14 December 2015

Hello everybody!! Once again, transfers have arrived and it has come (thankfully) pretty fast!! This past week FLEW by and i don't even know where it went!!! If the rest of my mission goes like that... i don't even know!! But like i said, this transfer has come and gone quickly, and the knowledge that i don't have to do another one like it... YYEESSSS!!!!!!! Sanchez is is heading out of the city, and imma get a new comp.!! crazy because as of right now, i have no clue who it could be. the spanish program is getting SUPER switched up and it's looking like it'll be fun!! so i'm SUPA stoked to see what's gonna happen at transfers. Not to mention that the stake boundaries changed up last week too!! originally all the zones were organized based on stake boundaries, but now there's a NEW stake and like every other stake had it's boundaries changed.. CRAZY EH??? So this transfer will be quite the show!!! i've been waiting for this for quite some time i must admit :) Anyways, so this past week... it was AWESOME!!! two of our investigators cancelled our appointments, we had a lesson with some investigators who we haven't met with in like 4 WEEKS (I'll tell more in a bit), we picked up ANOTHER investigator, and our less-actives are progressing like CRAZY!!!! I must admit, i came in here feeling pretty bummed, but when i heard the news of transfers and when i look at what we've accomplished this week, i literally have nothing to be worried about.. SO DOPE!!!! This has been my best area so far and i hope it continues working after the native spanish speaker leaves.. haha! but if you have the spirit AS A COMPANIONSHIP and you put forth the effort, the Lord promises blessings :) So, the 4 weeks people!! We had our first lesson like for ever ago, and they've been cancelling every week since then and we've been pretty bummed about it. So on Thursday, we called them and were like "hey, do you think we could meet some time before you guys leave?" and we set up an appointment for yesterday, and it went AWESOME!!!! We taught about the restoration, and throughout the lesson, he was asking questions and really paying attention, and while he would be talking or we'd be explaining something and while we were talking, she was over there reading the pamphlet!! After the lesson, we invited them to pray and think about everything we've talked about and taught and he was like "yeah, i know i probably haven't been praying like i should have, but it's just hard because sometimes you feel like you just don't get answers," so we told him about how if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, then you can move mountains, and he really liked that :) we asked him to ask someone to offer the prayer of if he wanted, he could do it, and let me tell you, that was the most heartfelt, amazing investigator prayer i've ever heard.. seriously, he has such sincere desire and he is really searching for the truth and we're so excited for them both :) Another AMAZING story is that some sisters up here in Airdrie passed off a Spanish referral to us.. he's a guy who's been taught by the previous English sisters, but when these ones got here, they immediately recognized that he hadn't been progressing the way he should have been because he has good English, but he isn't fully retaining what he's been taught. He didn't even have a Spanish Book of Mormon!! So we came up on Saturday to join the lesson with the sisters and meet him and make the transition a little easier, and even though he had only had a BOM in English, he had totally read a pretty good amount of it!! He asked us about the story with Nephi having to kill his boss, so we explained that to him and a couple other things, and a bit about who Joseph Smith is, and he's SO AWESOME!!! He works in the oil industry, so he works 3 weeks, and has 2 weeks off. After the lesson, we asked if there was another time we could meet, and he said "well, i leave Monday afternoon to go back to work, so if you guys can come, Monday morning would be great." HOLY COW!!!! he's leaving TODAY, and he wants to meet before he goes back to work. This guy has real intent, and i'm really excited to keep teaching him :) he even came to church up here on Sunday!! so we're emailing now so we can have the lesson with him and get back to Calgary for our shopping and p-day. So I'm pretty stoked for that and i'm sure he'll start progressing really well now that he fully understands what is being taught :) also, on Saturday, we went to an English ward's christmas party to try and scope out the Spanish peeps in English wards, and TOTALLY FOUND SOME!!!! we went and started talking with them and they're super dope!! i went and introduced myself to them and sat with them, told them i'm from Texas, and they're like "oh, so you spoke spanish before the mission and you just want to practice?" i was like nope, i'm actually from the spanish ward and we just came here to visit the english ward party. then they were like oh! but your spanish is pretty good. how long have you been out? "umm just over a year." I gots to say guys, my spanish has been improving SO MUCH this transfer!!! i don't know how because Sanchez very rarely speaks spanish to me, but i've been catching myself thinking in spanish A LOT and i've had to sop myself several times from speaking to english people in spanish.. haha! i've forgotten how to say even a few things in english!!! i'm pretty happy about that tbh :) that's not all the nice things that happened this week and none of the negative ;) but it's been a FAST FLIPPIN WEEK!!!!! i gots to go because i need to try and reply to a few other emails before we head to our lesson, but i love you guys!!! i'm loving being out here and learning constantly and this is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity that i'm glad i took :) TTYL!!! Love, Elder Levi Windham

