August 5th

Coolest thing that happened in Esperanza this week? The members of the church were gospel superheroes. Every day we invite members to come with us to help us teach and to fellowship the people we are visiting. Usually it is a nice bonus to a typical lesson. Every now and then the member is a total rockstar and I just want to excuse myself from the lesson and let them have a one-on-one power-talk with the person we´re teaching. The people here are truly remarkable and have such strong testimonies. My favorite lesson this week would have to be the one we had with Jose Miguel (a 19-year-old convert with a year since his baptism) and Yoselyn (his mom). Jose Miguel is quite possibly the church´s best 19-year-old convert (not to brag or anything) and when we taught his mom I can´t even begin to explain the feeling of the Spirit as he powerfully, unabashedly testified of the truthfulness of the gospel and the need for his mom to accept it. I think what made it so different from other lessons was the fact that it was a son-to-mother message, and not a i-just-met-you-but-let´s-be-friends message. It just underscores to me the eternal importance of families. Jose Miguel GETS that. He KNOWS that his family can be eternal and he wants to be with his mom and his dad and his sister forever and he knows that the ONLY way for that to happen is through the temple and in order to get there, his mom needs to accept the gospel first. And he is fighting for her. The incredible part was that with every plea and reassurance that he gave, Yoselyn had a perceptible change. She, though unfamiliar with it, could feel the Spirit and I could sense her heart being slowly thawed by the heat of the love of her son. People here always say, "salvation is individual" and I always tell them "Yes. And the gospel is for your FAMILY." That´s why we´re all here, folks. To be in families and to make more of them and to take them all with us to the Kingdom of Heaven. I am so grateful for the restored and everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches and makes possible the eternal family. 

Love

Hermana Anderson

Pictures

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByRUZeow-VaVflh5QXQ3RlFMSTlQNmV4cnVMeDh5UDlHd3VrOVVjUk1UN3hmTGlvN1VndzQ