Letter # 50. A Year from today he will be home!!!

*Questions I asked are starred. (*So as far as the food thing goes if the ward members give you money where are you supposed to go to buy food?) When they give us money we usually go to Tultepec Centro, or this week we found a great sandwich place in a weird spot in our area. It is the only "restaurant" in Xahuento. We eat rice about 3 times a week, actually we don't eat beans a ton. Those insights on the scriptures are super cool! ( I sent him some things from my own reading.)

The district meetings are every Wednesday unless we have a zone meeting (once a month). We meet in our chapel in Tultepec.(*How do splits work with the sister missionaries in your district?) Ha ha, well with the sisters I don't have exchanges. In the mission there are "Training Sisters" they are basically super powerful sister missionaries that help train other sister missionaries.

I knew Matthew was going to Florida!!! I called it! ( A friend from our ward.)

A scripture that has helped me recently is a classic. 1 Nefi 3:7. I had always heard that God would prepare a way to complete his commandments, lately as I have put my faith in Christ and my Trust in God, I have seen more miracles than ever! Elder Morfin and I are visiting members so that we can work in the Way of the Lord and not in our way. We have found 7 new investigators just from visiting members and there are more to come! We don't get down in the challenges we have faced (which we have faced a lot recently), we press forward trusting in the strength of God. It reminds me also of Ether 12:27. We are overcoming our pride. Instead of seeing challenges we are seeing opportunities to improve, and I have felt the enabling power of the atonement to help me be more than I can be. 

Some little highlights. In exchanges this week we had an appointment with a new investigator named Guadalupe. She doesn't understand very easily because she hasn't had much religion in her life. We taught her the restoration and invited her to be baptized. She accepted and so we set the date of July 19 to be baptized. She said she wanted to be baptized sooner! Too bad she can't for the rule of 5 church attendances. She came to church on Sunday and loved it. Also the investigator Viridiana (17 year old mom) blows me away. She has the biggest desire to obey God. We taught her and her "husband" about the importance of families for God and invited them to pray and ask if they should get married so that she can get baptized. They did and decided marriage is what God wants. She told her "husband" (inactive) that if they were to get married he has to go to church and never leave it. She learns about things and makes the changes immediately! (*I asked who he went on exchanges with this week and if they came to his area or he went to their area. His answer: Elder Gamez from El Paso, Texas. (The border) He came to Xahuento.) *Side note Viridiana has a baptismal date of June 28th however she needs to get married first and finish the lessons. But it sounds promising.

The invitation this week is to pick a scripture and study it. What blessings are promised and how can you have those blessings. Then put it in practice! I promise you will see God work through you to become who you can become.

Love you

Elder Finlinson

                                       A year from today I will get to hug this guy in person!!!