Elder Parker Spanbauer: Week 46 Antofagasta

Jan 23, 3016

Hello friends and family! I´m proud to announce that this past week has been quite the experience. First I will start off with a lesson we had with a new investigator we found named Maria. We had the hardest time finding her but one day I was working with Elder Walker because my companion had to stay in the apartment. I felt the impression that she was home so we gave it a shot. She opens the door and immediately lets us in. We got to know her better and then asked if we could share a message with her. She gladly accepted. We began to teach The Restoration and I immediately fell the spirit. There haven't been many times in my mission where I have been able to think as clearly as I could in that lesson. As I was saying the words of the first vision, I felt the spirit so strong and I know she did as well. She asked us so many questions that a missionary loves to here. For example: "How can we know which church is true?" or "How do I know which church has the power to baptize?" It was such a spiritual experience for me. I could feel the spirit testifying through my words. Also, Alsides is getting ready for his baptism on the 30th of January. We changed the date so we can teach him everything in time. He is extremely excited. Also, the family he lives with is less active members so this is going to help reactivate them.

Yesterday, Elder Morales and I had an incredibly spiritual lesson with a family from the ward. We decided to pass by and they just so happen to be passing through some difficulties right now. The dad is jobless, they are living in a 2-roomed house and I could see how happy they were to see us. We began to talk to the father and he expressed all of the problems he is having with finding work. Then Christopher (the oldest son in the family) came into the room and we asked if we could share a message with them. We read a scripture in 1st Nefi about how god will be our light in the desert and how he will provide a way. Then the lesson took a huge shift and Christopher began expressing his desires to serve a mission. He has been thinking about serving a mission for a longtime now but never really had the faith to leave his family in the hands of the lord while serving. He broke down into tears telling us how now he was sure of it. That he knew it was what he needed to do. He as well as everyone else in the room was stuck so hard with the spirit. His father began to break down crying about how he knew this was a test of his faith and that these hard times will pass. I had the opportunity to share my testimony with Christopher about the mission and how there are people waiting to here the gospel from his mouth. I believe this had a tremendous effect on him. After he said that he is going to do everything possible to leave on the mission. Its times like this that strengthens my testimony. These experiences I am having in the mission are not only changing the lives of people here, but mine as well. I have grown so much spiritually in the past year. I know the lord is molding me into a faithful servant and how grateful I am for this opportunity. I just want to say, for any young man or woman who is questioning themselves whether or not they should serve a mission... here is your answer. YES. You will never feel perfectly prepared to serve a mission, but the mission will prepare you perfectly for the rest of your life. There are things that are learned in the mission that one cannot learn anywhere else. One´s testimony will be strengthened to a whole new level. So the answer is simple. YES! I love this church, I love my savior, and I you all!

Elder Spanbauer