Week 73, December 26, 2016

Area:

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  December 26, 2016

Hello everyone it was good to talk to a lot of you I especially enjoyed the part where baby Holly just took the phone and stared at me haha she is super cute! It is crazy to see how big all of my nieces and nephews are. Honestly it scares me how much they have changed I always say that would know who I am when I go home, but truth be told I probably wont know who is who when I get home!

So I feel as though all of you know what I did this week but I will do a little recap for all of you. So the day before Christmas the office couple took us out to Chef Paz a new Peruvian restaurant that was super good. Might not have been the most authentic Peruvian food because a lot of them are from Mexico haha. Still really good though! Christmas Eve we went to a Part member family for lunch. The father isn't a member, but he is a guy pretty high up for Mexico. He has the position which is called the consulate for Mexico. They are a funny family very Hispanic so that was really fun! Then we had dinner with the Lewis family ah man such a fun family they have 4 little boys all under the age of 11 so we played games and what not with them. 

Christmas day we headed to our Bishops place for lunch after church. They are an awesome family as well they were Jewish or at least his wife was before they converted so that is pretty sweet! Then we went to the Fishers ah man love this family super funny and fun family, we played some minute to win it games with them, if you are wondering we won them all no big deal. 

Well my spiritual thought today is something that I have been struggling with and that is always doing the Lords will. I try my best to do his will, but there are times where I am too scared or think I know better. Every time I do that I am left feeling alone not because He has abandoned me, but that I have left him. When we do the Lords will we wont always know what is going to happen, and it is ok we don't have to know everything. I know that the times I have done his will I have just felt so much peace and excitement in my life! The difference in doing your will and the Lords is tangible! I am so grateful the Lord and for the guidance he gives me in my life! I love you all so much! 

Elder DeSantis

Week 72, December 19, 2016

Area:

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  December 19, 2016

That famous quote up there is what our investigator said, let me tell you all yes the air truly hurts your face here haha! So ya update on what is going on here, it has snowed a bunch here which is super fun. For some reason though after snow falls here it the temperature drops super low so it has been super cold. So when we are tracting people keep telling us "it is really cold you should go inside." Thanks people for the advice maybe you can let me into your home haha! 

Update with our investigators so Derrick is doing ok I guess he just left back home for college break which is a whole month so that is sad but he said he would read every day hopefully he does! Jackson also is doing good he really wants to be baptized, but we can rarely meet with him, but we did have a good lesson with him at our Bishops house! Alright we need you all to pray for Nathan he is super awesome, but he has two things holding him from being baptized, first thing is he needs someone to take his lease in his apartment so he can move out! The next is he needs to find a new Job that doesn't make him work on Sunday. If these happen he will be baptized for sure! In one of our lessons with him we asked "Nathan why do you want to be baptized?" he responded "well I feel like I am reading an unfinished book, I need to make that convent with God to complete the book!" I thought that was such a good answer! 

We also picked up the new missionaries from the airport this week which is always fun, they seem like a good new bunch! We also sent home the old missionaries done with their mission it was pretty fun they are awesome missionaries and we will really miss them all! 

So something that has been on my mind a lot recently is why we haven't seen any success here. I have felt like we have been working pretty hard and I have felt like we are trying to be exactly obedient. I just kinda wondered why no one was getting baptized. So I was reading one morning and I read in Jacob 5. There was a verse that really stuck out to me, so in this chapter it is talking about the Lords vineyard and working in it.

 One verse really stuck out to me "71 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come."

So as I read this it invites me or I guess us missionaries to labor with our might, I feel as though I am doing my best to do that. What I love about this though is it says that "you shall have joy" it finally hit me last night. We knocked on this ladies door and she was nice enough to just listen for a little bit in the cold, but she kept asking "why are you out here in the cold doing this?" I finally told her "it is because we know it is true, the message we have is true and changes lives." When I said that the joy that came into my almost frozen heart was so real that I knew that was the success I needed to feel! I love you all so much I know that this church is true. I am so excited for this Christmas I truly grow closer to my savior each time. I hope we all remember Christ at this time of year!

Love Elder DeSantis

Week 71, December 12, 2016

Area:

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  December 12, 2016

Well this week we were super busy with a lot of things which is good helps you really put your mind to the work! We have transfers this week, I found out I will be staying with Elder Lee for a third transfer which will be fun! We have so  many people that are so close to baptism so I am excited to get stay for that! 

