June 3rd, 2014

Dear Friends and Family,

This week was awesome because of several reasons.

First of all, we had a great conference with an area seventy called Elder Gonzeles from Uruguay and our President and wife to the President spoke and it was all really great but too much to write about. The important part was at long last, I understood almost all of it. I still struggle with conversation but I can understand a lot more! It was four hours long and I only didn´t understand like 10-20 words. I also saw one of the Americans I came with and heard him talk Spanish with my trainer and I noticed quite a few mistakes which was gratifying. Not in a mean or conceited way or saying anything about him but I finally saw my progress I have made. And he took four years of Spanish in high school and did a lot better at the MTC with Spanish than I did so that was awesome. Not in a mean or conceited way though! Just great to see progress.

I also had probably the greatest moment of my mission. Since my companion is leaving, we told some recent converts that he is leaving and he had been in this area for a while so they liked him a lot. So one 10 year old member said what! Why! Why doesn´t he(me) leave, that would be much better. That of course hit hard since a mission is hard enough and you struggle every single day with dozens of things but that just hit hard again. I questioned if I was even blessing anyones´ lives here and if I am just a burden. Sadly to say it was a moment of great alarm and I didn´t talk more during the lesson, afterwards, at the bus stop or on the bus. But then, afterwards, we got off the bus and saw a very sick woman and man and it looked bad. She couldn´t stand up, she kept falling down and couldn´t walk. So the man helped her to the bench and I asked a few times if we could help and they didn´t really say anything. We waited while they rested at the stop and then I asked if we could give a blessing. After a few minutes she relented and said yes and so without pulling out my cards to help remind me how to do it in Spanish, I annointed the blessing and then my companion gave a very powerful blessing. All at a bus stop with people standing around there, motorcycles, buses, and cars going by etc. Afterwards her countenance completely changed and they both looked at us with water in her eyes. We asked if we could do more and then we left our number and made sure to call us if they need anything more. We walked away and I turned back to say bye once more and then I just started to cry once again. (I get humbled a lot here) I don´t know why but it was incredibly powerful and I won´t forget it. I knew that was a blessing for not only her but a God given opportunity to do something and feel meaningful in the work again and maybe one day she will find our church and join becuase of that expereience. It wasn´t a baptism or anything but it was incredible for me. We have struggle to help people progress and haven´t have baptisms for two months but this was very needed on my part. I don´t have much time to say more but that was an incredible experience for me.

Other than that, it was a better week, less cold and much less rain and wind. My trainer is leaving for the country tomorrow and I get an American companion tomorrow so we will see how that goes! Hopefully he is awesome and can help me with the language as much as Elder Torres did for me. He was awesome and I am sad to see him go but oh well. I am no longer a greenie and instead I am a boring Junior companion but whatever. It will be great. Let me know if you guys want to know anything more. Thank you for the emails and support and of course the packages and letters. Love you guys dearly. Take care! Talk to you guys next week!

Elder Moss