7 December 2015

Hey everyone!!! It's been a pretty good week and i ju st want to say HOLY COW I"VE BEEN GONE FOR OVER A YEAR!!!!!!! SO the work has been tredging along. Again, all of our investigators cancelled our appointments :/ but that doesn't mean i didn't have some good experiences still!! :) We met with the 3 less-active kids last week. All 3 were there, and it was a pretty good lesson :) we talked again about working on things spiritual, but primarily about acting on faith and doing things to build your faith. We talked about reading the book of mormon and how important it is. We told them at the end of the lesson that by the time we come back next time, we want them to have read and thought about something in the book of mormon, and we're going to talk about it with them. The oldest son didn't seem too overly enthusiastic, but they all accepted. We're seriously trying to work really hard with these kids. Like for reals, we teach them so much and go through so much to try and get them to ACT, but they're so absorbed in video games and just doing nothing that they aren't willing to progress, and it SUCKS :/ however, if anything, we're planting a seed that when they get older, they'll look back and think about everything and they'll start to have a change of heart because they know how much we love them and want the best for them and how much their father does for them to help them be happy and do what they want.. All in time, RIGHT?? haha Ok...... So i totally forgot my journal and this week flew by SO fast, and i can't seem to recall anything else really.. How lame eh??? haha but if time flies, that means i' having a good time right? ;) but back to the whole year thing.... HOLY COW!!! I just wanna bare a little testimony real quick :) like seriously, literally, a year ago today, i was in the MTC thinking that this point seemed forever away.. but now, it's actually here, and where has the time gone??? i had the chance to bare my testimony in a zone conference recently and i spoke about how i've been out for a year.. It's weird and sometimes depressing that some missionaries will be out for 2, 3 months and have a baptism, and i've been out for now over a year and haven't had a single one... and you know what? I'm not overly defeated! Like i can say that the mission has changed my life in more ways than i can count. I have developed more Christlike attributes and come closer to my savior more than EVER before. I used to REFUSE to say the mission is sometimes for the missionary more than anyone else, and i would NOT accept that to be true for me. I remember having almost a loathing feeling when i would think about that.. But now, looking back, and seeing the changes that have happened, and the growth i have experienced, i can say that to this point, the mission has been more for me than anyone else... Yes, i have helped a lot of people along the way, but where i see the biggest change in maturity and spirituality is in me. I am no longer the person i was before. i have changed for the better in almost every aspect of my life. i look at people differently, i think differently, i have different struggles, i worry less about the minor things, i learn to cope better with certain situations.. I've grown just so much, and i'm proud to say that this mission has been for me the whole time. Others will be blessed along the way, but i now have a FIRM testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His role in my life and the life of others. To have the opportunity to share that message with others brings me such happiness, and i thank my Father in Heaven every day for this life changing opportunity. I also thank each and every one of you for the influence you've had in my life. Some have helped me see the things i should do and shouldn't do, some have had a bigger role than others, but everyone who will read this message, i can assure that YOU have helped me in some positive way, and i thank YOU for what you have done :) I stinkin love you guys, and will probably give most of you a hug by this time next year...... WOW!!!! Can't believe i've been gone that long already.. I love you guys!! Have a great week and talk to you laterz! Love, Elder Levi Windham