much as I do in 5 weeks. I know that as missionaries we are entitled to the Gift of Tongues but it's not just something that is given to you, you have to earn it and that means doing your best in studying and everything you can to understand and practice the language.

I have been doing so great lately with knowing the spirit and being able to recognize it when I feel so prompted to. I have known that through that I have really been able to find the Investigators needs and to help them with it instead of just going along with the lessons one after another. I have loved the investigators we have (they are our teaches playing roles of people from their mission) it si pretty much amazing. I have been also able to welcome the senior missionaries and this is the cool and very blessed part of my life. I first need to tell you that the very first couple that I was host for are going to Fukuoka Japan on their mission the second cool thing is that they want me dad to get as many names from you before I leave so that they can try and bring the Gospel into our family in Japan! I know that they might not accept the Gospel instantly but atleast they can hear about it. Please send me some of our relatives around that area I would love to help them with their mission. Thank you.

I just wanted to bear my testimony to you all since I have not been able to yet. Yo se que el Evangelio es verdad y Jose Smith es un profeta de Dios. Yo se que Dios quiere que ore diariamente a cerca con El. I know that families can live together forever. As most of you know I was not ever able to meet my Grandparents because they died almost 1 year before I was born. But I had an experience in a blessing that we gave as a whole zone to an Elder that was on the brink of going home. And he is in our District. We all came in to the room to give him a blessing and one of the Elders said: "Elder Henrie look how many worthy priesthood holders are here to give you this blessing. And you can not see the majority of the angels here to help with this." I then go to put my hand on his head and when we close ou eyes and start the prayer. As another Elder described it was like I had my eyes closed but there was the bright light coming into my eyes through my eye lids." I then during the blessing had the same thing happen to me. I then out of the bright light saw two of the most loving faces that I have ever seen in my life and I started to cry and I felt so Spiritually drained after this blessing. I saw my grandparents faces smiling down at me. You may think I am crazy or that it was just my imagination. I tell you believe me or not because I know what I saw I know the Spirit that I felt and I know that there is no one that can tell me I did not see my Grandparents. I then later that week was  able to go to the temple on P-Day and in the celestial room have an oppportunity to thank my Grandparents for being there that day. I know that there ar concords of angels on my side and the Satan can not defeat me for he as very few against my army. In the story of Elisha when he opened the little boys eyes to seeing the concords of angels surrounding them when they were surrounded by the all fo Syria. (2 Kings 6 or 5) I know this Gospel is true and I know that my Redeemer lives.

Con mi Amo

Elder Kenneth Marse