04 March 2013 - Huanhualí, Villa Alemana Oeste

¡Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

Last week, the first wave of new missionaries arrived to the mission. The group was 3 or 4 times as large as they ever are, since 33 arrived and only 7 missionaries went home. President Kähnlein changed the transfer schedule to have the change meeting on Wednesday, and told Elder Núñez and I to come to help the new missionaries in our zone. We were all seated in the chapel when the new missionaries walked in, single file, in what seemed an endless stream of sister missionaries.

Dad, I really like your idea of doing the edges of the puzzle last, it's innovative for me. Well done! Marta, thanks for the missionary-member work scriptural thought about King Lamoni, I like that, too!

Last Monday night, we called a lady, Maria, that we had talked to on the bus a couple days earlier and then went to her house. She let us in and told us that she is Catholic and does not normally open her doors to anyone, especially to talk about religion, but when we talked to her on the bus, it was such a precise moment that it surprised her, and she "knew it was a sign from God that we were His representatives and she needed to hear our message." So that was really cool to hear, especially to see how the Spirit works, because at first look, it just seemed like any old contact that we do, but at a second glance, we could see how the Spirit influenced us all to find each other. Play-by-play: Elder Núñez and I study together in the morning and realize how critically, critically important it is to find ALL THE TIME, or else we will squander all the efforts God puts into getting His elect in the right place at the right time for us to bring them to Christ. Elder Núñez and I compliment each other and encourage each other to be diligent all day long. We work tirelessly. We try not to complain about anything. We get on the bus. I pay the conductor and Elder Núñez sits down next to a man and begins to talk with him. I am encouraged to do the same after seeing the courageous example of my studly companion. I sit down next to a lady and begin to converse. She doesn't care about anything I have to say. I talk with a lady across the aisle from me. She isn't interested and gets off the bus. With 40 seconds left on the clock (before we have to get off the bus, too) I talk with the lady across the aisle and behind me. She says "ok" to our message and says we can come by next Monday. Then, after going to her house on Monday, we find that it was the precise, possibly the only, moment in her life that she was open to hearing us, and is amazed by the restoration of the gospel. Could any of that have happened if the Spirit wasn't carefully guiding us each step of the way, encouraging us to talk with one more, not give up, and working carefully in her heart to introduce to her what she has been missing and looking for? No. The Spirit is absolutely necessary or nothing happens. That's why obedience is so important, because without obedience, there is no Spirit. I love you all!

Love, Elder Kimball