Have Faith. Have Hope (Week 37)

My dearest family and friends,

Happy Monday! I have to say that this week has been crazy with ups and downs, but I am just so grateful for your love and support. First off, a few thank yous! Thanks Mom for being the most awesome person in the world and packing me thermals in July. Right now, we are about to enter crazy cold winter in Tarija and I am writing with 4 layers of shirts and pants here. I am also going to buy alpaca EVERYTHING. Sweaters, gloves, whatever. It is so bitter cold here and crazy. And it hasnt even started yet! Thanks Mom and Dad! 

Sheila! Sheila sent me a Mr. Bean shirt and EUROPEAN CHOCOLATE! and floss. Thanks my friend! I am sending you some love in a package in the coming weeks.

Kerr family sent me some love too! How I love receiving family letters! I will be off to send some more love to yall too this week!

Music classes kick off tomorrow and I couldnt be more excited. The people seem really open to learning how to direct music and it as been opened to two wards so well see how it starts. PRAY FOR ME! If no one comes, well cancel it for good. 

Anyway, on to the work. I had an intercambio this week with my district leader who is SUPER AWESOME. He has about 6 months in the mission and is in his first area, todavia. And its super hard for him. It was awesome to talk to him in English and just talk about the ways we can improve our attitude. We had all of our lessons fall through and we walked a ton and we were just down. But we realized that this the Lords work and we got this! We have been called to some rough areas that need some love, and we are so exctied to help them. It was something I needed.

The next few days we had ups and downs. But Im going to focus on the ups! We had 4 people come to church Sunday! It was so awesome. One of them was this lady who I thought was LOCO. No joke. When we first met her, she spoke to us about demons and whispered and was really freaky and I was like HECK NO WE ARE NOT GOING BACK. But we did because she wanted us too. And then she showed up Sunday with her nephew and she said things how it was. It was SO SASSY I LOVED IT! I just kept saying AMEN in the class when she spoke. So were friends now. Even though she whispered to me some creepy stuff. Future baptism? I think so! We also had 2 other young men come that had just met us the night before and came on their own! YAY!

Aside from that, the Lord is working slowly but surely here in Tabladita. We have people who really have desires and it is what we are looking for. The area is so pretty and I am loving it. But I just want people to teach! But I have learned so much about our Savior this week. We were walking home from a hard day and I just started tearing up because I just wanted to teach someone! and I smiled more and decided to knock a door and we ended up teaching a man who is suffering a lot and just needed a pick me up. He is out of town 6 months to work in the fields, but he loved us and called us angels. It reminded me so much of the Saviors life, which we will celebrate this week. He suffered so much but he still loved everyone. He still served. He still kept going. This week as we celebrate Christs perfect life, perfect suffering, and perfect resurrection, I pray that we live our lives with a little bit more happiness. I wish to share with you a favorite Primary hymn: 

I know

What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?

Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way.

What does he ask? Live like his Son

I know that our lives are difficult. Some of us are full time workers, full time moms, full time students, and with full time problems. But the Savior of the world came to give us this Hope. HE invites us to live like Him. Not to live His life, but to work to obtain His attributes and to help others. I testity that as we go through our own problems, we need to help others. Everyone has problems. Everyone needs help. But only Christ can solve them. I finish my letter with a quote:

Now let me describe to you what faith in Jesus Christ means. Faith in Him is more than mere acknowledgement that He lives. It is mopre than professing belief. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of compelte reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence, and love. There is no human problem beyond his capacity to solve. Because He descended below all things, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties. --Ezra TAft Benson

I love you all and pray that we all can lend a helping hand this Easter.

For a dollar!

Elder Risueño