Out going Pres. Amaya & his wife.

 

July 21st 2014

What a week! Marriage, followed by baptism and today a zone wide soccer match! Last Friday, the couple was married! :) And Saturday, we were in the water :) Such a spiritual experience! Its such a privilege to see the progression is the people, when we first come in contact with them, to the point where they get baptized, its a complete change. 

 

I was talking with my Mission President about 3 weeks ago and he told me that the numbers and everything are good, but when they look to see if he was successful as a mission president will be in 20 years, when all the missionaries that were under his wing, are married in the temple, with families with jobs and worthy to be church leaders. I thought about that with all of us. What are we doing today to better ourselves and better our tomorrow? 

 

Theres a scripture in James 4 that reads  13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go intosuch a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and getgain:

 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what isyour life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, andthen vanisheth away.

We always say theres time tomorrow or ill do it later when we dont even know what later will be! Doesnt have much logic does it? One of the biggest tools that Satan has is Procrastination. In so many ways shapes and forms, we are encouraged to put things off to a later date, we are encouraged to fill our time with the mudane things of the world while the important things sit on the back burner and a lot of the times, get burnt. I remember so many times that I let the important things go, like homework. It was left till the wee hours of the night, and the two weeks that i had it were filled with things that well, now, dont matter and have no value. 

I think maybe it might do us all some good to sit back and see where we are. How much time are we spending and where is it being spent? Some questions that could be asked are: How much time did I dedicate to God today? To my family? To my studies?  I can promise you that you will feel a joy and satifaction from puttin a little effort into the things that matter the most, and always rememer, the things of the world have always been, and always will be there, but the important things wont. 

I Love you all and hope that you have great week! Look for the Hand of God in your lives! Thanks for all the support! :)

Love 

Elder Strang

July 14th 2014

Middle of July already? Where has the time gone? It doesnt seem to be slowing down but only speeding up.. A month and the kids will be back in school again, and life will continue at the crazy pace that its going. 

 This past week was a complete blur. I had no idea what day was what. Wednesday felt like Saturday and Thursday was Monday.. confused all around and now its Monday again.. Whaaaaa? 

We are still feverntly looking for more people to teach, so if anyone has Ecuadorian family, please dont hesitate to let me know. :) The couple that we have been working with will be married this week :) and then baptized this Saturday :) We are teaching another two families that are a little more difficult but gotta have faith! Things are going well in the work :)

I was reading this past week about how we are tempted. As members of the Church we always think "oh Id never drink, or smoke" or whatever thing that would be considered as an "Extreme". I read a quote from David O Mckay that reads... Many trees withstand hurricanes, but many yield to bugs that can barely seen with a microscope. How true is that? Today in the world, there are many good people, with good intentions. But many times those good people fall, why is that? 

The principle of the Utah Mountains is a good one! How many pine trees are dead? A ton, and that all started with one bug. Or one thought or one action. How many of us say, ah just one party wont hurt! Or just this one time... Remeber it all starts with one, and all those good people that have great intentions, now are good people but with not so great actions. Satan knows we all have our limits. Those coupls who say they will never get pregnant or have sex before they are married are often caught in tears as the truth is revaled that soon they will be little mommy and daddy. Satan knew that, this young couple was caught in a late night after a dance or date, just like they had been many times before, and he knew that they are only so strong, that after so many times, that this young dating couple could only resist the temptation for so long. He knows the limits. 

If we look at the big picture, does it seem worth it? To give up all you have worked for? When we look at the big picture, its not worth it! Remeber the words of Alma, wickedness never was happiness! (Alma 41:10) And nor will it ever be!  Remember the best cure is prevention, if we decide now, then when the trials and challenages of life come, we will never have to question what we should do. 

We arent alone, those of us who have fallen, there is a way, through the atonement. Those who put a 10% effort will be carried 90% of the way by our Lord and Savior. Dont ever give up, just get out. 

