Homeward Bound

Dear Mom and Dad and my wonderful family and friends!

This week was amazing! Leonilda, Anahy, and John were baptized! So crazy story. John is 10 years old, and his parents are less active and lived in the ward but then moved to the north mission and this last couple of months have been attending our ward. This week they moved back into our ward boundaries, and John asked Mark, his cousin, who leaves on his mission this Tuesday, to baptize him.

So we coordinated with the family, and in 3 days we taught John all of the lessons. We left him with 3 Nephi 11 to read and we invited him to ask God if the book was true and if he should be baptized this Saturday. He prayed, and the next day he told us, "I think I received an answer because last night I had a dream and I saw God.” The faith of a child is incredible. So this Saturday John was baptized too.

Baptismo de John, Leonilda y Anahy

John

Anahy

Mark and John and their family

Hna Leonilda!

Also Sunday was a bitter-sweet day. I got to say goodby to the wonderful people here in Antofagasta.  Wow,  I cant believe it is my last week.  I feel so happy, sad, and strange.  Yesterday, I said good bye to our amazing ward.  Mark, a joven in our ward, is leaving on the mission this Tuesday so it was a really special sacrament meeting.  Mark talked then Elder Abendaño and I and Hno. Sabatierra sang I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go.  They sang and I played the violin.  Afterward I got to have a tiny farewell talk.  The spirit was so strong during the sacrament meeting, and I felt so happy.  I sure am going to miss this ward.

La familia Salazar

Michael y Indira

Familia Gallardo

Hna Andrea, our pensionista

La familia Paco! They even brought us pizza.

Yesterday we ate soooooo much food. We were stuffed and very happy.

La conferencia with Elder Texeida

As a zone we did an invasion in by a flea market. We printed out smiley faces and taped them on our back and chest and walked around asking people if they wanted to know how to be happy. We sure got a lot of attention and a lot of people listened to us. Some came up and to take pictures with us.

I know that Jesus Christ lives and that His gospel brings us happiness.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. I can’t wait to see you all this Saturday!

Love,

Elder Matheson

P.S. Please keep praying for familia Gallardo. They had some trials this week. Two of their cars of their business were in crashes.

Miracles! The Gallardo Family Was Baptized This Week!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was full of many miracles, and so much happened.

Elder Teixeira

My 2 pairs of glasses broke within 24hrs. The lens of the Nike glasses fell out, and the sides of the black glasses broke. Ha ha, I think it means I am old in the mission. But we went to the ramanda today and there is a family that loves the missionaries that owns a glasses shop. They fixed my Nike glasses for free, and I bought a really good new frame for my black glasses. They installed the lens in, and now I can see again!

Sorry I didn't write yesterday. Yesterday was the conference with Elder Teixeira (He is one of the new presidents of the 70 and is from Portugal) so they changed our p-day to Tuesday, but the conference was amazing. And the musical number turned out pretty well. Sister Murdock, and I played the violin, Elder Florence was on the piano, and Sister Choque, Sister Dodge, Elder Lopez, and Elder Dubon sang. Sister Choque wrote the music and it was a blend of Jesus Lover of My Soul and I Know That My Redeemer Lives. And get this, I got to use a really nice hand made violin from Beni to play. We played at the first of the conference, and it really brought the spirit!

Here is a picture of one of our practices in the offices.

The most incredible event was that Familia Gallardo was Baptized!!!

Hna. Sandy wanted me to baptize her, and Hno. Humberto asked my companion to baptize him. Sunday Hno. Salazar confirmed them. Many members came and my companion and I performed O My Father to the music of Come Thou Fount. We were dressed in white and singing and playing the violin. After the musical number, the Gallardo family was baptized. At the end of the baptism, Familia Gallardo expressed their testimonies of how they fasted, received an answer from the holy ghost and took the decision to be baptized.


This family was so prepared for the gospel and really built my faith of the power of the Book of Mormon and that God really hears and answers his children´s prayers if they ask in faith!

I forgot to mention that we invited President Rodriguez to come and teach a lesson with us to Familia Gallardo. I was a little nervous, but the lesson was so powerful and Presidente taught them about the importance of eternal marriage.

This scripture sums up the week: D&C 84:88
88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Thank you for all your prayers, especially for Familia Gallardo. There really were angels helping them and us. Sandy told us that Friday, the day before their baptism, they were invited to a family birthday party. In the party there was wine and alcohol, and their family members kept inviting them to drink. But they didn't give in and didn't drink anything because it was their baptism the next day and because they really want to obey God's commandments!

Seeing the Gallardo Family baptized really helped me see the value of my missionary service and feel God's love for me and them. I know this gospel brings families true happiness. The Gallardo family is a living witness of this!

It's my last week working in my area, and I am going to give my best for the Lord! Lionilda and Anaí are going to get baptized this week. Pray for them and for Marianela and Helen!

Love,

Elder Matheson!

My Brooks have lasted for 3 years!!!


Hna. Willis and I are both finishing the mission and so the zone took a picture of our funeral or that we died


Darinka and William! They are an amazing couple who have helped us so much visiting Marianela!


Practicing for the musical number we played for the baptism of Familia Gallardo

 After the Mission Conference

The Gallardo Family and Fasting!

Dear Family and Friends!

I am on the last, best two weeks of my mission. I wanted to invite you all to my homecoming on the 30th of September at the Midvalley 2nd Ward building located at 40 East Midvalley Road in Enoch, Utah.  Church meetings begin at 1 p.m.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. They help us so much and contribute to miracles!

The greatest miracles we saw this week was with the Gallardo Family. We taught them the doctrine of fasting and how when we fast we come closer to God. We should fast with a purpose and as we do so, with faith, the Lord with bless us and guide us. Sandy expressed how she believed everything that we do in the church is correct but still couldn´t believe the Joseph was a prophet, and Humberto really wants to finish the Book of Mormon and Bible before his baptism. We invited them to fast with us Saturday, and Familia Salazar (their friends in the church) said they would fast too. Familia Gallardo really were shocked when they learned that fasting includes not drinking water but accepted the challenge to fast and to read Alma 32!

The first miracle: Saturday morning it was freezing!!! The weather was perfect and made it easier for everyone to fast

We started our fast with Familia Gallardo after lunch, and the whole day we tried to talk with everyone, to get on time to the leccions, to teach with love and the spirit and show our love to the Lord.

The second Miracle: At night we visited Familia Gallardo and Sandy told us how she had read all of Alma 32 and even Alma 33 and that it answered all of her questions and why they were going through so many trials ever since they have started going to church. Sandy told us that she knew that no farm boy could write such beautiful scripture by himself and that she knew that the Book of Mormon was true and came from God. The spirit was tangible, and the room was filled with so much peace. Family Salazar shared their conversion stories and we invited Sandy and Hno. Humberto to be baptized this Saturday and they accepted!

Fasting coupled with the Book of Mormon brings revelation. After the lesson, my companion and I couldn´t stop smiling, and we knew that this is God´s work!

Please pray for them and for us that they can overcome their trials from their work and family members for their baptism this week!

Also Marianela and Anaí and maybe Lionilda have their goal to be baptized this next week!

Intercambio with Elder Florence. We ate ice cream! Yumm

As a zone we went to a big park and had a BBQ! Hno. Pedro cooked the meat. We played some volleyball and capture the flag with marshmallow guns!

After we went to the Rio Pirai!!! We couldn't play in it but it sure made for a good picture! We have some great elders and sisters in our zone!


I know this is the Lord's work and that also satan will do all in his power to oppose the truth, but Jesus Christ is our Savior and as we keep the commandments and stay on his team, we will triumph!


I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Matheson