Worldwide Missionary Broadcast

Hola a todos!

Esta semana recibimos noticias sobre cambios que van a cambiar todo el mundo! Será un gran tiempo ahora en la obra del Señor, el horario y los indicadores claves están cambiando y jamás será lo mismo. Estoy animado!

Alright, for those that don't speak Spanish I'll tell you what that says in a little bit. :P Trying to give incentive to learn Spanish, because you won't believe it if you use a translator. :P :D jajaja

Anyway, this week was great! The sector is progressing, we're finding more people who are progressing well and we're working with some people who are coming closer and closer to Christ. One sister, Ana, she wants her daughter to listen to us as well and her daughter wants to as well. Ana really wants to be happy with her family, it makes me so happy! Taylor is a 10 year old boy and he's interested and progressing really well too. Samuel and Melani, father and daughter are listening as well and she knows that it's true, he has some doubts, but we're helping them.

I'm working on being a better missionary each day and being more exactly obedient, still failing a little, but realizing that it's all a process still. That's helped a lot after reading an article about forgiving the person in the mirror from the Liahona in April 2013. It's a good one that one.

There was also a couple big changes announced in the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast on Wednesday. First the missionary council (Elder Oaks, Elder Bednar, Elder Anderson and a couple Seventies and Sister Oscarson) taught us about Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts. Answered questions to teach us, so it answered a couple questions for what I need to be doing better. I also studied today and found more of the relation between repentance and baptism. I think it has to do with sanctification. We become clean through repenting, but then we want to become more, and baptism by fire leads us to that, sanctification. Where we become set apart from our old selves of sin. It's really cool.

Anyway, announcement! The schedule is changing and we'll only have 4 key indicators in the world! Baptisms, people with baptismal dates, I in sacrament meeting and new Is. I like it! It'll be so much easier to focus on our slogan, teach repentance, baptize converts. And I've got pictures of the schedule. The difference as I understood is that we have so much time to do all the things we need to, but there's no 8AM study, there's studies and everything before leaving at 10AM. For example, but yeah. It'll be great. We're still waiting for how it'll be in the mission Peru Cusco, but I'm looking forward to this revelation taking part in my life.

The rest of what's happening, it's hot, that's normal. People mow their lawns with weed whackers or machetes. I finished the first personal journal in my life on Thursday and my second church study journal. Life is going well and my companion is really helping me become more like Christ and doing the work more diligently. We're working hard and having a good time in the service o the Lord!

Have a great week!

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher

Zone Conference!

Hola todos!

First, the sector is advancing, we're finding new people to teach and we have two investigators, Ana who is an older lady, and Taylor who is a 10 year old boy that are progressing. They both came to church on Sunday! They're not family though, and it's the second time Ana has come, she just needs glasses to be able to read the Book of Mormon, but she believes what we're  teaching is true. They're both progressing and we're doing our best to help them.

Having that said, we had interviews with President Herrera this week and a zone conference. (I've found out the difference between a conference and meeting, the conference has the mission president, the meeting has the zone leaders) It was awesome!

They talked to us about a couple things we need to do, one of which being exercises. Hermana Herrera explained a little bit more about how we should do them and all that, I really liked it and I plan to implement it in my daily life, because we need to, and because I want to. I invite you to as well, do flexibility things, strength things and cardio ones too.

We put in place monthly goals a little while ago, we're completing them and already some are achieved! It's really cool to see lots of progress at one time. See what goals you can put down to increase your light in your life. D&C 88:15-30 talks about light and how it's important in our lives.

Have a great week!

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher

Baptism in Puerto!

Hola todos!

This has been a great week! We've gotten quite a bit done and at the end we were able to help Hermana Almendra enter the waters of baptism; after changing it out for clean water. :)

Almendra was baptized this week and the baptism was really great, we just delayed because the water had to be changed since it was a little dirty.

I then had the opportunity to confirm her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that was really special.

There's a ton more I could say, but the important is that we can always live the gospel and help those around us with whatever their need may be. A smile, a hug, a handshake or something else. Let's all serve each other a little bit more; maybe it'll be wiping a spider off a shirt like I did last night. But whatever it is, we'll help others and feel good ourselves.

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher

New Year, New Momentum

Hola Todos!

So, almost no time, some thoughts.

Hermana Almendra is going to be baptized on Saturday!!! I'm happy for her!

We started a little slow this week, but putting monthly goals has helped our motivation a ton and we're shooting off!

