great and fulfilling week

30th Jan 2012 Dear Family, Mom,Thank you for the package! I love the salted caramels and am excited to try that peanut sauce! Elder Petersen's favorite candy is Butterfinger and then peanut stuff like BabeRuth and PayDay. Also The next transfers are in about 5 weeks. It sounds like you and Dad had an amazing stake conference! I am glad to here that Alvaro was there! He and I have been writing back and forth some and it is great to here is doing well. Cali, that is pretty cool you found your printer gift you unopened you got a while back. It is like getting a gift twice! :) There are so many things to write about this last week that were great experiences. First off I'd like to start off with the experience of finding and teaching T and his Father J this last week. We met them by knocking on their door. We went up to their home and heard accordion playing some Mexican mariachi music. We knocked and T who was playing answered the door. He invited us both in and pulled up two chair for us to sit on. T speaks very little english and his father J speaks none. They recognized us as "mormones" and we told them our message was imporant and true. T want's to change his life and we talked to him about coming over again and coming to church. We got his cell number to set something up and they we're interested in getting el Libro de Mormon. They sent us on our way with a prayer and gave us some pop. Later that week, on Friday, we got the book of mormon in spanish and some pamphlets from our new district leader. On Saturday we set up to go over with our new ward mission leader, Br. B. On Saturday we had an amazing experience. We planned out how we would teach in as much spanish as we could, going over the restoration pamphlet in spanish and practicing some key things we wanted to express to them. When we went over T and his father J grabbed some chairs for the three of us and we started with a prayer. Elder Petersen said the prayer in spanish, recalling how to do it from his spanish class at BYU. Elder Petersen was given the gift of tongues in that lesson to communicate with them. Both T and J both communicated back to us in Spanish and by the spirit we we're able teach them and help them with their questions. I knew where to turn in the restoration pamphlet where it would help him understand and receive answers to their questions. The feeling of the Holy Ghost was very strong there. T expressed his desire to change his life and committed to read the book of mormon to his father, who cannot read. They were excited to come to church and desired to come and Br. B offered a ride. Later that night though T called and said that his boss called and he has to work at 7:30 in the morning, but that he wants to come next week. The experience with them was sweet and rich and I am filled with gratitude. This last week we worked with our new ward mission leader and he is going to have a combined 3rd hour meeting during church on missionary work. It is exciting because he has a passion for missionary work and has many great ideas he has been receiving. This week we also got two new missionaries in our district, Elder Cornwell, our district leader, and Elder Isacson, his companion, were double transferred into the South Terre Haute area. On Tuesday when on splits with the W's I went with Br. W Jr. to the S's and we taught about why it is important to keep the Sabbath day holy (the blessings) and how to keep it holy and then committed each person in the family to come to church. I was so happy that M, V S's mother-in-law came to church this last Sunday! We had a few visits with the C family this week and they are progressing so well. Last night we went over there and read the Book of Mormon the 1st chapter in Nephi with S and C and had such a great experience. S has been reading and feeling the spirit from reading. C hasn't read yet but after last night she said she was gonna reread what we read as well as continue each night. I love them! We went with the Bishop to Carlise and met a less active part member family on Thursday night that has great potential to begin meeting with us often. We also taught B E on Friday at the T's home that was filled with the spirit. We helped take down a downed tree on the Church grounds on Saturday morning with Br. A then he took us out to lunch. And many other experiences we had that I cannot cover all of them in this email. I am grateful to have the ability to email you and share these experiences with all of you. I hope you enjoy reading them and I appreciated all of you. This last week also in the beggining of the week I had an amazing personal study in the morning and experience that followed. It started with a question. How can i grow in my understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ? Well, I pondered on this. I have had experience in the past that have given me my current understanding of the Atonement. Of which where I felt the grace (enabling power from Christ) through repentance. So It came to me to grow in my understanding of the Atonement I would need to continue to experience his power. So I thought of the Scripture in Ether 12 about how God give us weakness so that we humble ourselves and if we humble ourselves and come unto him then will he make them strong. As I have been serving here I have started to see more and more weaknesses, whether in my ability to train, or plan or my ability to give of myself (sacrifice my will more often). I resolved to do these things and I went and after my study to the closet in our room and offered a prayer aloud and poured out these desires and commitments I wanted to make. As I did I felt as if the room opened up and I was in the presence of God in an infinite room. I felt the Holy Ghost strongly. After that experience I was uplifted and had new level of commitment (renewed and enhanced) as well as a determination and a hope! It was an awesome experience that helped start off this amazing week. I Thank you. I love you. I pray for you. With Love, Elder Lans Drake