mexico is the promised land (it's in the Book of Mormon)

Mis Queridos Hermanos y Hermanas,

Me siento feliz a escribir les y decir les sobre la gran obra del Señor. I am so glad to be a missionary and to be working here in this very small town full of love and people to begin teaching. In my area in Ojocaliente the truth is it is very Catholic and the evidence is the giant cathedral in the garden or center of town, as well as the various Virgin Mary’s in the streets to worship. All this though still doesn’t stop us from working and finding those to teach. We don’t have very many investigators, but we have a family that we are working with right now, and guess what, they lived in Placentia! It was awesome to hear that and to know that it’s a small world. I’m still teaching English and more people are coming which is great, but it’s also good because I’m beginning to forget how to speak English! All is good though because I can talk with the people according to their understanding. Our area is also very large and we walk about 12 Km a day I think maybe more. The work is getting better and better though with a lot more people in the chapel. We have an activity coming up this week also and it’s called a Mega Noche de Hogar (Home Evening) with the ward, but for investigators. We’re hoping many will come. The theme is the Plan of Salvation and we are giving the message. I don’t have too much else to say, but that I hope as members of the Church of Jesus Christ we are standing as witnesses of him in all times and in all things and in all places.

So this week I have been thinking a lot about the importance of looking for revelation and guidance. I came to the conclusion that the best way possible to do so is through study, prayer, and pondering, but with a sincere intent to learn and apply the revelation to our lives immediately. I love this idea, because it is repeated in The Book of Mormon over and over again that if we seek it we shall find it. Nephi says that through diligent study and pray the mysteries of God can be unfolded unto us. How great a knowledge that if we look intently that God will make himself manifest unto us. If we truly desire to know God will reveal it unto us in his time, as we lose our lives for his cause. As the Savior promised, If a man should go looking for his life he shall lose it, but if a man loseth his life for my sake he shall find it. So lose yourself in seeking the Lords Will and Revelation for yourself. 

I LOVE YOU ALL

Elder Perfili

"God Be With You Till We Meet Again"

"We'll Be Both Be Underneath The Same Moon" 

3 weeks in Zacatecas

Hola Hermanos y Hermanas, so it will be my third week in Zacatecas and I really like it here in Ojocaliente. It’s a very small city. It only consists of 4 Colonia’s and one giant Church and a Centro. We walk the city in a day a majority of the time. It is very beautiful though and I like being out of the city. We traveled a lot this week as companions to the city in Guadalupe. We had exchanges with the District Leader and I went with his companion who is an American from my generation! It was the strangest exchange I have ever had because first, I lost my wallet with everything from the mission, second we accidently flood the church building preparing for a ward baptismal service (we cleaned it all up though) and the city if Zacatecas is almost a replica of San Francisco with all the hills. Don’t worry though I bought a new wallet and the offices have everything taken care of with what I lost. My new wallet is Fossil too! So that was on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then on Thursday we traveled back to the city for a Zone Conference with Presidente and the Assistentes. The messages were great and all have helped me a lot in my work and progression as a missionary. The work this week was mas o menos (so-so), but it’s little by little that the Lord reveals his work. Oh I almost forgot so I,m teaching English Classes right now and it actually went very well. I am using the book that learned Spanish in but reverse to teach English and it works! 

So this week has been really good for my studies, but I love what I learned about the family. If you didn’t know as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we firmly believe that the Family is ordained of God and that is the most important social unit to God. In families we learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ together and it’s where we learn with the most profoundness. We are all sons and daughters of God and he loves each and every one of us individually. Through the Son of God Jesus Christ we can be a family forever. This is something that is very important, a Family FOREVER. Why would God give us our families forever? Because he wants all of us to return to him as the family that we were before the earth was created, that’s why he sent us Jesus Christ to show us the way and the example we must follow to have this promise. I heard this and love this quote about God, "If God gives us so much as families and works so hard so that we return to him, how much harder we should work with our families to bring this to pass". I Love my family and know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has made it possible to return to live with him and as a family in the eternity. Of this I know and leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Perfili

