Friday, October 3, 2014

Sep. 29, 2014 - Hola!

Hello family!

This week has been Great! Thanks for the birthday wishes last week and this week! It was a great day! I was in Malaga so I got to be with a ton of mission buddies!! That was good. It was my last mission Conference and I HAD to bear my final testimony. I say "had" because there is still so much time before I end I didn´t want to give it yet, ha. But it was a bittersweet moment. I cried right when I got to the microphone. It was really good though to be able to bear testimony to other missionaries. It was a powerful experience. :)

We found a great ecuatorian family at the beginning of the week and the father came to church. It was fast and testimony meeting which was great!! The only problem was that the whole branch had gone to the temple the day before so everyone was bearing testimony on some doctrine that isn´t too common. Afterward Joni, the investigator, asked, "So why was everyone talking about being baptized obçver and over again, and what is endowment?" Hahaha we just smiled and said don´t worry, It will come with time. He was ok with that :)

Oh and Thalia finally got back from Suiza. She is a recent convert and super solid. While in Suiza she went to the temple and is going to be such a help back in Alcázar :)

Studies this week were based alot on faith leading to action and action leading to conversion. You can study a ton about conversion, and how people are converted, and what it means to BE converted... but I will leave that studying to you guys. :)

I just have to say that our Heavenly Father is WILLING and READY to bless those that act on Faith. Conversion comes after our acts of Faith. It´s a great little cycle :)

Also, CONFERENCE IS COMING!!! Prepare questions, fast, get ready for a spiritual high and then ACT on the revelation you recieve with FAITH :)
I love you all!
I love the mission!
Love, elder Powell

Sep. 22, 2014 - New Comp :)



Its a new day and a new dawn! :)

How are all of you you doing!? 

We have had an awesome week! We picked up our new comp elder Chacón and he is a champ! He is the youngest missionary in the mish right now. 18 years old and 4 months in the mish :) He´s from Ecuador and still has loads to learn ;) We´re workin on it. :)

Well I don´t think I have ever done that much service in the mission but this week we did a ton.The coolest thing about this week was working in the Vindimia! It is the month of harvest for the grapes. Tomelloso is the largest harvest place for grapes in all of Europe and the second largest in the whole world!! Weird right. Anyway, We went and worked in the vineyards with our convert family and did service with the dad of the famaily who still isn´t a member yet. It was sweet. We worked about three hours by cutting grapes off the vines and throwing it into a huge tractor. While we were there we collected about 4,000 kilos of grapes. By the end of the day they had collected 13,000 kilos!! Yeah it is tiring work and our backs were sore this whole week HA. But it was some good bonding time with the Investigator. Then on saturday we went by in the morning to help them with more service at their house and it was great. He is doing great and came to church with his family again. This is about the fourth time he has been! I really want him to get baptized before I leave :)

Also we worked in this association collecting food for those in need in our town. That was really good too. Like I said lots of service.

We have been working hard though. With three missionaries we are going to start with splits to see all of our investigators and members. 

Right now I am reading in Mosiah and I just reached Alma the younger where he was visited by an angel. Also I just read an article in the 2002 ensign about a man whos heart was softened after twenty years of being married to a member. In both situations prayers were answered to soften the hearts of these two men. Alma was visited by an angel in power and glory thanks to the prayers of his family and people. Talk about an example of Power! But in the same way, a man was converted in the very act of two missionaries bearing sincere testimony and showing loving acts of kindness.

Whether it be an angel or man, it is the same. We both have rights to the spirit that bring power to our words, and the capability to bring conversion. Our Heavenly Father IS perfect and will act in HIS time. But it is good to know that he will ALWAYS act. If anyone knows my missionary scripture I still hold strong to those words in Doctrine and Covenants, "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." These words are true and spoken by the mouth of the Lord. Trust him, love him and spek with him.

Life is great! The mission is Great! I love it :)
Love Elder Powell