Following the prophets really helps us out, it's God's way of communicating with us, His voicepiece. That's why they have to be so loving. And the article in the Ensign this month talks about President Hinckley and I really like it. 

I'm going to be going off of meat except for Sundays. That might be interesting.

I'm doing great! Things are going well but I'm certainly learning a lot too! It's a ride, but it's worth all the bumps and jolts. 2017 is fantastic! It started a little slow, but now it's going faster and better!

Happiness is feeling good. Joy is feeling the love of Christ. They're both great, but I've seen that only the Gospel and living the principles of righteousness bring joy.

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher

Happy New Year!

Hola a todos!

Feliz Año Nuevo!

So, this year...  It started out with a bang! I've never heard so many fireworks in my life!!! Like I were in a war or something. Welcome to new years in Peru.

 I also ate fruitcake from last year, not sure if it was too great an idea, but I'm doing alright in the stomach. :P Panetón is a huge thing here. 

Here we're quietly going forward in the work of the Lord. We've got Sister Almendra who will be baptized on the 14th, she's super excited!

There's not much to report this week, but take this new year by the horns and make it the best year of your life! Better than the mission, better than the year you won the geography bee, better than when you finally got that goal! Better than them all! It's possible and you just need to decide to do it and do it!

Make this year the best year you've ever served God and been a light to draw people to Him.

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher

The Return to Puerto Maldonado and CHRISTMAS!!!

Hola todos!

So, the opening joke will be by Elder Fincher.

When I get home, I'll open a restaurant and name it, "Oh! What's that place's name?" So that when people ask where people want to eat and they respond with the name, the person asking will be confused. I'm funny. :P :D

The results of the week and spiritual things will also be given by Elder Fincher

The sector is doing fantastic! We're finding a lot of new people and we're having a lot of lessons, it's going really great! We have an investigator, Hermana Almendra with a baptismal date for the 14th of January and we're working with others for their baptismal dates as well.

The temple is clean. The Spirit resides there. If it were dirty, it couldn't. How is our house? How is our room? Can the spirit reside there?

This is why as missionaries we have a day each week to prep, including cleaning. I strongly invite everyone that you can take the time each week to clean where you live so that the Spirit can live with you and bless your life.

Also, Marion G. Romney in April 1980 gave a promise in regard to the Book of Mormon. That also deals with the Spirit dwelling in our homes.

Ponder this for a moment, this Christmas season (as well as every other season) we have the opportunity to invite the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, a Member of the Godhead into our homes. Ponder on these two methods that God has given us that we can have this great blessing in our homes, to testify to all who enter that Jesus was born and has atoned for each and everyone of us, and we only have to do a few things so that the Holy Spirit can be a resident in our houses this Christmas season.

I invite each and everyone of you to ponder the blessings you will receive as you act on this knowledge, and then to act on what that means.

Have a fantastic week and a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher

Cusco! Conference and vacations?!?

To start out this week, it's been interesting. We had a couple appointments Monday and Tuesday before coming to Cusco. The conference with Elder Godoy was fantastic! The thing I like most about conferences is the boost to our vision as missionaries; like climbing the mountain, seeing the whole view, and then going back to the trenches and working. Then today was also good, it was really fun at the Christmas lunch! Between those two days we did a little bit of contacting and ran into some members, 2 missionaries that just finished the mission touring with their families. We visited a couple places too since we didn't have any appointments, it was good, but it'll be really good to get back to working in our sector.

Not much happened in the sector, but Sunday we got a call from an investigator saying that her mom is okay with her being baptized now! Once she reaches 18, but that's in a month, so that was awesome! Here in Cusco we contacted a couple different people in the Plaza de Armas and nothing else, not being in your own sector is hard.

It felt like Christmas this week! Because we came to Cusco, and it's cold, it's kind of nice to feel like it's Christmas like that, :D

Let us know how the conference was and the bus trip too.

The conference was really good, Elder Godoy talked about a couple traps that we can fall into as missionaries and how to resolve them. He and the Herreras answered a couple questions that we had. And like I mentioned, it boosted the vision to be able to know and remember why we're here.

The Christmas lunch we had today was great, all the zones (other than Sicuani, Juliaca and Puno who'll have their own) did a video, choral and sketch. We had the best video in Puerto according to President Herrera, and Andahualas (I think) had the best sketch. I think the videos will be put on the mission blog. Which I don't remember what it is right now, but I think I sent it at one point.

Anyway, out of time, but have a great week, I'll be writing from Puerto next week. Be great and remember who you are!

--

Hurrah for Israel!

~Elder Fincher