FELIZ NAVIDAD

¡Hola! Christmas time has come again. I can’t believe its already here it has come so fast. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that its Christmas cause it just so hot outside. Heat and Christmas just don’t add up for me. Here in Chile the traditions for Christmas are a bit different cause here all the celebrating is done on the 24th of December at night. Us as missionaries get the chance to have dinner over with a family. This year, Yeny and Jonny invited us to come with them I’m excited to go with them. They are one of my favorite families in the sector. I’m happy to be with them. Here also, they have fireworks on Christmas which is different but cool. It’s interesting how the tempturar can change how the traditions are.

In the sector it’s been a pretty good week. Sadly, Magarta, because of transportation problems could not come to sacrament meeting this week. We are still with a confirmation waiting but she has promised to come this next week without fail. Her son in law sat down for us a bit in a lesson which actually was a big step for him it was great.

Also Agustin (don’t know if I have talked about him) he is a man we found just knocking doors. He suffered a paralysis 2 years ago but he is begining to get his strength back.  He can walk slowly now but he walks. This week we went and visited him and talk about the faith (I do believe this is the third time that we talked to him about faith) this time however we had a member with us and for some reason (the member I think) he really opened up to us and talked to us about how his addiction to cigarettes is what is hurting his faith. Then the member begins to help him and explain how he was able to overcome cigarettes. It was amazing.

Other than that things have been pretty normal over here. I’m looking forward to a good coming week.

I hope you all have a merry Christmas and that in this time we may remember our greatest gift which is Christ our Savior.

-Elder Harrison 

NEW CHANGE NEW FEELING

¡Hola todos ¿como estan?! We had some big change ups this week.

First off this week we had our mission Christmas conference which was super good. I got to meet up with a lot of my old comps again it was great. It was especially great to see Elder Dufour again. We had a super spiritual conference and then to our big surprise. They did the changes meeting right there. (this being the last week in the change) Well as the meeting went on there came the announcment that my comp was leaving the sector and that I would be receiving a new comp. That came as a surprise to me cause I was bunkering down and getting ready for another change with him. Well we were split up and as the announcement came on I began to think to myself did I do all I could? did I help my comp? was there more I could have done? I began to wonder cause there was no surface changes really. He left being my comp the same way he came in. Then sister cook gave a talk about how no effort is wasted. I made me feel even though I may not have seen any surface changes maybe deep inside my words touched him. for some reason the lord had put us together and for some reason he has now split us up. Now I’m not going to lie and say that I am sad for the change quite the contrary I am happy so happy. 

Well on Sunday we also had a great event which was the baptism of Magarita. It was amazingly spiritual she was crying at the end when she gave her testimony the spirit was so strong. As always for the missionaries, baptisms are always super stressful but always the most rewarding. I truly enjoyed it. We also have got a date set for her daughter. for the 24th of January. 

As for my new comp (green tie photo (yes we here with the computers)) he is amazing his name is Elder Flores and he is from Bolivia. He is super nice funny and also has a lot of desires to work hard. We only have one day so far out in the streets together and it was great I love it. Actually the coolest thing is that the whole ward got changed. We are four elders in the ward and the other three all left this change and I am the only one who stayed. It has brought such a new life to the house and to the sector its great everyone with such great desires to work and go out and do stuff and improve the ward. It is truly amazing. I’m so excited so many new ideas so much new life it is the best I’m a happy man.

Also this week Elder Nilsson has finished his mission (may his soul rest in peace) and has returned with honor to Utah. it’s so weird to think that he is gone but oh well.

Also may you all have a great week may you all have a great Christmas and may you all remember él es la davida 

http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529

have a great week

-Elder Harrison 

ANOTHER WEEK NEW CHALLENGES

ANOTHER WEEK NEW CHALLENGES

¡Hola! this week was an interesting week. A lot of good things have happened and a lot of not so good things have happened.

First good thing that happened is that Magarita passed her interview and will be baptized on Sunday. She is an amazing woman with so much love for the gospel this is an example of a golden investigator. She was already to accept everything we taught and has a strong testimony of the savior. all of her family is begging to progress to  her daughter is progressing good and her granddaughter is also starting to take up interest.