A word of warning for those preparing for the mish! Leave old things that dont do you any good behind. Anything, or friend that may be on a differnet path than you. Remember that all those dead trees started with one. We have all heard that we become like those we are around, so I ask who are you with and what are you doing? I promise Satan will work harder than ever to try to get you to fall, I felt it so strongly before I left and I promise he will do anything to get you to fall. Stay worthy and remember that the man on top didnt fall there. :) Be careful with girls future missionaries, they can be the hardest things to deny. You shouldnt be alone with them anyway :) And you cannot teach or preach anything you dont live! 

I love you all and hope that you all have a great week! Thanks for all the support that is given! 

 

Elder Strang 

July & 2014 

Good week! Learning lots, Changing for the better! I do have to say that it is very hard to wirte every thing in one hour but Im doing my best! This week Ive been thinking a lot about how missionaries can and should prepare for a mission. And I have come up with a few tips.

1 Be worthy. 100%, make the choice that you wont do anything to get in the way of your choice to serve. There are tons of things that we all brush off saying that they arent that big of a deal, but let me tell you,they are. The for strength of youth phapmlet says it all. Read it, live it and be worthy. Just always ask yourself, would i do this if my Heavenly Father or Jesus were here? Remember you cant teach anything that you dont live!

2 Read the freaking scriptures! I cannot tell you how much time we waste. We should always be reading but you will get into the mission field and say wow, I know nothing! And then you will be asked some of you in a foreign language how to explain in deepth profound doctrine, and you wont know, so make it a part of you life! Pray along with the study! The scriptures are the guide and the spirit will confirm the things that you are learnign! 

3 If you are going foregin, study the langauge now. Nothing is worse than not understanding.

4 Get away from all the social media. You cannot take it with you, and it IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME! What are you learning? Nothing? Well youre wasting time :)

5 Start preparing now. Procrastination is a strong tool of the devil. Dont think that you can wait till tomorrow, because we dont know what tomorrow will be. (James 1:22)

6 Learn the atonement and charity. Those activies that are in the back of chapter 6 of PMG, if you dont know what PMG is than get of facebook and go study! Ha but those attributes of Christ will come out of  you naturally! 

The mission is amazing, Love the people. Love what you do and you will do it well!

We have found some more people this past week and we are working with them, a couple families that are reallly tough. They have their religion and thats when people it can be hard because they dont want to change and then its hard for us to say goodbye... but it just isnt thier time.. 

We are still working with the couple that wants to get married, that will be married onthe 18 of this month :) and baptized on the 19! :) Everything is going great with them. 

The new mission pres is awesome From San Diego Cali, Relious Professor at BYU I-do, sorry Idaho haha but he knows a ton of the Gospel and the scriptures. I had a little interview with him and it was like I had known him for 20 years! Super nice guy.

Well thank you all for the support and all you do for me, love you all! 

Have a Great week!

Elder Strang 

June 30 th 2014

Week 3 en Los Rieles! Fast week, searching looking for more people to teach and lots of learning! 

The looking for new people is one of the hardest things to do, and thats what we are doing right now :) ha so this past week we have gone by all the members houses to ask for referrals... and nothing! And we know that when nothing happens with members the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the missionaries to find though their own incitive, which means knoking doors! Fun stuff there! But this week we are going to be knocking doors until we have bloody knuckles! 

We are still working with a family that wants to be married and get baptized but the whole marriage system is so jacked up that they cant do it fast enough so they have to do it this week, but it is amazing to see the progression that they have made and the things that they are doing to show they repeantance. 

We have been teaching some less active and he kept calling hi s wife women, what are you saying dude. Shes not just women, shes your wife. Get it in your head that she is your wife! I was reading this week about that and read alot about how mn should have respect for their wives, what manner of man ought ye to be? What are you doing to show respect to your one and only? What things should you do to show reswpect to her? Just some things to think about this week for all of you becasue im outta time! Elder Tretbar from Cali, says hi super nice and cool kid! 

Love you all have a great week! 

