Pictures from P-Day hike in Pasto

So wonderful to see them having a day off and having fun

We are into the 20's

The 20's!

We are finally entering into the

20 months down

4 more to go!

Esta semana

So this week was a blast but it was super hard.

I’m writing from presidents IPad so that is why this email will not be so long.

Hace rato que yo no he usado tecnología. Tengo que escribir todo en español porque el iPad esta autocorrecting to do. 

So mom please translate it. (Well this is a problem because I don’t speak Spanish so I hope those that read his blog have someone that can translate this for them… good luck)

Esta semana fue increíble. Mi compañero y yo nos llevamos excelente ees como mi mejor amigo compañero que siempre he querido tener hahaha no fue un difícil de encontrar cosas sobre la cual pudimos basar nuestro amistad. Esta sea a recibimos nuevos misioneros y nosotros hicimos consejo de liderazgo todo juntos. Pobre Elder Gomez no estaba acostumbrado al cargo pero allí va, me hizo recordar mi primera semanaque estuve aquí. Esta semana aunque tuvimos muchas cosas que hacer salimos al área mucho. Y tuvimos algunas experiencias increíbles. Estamos enseñando a una familia ahora, la familia paz, ellos son muy buenos. Y antes de ayer tuvimos una lección increible encuanto de la restauración del evangelio de jesucristo. Testificamos de la primera visión y cantamos un himno y fue un momento tan hermoso en la cual uno podía sentir el sprint tan fuerte. Otra cosa es que ayer éldere Gómez y yo dijimos hoy, vamos encontrar 10 personas, yo se. Nosotros oramos y pedimos ayuda de dios y empezamos a trabajar y tuvimos un día tan excelente¡ no alcanzo a la meta pero el señor nos ayudó tener 7 lecciones invitar alguien a bautizarse y encontrar 7 personas. Elder Gómez y yo estamos muy emocionados de trabajar en la obra del señor juntos. Vamos a alcanzar todo que e el señor tiene preparado para nosotros.

Quiero a todos hablamos en 10 días el próximo pda y de nosotros va a ser el lunes porque vamos a estar en pasto¡ les quiero muchos se esta es la iglesia verdadera 

Elder Lyle

This week I wanted to share a personal note from Rawly because it makes me so happy to know how happy he is: 

Hey I love you so much

The reason that I can’t write much this week is; not much time, it’s been a long day. I just wanted to tell you that I love you to the moon and back that I’m happier right now than in any other moment of my life. My companion is awesome. I’m a missionary and I love it. I’ll talk to you Monday as in the Monday after next. It’s crazy. Love you so much

A pretty full week

So this week has been awesomely intense. 

The best part is that we spent pretty much the whole week in the area. That was the best ever! We worked hard this week and met a lot of new people. Elder Walker and I do great together, I guess that’s what happens when you are with someone 24/7 for 4 and half months… hahaha. 

I think one of the more interesting parts of the week is that I can now announce the transfers! 

I’m staying here but Elder Walker is heading out to be a traveling missionary for his last transfer. (He is going to do divisions with all the missionaries in the mission.) We got to call my new companion in on Friday. 

I HAVE MY SECOND COMPANION FROM THE UNITED STATES!

So my new companion is… Elder Gomez

Elder Gomez, Elder Walker & Elder Lyle

Elder Gomez´s parents are from here. His dad is from Cali and his mom is from Barranquilla, which is on the Pacific Coast. He grew up all his life in the United States. He’s super awesome. He got to the mission with the same group as Elder Donoso and Elder Rebolledo. I remember the day he started the mission and now he is going to be my companion, weird right? hahaha. 

This week we have taught some awesome people. Earlier this week we went looking for an address in our area of someone we had talked to a long time ago. We went to the door, knocked and a lady walked out, we asked for the family and she said that they had already moved out. We told her that we were missionaries and that we wanted to share our message with her and that we would pass by the next day. 

So we went back the next day with a member named Kenny that is 18 years old. We got to know Catherine a little bit better. She is 28 years old and she grew up a Baptist but for a long time she has been far from living the standards that were taught to her when she was younger. 

We taught her the first lesson and she understood everything. You could feel the spirit so strong. When she offered the prayer at the end she started to cry and it was an incredible experience for everyone. 

We also started to teach someone named Jorge Paz and his family (his wife and son). They are also awesome. We invited them to a family home evening with the Aagard’s and it was such a great experience. We all played games and then my new companion gave the message. 

This week I was able to feel the power of the atonement in my life and in the life of others. I love my Savior, and I know that through his sacrifice all my pains, sufferings, and sorrows can be washed away.

I read a scripture this week that I really liked

Mosiah 5:8

“And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.”

I love my Savior, I know that he lives and I have seen the difference that he can make not only in my own life but also in the life of others. 

I love being a missionary it is honestly the best experience in the whole world. 

I love you so much

I hope you are all doing awesome. 

My challenge for you all this week is to think and write down the ways the atonement of Christ has affected your personal lives. 

I love you all 

Talk to you next week.

Elder Lyle

A few pictures from this week:

The new office crew

Elder Lyle

Elder problems...

GROWTH

This week I wanted to talk about Growth. 

This week was awesome. 

Tuesday Elder Walker and I left to do divisions with the zone leaders in Pasto and Ipiales. I was excited to go back to Ipiales and it was so awesome. 

