Mi Familia,
Sounds like this upcoming week will be a great one! I am so excited for Alicia and Tanner's graduations. What a party. It is so crazy to think a year ago I was still in high school. The glory days. Alicia's announcement looks amazing too. It is so awesome how the ward is growing. The ward here is growing too. When I got here there were probably 40-50 people coming and this week we almost had 80. I forget how big the wards are there sometimes!
This week was a fast one. I cannot believe how fast the time goes. Already 5 months! I feel like it has been more like 2.
My new companion is great. He has almost a year in the mission and he is from Neza, Mexico. I think that would have been in Tyler's mission. It was so awesome to get out to work this week. I feel like I am progressing so much faster in all aspects when I am actually out working. We have a lot of great investigators. Ángel and Jazmin are progressing so much. We have had incredible lessons with them. In the last one we taught The Restoration. At the end Elder Tapia asked them if they knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Tears came to my eyes as they bore testimony that they knew it was true. I imagined them in the temple in one year being endowed and sealed. I also imagined their 10 month old boy on a mission. They will be baptized the 18th of this month. It is so amazing to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ change others.
We have another family we are teaching too. The parents aren't married so we are focusing mainly on the kids. Their names are Susi, Rolando, and Roque. At first they really only listened because their mom told them to, but in the second lesson they were all laughing, asking me to speak English, and when they let us teach they accepted a baptismal date for the 25th and really felt the spirit.
We had a great experience on Friday. We were contacting and met a woman who had already met with the missionaries 10 years ago. She told us her husband was very sick. None of the doctors know what he has. He has been in bed for 3 months and has almost no energy. I felt prompted to offer a blessing. I did and explained that we have the same authority that Jesus Christ and His apostles had. She let us in. Her husband looked terrible. His arms and legs looked like a little kid's. We gave him a blessing. I did the unción (I can't remember what it's called) and Elder Tapia gave him a beautiful blessing. We talked for a while then gave them a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. The woman asked me to write our names in the Book of Mormon. She still remembered the names of the missionaries from 10 years ago, and where they were from. We are going to see them tomorrow.
Things are amazing, I am so happy. Sometimes I miss home but I just realize that this is the only time I will ever have to focus 100% on the Lord. I love this work. I know that Christ lives. I know he speaks with the prophet, President Monson. I know he walks the hallways of his Holy Temples. I know he directs this church. It makes me so happy and gives me so much hope. It is the greatest news ever, and I love sharing it with others.
I love you all and miss you.
Con Amor,
Elder Riley Stevenson
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