Fwd: August 24th 2013

[Tim Stay]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zachary Stay <zachar...@myldsmail.net>
Date: Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Subject: August 24th 2013
To: Tim Stay <tim...@gmail.com>, Dalita Stay <lita...@gmail.com>

Hello friends and family!

Wow. This was quite the week! The less active family we found a few weeks ago are now coming to church regularly (except the Mom for work, but she´s trying to find another option), and we have the baptism of the 11 year old planned for next Saturday, where the Dad is going to baptize her daughter! I´m so very very happy for them.  Last night, when we were inviting her to be baptized, we asked her, "Why do you like going to church?" She said "Because I like listening to the word of God." "And why do you like listening to the word of God?" "Because it`s good, and it leads me to do good." "Why do you want to be baptized?" "Because I want to be a good person, and I know if I´m baptized, God will help me to be a better person." I loved her answers, because they come from her heart, and they are pure and simple.

Sometimes I fall into the habit of making things to difficult or complex. Sometimes I need to remember that the most powerful statements are the simplest, and that the purer and simpler a statement is, the more the Holy Ghost can testify of it,

That is definitely something I need to keep in mind with a new investigador we found this week. This family lives right next to the church and moved here to kind of take a sabatical- to get a little bit away from the materialism of Western Society and come here. We`re talking more than anything with the Dad. He´s a great guy, who´s part of another religion, but he only speaks English. My companion speaks a little bit of English, but just a little. The lessons we have with him are really difficult- because it´s really hard teaching in English! I´m used to saying all these things in Spanish, with my companion at my side, but now it´s just me in English with just some a little help from my companion.

Plus the fact that he´s not Peruvian- that because of the culture differences between Peruvians and Americans, we have to teach him differently. He likes thinking deeply about the gospel and the details and how God works. He asked for example, "So was the Bible corrupted when Jesus came to the earth?"- a question that I hadn´t really thought about. I explained my best, and felt like I did well. It´s just very different with him than with other investigadors. He said he´s not going to read the Book of Mormon yet, but that he´s willing and is going to pray to see if this is the direction God wants him to take.

I also learned this week about being firm to my testimony, and to my conscience. That I need to stand by the truth, even if I´m standing alone. It´s like the poem President Monson said: "Dare to be Mormon, Dare to be true. Dare to be righteous, and Dare to be you." We need to be witnesses of God in all times and all places.

I love you all, and just realized that I missed one more experience! If you remind me next week about Mosiah 18, I´ll tell you about it next week.

With love and faith,

Elder Stay

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