Miracle week, AHombres, and Happy Thanksgiving from Bolivia

We may not be celebrating it here, but I am missing everyone back home and thinking about you during this LAST Thanksgiving I'll be away from home.

So this was a week of miracles for us.  Lenor is an amazing lady we've been working with for a long time and she got baptized and was confirmed.  He family is so amazing and we know she has been prepared by the Lord for this big step in her life.  She even made us little keychains with our initials on them....so cool!  Now we just need to get her husband to see that the gospel is true.  He comes to church with her and their family so we are hopeful.

Even though we don't get a lot of time in the field, being in the office most of the day and all, we are so blessed with the short time that have later in the days.  We have been able to find so many people looking for answers and needing the gospel in their lives.  We had goals this week to meet and come Sunday our prayers were answered as more and more came to church as we had asked. Finally at the end of sacrament, this couple we had prayed for, Pedro and Magda, arrived.  We didn't expect them ever show up again and we should have had more faith....they were investigators from months ago who had moved away to La Paz and then just recently came back. the first thing they asked us was, "When are you going to visit us again?"  YES!  Again, this was such a miracle week for us and for the Lord's work

One of our contacts who we visit regularly received an amazing testimony of fasting.  She told didn't even have enough money to come to church (about 65 cents each way via taxi) but stayed strong with her fasting for help with her situation.  The following day, a friend asked to watch her child and would pay her 70B's and another friend brought her a pineapple and gave her 100B's.  She knows the Lord will always provide a way to help us through others when we ask in faith.    D&C 82:10.

So this was the funniest thing ever....we had a cita with one of our contacts who is getting baptized soon and he said, "Isn't saying 'Amen' at the end of prayers the same thing as saying 'Ahombres'?" HAAAAhahahahaha.

Finally put my hammock here in the casa after all these months.

Had my ecclesiastical endorsement interview with President Rodriguez to finish up my application to BYU.  I completed everything and submitted it this week.  Prayers for me to get accepted will be so appreciated.

The goals we set this week for investigators, getting people to church, etc were all met.  This was one of the best weeks ever.

Sunday....it poured!

Video:

If you are reading this on email, click here to see the video

The gospel is so true....I love being a missionary to these amazing saints in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  I love and miss all of you.

Con mucho amor,
        Elder Connor deCocq

Helping to Change Lives Daily (and less than 9 months left!)

Had a good week this week with lots of amazing and spiritual experiences.  We had a few citas (appointments) fall through, but that is just kind of what happens here a lot. On our way back from one of those, we met up with an old lady on the who was really hunched over from a sickness she has had for a long time.  We stopped and talked to her and helped with her heavy bags.  It turns out she was really down on her luck and out looking for some sort of job to help pay for her medical treatments.  It turns out she was homeless and my heart aches for her and so many of these poor Bolivian people who live at much lower of a standard than we are so fortunate to in the US.

As the mission secretary, I have had to spend a lot of time at the Immigration offices in Santa Cruz with various new elders and sisters.  One day I was there for 6-1/2 hours!  Shoot me.  They are flying in from all over the mission to get this done.  We will usually go out to lunch or dinner with them also before they head back.  We haven't had much time to proselyte because of all this other 'busy' but we'll get back to it.  Bonus on this day:  Elder Florence brought home some ice cream for all of us in the casa.

Elder Florence and me on a video message to home

As the week went on, we were able to meet up with our ongoing investigators, so that was good.  On Wednesday evenings we are also running an 'English Connect' class for those who are interested.

We had a District Council meeting and I got to teach a lesson on Patience and Diligence in Missionary Work (because sometimes...very often..., there is a lot needed of both).  The lesson was on how focusing on both of these Christlike attributes can help us become better missionaries.

One of the most spiritual experiences this week was a very sweet moment.  We visited one of our investigators and brought with us a bible and a triple combo set of scriptures.  During our lesson we gave these to them as a gift, but they thought they needed to pay for them and said they didn't have the money to do so.  We told them that they were a gift from us and the mom teared up and said that she would never forget us.  We brought another set over to our soon-to-be-baptized investigator, Lenor.  She is super excited!  We even got to bring Lenor with us to a baptism that Elders Iparaguirre and Dawson were doing so she could experience that.   The Lord is really preparing the hearts of his children to listen and hear these gospel truths and I am overwhelmed that He trusts me enough to be that instrument in his hands to see this work through.

Elder Berges and me

On Sunday, we were supposed to eat lunch with members but they forgot so they 'went out and bought us chicken and 2-liter of Coke'.  Yes, it was Sunday.  Viva Bolivia.

So, we had a few disappointments this week with the investigators, but that is part of the gig.  We have really up weeks and some not as 'up'.  Being a missionary doesn't mean to give half your effort.  You have to be all-in and help them progress, regardless of how often they may disappoint you. You have to strive to help them no matter what.

So a HUGE shout out to my man, Elder Ward (even though he is no longer actually 'Elder' Ward, he still is to me).  He just completed his mission here in Santa Cruz and went home over a week ago.  He took a big ol' package home to my family in Utah for me.  They loved it and they loved geting to meet you at your homecoming.  I look forward to seeing you again when I get home.

Status update on me as Secretary:  The mission will be getting a full time mission couple to take over both secretary and finance positions in late January so I will likely be in the office until then since it doesn't make any sense to train new elders for such a short period of time.  I've been here since May and this has been a real growth experience for me, but I'll be ready to go back into the field.

Spiritual thought for this week:  "The Lord isn't waiting for the world to reach a certain wickedness before the second coming, but rather for the righteous to become more sanctified" - Elder Christofferson.

I love the people of Boliva and I love my mission.  This is the best experience and opportunity to serve that I could hope for.  If you are thinking about going on a mission, don't delay...prepare and make it happen.


I hope everyone is doing well back home.

Love, Elder Connor deCocq