November 4, 2013

 It's November everybody! That's my month! And it has started off with miracles! miracles! miracles!

Last week my companion and had splits with the district leader and his companion. So I went to Drummondville to split with Elder Losee again and I worked over there on Halloween. It was very interesting. We contacted a media referral from the visitors center and we called them up. The zone leaders advised us to tell them we were friends of "K***L". So we called her up and she answered. (Elder Losee is a transfer younger than me but still got scared of the french and handed me the phone). I then started to talk to her and I told her: "Hey, we were sent here by "K***L" and we wanted to know if we could visit you, we are right outside of were you live actually" and she then started to curse and told me to tell "K***L" stuff... blah blah blah sfsdkhfkdshjfh ....

SHE WAS NOT HAPPY.

In a nutshell... the person that sent us to her house happened to be this 'sexual predator' who keeps harassing her handicap (blind) daughter over the internet.

... I KNOW. SCARRRRY.

I ended up figuring out who she was, what her experience has been with missionaries, what she liked, her family, so on and so forth. And she happened to be this old lady who was told by her doctor she doesn't have very much time to live.

I felt prompted to ask if she spoke English.

she did.

I than spoke to her in English and told her after being denied several times before to visit her: "My'am, we are the missionaries of Jesus Christ, and we would like to meet you and shake your hand and tell you how grateful we are for people like you in this world"

She really appreciated that and let us visit her.

We spoke with her and her daughter for 20 minutes and talked about the plan of salvation. She will now be receiving missionary lessons.

I can't imagine what would've happened if I would have quit at the sudden awkwardness that came from those first instances on the phone. Wow.

Anyways, the past 3 days have been unbelievable.

We keep ending up in the right places at the right time. I would go into detail but it would probably take more time than I am permitted.

In a nutshell... the Holy Spirit is real and it can guide you.

My companion and I felt prompted to bear our testimonies in sacrament meeting. I've never felt prompted to do so before on my mission. It was so strong and profound I could not resist (although we are counselled not to go up...) .. We went up.

As I stood up, the chapel got really quiet. it felt as though even the crying babies had been silenced. I opened my mouth and I felt like a French Puppeteer was taking control of me. Somehow I was speaking so fluently. That afterwards the members came up to me and told me how they admired the testimony I bared. I felt a reassurance that whatever I had said was true and that the families in Victoriaville needed to hear that. It was a nice feeling.

hmm... we also had a very powerful lesson with a former investigator who came back to church. It so happens, we committed her to baptism and she knows the church is true. If the Lord allows. We will have another 2 victoriaville baptisms. It was an intense lesson filled with tears and spirit. and SPANISH. She only speaks Spanish.

Well, I had Colombian Tamales and they are my new favorite ever.

Oh and just before my comp and I got to the computers, we thought we would go "thrift store shopping"!! YAYYY!

We went up to the thrift store where the door was locked but the sign said: "ring to open"... we rang and a lady came to the see through glass door and waved her head in disapproval. She wasn't going to let us shop at her thrift store. So I pulled out my wallet and waved money at her. She then opened the door and asked: "what do you want?" ... I said: "this is a store isn't it?" she answered: "Theres nothing for you here" (I could clearly see things that men would buy there) ... I answered: "We just want to look and maybe buy something" She said: "Your jehova witness" I said: "No, not at all" She answered: "sure, bye" and closed her business doors on us. 

The world is rapidly changing friends and family. It is getting further and further from the Lord.  Stay strong, keep your faith. God lives, Jesus lives.

Until next week,

Elder Castrejon

October 28, 2013

 

 Dear family and friends. It is I. Elder Castrejon. I just want to tell you all, that I love every single one of you. I can not describe the joy... the pure joy that comes from missionary work. This week I had many opportunities to serve others. All the way from mowing lawns, moving a member to their new house, and doing inventory at a IGA (grocery store) at 5 O'clock in the morning for a youth fund raiser... I have never counted so many bottles of baby food in my life!!!

  As I go out and experience these things, I come to realize how I am being used as a tool in The Lords hands. I see the happiness service brings to these members and it is rewarding on so many different levels.

  Being on a mission has made me realize the divine power of heavenly father. The love he has for every single one of his children. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS CHILDREN. HE NEVER FORGETS ONE. NOT ONE.

  He puts us missionaries in the places we need to be, at the right time, with the right people. He puts the right words in our mouths exactly when we need to say it. I can not deny the power of the spirit.

  This week I felt prompted to visit someone at a certain time. We had a plan but we decided we would just move away from that plan and follow the prompting. So we did. We visited our 14 year old investigator. Her father won't come to her baptism because he is atheist and thinks it isn't important... but her mom wants her to be baptized (her mother is an ex-mormon). This was our next baptism, but everything has just been really crazy lately. That very moment when we followed that prompting, was the perfect time because she was only there with her brother. We taught them both and now we are preparing her little brother for baptism. We testified to them that 2 are better than 1. And that them together can soften the heart of their father and they can become members of Jesus Christ's church restored on the earth. It was a very uplifting experience.

  This week we also had stake conference. It was beautiful. Our stake has 7 wards and 6 branches. IT IS HUGE. And it covers so much land.

 

We had a special stake conference with an area 70. President Olson. We also had a choir consisting of the missionaries and the members. The whole stake conference was focused on The Prophets focus: "NOW IS THE TIME that members and missionaries work together". It was a great conference. On Sunday we also had a choir of all children. They sang a medley of I am a child of God in sign language, Spanish, French, English. I don't know where else I could see children do that. This is truly a marvelous place.

 

  It was fun after the conference, there was a special new-convert meeting with the area authority and I got to accompany Claire. My new convert. It was a great feeling. She is praying about serving a mission. My friend... my convert.... thinking about serving a mission. Wow.

Oh, it should be snowing soon! I bought a nice coat. Kinda scarrryyy...

Well, until next time! :)

Elder Castrejon