Stay Strong and obedient

Familia,

Dad was right, this week is transfers. But nothin' changed. Except the emergency transfer earlier this week that i will address further along. But yeah, i'll be staying here with Elder Ramirez. love him. He's told me a little about his life over the past 6 weeks. I've come to respect him bastante. He's one of 8 kids. When he was younger his family lived in the forest, in a straw roofed house, without electricty or running water. His family little by little established themselves in better conditions. He told me his family bought their TV this past year. He has another brother serving in Venezuela. And he's full of ambition. He studies english more than any other missionary, here, if the missionaries finish an english program and take an exam at the end, BYU gives them a certificate. it's a great idea.

CONGRATS MIKE-BRAH! I love this news. The more and more i learn and watch, the more i understand that the Gopsel and it's blessings apply in every aspects of life. You had faith, to take the other job, even though you wanted the other.
Faith requires that we act. I tried teaching this to an investigator yesterday. but in the end, she hasn't developed this understanding of faith to make a dicision, to act, so that she can obey the law of chastity.
When i heard this Mike, the first thing that came to my mind was something that i heard said by Elder Jeffery R. Holland in the MTC. He said every good thing that has happened to him, has happened, because of his mission. (the second, was that `wow in 10 months im going to have to enter this so called real world` but we wont worry about that). I feel, maybe biasedly, that this is a direct blessing from your mission. I heard a talk, where the director of The Other Side of Heaven told a story, it fits...

----- Several years ago I had a very dramatic experience regarding trusting the Lord. I was backpacking with my 10-year-old son, two of his friends, and our faithful dog, Pluto, when we were hit by lightning.

We were hiking above timberline when a sudden storm blew in. We pitched our tent, and I put the boys inside their sleeping bags to keep them warm. I started fixing dinner on our little camp stove. Then, suddenly, I was gone.

Although I have no recollection of the lightning hitting me, the boys tell me that it blasted through our tent's roof and hit me square in the chest and that I flew backward and landed on the floor unconscious with my eyes open but rolled back into my head.

The bulk of the strike passed through my chest and into the dog sitting behind me, killing him. The rest of the lightning curled down my right arm and struck the boy seated next to me, then danced wickedly about the tent, burning holes in sleeping bags and striking the two other boys.

But I knew nothing about this. In my mind, at least, I ceased to exist.

After some time I became aware of myself again. I began to be able to hear, although I could not see or move any part of my body. As if from a great distance I could hear the three boys screaming. I heard my son cry out, "Dad, please don't die!" One of the boys leaned over and gave me a single puff of artificial respiration. The other promised God he would never do another bad thing in his entire life if Brother Davis would just wake up.

But I couldn't wake up. I could only lie there, helpless, wondering what in the world had happened to me.

Then I became aware of something else--a dark presence I can only describe as impending death. I felt myself starting to leave mortality and realized my only hope was divine intervention. I fought with every fiber of my being to call on Heavenly Father.

Then a most interesting thing happened. Before I could call on Father, He called on me. Through the unmistakably clear voice of the Spirit, He encouraged me with these simple words: "You served a valiant mission. Ask in confidence."

Heavenly Father knew I needed extra faith at that moment. He knew I had faith in Him but lacked faith in myself as a worthy recipient of the miracle I so desperately needed. So he sent me that encouraging message: "You served a valiant mission. Ask in confidence."

I exerted every ounce of faith I had in a fervent, frenzied prayer. Heavenly Father responded by immediately freeing me from death's grip. I regained consciousness and the strength, several hours later, to hike off the mountain with my boy, his friends, and the body of our dog.

I do not tell you this story for the sake of mere drama, nor to boast about my personal missionary prowess. I assure you I was no more valiant than most missionaries. I tell you this story because of the significance of the Lord's choice of words to me: When my life literally hung in the balance, all that mattered were my two years of obscure service in the villages of Argentina. -----

It gives me motivation to stay strong. to stay obedient.

I'm super pumped for this transfer. I want it to the be best thus far. I know it can be. We have two familes with baptismal dates, and a so much work to be done. I heard rumors from varies sources earlier about a future transfer for me. But after talking with the president during the emergency transfer, I understood that there a lot of work still be done here in Faca.

BTW! my branch, is a soon to be ward! the 5th of septiembre it'll be offical. I'm pumped!

i love you all!

e. adams