19 December 2011

Had a sweet week and still loving the mission more than anyone!!!! So me and my comp. with our 3 money investigators thought we were done because we didn't find anyone after knocking at least a hundred doors but guess what? We walk into a home of a family we love and they asked us about friends, "if they aren't baptized where do they go?"  So the 7 year old, angel Antonela, brings out 26 names addresses and everything and says"I know you 2 are the ones to teach these friends, I want to enjoy all my friends in the spiritual paradise!!!" I honestly started crying because she is SOOO CUTEE!!!! 

So we received these references Saturday.  When Sunday came we'd contacted 18 of them and found 16 new investigators to teach!!!!! All it took was a cute little 7 year old girl and the spirit!!! 

So sure our work is back online. The other highlight of the week was Sunday because now I am in a real ward and they had the primary program. I was crying like a little baby because of how excited I truly was to see these amazing little kids sing and just be so happy while singing and talking in spanish!!! 

I love it here, sure the country has problems like crazy but the work of the Lord never does!!!! I now know with all my heart that there is nothing that was more truthful than that first vision that Joseph Smith had. 

Love you all Elder Darby

12 December 2011

Thank you mom for the money I am seriously so grateful for the help that you have provided me with. I want to come home and go kayaking or something crazy like RIVER RAFTING!!!! I was known as your son that would enter the coldest water for the longest time right? And now 2 years without water!!!! This is why I keep baptizing so I can swim down to lift the drain up and dunk my whole body underwater!!!! Honestly it feels good to do that especially when the water is cold!!! Or hot!!!! So everything is perfect because we BAPTIZED AGAIN!!!!!!!!

I realize that I say this just about every week now because we are baptizing every week me and my gringo comp. from Utah!!!!

We are just having so much fun and had the best one year celebration (I will share it after the mission!!) I love it here but we fasted yesterday because we are baptizing faster than we are finding. I mean not a single person in the street walks by us without knowing us because we are doing what the prophet said "open your mouth" so we are talking every opportunity.  We have 2 more people to baptize this month and after that we don't really have anyone haha. But never loose the faith.  

SO EVERYTHING IS GREAT, 2 baptisms so far this month and we are in the second week.  Yesterday I gave 2 confirmations, I was crying and shaking so bad after because you can seriously feel the power of the spirit working through you. I just love the spirit and the joy we have right now. 

There is only one thing that I am bummed about this christmas...I WILL BE USING SKYPE BUT WITHOUT THE CAMERA!!!! The president said we can chat and talk but we aren't allowed to see your faces.  so yes, we will use skype but you need to shut off the camera. I honestly am a little bummed but i realize it is probably a test to see who will be disobedient and who will be obedient. This is the rumor but this tuesday, we have a zone conference and a leadership meeting with the pres. He will tell us all the rules for christmas so i will inform you all next Monday like what time and all of that. 

Well I've completed one year and I have more than a year YYYEEEEAAAAHHH!

More time to baptize and bring these amazing people unto REPENTANCE!!!! 

The best thing that happened this week was thursday in the church we started the lesson with Gustavo (who got baptized) he said he wanted to wait a year for his baptism. I looked at Yates and we both laughed.  We started with a prayer, watched the testimony from Richard G. Scott about baptism and read 2 nephi 14:10-11 it says "follow me my beloved children and be baptized and whosoever is baptized in my name will I give my holy spirit". We read it and he apparently had a huge doubt that he didn't think he was gonna recieve the holy ghost because he didn't think God loved him.  He said "wow so every child who is baptized in his name will be given the holy ghost?" I said "yes and hermano now you know this is not our invitation but God's so hermano will you be baptized this saturday (in 2 days)" he said YESSSSSSS!!!!!! We were so pumped because I remember the first lesson with him.  He was rude but we got him to take the cross off his neck and 3 weeks later after 4 times in church he was baptized and now will be entering into the celestial kingdom with us!!!!! His wife is a member and now they will be going to a temple in a year.  That makes 2 temple marriages for me in one year one from my first area and them.  Wow.  

I love my mission and know that this is so not our skill or talent but that we are just his servants and we are able to testify and truly bear witness of the power of the Book of Mormon. The work is perfect but sadly his servants aren't and this is why I am so motivated to be perfect, just like him, to be able to come home and be at rest knowing I did my best.  I will be able to see my converts after this life and know they are there because we worked hard. Me and my comp. are one in every lesson and truly every person we have found and has listened has been baptized or will be baptized!!

There are a few houses here with christmas lights but nothing like the states. We have a great apartment, third story with a huge tile roof so we will be seeing about 600 firework shows christmas night. They are just crazy with fireworks here because there are no laws or speed limits or DOG POLICE!!! 

We have a lot of families who want to celelbrate with us but we aren't sure what we are gonna do. Although we are close to christmas it doesn't seem like it but we got a little tree from a family for free so at least we have a tree.  Our christmas dinner I have a feeling it will be coca-cola and empanadas!!!!! 

Love you all, your names are always in my prayers, live hard but keep a strong foundation in the gospel because there is nothing more helpful or true on the earth. Just look how many people are changing to get baptized!!!! I don't have a single doubt about the church.  THIS IS THE ONLY TRUE CHURCH AND YES WE DO HAVE THE HOLY GHOST AND A PROMISE THAT ALL WE NEED TO DO IS BE OBEDIENT AND WE WILL ENTER INTO THE BEST PLACE IN HEAVEN!!!!! See you there love Elder Darby

12 December 2011

5 December 2011

Things are just perfect because i am glad to say YES BAPTIZED AGAIN JUST YESTERDAY!!!!! EVERY WEEK!!!! I just love it here and it is funny because just yesterday we got online to show a family lds.org and saw the video about Argentina and there I was....HOW AWESOME ME AND MY COMP.!!!!!!! It brought me so much happiness and I bet it brought all of you even more.  I use to sleep during all those conferences but when Apostle Christopherson spoke, a real living Apostle and special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, I was more focused than I have ever been in my life!!!! He was incredible and even better, I understood his spanish perfectly. 