Also a man named Juan Lorca and his family (wife Ingrid and daughters Constanta and (oh I seem to have forgotten the other daughters name again I always forget hers)) They all came to church this week. Juan is a less active and has been for many years. The wife is not a member but is interested in the gospel for a base for her children. They are super amazing and love church. When the family came for the first time it was the primary program and it was so beautiful and the spirit was so strong. The children all bore there testimonies it was great.

The not so good stuff. My comp sprained his ankle and so we had to take him to the hospital to get it all checked out luckily nothing was broken just a bad sprain. so now he has got a brace and can’t walk to good. it makes work a bit interesting.

I think however the biggest thing for me was that this week Me and my comp where talking and I began to try to explain the importance of obedience in the mission and with time we ended up talking about the gospel in general. There came a point where I testified to him the amazing things that god has planned for us the wonderful blessings that he has in this life and the life to come. As I bore my testimony I felt the spirit testify to me that it was true that truly god has unending blessings for us. I know that he does that if we could just understand all that he has for us we would loss all desire to sin and do evil. Now while we are here our knowledge will probably never become perfect as to the gifts god has for us but we can get a taste we can know there true and walk by the flame of our faith. I know god loves us I know we are his children and I know that he has a great many things for us. That truly he is preparing a place for us in the mansions of his father. That I know for sure

-Elder Harrison

THE POWER AND NEED OF THE SPIRIT

12/3/2014.
THE POWER AND NEED OF THE SPIRIT
¡Hola! mis queridos hermanos y hermanas familiares y amigos. How are you? how has your week been? For me this week has been another hard one but as its is being made known to me the hard week are the greatest teachers.
First off The Hermana Magarita is doing super well. She loves this gospel and has such a desire to follow Christ. Its rejuvenating to see her energy. Her and her daughter Belén have accepted all of the commandments have taken with love the book of Mormon and the church while Belén has chosen to wait for her baptism, Magarita is progressing so well to her date of the 14th of November.  Everyone is super excited for her. The family is so good and they have so much help from the members it’s the perfect example of how missionary work should be initial contact by member invited to activities by members introduced to the gospel by members formal teaching by the missionaries and finally baptism done by the members. I hope all of you member out there who are reading this know the great power you have the great force you are to share this gospel YOU are the important key YOU make the difference and I love all of YOU for doing it just as I love this family that brought Margarita to love the gospel.
This week I learned two great lessons- first then necessity of the spirit. The power is amazing. The spirit has sadly this week. I felt some time that the spirit was not with us. Wow and does it make a difference. The spirit is very easily offended and will leave quickly if we are not careful. Sometimes it’s just as easy as us being angry that makes the spirit go and sometimes it’s the actions of others that makes the spirit go. But, when it goes, all the guidance and all of the strength it gives to us also goes with it. Truly the spirit does more then we think. Sometimes we limit the spirit just to a whispering voice but really it’s so much more than that. The spirit has the power to the renewing of our bodies (in other words giving us extra strength when we need it.) It protects us from evils (not just help us choose between good and bad but to even keep the bad from getting near us) and the well known whispering which is just as necessary as any other part of the spirits jobs. It is so necessary in our lives. No one gets it for free it comes only if invited and waited for weather missionary or normal personal all must invite him and wait for him to come.
Secondly is about the atonement. We all know about the famous prayer. ´´father if thou wilt pass this cup from me but not my will but thine be done´´ and then he suffered then he came out and woke his apostles after waking him he turns back again and goes into the garden to suffer again. Can you imagine that turning back to face that garden knowing what is coming? Knowing the pain and suffering and walking back anyway. We can imagine that the first time he didn’t know what was coming but the second time he knew he knew perfectly well the pain that was coming but walked back anyway. And why did he do it? Because it was the will of the father. I think more than the words ´´not my will but thine be done´´ it was the act of him walking back into the garden that showed that truly he sought only the father will. I believe we all have faced that point we in the midst of a trial we say to ourselves ´´no no more I’m and done with this I don’t want to go out and face it again´´ maybe it comes as we wake up in the morning and we wish to stay in bed and hide away from the day. Maybe it comes and we are in work and we don’t want to go home and face problems. for me in came in the bathroom with a strong desire not to face the problems with my comp any more. It can even come within the walls of the temple as we wish to stay and not face the world’s problems anymore. it comes for all of us. It is in those times when we show to our father in heaven ´´not my will but thine be done´´ to say ´´´father if you want me to suffer I will suffer if I need to do this I will do it´´ even if we don’t want to do it we must do it. the savior has said ´´should I not drink of the cup which my father hath given me´´ The father has given each of us our cup... our bitter cup... let us drink it with face not doubting just trusting and one day we will hear the father say to us ´´behold my beloved son (or daughter) in whom I am well pleased´´
That we may all (myself included) learn to develop this faith and walk back into our problems willing to drink the cup the father hath given us.
I hope you all have a great week and stay strong
-Elder Harrison

A GUIDED WEEK

 ¡Hola! How is every one? It’s starting to get really hot down here and we a bracing up for a good long summer.

