Another Week of the Battle

Dear All,

So this week was a battle!  We started fully taking on the other Elders area.  They move tomorrow to Tarrafal on the other side of the island to open it and we are all very excited.  They found a good house there and have some less active members that live there come up to them on the street making the first contact.  The first sacrament meeting will be there this sunday.

We got to have a few good lessons this week with our ancent branch president, who shared a bit about how he was prepared to finally come back.  He is coming super good.  He asked us for scriptures because he has pretty much forgotten how to navigate them.  He also asked for some thoughts about how to help teach his kids some important principles of the gospel.  His older son who is 14 wants to come to church too, but he is taking it slow, trying to get himself orentated before helping his family.  His family has no idea of his old filiation to the church, and he is seeking divine help to know how and when to start that converstation.  It is a blessing having him though!

I had a great experience with fasting this last week.  Two weeks ago was stake conference so we didnt fast, and last week we forgot, so we were fasting this week.  I have been studying and fasting about how to help our group leader, Hivandro, be the strong force that he needs to be.  Yesterday we showed up to church, and he had changed.  He was excited about everything, and had decided to take some steps that he had talked about but hadnt ever done.  He gave a great talk on repentance, and it was super good.  Fasting has power.  I am grateful for the resored gospel and that we can help others come unto Christ.

Elder Barrus is awesome too!  I am super grateful to be serving with him.  He pushes me and grounds me (in a good way) and puts up with me and stuff.  He really knows how to talk with God, and to seek for and follow the Spirit.  He is our district leader right now, and has started us focusing a lot on families with the goal to be working with at least 10 families before the end of the transfer, and so we have the goal to get a reference of a family every day, and contact 4 families.  The church really needs true families.  There are so few good families here in this country and so it will make all the diference in the world to establish the church more centered in the family.

I love you all!

Especially those who are part of my family.  And those who are my brothers and sisters.  Let us remember to treat everyone as they are.  Our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of Christ!

Love,
Elder Sampson