6 months on April 1st

Para el Blog: Well my brothers and sisters I’m very grateful for the opportunity to write to you all and to tell you that I’m still alive with  6 months in the field and as some of the members say I’m practically un Mexicano! Some interesting things before the week. So if you didn’t know Mexico is very religious in the aspect that if there is a holiday the entire country participates. For Easter or here in Mexico la Pascua it’s a holiday, but the name the holiday says it all in that it’s called, Semana Santa. If you don’t know the translation its Holy Week, meaning that here it is a party for the entire week! For example in the city that I’m serving in there is a carnival in Centro with the church alongside it. Other than that I don’t have much to say that is very interesting, but I´ll have some things for sure next week. So in terms of work this week we are really working very hard in finding new investigators and in teaching those that we have. I’m actually really enjoying also contacting people in the street. Right now the investigators that we have are progressing, but Claudia is really coming along. We have to move her date but she wants to go to Conference to hear the Prophet speak. The work is coming along slowly, but i know soon that as i strength to serve God more that soon I will find those who are prepared. 

So the message for this week. This week I had been studying in my personal study session the Plan of Salvation a lot. I studied as well the part that is more central to the Plan of Salvation the most though that is, The Atonement of Jesus Christ. As I studied the atonement I began to see more and more just how important and literally the most important act in all of the World and Celestial History. With the sacrificing of his life for all those who believe on him and accept him we can become perfect and repent of our sins. The most profound thing that I have learned though is that without the Atonement of Jesus Christ we wouldn’t be able to do anything in this life. The Atonement gives us the ability to repent to be clean from sin and to return with our Heavenly Father, but it also gives us as imperfect being the power to become perfect and prepare for the life after this life with our Heavenly Father, Him, and all of our loved ones if we believe on his name and follow his example. As a missionary i am learning firsthand the Atonement and that without it I’m nothing, and cannot even work in the lords vineyard, but with it I am able to become a strong and `powerful tool in his hands and serve him with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I invite you all as well to experience the atonement in your own lives and personal ways and to use its enabling power to learn and grow into the child of God that you are. Of this I know and share with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.      

pancakes with mayonesa

Para el Blog: Well Brothers and Sisters another week has gone by and I am still enjoying myself here in the service of the Lord. Some interesting things first before I write you the details of this week. So during Spring all of the little kids in elementary school or primaria dress up like animals and dance to welcome Spring. They were costumes of all times of animals from chicks and cows to butterfly's and lady bugs. Also during Spring it is generally very hot so its nice to know Ill be out of the cloudy weather soon. One thing about my companion ,maybe Ive mentioned it, so if you didn't know here in Mexico and almost all of Latin America they love mayonesa maionese. My companion enjoys it so much that he puts it on his pancakes! He is awesome but hes trying to get me to eat the same thing. Don't worry I'm not going to eat it. So this week we had some good lessons and are continuing to teach the woman Claudia. She has been praying for a answer to her prayers and she is so close! We have a date for baptism with her and are really hoping that she will receive her answer soon. Were working on contacting a lot more people to find new investigators and were beginning to find new people little by little. 

So this week I was reading a lot in Alma. I also began to read the chapter about the sons of Mosiah. The son that i read the most about though was Ammon. Ammon if we remember converted King Lamoni and his wife. One thing I admire most about him though is that he very sincerely explains the nature of God and the Plan of Salvation to the King. Why do I like this? Well because sincerely and truly he shares his testimony and his knowledge of the gospel with someone who needed and wanted to know the truth. As children of God with the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we have the opportunity to share the Gospel with all those that we see and all we need to do is share the knowledge that we have with those that are around us and they to can know and come into Christ and be perfected in him. There aren't just missionaries there are members who are the missionaries! I invite you all to invite a friend in one way or another to Come Unto Christ and receive the blessing that await them through his teachings. i know that this is the work of God and that He Loves his children. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ Church re-established on the face of the earth once again. I know also that as you share you will not only help others come unto to Christ, but you as well will come unto Christ. Of this I know in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.  

3rd transfer

Well my beloved brothers and sisters another transfer has come and I am still in my area in Ojocaliente, Zacatecas with Elder Cauich. We are both very happy to still be here because half of the missionaries that where here left and we have received 3 new missionaries one of which is Elder Froisland from my district in the MTC! Right now the members also are very happy that we haven’t transferred. Some things that happened this week well, there was a lot, and it continues, of rain! On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday it rained a on!! It’s still raining also. The weather changed so fast. Also with news on investigators we have one that is progressing very quickly and the other who we are staring with. The one that is progressing is the Adventista. We gave her he Book of Mormon with Moroni Chapter 10 to read and she read it "5" times to try and find something that wasn’t clear and she said it was impossible. She is continuing to read and is excited to begin learning more. Another that we have is also interested in learning about the Gospel and what she can do to follow God´s path. Were excited for the few we have, but even more for a less-active that came to church for the first time in Months! We also passed by his house in the night time and he told us he wants to go to the temple and be sealed to his wife and kids. Also another less-active or a very long time had a wonderful experience and is fully dedicated to coming back to the church and being stronger in the church with a testimony that is impenetrable. I am so glad to still be in this area and help people come to the knowledge of the savior and also to come back to the knowledge of a savior. 