I just love to do divisions with the zone leaders. One of the coolest things about going back to Ipiales was because while I was there I got to attend the same church with the zone leaders that I attended while serving there. So I got to see pretty much everybody again, the hard part is that I can’t call anyone to tell them that I am there. The reason for the divisions is to help the zone leaders and their area, not to go and visit, so that was the hardest part. However something awesome happened.

We went to a Family Home Evening and there waiting in the Family Home Evening was David Erazo. He is one of the strongest people that I have taught and baptized. He was baptized the 22nd of February last year, he is so awesome. When we saw each other we hugged and he started to tell me all about his life this last year. Then I noticed he was with a friend so I said hi, he told me his name was Javier. 

Later in the Family Home Evening David took out his scriptures (now marked thoroughly with colored pencil) and started to give his testimony on how much he loves the gospel. How he was compelled to share the gospel with his friend Javier and help teach him the gospel with the missionaries and how he baptized him. I honestly couldn’t help tearing up a bit.

David is one of the most important people I had taught. 

I was teaching him and his family when my Dad died last year, he is one of the reasons I knew I had to stay here in Colombia to fulfill my mission, because I knew people like him needed me.

It was incredible, and a moment where I knew that my Heavenly Father wanted me to know that I was doing what he wants me to do. I love this gospel. It was amazing to see the difference in the lives of some of the people. David was the most incredible difference. Every single day he and Javier go and visit someone in need, and share spiritual messages with the downhearted.

As we were walking to another appointment I saw María. María was a lady that Elder Aguilera and I had taught for weeks along with her husband. She eventually kicked me out of the house, although when Elder Aguilera and I left the Ipiales area at the same time, the new missionaries found Maria and her husband’s teaching record in our area book. They went to call on them at their house and when they got to the house they said, "We are the other two missionaries and we want you to get baptized!" And that following Saturday after Elder Aguilera and I had left they were baptized. Maria found me in the street and started to cry, she thanked me for teaching her the gospel and her husband. Her husband is now the Priesthood class teacher and they are planning to go to the temple when they reach the 1-year mark of being baptized. She told me that she was so grateful for our endurance in teaching them because she was so "hard-hearted” which were her exact words. I was hearing her talk about the gospel and how she used all the correct terminology like calling me Elder and not Hermano, and I honestly I started to tear up again. The woman that was standing in front of me was not the same that I had taught a little under a year ago. She had changed so much she seemed to shine happiness. The Maria that I knew was kind of bitter and closed-minded. This Maria had a love for her Savior that was evident in all that she does.

It is incredible to see the development of a testimony. 

It’s incredible to see the growth in people who I have taught and also to see it in myself as well. 

I love this gospel. It is what helps me understand who I am and my purpose in life. I love to know that we have the restored church of Jesus Christ and that he is the one at its head. That we can never be led wrong because He is the one that guides it through his Prophet.

This week we were also able to see the baptism of Mateo and his confirmation (the guy that got baptized last Saturday) He is so awesome and he is going to help us teach today.

I love the people I teach and have taught. They are honestly such special people. 

I love this gospel so much and for all things that it offers us. 

I know that the Book of Mormon and The Bible to be the word of God. That the book of Mormon has great power to change the lives of those who read it. 

I invite you all to watch the following video it’s amazing.

I love you all 

Elder Lyle

A Baptism - A Note - A Video and a few Pictures

We are getting ready for Mateo’s baptism tonight, super awesome. Mateo is the bomb. He is 21 years old and has grown so much over the last 2 months. He is an investigator that was with other missionaries before he met us in another area. 

We were with Mateo this Wednesday in a Family Home Evening. Everyone had a blast, but the best part was when we finished Mateo stood up and told everyone that he was thankful that everyone had come to the Family Home Evening and that he wanted everyone to come to his baptism today. Then after thanking everyone he said it was time for the closing prayer and got on his knees in front of everyone and bowed his head to pray. The rest of the house went silent as about 12 people all got on their knees to pray with Mateo. He is awesome and he is so looking forward to his baptism in a couple of hours. 

Recently we have been doing a lot of interviews with all the missionaries in the mission. It’s super crazy to think that I received in some of these missionaries as they entered the mission field and now they are training someone else, hahaha.

I love the mission. There is nothing better than talking to all the people that you can all day, everyday, and telling them why you are so far away from your family for such a long time. 

I love being a missionary. 

I wanted to share a video with you all this week 

I really like the videos if you haven’t guessed… 

This is what I teach everyday. I teach about repentance and how we can change the way we live. Most times we only think that today is all that maters but as we begin to think about everything and how things will be, we should begin to come to our knees and look up a little more often just as Mateo did. 

I love you all 

Talk to you next week

Elder Lyle

Just a few pictures from this week

Shout Out Mama Gomez!

Also Shout Out to Mama Walker for the tie!

Elder Donoso likes his socks Mom

P-Day Soccer!

Pictures from other Elder's and Members in Colombia

We always so appreciate it when Cali Colombia members share pictures with us... Thank you Sharon Perea & Frank Almeida.

Rawly in Ipalies with Frank while traveling for January interviews

Sharon Perea, Rawly & Frank

Elder Walker & Rawly at the airport 

And on the plane

Elder Walker & Rawly with the Bishop's 

daughter & mother-in-law

Christmas Pictures from Elder Walker

Love this Christmas selfie

How did they get everyone in the picture?

Elder Walker & Rawly in their Christmas ties 

from Mama Walker