feliz ano

WE have a word here for Josh in Colombia ‘barraco’ (means stud, or pushes through a hard time, like Rocky). Hope you’re filling better bro, and you better be better so we can go shred in I guess, two more winters. (that sounds long!! But i´m cool with it! I missed snowboarding today when we went into a skate shop and saw all the winter jackets, HEY MORG! Neff´s hit Colombia! What´s up! Your brother in law will soon rule the world)
So today we pretty much traveled all over Bogota getting papers ready for the marriage of a family were working with—familia Silva—basically the whole week has been about them.
We has a rocking lesson with them this Tuesday. We had made a stellar lesson plans for the doubt that Goviani (the husband) had. He told us the lesson before that he believed in Joseph Smith, the book of mormon, but just couldn´t believe that we have a living Prophet who guides us today. Anyways, the lesson went sweet, we set up everything we could for our commandment to follow and support the living prophets. They said yes, we then followed up with setting a date for their wedding and baptism. They accepted. We had thought there would be opposition than that. Our testimonies were defiantly strengthened concerning the power of lesson plans.
Hahaha, Govani then told us after the lesson ‘’ you know why I believe there is prophet today, because you Elder Adams were sooo annoyed when I told you the last lesson that I didn´t believe there was a prophet, you just went off talking about why we need a prophet and testifying that there is a prophet. I then began to think about how this 20 year old kid, who doesn´t know Spanish came all this way here to tell me that there is a prophet, then after listening today It just makes sense’’. I thought it was funny, and pretty sweet.
in the same lesson we had with Familia Silvia, I had during my personal study I had been looking for a scripture that I had read before to help Govani. But couldn´t find it. I finally found one that was similar, but ended my study feeling like I had it wasted it looking for a scripture I couldn´t find. But when we had read it, Liliana (the wife), said that it answered the question she had asked Govani earlier that day.
I learned more so that God leads and guides us even when we don’t feel it is so. I know that we can find assurance in the fact that the Spirit will guide us in all that we do as long as we follow in His way.

One other lesson: two weeks ago we were introduced two a friend of a member named Alejandro. His friend asked us for a Book of Mormon to give to him, we then set up an appointment for that week. Turned out that Alejandro had been reading the Book of Mormon those few days before our lesson, and came ready with a testimony of it. He shared with us how he had never felt anything like he felt while reading it and attending church, and he knew these feeling were from God. We then invited him to pray to know that this is really the Church of Jesus Christ and that it was restored through Joseph Smith. He then sacred us a little bit as we asked him how it went in the next lesson. He asked us ‘’do you want the truth?’’. Haha he then sacred us more as he told us he had been looking for information about the church, while doing so he found an anti mormon page from an ex missionary. He began to read it, but the result was the exact opposite of what we thought. He told us that what he read didn´t match what he had seen and felt in and about the Church. And he then told us that while reading this he received his answer from his prayers, that this really is the Restored Gopsel of Jesus Christ. A quote by the Prophet Joseph Smith then popped into my mind, ‘’Persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added fuel to the flame.’’ Alejandro had found his answer, his flame, his evidence, in the persecution.
Joseph Smith continues by stating, ‘’…the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.’’ To me, this was a little fulfillment of prophesy that I was able to witness this week.
He said that he didn´t let the things he didn´t know, govern or over ride the things that he DID know. How true and powerful is that! It is my prayer that we can be like Alejandro. That when ever we have a doubt, or a lack of wisdom, about the Gospel, we use what we do know, we hold on to that forever and whenever we have a question about the truth, we use the divine knowledge from the Holy Spirit to figure it out, and to turn that doubt into more truth.
And to add to that, we then invited him to prepare to be baptized the 16th of January, he quickly replied ‘yes, what do I need to DO to prepare?? THIS GUY IS PODER!
Thinks are going great here in Campiña. Were going to finish the last transfer of E. Fernandez mission with 6 baptisms. I´m learning so much from him.

I love you all soo much, you´re in my prayers,
E. Adams