Elder Strang 

June 16 short & sweet 

Well, week one in Los Rieles has gone bye and was quite the week! This sector is a lot different from my last in the sense that there is a big city part and another part which a wide open field with houses. The houses in the city have Air conditioning and the works and the houses in the fields dont even have running water. They live so far out the we have to take a three wheeled motor cylce to get to the houses. All the houses are up on stilts and the majoriy are made out of wood, I asked why they are on stilts and they say that in the winter when it rains that it completely floods up and they cant even touch the ground walking! They have to swim or take boats which charge 50 cents each way! Looks like we might just baptize in the strret :) hahaha

New companion is chill, from Costa Rica, Super nerd but is cool! We get along really well! We found a family that lost a child and we are teaching them. Super great people and are really excited :) 

Well due to my carelessness with time this week, so i cant write more, but I will next week! Love you all and hope you have a great week! Stay strong caryry on and share the gospel with the world :) 

Elder Strang 

June 9th 2014

TRANSFERS! Wahooo! From Quevedo to Duran! Big change, a small city to a huge city where the sun gives you cancer! :D haha no but it really is quite a bit hotter! Anyways, changed my Chileno for a Costa Rican, super cool guy, dont know him much so we will have to see! 

I love it here. Ecuador is amazing. You really feel yourself get acostumed to the city and the things that they do here. Many people judge other parts of the world for what they think they know, but that isnt anything! They have culture that yes, is different but it is a good different! A diffeernt that I love :) Its not a sacrifice but rather a privelge to be here. 

Time seems to be going by faster and faster. I put my head on the pillow and then the day is gone and Im putting my head on the pillow again... And now a year is about gone?! Crazy, love the work :) 

Learned alot about the relationships that we have with other and how important it is that when we have problems or disagreements, which we always will, its very important that we can keep calm and move along. The comments that we say only make the situation worse and then we only have worse feelings after. The Christlike Virture of Patiencte is cruical for every part of our lives.

Get out and preach! Help the missionaries and take part of this wonderful gospel and plan that we have. We have the knowledge of it and we have to share it with all those who will listen. I know, without a doubt that this church is true, that Christ is our Saviour, that through him and only him can we be saved. That No matter what spot we are in, he only looks at us as how we can become, and that is like him. 

I Love you all and hope that you have a great week!

Elder Strang

May 25th 2014

Wow, what a long week. I can testify that I would rather sit and teach all week than walk around and look for people, a trail of the patient and the faith. 

We had the bapitism two weeks okay with the couple that goit married and then the husband was baptized, and the wife will be baptized this neek week. So that was good, but now there isnt anyone to teach, having more than 4 months in a small sector has showed that just about everyone knows me by name haha and I now tha majority of them by name.. That being said that task came up to find new people this past week, through refreeals and knocking the doors. 45 doors knowcked, and not much. 8 Referrals, not much. We still are strugglin to find people. So it looks like we will be switching sectors this week withthe sister missionaries to try out thier sector and they will be wroking in our sector. We will see how that goes! As far as the district goes, we had people in the other sector but for a lack of teaching a few things none of these people are going to progress because they arent going to church, so we are back to square one with that as well. The life of a missionary :) 

The family that got married is now super strong and preparing for the temple next year. The husband recieved the preisthood and will soon be getting a call in the ward. Super great family and are intruducing us to all their friends and family memebers to teach, so hopefully we can see some progress in some of their friends! Seeing families together is amazing. The hope and light in their eyes bring the changes in their lives! :) 

Enduring to the end. The challenges of life. The things we all go through. Thats the real trick. How we deal with the winds of life. Just like Presidente Monson said, we cant control the wind, but we can adjust the sails. Could that be anymore true? We cant control the way is. Its life, thats the way it is. But the way that we control oursleves and our attitude to the cicumstances, well that makes all the difference, and with the help our daily prayer, scripute study and weekly church attendance, makes the whirlwinds of life mangable as we adjust the sails. I wish you all a great week and hope you can adjust the sails to the circumstances of life.

Elder Strang