This week has been an interesting week first of for Margarita she has asked us to change her baptism date to the 14th of December so that her daughter can come to the baptism. We were fine with that anyways. It’s been amazing this week to see her and her daughter’s preparedness to receive the gospel. These last few days we have been teaching the commandments (things like word of wisdom day of rest tithing, ect.) and with each one we teach there comes a immediate acceptance. For example we went to teach the word of wisdom to them and we thought that Belen was going to have a problem because she smokes 1 cigarette everyday and told us a few weeks ago that cannot go without it. When we came to teach the word of wisdom we found out that she had 2 weeks before quit smoking and had no desires to go back. It was amazing truly the lord is preparing the way for them so that they might receive this gospel.
 
Then this week has been an amazing growth week for me. Truly it would be impossible to count all that I have learned and how much I have grown this week. Me and my comp have been having problems lately. It can be hard at times but what I have found is that truly we can find rest and peace in the lord. I know sometimes we can be lead to ask or wonder ´´lord how many more cheeks do I have to turn?´´ ´´ I have turned my cheek so many times just to get smacked again for how long?´´ I know I have asked that this week. Though the power of the spirit I have felt the lord extended my ability to turn the cheek one more time to keep your cool and not blow your top.
 
Many times we reach disagreements in our life’s we bump heads with the people around us. I have been bumping heads this week. But if we will just ask the lord will tell us which battles are worth fighting and which we should just let go. We need be humble enough to accept the lords counsel when he tells us to stand down and be brave enough to purse something when the lord tells us to.
When it comes time to fight a battle it must be done with the spirit because to do it any other way is to lose the battle. When the times comes even if the other person raises there voice never need we raise ours. If we feel they are attacking us personally we must never attack back. We must act as the savior did explain with love why we acted as we did why we think as we do.  If we follow the spirit the lord will bless us with peace a peace that defies logic. I know cause I felt it I know that it is real. If we will follow where the lord leads us he will make sure that everything will work out just right.
 
I hope you have a great week and that you all will seek the guiding hand of the lord this week.
-Elder Harrison

WEEK ROUND TWO

¡Hola! How is everyone? I hope you are all doing well. This week has been in interesting week here in the sector we had Belen this week tell us that she wants to wait to do her baptism untill her husband (who is a inactive member) starting joining back in with her. We understood. I would love to see that maybe she is the pulling force that brings him back to church. Margarita is super excited to go and get baptized. She is really looking forward to it. Right now there is nothing stopping her- we just have to have time to teach everything. That is our biggest problem and for me it’s an okay problem to have. We have seen a lot of blessing this week the lord showing to us that the sector is not dead that there are still a lot of people here we just have to go and find them. A lot of good contacts have happened.

This week I have learned a lot about the spirit and the guidance it can give us. So me and my comp have not been getting along very well. But this week, I have felt so much the spirit guiding me helping know what to do. The peace that the spirit gives us is something amazing. If we will do gods will, he will send us peace. This week I felt it as I was trying to figure out how to fix a problem with my comp. I felt the spirit guide my actions and my words. Even if it maybe didn’t turn out perfec, I felt the spirit’s calming hand. Knowing that I had done what the lord wanted us to do.

I want you all to know that nothing is by chance in our lives. The lord has put us where we are because he trusts us. He trusts that we will seek his guidance.  He trusts that we will do his will in where we are put. It’s amazing to know that for me this week that knowledge has changed me to know that he has trusted me with such a great responsibility and to know that I don’t know how to do it. Then at the same time to feel his guiding hand helping make it though and do all I need to do is do his will and he does the rest.

Follow the spirit of the lord brothers and sisters and he will guide you in all you do and in all you say. That I know is oh so true.

-Elder Harrison 

p.s. The new district this change and look who I ran into in the CCM Hospital ( I was there for my comp not for me calm down) none other than Elder Jolley.