Love You All

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

We’ll Both Be Underneath The Same Moon

New companion

Outside the town

I'm in the Dessert

Well Brothers and Sisters I am no longer in the busy city I am now in the Desert of Zacatecas. Well it’s not entirely a Desert, but the city is very small and then there are the houses outside of the city in the Pueblitos. The members here are great and they all have a desire to help us. Right now though my new companion and I really have our work cut out for us because we are starting from square one here. It’s also a lot of fun though because it’s a great way for us to get to know the members and were able to contact the people here a lot more. My companion and I Elder Cauich have planned a lot of activities starting with English Classes and I’m going to teach them! I haven’t quite figured out how but I know it’s going to take a lot of faith. Our area is very far from the city we actually have to take a bus to the city which is 30-60 minutes away from Ojocaliente. We actually took the bus to the city this week for a Zone Conference and we meet the new Elder and Sisters who are serving here. It’s kind of nice to because I know some of the missionaries that are here. One of them is from my Generation of Missionaries. .The Zone Conference was great and it’s clear that all of Zacatecas is getting to work to find, teach, and baptize. Well the rest of the week was slow, but we have found a few people to teach and we are very hopeful that we soon will see the miracles of baptism. 

This week was interesting, and I thought a lot this week about why I’m here in this area. Through my pondering I have come to a possible conclusion that, well it’s where the Lord Needs Me. Sometimes in our live we get confused on why something happened to us or even why something didn’t work out. My answer and my testimony is this, that there is someone who know perfectly what our purpose is and what were to do in our own personal lives and personal spheres. God has a plan for all of his children and we need to do is continue in the faith and know that he is the Master Controller and we will learn our purpose in time and we confide and trust in his will. I know this is true and I my personal testimony of this with you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.  

I Love You All

Elder Perfili  

"We’ll Be Underneath the Same Moon"

"God Be With You Till We Meet Again"

1st Transfer

So I’m sorry but this message is going to be short because I have been transferred to zacatecas ojocaliente and have a new companion whose name is Elder Cauich. He is from the Yucatan and he has 6 months in the field. We are opening the area which means that we are both new and going to start from scratch practically. The week with elder Mendez went by fast and it was so because our investigators and our less actives didn’t got to church. Also I was a little surprised last night when I got the call that I was being transferred and out of the state to. It’s kind of cool though because the area that I’m in right now is the first area that elder Mendez served in when he came to the mission. The apartment we have is very nice and we spent the day cleaning it and unpacking. The city that we live in is about a half hour away from our district it’s called a municipal and we have to take a bus if we need to go into the city. The nice part though is that our apartment is in the Centro of ojocaliente. I don’t have too much else to say other than that I hope next week I have some cool adventures to share with you all.

Right now in my mission I am excited, happy, nervous, and scared all at once. It’s kind of strange, but it’s also good because this is a time to try my faith and my willingness to work hard and alongside the lord. It’s going to be tough, but I know for sure that if I put my faith and trust in him who knows all then I will be just fine. 

Love you all 

Elder Perfili

God be with you till we meet again

Well both be underneath the same moon

training almost done

 Well I can’t believe it, but time flies by so fast. My training will be done in a week and on top of that I will have 4 Months in the field!! Well I hope that I don’t bore you all with my emails right now, but the truth is there hasn’t been too much of a change in the work here. My companion and I are doing really good and because he has only one transfer left until he returns right now he really wants to work hard. The only thing though is that one of our investigators we can’t find and the other were working with slowly. The good news this week though is that the Family that we found attended Church and want to start to return. Elder Mendez and I are very glad really because we really want to see this family back in the Chapel and there youngest daughter to enter the waters of baptism. So this week we had an activity with the ward and we played basketball. All the members were telling me I’m not allowed to play because of the way that I play. All were jokes, but we had a lot of fun with it. Afterward we ate tacos and talked with some of the members. 

So this week I learned something that I don’t think it’s possible to forget. So on Saturday in the night I had a bad experience and was making the matter worse in my head by telling myself negative things such as I had an inability to feel the spirit. Later on that night in our apartment my companion talked to me and said these words. Elder Perfili we are not doing anything that you should feel would negate the spirit. We are working and are going to work harder, but if you don’t believe that the Spirit is with you then it’s not. When I heard that I realized that he was very right and had a very good point. If we don’t believe that we can feel the Spirit or receive revelation and answers to our prayers, how is it possible that they are going to happen for us? Not likely at all. Therefore my message is this; Trust in God and trust that the Spirit will lead you in the right direction as you strive to do the right and most importantly BELIEVE that it will accompany you. I leave this message with you and a promise that you will feel the Spirit more if you believe and try your absolute best.

I Love You All

"God Be With You Till We Meet Again"

"Well Both Be Underneath the Same Moon"

Elder Perfili

Sign you don't like to see

Logan told me this sign basically says, "please do not bother us we already have a religion and do not need to hear about any more". Kind of sad but they run into this a lot.