Prayer...

We had the Esperanza Zone in today for Interviews and training.

President Turk was on his knees teaching these Elders about Prayer.

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings 

and He will direct thee for good.

They talked about teaching their investigators about prayer.

One of the Elders said that when he arrived in the mission field he was giving 

his 30 second prayers every night.

One night he was on the top bunk and he looked down at his companion...

He was praying for a long time.

He looked down a little bit later and he was still praying.

And again a little later he looked down and he was still praying.

He said that this changed his life.  He thought about his own prayers.

He wondered what his companion was talking to our Heavenly Father about.

He started to think about his own 

simple prayers and what they were made of.

He focused on them and tried to make them more meaningful.

This changed his relationship with his Father in Heaven.

 Here are our trusty Zone Leaders in the Esperanza Zone....
Elder Northcott above 

and below is Elder Farfan.

Another sweet story.,,

One of the Elders said that they were teaching
a single mother and her 6 children.

She was so happy and progressing and had just set her baptismal date.

They went back one night to teach her and she opened the door

and said that she wanted nothing to do with them any more

and to stay away.  She was firm and told them to never come back.

This crushed our Elders.

One of the Elders went home and fell to his knees and sobbed 

and just prayed for her.

He said that he was comforted as he received 

inspiration from the Lord saying...

"I love her too... Call her"

He got up from his prayer and picked up the phone

to just tell her that they loved her.

But before he said anything he heard her sobbing 

and she said ... I was just praying that you would call me.

I was wrong.  I need the Gospel.

I will be baptized and she was.

 Today after training and during interviews with the President

I had a round robin of games going on.

We had speed ring toss, speed darts, speed puzzles with teams

and of course a Taca Taca tourney.

Many of the Elders had never put a puzzle together.

It we very fun to watch them.

They did not know what the picture of the puzzle was.

We hid the top of the box and they had to work as a team

and just figure it out.

 

We had half the Zone in for the morning 

and the second half in the afternoon.

There really is just nothing better than missionaries.

  

Here is the whole Zone.... all Elders.

 Zone Leaders:  Elder Farfan and Elder Northcott

Elders: Robles, Sandiford, Orellana, Chacon, Zapata, Arana, Tierra,

Ortellado, Lobaton, Reyes, Mamani, Meza, Gutierrez, Patino, 

Quiroz, Hoyos, Tello and Espinoza

Office Elders included: Elders Castillo, Mecham, Castillo, Smith,
Fackrell and Martinez