Kolbe's Mission: Triste...(Week 3 Group Letter)

This week has seriously been the greatest week of the mission yet. Everything finally seemed to start to make sense a little. The Spanish is starting to make more sense and I am getting a lot more confident in my teaching. I am making a ton more friends and it is a party (a spiritual one) everyday. This week TRC went super awesome and Elder Izatt and I were finally able to teach a good lesson. We got through lessons one and two with Esteffany and she is progressing well. I realize that the only Spanish I know at this point is Gospel related. Some of the native Hermanas that I am really good friends with were roasting me all day yesterday because I can't have a good conversation with them in Spanish but then I can talk a ton as soon as it is about the Gospel. It is a struggle. Last night we had the opportunity to go and sing for all of the ecclesiastical leaders as a surprise. We sang The First Noel and Silent Night. The spirit was so strong there was barely a dry eye in the room. Choir has definitely been one of my favorite parts about the MTC.

Now to get to why the subject is triste. Our good friend Elder Averill had to go home this week because of some things that he didn't take care of before coming out. He left on Wednesday and Tuesday night we stayed up all night with him talking and everyone was crying. When he first came in you could tell that he needed to take care of something and that he wasn't feeling the spirit like he should. However, I saw an incredible change in him over the two weeks that we had him. The power of the atonement is real and it is something that we all need in our lives. It is something that we should be using every day to continually come closer unto Christ. I have felt its power so much since being here in the MTC and my view on it has changed completely. I used to have the false impression that the atonement is there for sins only. However, I have come to the understanding that it is so much more than that. If we are struggling with anything the power of the atonement can help us.

Quiero compartir mi testimonio con ustedes. Se que esta iglesia es verdadera. Se que JesuCristo sufrio por nuestros pecados y morio en la cruz. Se que el vive. El es nuestro Salvador y nos ama. Se que a traves de su expiacion, podemos recibir la vida eterna. Se que Jose Smith fue un profeta de Dios y tenemos un profeta viviente hoy. Se que por el poder de Dios, Jose Smith tradujo el Libro de Mormon. Se que el Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios. Digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesu Cristo amen.