Leaving Talagante April 12, 2010

Well family,
The time has come. The assistents (yes, my 2 excompañeros) called last night around midnight and told me that I will be going to another sector. I´m kinda sad but I´m just really used to it by now. I´m going to miss a lot of people but the most important thing is not their relationship with me, it´s their relationship with the Savior and Heavenly Father that matters. I don´t EVER want anyone to go inactive becuase they liked me and I left the sector and they didn´t have a strong testimony. That´s would be very sad . I just want them all to endure to the end then we can all hang out in the Celestial kingdom. Every new member (baptism) that we have had in this sector are very strong and they have deep testimonies and love for our Savior. They have waited a long time to be baptized and I know that they will continue to grow.
The assistents also told me that they are taking the sister missionaries out of the branch, so their sector has now become our sector (well I should say Elder Hrabar´s sector) so he has to go learn their sector and our sector. But he already is pretty familiarzed with our half of Talagante. It´ll be a lot of ground for one companionship of elders to cover, especially without bikes. But I know they can do it. I´m sure President Jones has a genius plan so it´ll all work out. He always does.
Here´s some investigator updates:
1. Fernando: the carabinero, he´s doing really well. we went to teach him with Hno Torres, one of the members of the ward who we thought would be a good fellowship-er for him. Fernando and his wife Margarita (member of the church) came to the chapel yesterday and Fernando still has his baptismal date for May 8th. I am really excited for that family they have a lot of potential.
2. Nephi, Veronica, Ignacia, Raul, and Susana: they are all neighbors that live together and we have been teaching them for a few weeks. They didn´t come to church this week, but Nephi and his mom Veronica want to be baptized.
3. Miriam and Benjamin: we had an FHE with them at Bernardita´s house. We did this cool objest lesson using plastic dixie cups to teach the restoration. 12 cups that represent the Apostles form the base, with a picture of the Savior that goes on top (we haven´t found a good way to put the prophet on their yet) and then you build a big tower of plastic cups, and each cup represents a doctrine of the church. Then in the apostasy, after they kill the Savior and the apostles, the whole tower falls over, and you form a bunch of "tiny churches" that all contain a part of the truth, but none of them has a prophet or apostles or the fulness of the gospel. Then you tell the story of the first vision and rebuild the original tower. Benjamin loved it and he told us that he wants to get baptized. We have another lesosn with them to night I´m excited for it.
4.Máximo: well, he´s not an investigator, but this guy´s having a really hard time. He hasn´t come to church for 3 weeks and wants to move out of his house and live with his friends. He also told us straight out that he won´t continue coming to church for the rest of his life because enduring to the end is just too hard for him. He´s been hanging out with his "best friend" Christian for the last month or so and he´s a really bad influence on him. We are really worried about him, but we´re teaching him the best we can, then all we can do is let him make his own decisios. It´s sad, but that´s just how the plan goes.
5. Andrew: we met this jamaican guy named Andrew knocking doors on Thursday. He´s so cool and speaks English but with a REALLY strong Bob Marley accent. I´m not sure how much he´ll progress but it´s just a pretty cool story.
Well I want to share with you that I know the church is true and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that we are happier when we live the gospel, and I know that our Heavenly Father will fulfill all of his promises to us. He´s done it many times in my life up to this point, and we really have no reason to doubt. I really like this scripture in D&C 58:31
that says, "Who am I, sayeth the Lord, to promise and not fulfil?" It´s really straightforward. If we can just keep enduring to the end we will be blessed in ALL things, both temporally and spiritually, and in the end we will be received in the Celestial Kingdom in a never ending state of happiness (see Mosiah 2:41).
That sounds pretty good to me and I think it´s something worth fighting for, and it is a great comfort to know that I am not in this fight alone. I have a loving Heavenly Father and Elder Brother Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost to guide me, and I have 2 earthly parents and 2 great sisters that are great examples to me. If there is only one constant in our life it should be our testimony of Jesus Christ and His church.
Well I love you all very much and hope that the Lord coninues to bless you.
Love,
Elder Cloward