I can say to you all, I am studying deep doctrine and many scriptures but whenever I doubt, I pray and it is always answered ALWAYS!!! The Lord has us all in his arms and he places certain things in our lives and the only thing we have to do is look towards him and we will be blessed. I love the scripture in 3rd Nefi (in english its nephy right?) my english is so terrible I don't remember any names of artists or movies and when I do, I immediately translate them into spanish. But anyway, 3rd Nephy says  "be of good cheer for we are free to choose the eternal never ending  joy from the never ending death'. I think it is this in english but I love it because we need to get excited because there is not a single obstacle in our way that we can't pass and you know why? Because we are sons and daughters of GOD!!! Meaning we have his traits, we have the priveleges and if we believe everything God can do-we can do also. Like 3d Nephy again "if you ask with faith and it is just let thee recieve". 

I am so excited to be here in Argentina now seeing the fake christmas trees and singing christmas hyms in sacrament, yet I feel loved.  If any one of you is having a tough time or has a doubt, let me know because I know I am now so in tune with the spirit that I believe every single question or doubt can be resolved!!! Things are perfect here, I am always happy and it isn't hot, thank goodness. I swear Jujuy central is like the northern california coast never hot and if it is, it becomes over cast and rains. I love it here and know the Lord trusts me to be his servant. 

Know that I love you all and can't wait to talk this christmas and chat and tell you the most amazing miracles of all time. I want you all to remember that when you think that wickedness is better than obedience, think of this question...

Who would you rather make smile GOD  or the devil? Which one will give you more in the end? I thought of these yesterday as I was reading and I want you all to know how much I ove you and there is no better place to be than either on a mission or with family. 

Elder Darby is Famous

Watch the Video below of Elder Christofferson speaking to the saints in Argentina. Pay special attention at 1:37... !

http://lds.org/media-library/video/prophets-and-apostles-speak-today?lang=eng

November 28, 2011

Mother I am also online right now!!  My clothing is great, shoes are not even scratched-they are bulletproof. No transfers, I didn't lose my companion so on Christmas we can talk to each others family. He is a gringo from Utah, Elder Yates, and you have been talking to his mom! 

The craziest change was I am still district leader but they changed the district area and now I have 7 missionaries to teach not just 4.  The president said to me that "I am the baptizer" and he switched the district because he wants me to help the other Elders what it is that I know. !!!!! How exciting, right? I mean me? Goodness, the Lord is just blessing me and my comp. and now we are gonna be together for Christmas-we are so excited!!! He is awesome and we are just like best friends, unified and doing amazing in the lessons that we teach. 

Mom, I love you so much and everything is great still in Jujuy San Salvador.

I have skype all ready with a camera plus 3 other houses in case one doesn't work so skype is guaranteed and yes I would love Danielle to be there because I want to show you how well I can bare my testimony. I don't want a sad call or to cry and say how much I miss you but a fun call to laugh and joke around a lot. Dont worry about packages you can send a few small ones but money would be better because customs charges me!!!!  I am working hard and the Lord is happy with me and has blessed me with spanish and with his spirit. 

November 21, 2011

Things are looking great the transfers are almost over and that means I could be released as district leader (I doubt it but you never know). I am more worried about my companion leaving me and that will be a sad moment because we are just working so well together and working hard at that. I love Elder Yates, he is such a beast but the best part is the friendship we have and the spirit we carry with us. We baptize because people feel the spirit with us and feel comfortable and there is not a better thing to hear than a person when they say "I want to be baptized".  

That leads me to my next bit of information and yes it is another baptism that we had this last Saturday!!!! It was just awesome!!! It was tough because this boy is 11 and has one amazing testimony but his dad was a rough guy. We found out he loved old computer games and stuff so I chatted with him about his games and after a few lessons and fun chats he finally gave in.  Marco (the boy we baptized) came into the room and gave the most amazing testimony and his dad said, "he is ready-when is the baptism?" this was Wednesday and we said, "Saturday!!" The dad was excited then Saturday morning he called me and said, "I think my son needs another week to prepare" but the spirit filled me with an anxious feeling to open my mouth and I said to him "Brother, you could suspend another week and have his baptism next Saturday but he is ready and there is really no point to wait any longer because not only is he waiting but so is his Father in Heaven". Man it felt good to know that we are not the ones convincing these people, we are just small instruments that the Lord uses to bring forth his spirit to those who are ready. I know that there is not a more important work than the work I am doing! Sure I do feel far from my familiy and can't really relate to any of your stories or experiences but I can tell you I am filled with a more satisfying joy that can't be found anywhere else. 

I remember this last Saturday I watched as this amazing young boy entered the water, his testimony and the desire to be baptized. It was an amazing experience to baptized an angel and be able to watch as he looked up to me as a good person. I don't care if you are the coolest person and have the greatest party stories or whatever because none of that matters to the Lord. Although it might feel good to feel better than others we need to realize we are actually less if we think we are more. The humble people in the world are the ones who the Lord wants to call his children because they are the ones who set the example and are truly real representatives of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST!!! I love you all.