Hola Familia!

This week was so awesome!! i hope i can remember all the things i want to write... i don't know if i can! one thing i want to make sure to write... the lord loves us all!

1. Confidence!! Asa missionary, i think this is my biggest weakness. i have close to 0 confidence! I don't know what it is, but sometimes i just feel like i am terrible at my job. I am here to tell you that i learned a lot this week about it. I was reading in the scriptures about this exact thing, because i want to change it. I read in Proverbs 3;5-6, and in  2 nefi 4, and in so many other parts of the scriptures, and i learned so much about this idea. the lord wants us to have confidence in him. He wants us to know that in him, all things are possible! i know that for sure! i was talking with my district leader this Friday at a branch activity, and he said the only thing holding me back from being like ammon is this confidence. My zone leader told me on Thursday night that i don't need to fear, because i am a missionary. he said "forget it, and work." how great is that. we can apply that to our lives really well,. forget everything else, and serve the lord.

2. this is an idea really great! forget the world and serve the lord. sometimes that is hard. this world is a crazy place, and really it is hard to be apart from it. but that is one of the greatest blessing s of being a missionary! i don't have to worry about the world, i can just serve the lord. This week during divisions, i was in the area of the district leader. his companion and me taught lots of people.. but they all had one question for me. "what does this song say?" they proceeded to play songs like sexy and i know it, or sexy back, or lady gaga... and i always said that 1. i cant listen to this and 2. i will not use these words. it was really a surprise to hear the lyrics of these songs.. i am not saying they are bad, but they are not exactly part of the lords work. i think it is good to remember that we are part of this world, but not in the world. May we try harder everyday to come close to Christ.

3. WE had a goal this week to work with less actives, one of which is the ex president of the branch. he has been inactive for almost 8 months, and we are starting to see the effects. he has lost hope. the light in his eyes is gone. he doesn't want to go to Church, and doesn't want to recognize his testimony. it is really sad, and i am not going to lie it is something that i am worried about. i Hope i never become inactive. we see in the book of Mormon the fall of a great people! i think it is Mormon 6:19 that really explains my feelings about this... ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!...  this verse really just explains so well how i feel about this situation. May be strengthen our testimonies in the gospel everyday through prayer, reading the scriptures, and focusing on the savior!

4. I have been teaching a family this last week, and they are so great! one of the families prepared of the lord for this message! we have taught all of the lessons, and are now just waiting for there baptism. Anyways, we were talking about prophets with them, and i read the "see ya later" from President Monson in the last conference! holy cow i cannot explain the spirit that i felt when i read it! he is a prophet, called of god, to help us all! he has great advice for all of us when he invites us to have love for everyone, not just members, but all of our friends of different religions. I reminds me of 2 nephi 31:20, where it says we need to press forward in faith, with love for god and love for all men. this love is the love we all need. it is part of the endure to the end. May we have this love for all of our friends, and with this love, share the Gospel! i love the people here in Paraguay, and with this love, i want to give them my knowledge of the savior!! SO great!!

5. I am going to finish the BOOK OF MORMON IN SPANISH!! this week.. i am so excited! i love the words of the prophets, and really love the words of the savior! his visit to the nephites in 3 nephi is something i want to apply to my life. we can teach so much with this part of the book, it is literally the center piece of the book! so interesting how everything works in the book, and in turn in our religion, because of this story!

6. this gospel changes lives people!! i am seeing right now with an investigator! there is this man, of 70 years of age. he has drank his whole life, from the time he was 12 or 13, and when i say drank, he is like a pass out in the lawn type of drunk! he accepted us for lessons, and after we taught the word of wisdom, he said simply.. "i am going to change." he, from that time on, has not touched alcohol. not one time. he changes his life with just two or three lessons, and FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. he is showing us the doctrine of Christ. he had faith, changed his life (repentance is a simple change to be more like Christ or follow his teachings), and he is going to be baptized this next week! he wants to follow the example of the savior, and is really just doing awesome!

7. I love this work, I finish my journal everyday with a phrase similar to.. "i love the Lord/mission/Gospel/church. haha everyday! i really am just amazed by the blessing this mission is! I cannot tell you how many times i have felt the love of the savior in my life, and seen it in the lives of others! Someone said something in their email kinda interesting, that i hadn't changed. i hope that is wrong. i hope i have changed to become more loving of others, and more strong in my faith. i hope i have changed to where when someone sees me in the street, they can know that i am special, i am a witness, a believer, and that i love the lord!

I ran out of time. so much i learned this week. Keep up the prayers, i need them all! haha i am in the lords hands, and he is working his miracles through me!! love you all! Given them heaven!! Elder Chelson