We did a lot this week, we had our Ward Christmas party for the YSA ward which was super fun I love all the members of this ward they are all awesome! Derrick our investigator came to the party and he just loved it and made friends with soo many people he is so cool! He has a date for January 28th so pray for that! With the YSA ward we just got a new Bishop and he seems super awesome really loves missionary work so I am excited to see what will all happen! 

For the other ward we serve in things are going well also. Pretty sweet miracle Jackson one of our investigators was telling all the members he is getting baptized this Saturday. Sadly he wont because he hasn't been meeting with us and we still have a lot to teach him, but we told him if he meets with us a lot this week and next week that he could be baptized on the 24th so that is super exciting! 

Well if you are wondering the weather this week is going to drop soo fast!! This week it will drop to about 8 below but feel like -20 so if you would add in your prayers that I don't freeze that would be awesome haha! 

Little spiritual guy here so these past few weeks I have had the opportunity to give some priesthood blessings and more then usually which is great I love giving them, but I really wanted to talk about how amazing it truly is! What is amazing to think is that this power and authority I hold is one that truly can preform and has preformed such amazing miracles. What hits me is that I forget sometimes that I have the gift to hold this but when I do remember it I truly desire to live my life more righteous each day! After giving a blessing the person told me "thank you so much for being worthy to give a blessing always be worthy to use this great power!" I will always strive to be worthy of the Priesthood!  I love this Gospel I love it because it is all about serving others! I love you all and I hope you all have a great week! 

Love,

Elder DeSantis

Week 70, December 5, 2016

Area:

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date: December 5, 2016

Well this week was full of great miracles one is that it finally snowed! I love when it snows because it truly starts to feel like Christmas. Well this week we went on a lot of exchanges with the Zone Leaders which is always fun! 

Let me tell you about the miracles we saw this week. First one is this last Sunday we had Jackson, Michelle and Weston all come to church (an investigator family) and jackson wants to go and bare his testimony next Fast Sunday! Then later he came up to me and said he wants to be Baptized on the 17th of December how awesome is that! I love that kid!! Then we had our investigator Derrick come to church again and he is just eating it all up! He explained the 3 kingdoms during our Gospel Principles class perfectly!! It was so cool! I honestly think he will get baptized this Saturday so pray hard for him! 

Funny story for everyone so there was a Member in the YSA ward that needed a blessing she is from China and her English is hmm ok haha. So we gave her one elder lee did the blessing and I did the oil and what not, anyway after the blessing Athena (the memeber) was like "wow it's like magic" now its a lot funnier if you say it with a Chinese accent, then later she was like "ok I don't need medicine now." I love giving blessings or being in them the spirit is always super strong! 

For my spiritual thought I will try to express what I have been learning/feeling recently. So I have been praying that I can have a great change of heart and grow my desire and love for the people. Something I found interesting was I never really felt this "change" I was looking for. Recently though I have found my thoughts change and what I mean by this I I think of the people and not of myself or anything. With that I have found that my desire truly is growing and I am changing it is just hard to see at times. I truly am so grateful for this Gospel it has changed my life 100% it has made me not just a better person but it has made me who God wants me to be! I love you all and I hope you have a great week! 

Love Elder DeSantis

Week 69, November 28, 2016

Area:  

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  November 28, 2016

Hey family how are you, I hope your week was good with Thanksgiving and shopping! Kinda funny oh the day we are Thankful for the things we have we go out shopping for more things haha I don't mean to say that to make you feel bad just thought it was funny. 

 

 So my Thanksgiving was good I spent part of it down in Kenosha with Elder Whimpey, love that kid! We played in the Turkey Bowl in the morning so that was super fun, but after we can back and changed and what not. The night before we were praying on where we should go, and we both came up with an area close to each other so we went there and we prayed specifically to find a family of 6! Well I should say Elder Whimpey prayed for that in our comp prayer and so the night before I prayed that I could have the faith like Elder Whimpey to find this family. Well story goes on to and we went tracting wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and what not, but we finally get to this one door. A man opens it and he is huge like 6' 5" and just a big man like strong type of big. We get to talking to the guy and he is just so nice and has great faith in Christ. We finishing teaching him the whole restoration and invited him to be baptized and he said he would be if he knew the Book of Mormon was true! Then before I leave I ask him how many kids he has get this he said "4 plus me and my wife!" We were just so shocked, ah it was sooo cool! The Lord will put us where he needs us! 

