January 14, 2013 Lomas Coloradas

Well I am with an Elder Hess from Utah. He is a farm boy!! really nice and we are in Lomas Coloradas. It’s a really big sector with lots of work to do!

We have a couple of families we are working with. One - her name is Carola and she has three kids and they all want to be baptized but her husband read stupid stuff on the internet about the church and is very angry. But something happened yesterday when she left for church. She used to fight with her husband a lot in the morning when she tried to go. But this week she got up and he asked her are you going to the Mormons? She said yes and he said well have a good time then. So there is progress!! We are hoping to baptize her soon.

I really like the ward. We have a big ward. So we are getting to know the ward and trying to find more people to teach. Me and my companion are both new to the ward so we don’t know where anything is.. but it’s all good.

Sorry it was short but there is not a lot that has happened yet. I love you all and hope you don’t freeze to death cause here I am sweating haha!!

Letter to youth of the Spanish Fork 14th Ward

January 14, 2013

Hey youth!!!

I want to share what I think is the most important thing in preparing to serve a mission. Read the Book of Mormon every day and every night get down on your needs and pray to know if it is true. One of the biggest things you will be doing is testifying to the people that the Book of Mormon is true and asking them to read it and to pray about it.

You need to have your own testimony. After you have gotten a testimony, study that book to know how to help other people know about the Book of Mormon. This book answers the questions of the soul. Your investigators will have many doubts and questions about this gospel. If Joseph smith was a prophet; if the word of wisdom really is a commandment from God; etc. Lots of doubts but in reality they only need to answer one simple question. Is the Book of Mormon true? Because if it’s true, then everything that we teach is true.

I testify that if you want success in your mission and in life you need to be constantly studying this book. I know now more than ever that it is true. Read it. And ask your Father in Heaven if it is true.  Then prepare to share that testimony with the world.

Elder Butterfield

January 7, 2013 Lomas Coloradas

Hey family!!

So my new sector is really big and cool. We have a lot of members that are active like 160 came to church on Sunday.. wow! and we have some cool investigators that we need to baptize. We have a family of four and they are great. The mom’s name is Carola and she is really nice and wants to get baptized but her husband is against the church. But he is leaving for six months. So we are going to try to get his consent but if he doesn’t get it she might just get baptized anyway... she really wants to. Her husband owes it to her. He is not very nice to her about stuff.

It’s been really hot and humid!! My companion is from California. He is really cool and we have a lot of fun. We have this investigator that is trying to quit smoking so for the new year we did some goals. One of them is that we get up at six thirty to run with him every day. I am kind of addicted to running now... and it’s really fun. We went to this little pond thing about a mile and a half away from our house. He has twin boys and they were swimming and we talked a little about baptism. He asked if someone could be baptized in a lake and we said sure if you can get dunked!! I think he liked the idea of getting baptized in a lake. We have a lot of work to do with him but we won’t give up.

My toe never got un-swollen so I have to go back to the doctor again... It’s all big and red. But it doesn’t hurt as bad as last time. Oh mom, there is a Columbian here who really, really wants beef jerky so in my next package if you could send some!! I love Columbians!! They are really cool people. There are a lot of families from there in this sector.

I am doing really well here and am really going to try and work hard. We may struggle finding some new people but it’s not like I haven’t seen that before... any way that is about all for this week. I hope all is well there and don’t freeze to death.

New Year's Eve in Chile

So I am going to another sector with an Elder from California. I am glad cause it just gives me a chance to go and work like crazy. I hope someday I will be a seminary teacher helping others gain real testimonies. I am about to go to my new sector.  They say it’s hard but I am going to share the gospel with everyone!!

I KNOW there is a God and that this is his Son’s church. I can’t deny what I have felt or the power that went shooting through my body when I blessed that man. And my biggest desire in life is to help people and have a happy family.

So for new year’s we can’t work for two days. Tomorrow we are just going to be with the zone planning for the new year and studying and stuff cause they get crazy here on new year’s. So I will not get to teach anyone in my new sector for a while but that’s ok Ï will get over it. I love the gospel and honestly I have been more happy than any other time in my life with the gospel.