Crazy Day!

Things have been crazy today, things got changed around as of late. WE had transfers this week, but now we have transfers on monday instead of tuesday. So my Companion left and I have been at the stake center all day sending and reciving missionaries, which has been super boring. haha My new companion is Elder Smith, he is from indiana and he has been one of my good friends all mission, we are from the same group. He was my zone leader in Girardot for like 4 months and now we are together. haha But this week has been good we have been doing a lot as of late so that's really good. So I should be having a baptism kind soon I think and hope. His name is Andres he is 22 and is from the coast, and was progressing a ton a few weeks ago but he got a new job so we lost complete contact with him for like 2 weeks but this last week we found him again and he came to church and he says he knows he needs to be baptized so that is really cool. he only needs one more attendance and then he can get dunked so I'm getting excited for that, but besides him we need to find more, That's why I'm exctited for my new companion, he really likes to work hard so I think we can kick some butt this transfer!

Love,
Elder Chavez

Last weeks letter ... this week

The work has been hard as of late, we need to make some changes, WE are working alone here. we keep finding people but they don't progress because the don't know anyone to help them out. We have a leadership conference with out presiente this Wednesday and I think that can help us out a lot. I have started to feel better here though, those first few weeks I got kinda stressed out like normal. But this last week I felt the spirit a lot! I was able to go on an intercambio with Elder Mcgee, my good friend and we killed it. WE and the people were crying in like every lesson. haha it was really fun
Love you all 

Elder Chavez

Knocking on Doors

Well sounds like everyone had a decent week at home so that makes me way happy. I have been trying really hard to pray a lot harder for you guys especially with all the things that are going on right now. Things went well this week I have kinda started to change my strategy with the work as of late. We have had a hard time working with the members so last week we started to knock on doors like crazy. We had a meeting with our mission presiente this last Thursday and we talked a ton about the importance of finding people, and i felt bad. haha we were working really hard but at the same time coming home at the end of the day without any news and I knew that I was being a good example for my zone so I told my companion we are going to start knocking doors to find. He was hesitant at first and so was I, it's not the most effective way to work but in the last three days of the week we were able to find 7 people. So I felt a lot better, I know the Lord has called me to lead these Elders and Sisters, but I know that he also called me to learn how to do the things his way. I have lacked that in the last few weeks I think, I have been trying my best but I haven't always done it the way that the Lord wanted me too. So I am going to focus on that now, how can I do the Lords will in all things. We had a new family go to church, a family of 4! haha but it's going to be kind of difficult with them, they are all women. A mom and her three daughters, and they all have the boyfriends and let's just say they have to make a few challenges with that. haha but the mom is really good and really wants to change her life, it looks like she has always done what's wrong and she wants to feel something more now. It's been awesome to see the Book of Mormon work in her, she really gets it. Things have been good, I just really want to get better, I feel as if I am missing something here in Bogota. I'm just trying to follow the spirit as best as I can so I'm excited for this new week to start. I went to the temple this morning so I feel good and ready, I am so glad that we have our savior and the chance to better each and every day with the atonement.

Love-
Elder Chavez

Love

I receive an email this morning with this beautiful note and drawing.  I am in awe! So grateful for the many people who have taken Mason in and who have loved and cared for him in our absence.

Él amor no es una pose, que debas hacer, ni es un esfuerzo adicional, sino una expresión natural, que no da espera a un pensamiento para actuar en bien de alguien, el amor no te da chance de hacer una elección diferente a su plan original, que es darlo todo sin pedir nada, quien no ama observa el dolor de lejos, y reclama ayudas ajenas para quien padece, y si brinda su ayuda espera la recompensa, es un simple espectador de ausencias o presencias, de tristezas o alegrías, pero no se alegra de esa alegría, ni se compadece de esa tristeza, el amor no es una obligación, es una condición, que te convierte en un voluntario del bienestar de alguien, en un héroe silencioso, en un guardián perfecto, cuando amas no te detiene ninguna tormenta, ningún aguacero, ningún capricho, a menos que ese capricho supere al amor, ninguna otra elección a menos que esa elección, supere al amor, por eso el precioso Santo de Israel, durante el concilio celestial, dijo sin temor, sin condición – heme aquí, envíame- (Abraham 3: 27), y estando en esta tierra se sacrificó por nosotros, y pidió misericordia por quienes le herían, porque tenía una condición celestial, pertenecía a un reino celestial y esa condición es el amor…

translation:
Love is not a pose, you must, or is an extra effort, but a natural expression, which does not wait for a thought to act for the good of someone, love does not give you a chance to make a different choice to your plan original, which is to give everything without asking for anything, who does not love watching the pain away, and claims of others for who suffers aids, and if provides assistance expected reward is a spectator of absence or presence of sorrows and joys, but it does not rejoice in that joy, or sympathizes with the sadness, love is not an obligation, it is a condition that makes you a volunteer welfare of someone, in a quiet hero, a perfect guardian, when you love no stopping you no storm, no rain, no caprice, whim unless that exceeds the love, no other choice unless that choice, exceeding love, so the precious Holy One of Israel, for heaven's council, said without fear, unconditionally - here I am, envíame- (Abraham 3: 27), and being in this land sacrificed for us, and asked for mercy for those who hurt you, because he had a heavenly condition, belonged to a celestial kingdom and that condition is the love ...

If you have a second take a look at his amazing work on his blog!
http://melvinlansdibujosypinturas.blogspot.com.co/

A Crazy Story of Course

This was a good week but still pretty hard. Things here are quite different in Bogota. The people are a lot more closed off, so we have had a really hard time to find new people. It's way weird too because everyone works until night time, So we really don't have visits until like six and i really don't like that. haha In tierra client I always worked with the members but here it is hard because they hardly have time to let us in. But I have noticed that the people here are really faithful. When we leave them an assignment the actually do it. So that makes it easier to find investigators who actually progress. I have times when I really miss my old branch, but I know with the time I'll make some good friends here too. We actually had a baptism this week and it was crazy. Sorry I didn't give you an update ... we didn't really know what was going on with the lady but we got her and her daughter in the water. But with a crazy story of course, so we had our baptism service after another group of elders, but those other elders didn't know the water was emptying after they baptised the guy, so when we went to do our baptism there was no water, so we had to fill it up and the water storage pump in the church is all out of water so we had to wait like an hour to have it fill up again. It just barley had enough water to get to like my knee. so hardly any. But the worst part is that the water was freezing cold. So when I went to baptize the little girl she freaked out and  we had to do it twice. haha but the best part is yet to come. The water level was like too low to baptize the mom so my mission president told me to sit down in the water while my companion was baptising her to make the level go up! So we were all in there together in freezing cold water. But we got it done. hahah Have a good Week I love you all!

Love-
Elder Chavez

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween. This last week was pretty crazy and kinda hard to be honest but I was able to have some really awesome experiences. First off today, I went to the TEMPLE for the first time in over a year and it was awesome it was something that I really need, I was able to renew these awesome convenios with the Lord, I love that we can do that. We also had an emergency stake conference this week. And I was able to meet two 70s one was Elder Godoy who is in the area presidency  I have really admired him after he gave that talk on patrical blessings the one I sent you. So that was awesome and the conference was so powerful. Halloween was pretty fun here I have some pic's so I hope you all enjoy!
Love-
Elder Chavez

Halloween 2015

Good Friend Elder McGee