 This week we also had Thanksgiving with two families from the ward. We had a lunch with one family and then dinner with the other they were both great! We also had an awesome lesson last night with the super Catholic family and when I say super Catholic I am serious. Like this man goes to mass 5 times a week and his brother is Priest and Sister is a Nun so ya Catholic blood! We brought this member with us who knows the Gospel super well and it went really well, but one thing he said really stuck out to me. He said "You know what makes you guys so compelling is your presence." This man who is like 45 to 50 and is a lawyer and makes good money is telling us that "our presence is compelling" us 19 year old kids, how crazy is that! So that was an awesome experience to have! 

 So for the spiritual message it comes from our Bishop in the YSA ward during ward council he said something that really stuck with me. He said "Life for us is to do the right thing, for the right reason." I thought that was awesome, so true we are here to make righteous decisions and our ulitmate goal is to do them out of love for God! It is a process but it is one that I have felt happen within myself, you truly do start to do things because you love God. I love you all so  much and I am so grateful for all you have given me! 

Love Elder DeSantis

Week 68, November 21, 2016

Area:

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  November 21, 2016

So this past week was so good, we went around the Mission and had Zone Conferences which were super fun. I love seeing all the missionaries and being around President ah that man is amazing has so much wisdom and knowledge. He makes me want to just gain more and more knowledge! Well anyway all the Zone Conferences so far have been really good and super spiritual. We have two more left so hopefully those go well also! 

Elder Lee and I spoke on Sunday in one of our Wards it was super fun. I had the topic of "How developing Christ like attributes makes you a more thankful person." It was a fun topic I thought it went ok. It is crazy how fast 15 minutes goes while you are up there haha. Oh also on our way back from a Zone Conference we stopped in Lake Mills to eat (my old area) and we also went and I was able to see the Cabreras again ah it was soo awesome!! They are doing so good he drove out to Utah to watch conference. He reads every morning with his family out of the Book of Mormon that man is so converted it is sweet! Also another funny thing happened with one of our investigators Derrick, so he came to church yesterday and the sister missionaries had their investigator there and so they went and showed them the Baptismal font. Haha Helan (their investigator) is straight off the boat from China like doesn't understand english too well and so Derrick was like "Helan I am a little farther along then you" Luckily she didn't understand at all hahah so funny! I love Derrick he is supposed to be getting baptized this Saturday I pray it happens! 

I guess my spiritual thought of the day is that we all have so much to be grateful for and I know in hard times is so hard to find anything but I know that if we look for them we will see that we do have so much! I know that we have one amazing thing to be grateful for which is that we have a Savior who lives and loves us and has made it possible for us to return to our Father! I know this is all true I hope you know that My whole heart believes that we have a Savior an older Brother who loves us! I love you all I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving I am thankful for all the support I get from you all! 

Love Elder DeSantis

Week 67 November 14, 2016

Area:

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  November 14, 2016

We had a super busy week this week, we picked up the New Missionaries which is always fun they are awesome! I probably met the most loving and humble missionary in the world. He just got here and is from California but is Samoan and he has had such a hard life! He is 26, but that guy is just so amazing I know he is going to change sooo many lives out here! We also had ,the missionaries who are going home, testimonies that is such a spiritual experience for me each time. These missionaries truly come home converted to the Lord! 

So for our investigators they are doing well. Derrick is doing good he came to church this week and he loved it! He is progressing well just need him to teach his parents what we truly believe they are feeding him a lot of anti stuff but he is staying strong! Jackson is doing good he just needs to meet up with us more to help him progress more, but this week will not be the week. We have Zone Conferences so we will be going around the mission all this week until Friday sadly but it will be fun! Nathan is doing really good he just really needs someone to take his lease ahh pray hard for him because once that happens it will happen! 

Ah man so for the story this week, Elder Lee and I are trying to dunk before the end of this year -which is going well btw dunked a volleyball- so we have been doing leg work outs and what not. One work out I was doing was like box jumps onto the stage and I was doing some and I slipped and slammed my shin onto the edge of it. Hurt like no other haha, but I think I like cut a nerve because not I can't feel anything under where I hit guess I won't need shine guards anymore for when I got home! So ya that was fun! Also another crazy thing is Bridger Hansen his last companion came home from his mission and he came to the YSA ward so I got to meet him super fun to talk about the things Bridger shared with him! 

The Holiday season is such a good time to help serve people and the best time to share the Gospel well I guess it is always a good time to share the Gospel, but people are so much more willing to listen right now! I love helping and serving others the joy I feel and the love you grow for that person is real and I know each of us is a child of God and just like any good parent would love it if someone served their Child! I love you all and hope you have a great week! Let me know if I can help at all!

Love Elder DeSantis

1) Bowling again 

2) Elder Marsh great missionary he went home

3) Elder Marsh again