January 21, 2013

Dear Blood Friends!

We had the best week ever! 

We had faith. Faith that God lives, that Jesus is our savior, and we persevered with diligence when we were tired 

(generally, I´d like to say we were perfect. But were we? No.) We worked very hard and it was very awesome. 

We had hope. I testify that God wants sooo bad to give us every thing we desire! That will help us! 

It´s a simple as the have a  way to obtain it, pray with sincerity, and pursue that path with the spirit, looking for 

opportunities to achieve said desire. I love the scriptures with respect to hope, in Eter 12.4, and 2 Nephi 31.20. 

We need to keep going throughout our trials with optimsm, enthusiasm, and pacience that god with grant us what 

we both desire. 

We had love and charity. Side story. Our zone leaders effectively TOOK OUT THE TRASH. Blew all of the numbers 

out of the water. Are there limits? Never. We were talking and one thing I know that made a big difference, 

that they told us to do, is to love more the people. To look for opportunities to serve them. To buy them food, 

(don´t give them money, they TEND to buy drugs and liquor, although lets not judge either). Well, it was awesome. 

Through the grace of God, if we simply do the things he asks us, we will see miracles. 

Lidia is progressing very well! She picked up and dropped off a couple other members, to and from church on sunday. 

That was cool. Her and Fabian, her son, will be baptized the 27th of Feburary. We also working with a couple other 

ballin´ families. They´re all pretty new, but all have all the potential in the world to be baptized and go to the temple. 

We also found 23 news, and so our teaching pool is getting a lot bigger, but equally, they´re all really new but all really

awesome and can progress towards a covenant with God. It´s SICK. Ya, sick. 

Thursday, I think, we were cleaning records, contacting old address of old members. I had the thought to contact 

a family with their door open. We did, and they were so happy! Some were recently baptized, but had stopped 

going to church, but are excited to return. After that, a little girl in the street was watching us, but ran inside, 

and I felt like we should go talk to her fam. We did and it was the same story, a part member family,

who became inactive with time, but want to return. Thats the family Diaz, and the first is the family Astorga. 

Also, we´re simply INVITING more to be baptized, to come to church to do everything. It´s freaking sweet, because 

these people seriously want to progress. Want to find God and be happy. Want to be baptized, and Want Eternal Life. 

They just don´t know it! But it´s as simple as inviting them with faith, with love, and with hope, and the Holy Ghost 

will do the rest. 

I testify that We as missionaries are changing. That I have changed, that the mission is changing, and for that, 

the Ward, Chile, and the world is changing. There is a prophecy, actually there are multiple, about Chile. 

That it will be  a lighthouse to the rest of the world, that it will baptize and retain more than ever, that soon it will reach 

a million members. That day is close, and I'm excited to see it in the misison. For a long time I think I complicated 

the mission, the work, more than it really needs to be. Be obediant, have the desires, and it will be done. 

I testify that Christ is our Savior; That God is our father; That the BOM speaks clearly today in how we can come 

to KNOW them. I testify that Thomas Monson today is a prophet of God; That Joseph Smith is as well; 

and that the Holy Ghost will testify of these things. 

Pray for everyone please! Fabian and Lidia, Byron, Edith, Juan, Fam Astorga, Diaz, Flores, Rios, Avila, 

Venerga, and everyone everyone else! That they can yield themselves to the Holy Ghost! 

With Love, and I hope my letter made sense, 

Elder Tasso

January 14, 2013

Hey!

Well, we really had a great week!

Some things that I really like, that I´ve been applying are the following. Visualation, or in other words,

to picture the person how you want them. With a testimony, in the temple, at church, at the pulpit 

as a leader in the church, with a strong testimony, etc. I testify that It works, I always have a smile on my face

when I picture the people in that way, only the very very best things are going to come out of your mouth in that way, 

and most importantly, I know that the spirit, because of your own faith, has the power to touch the heart of said person. 

Thoughts are powerful, and good thoughts are even more powerful. 

Also, I´ve been pretty good with my goals to 1. Study Preach My Gospel every day. Those details really make a 

big difference. 2. Practice Visualization every day. 3. Memorize scritpure every day. My memory is getting better, 

I really think so! I´ll have a photographic mem. in no time at all, I'm sure of it. 

We had a really powerful lesson with Edith this week. She lives with her almost deaf husband, Renet Elder Manzano 

was in divisions, so it was Elder Gonzalez and I. We taught lesson 1, the spirit was very powerful. She has felt the 

Holy Ghost several times, has attended church, and actually knows that the BOM and the church is true. She just 

lacks the courage to change churches, (Evangelical, to LDS) because she really is comfortable there. Well but do we 

have faith?!! Yes!! We´re going to pass by a couple more times and share more, and invite her firmly to be baptized. 