So well my thought is prayer and its importance. Prayer is the literal communication we have with our Father in Heaven in which we use to speak with him. As we speak he listens, and as we ask with faith, he answers. This week I learned an important lesson in which I saw the beauty of the reality of prayers being answered. This week had been thinking a lot about something and had thought that I need to pray and ask for the guidance that is necessary. After praying in a short time I found my answer and I then followed its guidance. I know that God loves me and that because he does he answered my sincere prayer with a sincere answer. I know that you too can do the same. Its 4 simple and sencillo steps; 1.Our Father in Heaven, 2.We thank thee for (all that we are grateful to have in our lives), 3. We ask thee to bless or help (answer a question, or with our work, or a desire of our heart), 4. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. These are the steps to prayer and I invite you if you have never prayed to do so and you to will feel and witness of the power and divinity of a Heavenly Father who loves you and who answers your prayers. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. 

Elder Perfili

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

"God Be With You Till We Meet Again"    

"We'll Both be Underneath the Same Moon"

He tried eating a ghost pepper, yes he had milk on hand but it still took a long time for his mouth to calm down from the heat.  Missionaries, still young men doing goofball things to keep themselves entertained.  Good to know they don't loose there sense of humor on a mission.

I feel my Saviors Love

Man time sure does fly by fast because the transfer is almost over and I'll have another transfer in the field. So this week was pretty good and it’s kind of strange because the work was extremely slow this week. So before I tell you about that though, I thought I would tell you about the city a little bit more that I’m serving in and some of the food that I have eaten here so far. So in our small city all the banquetes or sidewalks are yellow bricks so I like to joke with my companion that were in Oz and were following the yellow brick road. The city has a very giant catholic church in the middle, but lots of people live outside of the city in the less developed parts of the city. So some of the food that I have eaten so far is, cactus, menudo (pigs stomach), and chicharron (the skin of the pig). And surprisingly I like them. They do have a different texture, but they still taste good. So this week like I said was a little slow because there were a lot of events in our small city on Monday and on the weekend. On Monday there was a political speaker and on the weekend there were concerts outside of the city so that hurt us a bit, but we still taught a lot this week and I love the people here. The members are so great and really hope that nobody leaves (we hope no one leaves either). The teaching is coming we are working a lot more on finding and working with the few we have. One though is awesome and she wants know the truth for herself, another wants to have his doubts taken away and feel Gods love. I’m glad for the few we have, but happy also because this area has become a part of me and I don’t want to leave, but it’s not my will its God's.

So this week I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting about Repentance, and I felt that it would be a good topic to write about. Sometimes we are scared to repent because we think that it’s something bad and we are terrible people, but this is a lie and you can’t believe it. Repentance is necessary and it is to help us follow our Savior Jesus Christ, know the will of God in our lives more, and allow us to stand clean before God's feet someday. It’s important to note though that repentance isn’t just asking for forgiveness it is a change of heart like the scriptures say to change our thoughts and behaviors to be more in harmony with the will of God. How great a blessing we have to be able to repent and feel God's peace and love, the Spirit more abundantly, but most importantly to be prepared to meet and live with God after this life. I know as a personal testimony that if we repent we aren’t regressing in fact, were progressing and becoming more perfect like our heavenly father who is heaven and how he wants us to be (Matt 5:48). I know that if we do these things we as imperfect human beings can change our hearts and become perfect beings (Mosiah 5:2) and will stand in the presence of God one day ready to live with him of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.      

5 months out!

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters how grateful I am to write you all about the wonderful mission that I am serving in right now. 

So this week was fantastic!! On Monday we had a family home evening with a group of families about the proclamation to the family and the importance of the family. The following day was slow and a little difficult, but the end of the day we had a powerful lessons with a family and two of the three agreed to be baptized! Were really hoping and praying that they will be ready and that all will go well for this date. Then on Wednesday we had our activity with the ward the Mega Family Hoe Evening, which if I might say was absolutely fantastic! We gave the message on the Plan of Salvation and it was so sweet the feeling in the chapel that we felt testifying of the plan that God has for his children. The best part though was the amount of investigators that were at the activity! We played games after the message and we played "Chubby Bunny" or here "Conejos Gordito" the members thought it was hilarious. On Thursday not too much passed and then on Friday we watched Meet the Mormons!!! I was so glad because as a zone we were able to watch it and my Brazilian Elder Matos came to Zacatecas and is in my zone! On Saturday though was very awesome. We taught some investigators, but passed with less actives also. Toward the end of the day the spirit was so strong and we found man on the street that contacted me and he wants to learn! That’s about it sorry its short, but I am so happy here that it’s amazing.

So my message for you all this week is something that is absolutely important to all of us. God. This week I had been thinking a lot about my relationship with him and what he exactly has done for me in my life. I came to the simple conclusion that this is what he has blessed me with: Life, Family, the Gospel, and the ability if I choose to do so live with him in the eternities. With him in the eternity as an eternal family. Something that I learned this week is that all that he has given me is eternal...Think about it. The things of God never end and if we follow the things of God which bring us true happiness then to will our happiness never end. Life’s not easy, but when we put things in an eternal perspective in that if we follow the plan and the things which are forever we have no need to suffer, but to rejoice in the fact if we follow firmly in the gospel that one day we will be with God and Jesus Christ for the eternities with our families. I love God and the knowledge that I have that he is eternal and that all he has given me, family, the gospel, a testimony of the savior and the opportunity to be with him after this life, is also eternal. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love You All!!

"We'll Both Be Underneath the Same Moon"

"God Be With You Till We Meet Again"  

Elder Perfili

Logan's Patriartical blessing has a section that talks about his going on a mission and if he should choose to go the people there would be praying for him to come, so when he sent this picture it just kind of made me laugh a little!!