Also this never happens, but someone in the street came up to us, told us that their uncle was looking for us 

(the mormons-missionaries) and wanted to talk to us! Well we passed by for Patricio, and he´s a member who moved 

recently from Argentina to here. He was baptized 6 months ago, and loves loves loves the church! He had like 3 

callings before, and I know he´s going to help the ward get stronger. It is really awesome to have members who 

really love the gospel, who really are there to share and help you share. We left him with a BOM and some other small

things to give to his family and friends. He lives with his nephues right now, because his family situation is complicated,

who before, were atheist, but are starting to believe more and more in God! 

Also pray, well, Edith, Byron, Fabian, Lidia, The Family Rios and Peña, and everyone else! The whole ward 

and sector of Clara Estrella, that they can give heed to the Holy Ghost! 

Also I want to invite lots more people to be baptized! And believe it, visualize it! I know it will work! I´ve been doing 

it more and more, mostly in contacts in the street. 

Love you all!

ps. I ate a REAL hamburger today for the first time in like 4,5,6,7 months. It way pretty good. And gigantic.

Also a really drunk lady gave me a huge hug in the street 2 days ago. So if i get sent home early thats why. Ha no,

that would be a very sick joke. Don´t fret. 

Elder Tasso

January 7, 2013

Hello! This week was awesome!  Miracles that we saw this week! When contacting, we simply asked the people if we could share a blessingwith them in their house. And they said yes. I was in Church sunday, and was frustrated a little bit. The Wards here are definitely different here. We were in Priesthood, and I was frustrated with the lesson, the casualness of the people etc. But instead of focusing on that, I picked something that I really valued about the ward, and shared that with them. It´s def. not as easy to be a member or parent here in Chile. I told them I was proud of the way they raised their kids, supported their callings and the ward, and helped the missionaries, and that they are the light here in Chile. As I said these things, I was filled with the spirit. It was amazing, so simply, focus and emphasize the good. Not so groundbreaking, eh? Also, friday, we had gone running, we had already walked seriously 50 miles, and were going to to play futbol with the ward-investigators-and young men that night. I prayed to God that 1. He would give me strength to Keep going, and run to the field (we were already late) and 2. That he would bless us with the opp. to take full advangtage of this time as missionaries, and not just waste playing a good game of futbol. He did. We started to run to arrive on time, I was tired, but kept going and gained strenght AS I ran. Also, on the way,there were two other groups of young men playing already in the street. We stopped, and invited them to come. One group came, and we had a wonderful opp. to share with them the gospel, and we´re going to pass by their house again and share more.  Also, with respect to Fabian and Lidia, we had a lesson with them, and turned out that they met members from close by already. Well it was the perfect lesson with members, (although they weren´t in our ward). They shared their testimonies, and the spirit was very very strong.  I know that this church is true. I know that Jesus IS our savior, and through him only, we can be saved. I know that God is our father. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith was a profet and Thomas S. Monson is in present day.  God strengthens us as we press forward with faith through our trials, with a smile.  Dad, thanks so much for your comments, help mom and the fam. apply them as well. Eh mom?? I love you all, thanks so much for the pictures. Benny, Anna, Hyrum, Stevey your the bestestestestestes!!! est! Have fun with your green trike, with school,with your go pro, and take it one day at a time!Enjoy your life! 3 Nephi 13-22.  Un brazo,  Elder Tasso! 

December 31, 2012

Fam!

Anna, Hyrum, Benny, Stevie, how are your testimonies?  What'd you do TODAY to build them? To serve Jesus?  Beans!!!! How was your Christmas?

Well.  This week we saw some great miracles. I'm praying much more specifically for the things I need/want now.  How many times in the scriptures does it say ask and ye shall receive? A million!! 120.  So do it, and do it specifically.  God WILL give it to you, given obviously that it's a righteous desire.  But we're good LDS, right?  Our desires are such! So no worries!  Well we prayed to find, in numbers, what we put for news.  There was a young man walking in the street, Alejandro, with whom we played soccer. We had to run to catch up with him and his family, but we did, and we found ourselves outside of his door.  Asked simply if we could enter and share something, and we did.  Bam! 4 news of Gold!  Also we're working with Byron still.  Pray for him, he's good, but his 11 year old mind doesn't know very well what he wants, or at least, what's good for him.  We set a date with him.  He then asked us if he could be baptized SOONER. Why not.  Then 5 minutes later he said, Elders, sorry, but I don't like your church.  Well, he's still doing well, but he's a little more exciting than the average investigator. Also we found an awesome family, Fabian(the son, 15 years old), and the mom, Lidia, and we're teaching them.  They're awesome as well.  Pray for them, specifically, that they can have desires to act with faith to bring themselves closer to Christ.  Also pray for my ward, Clara Estrella, that they can be united, do their visiting-home teaching, and share the gospel successfully with the spirit, with their friends and neighbors.

Christmas we ate delicious food in the night with the family Arancibia, and lunch with the family Flores.  It was awesome!

I love you all!  The church is true, Jesus is our savior, God is our Father, The Holy Ghost bear testimony of them, and Joseph Smith, like us in present day, was, and still is an instrument in the hands of God.

Cio!

Elder Tasso