April 25th, 2016

Hola everybody,

First off Happy Birthday Mom. I hope you had a sick day. Now for real this time you turned 55. HAHA.

This week was a little rough. We didn't get to many visits. And we didn't get to visit the Campero family, con fecha (baptismal date), so it was a little disappointing. And they didn't go to church either. We passed by their house, called them and asked a member to pick them up, and they still couldn't go. It was a little sad. But we have a cita (appointment) this friday so well see.

This week we did a lot of touching doors haha, and we found a few potentials. One was a lady that said she attended 10 years ago but moved and never went again. She told us that the time she was attending she felt a lot happier and was going to get baptized but then moved away and didnt have a church by her house so she just didnt go. But we have a cita with her on Wednesday and im pretty excited for that.

I was reading in Alma 4 today and verses 10 and 12 made me think a little bit. 

10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church;and thus the church began to fail in its progress.

12 Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others,turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.

The people got rich and so prideful that the progress in the church began to stop. That they forgot what really mattered which was to help the needy and the poor and their pride was a stumbling block for the people that weren't members of the church. It really shows our responsibility that we have as members to be good examples for the people that aren't members.

That's about it for this week. Thanks for all the Birthday love. Love you all and hope you have a good week. 

Elder Crisp

April 18th, 2016

Hola,

This week was pretty good. We worked a lot with Ervin, the recent convert this week. Every time we visit him he is more and more excited. He told us how much happier he is in these 2 weeks that he hasn't drunk or smoked. Its pretty crazy how much hes changed in these 3 weeks that i've been here.

We also visited the investigator family with [baptismal] date. We taught them Friday and yesterday. We taught them about baptism and invited the mom and the kids to be baptized too and they all accepted. So the plan is the 14th of May. The issue is that we can only teach them all together Sundays so it'll be a little tough to do. They are a super cool family. The live a really small house basically in the middle of no where and the parents work Monday to Sunday from 7am to 10pm, but they always try and make time for us to come by.

This week was stake Conference here. We had Elder Fabio Moscoso from the 70 come. He is really cool. He shared the story of Nephi building the boat. 

8 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying:Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee,

He read this scripture but swapped out the words a ship, for a life. He said that we should build our life the way the Lord wants and like Nephi we shouldn't hesitate to start "building it". I really liked it.
Anyway thats about it for this week. Hope you all have a sick week. 

Elder Crisp

A whole bunch of chickens that kind of look like ducks (so they're "Chucks" or "Dickens")

April 11th, 2016

Hola everybody,

This week was pretty good. .We have been teaching a less active member with a drinking problem. The first time we visited him he was drunk. The second time we visited him, was last Friday and he told us that he would go to Conference but he we called in the morning and he told us that he got drunk again the night before so he wasn't going to go. I felt really bad because he was super excited to go. We visited him again this week and he seemed to completely change, he told us in the visit this Friday, that he hadn't drunk this whole week and that he felt really good. That was really exciting. When we passed by on Sunday morning to pick him up he wasn't there. And i got super sad again thinking that he went out drinking again, but when we got to church he was just sitting there in the back of the chapel, reading his Hymn book. I was super happy how much he had changed in just this one week and we visited after church and he was really happy and excited for us to be there.

We also taught an investigator that was a contact from the week before i got here. His name is Miguel Angel. We taught him the Restoration and the Book of Mormon with him and his son, but his wife was never there. This past Wednesday we visited them and his wife was there so we decided to teach the Restoration with her. We asked him if there was something he remember from what we taught and he asked us for the pamphlet we had. We gave him one and he started to teach his wife about Jose Smith and was telling his wife how important it all was. The only thing i could do was smile. They accepted the 7th of May to get baptized. This entire family is super cool. His 11 year old son is reading the Book of Mormon by himself and every visit he explains to us what he learned and all that good stuff. I'm super pumped for this family.

Other than that we didn't have too much. But this week was really good. I met a bunch of the members at church and they are all super cool. This ward is real small. There was only about 40-45 people in church yesterday but they are all pretty cool.

That's pretty much it for this week. Hope you all have a good week.

Elder Crisp

April 4th, 2016

So this time I actually did change areas. My new area is called Las Charcas, and my new companion is Elder Bricher from Cochabamba, Bolivia. Its a little weird being in a completely different part of Santa Cruz. This new area is huge and its mostly factories in the middle of no where. But im super excited to be here. So far the ward is super cool. And the people in this area are cool too.

This week was pretty chill. We spent a lot of time getting to know the area and the members. The other thing is that im coming into this area with 5 people with baptismal date and there are 2 others that are progressing really well too. The sad part is that the Elder I replaced was everyone's favorite missionary. Like 5 or 6 people have cried when we told them that he left. But ima try to do all i can here. We didnt really have any citas [appointments] this week but we are going to have a lot in this next week.

General Conference was pretty dope this year. I though it talked a lot about helping people that have fallen away and helping others in general. I feel like a big problem here is that the people dont really help out with anything. Home and Visiting teachers don{t even really exist here and we rarely have members to go to visits with us. Its a little sad that people would basically abandon each other. But all the talks this Conference were pretty good.

Thats it for this week. Hope you all have a good week.

Love Elder Crisp

March 28th, 2016

Hola everybody,

This week was pretty sweet. We had our 5 progressing investigators go to church and they all loved it. The family that we contacted last Sunday and gave a baptismal date to is probably the coolest family I've met here. They are super humble and they understand everything. They told us that they were at the point of giving up and separating when we knocked on their door. They told us every time we visited this week that they were waiting for us and every time we leave the mom tells us not to forget about them. They have a son Leo whose 11 loved church. They have a daughter whose 5, Mia, who also loved it. This week we taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Restoration and they understand it all, they accepted too the Book of Mormon and they are reading it as a family. Im so pumped for them.

The other investigator Lucy, went to church too. She said she liked it too and was pretty excited after church. She too has been reading the Book of Mormon and she has been praying and reading it all this week. An the other investigator that went was Vilma. She loved it too. Its funny because she is best friends now with a sister that got baptized last week. They sit together in every class and they are always laughing and talking so its pretty funny.

The only thing about all that is that cambios [transfers] are tomorrow and this time it is pretty much a sure thing that i'm leaving. I'm pretty bummed i wont get to see any of them get baptized but im super pumped that i got to meet them all because they are super cool. 

That's pretty much it for this week. Love you all hope you have a good week. 

Elder Crisp

March 21st, 2016

Hola everbody,
This week was pretty good. We had a lot more citas this week than last week and we got some new investigators too. We met one girl named Lucy while contacting. She pretty cool and she is super prepared . We met her on tuesday, had a lesson Thursday and Saturday and there was a baptism in the ward and she went. It was a little annoying though because there was a soccer tournament going on outside and it was super loud and there were a couple YSA people in the baptism messing around and making jokes so it was pretty irreverent and she didnt seem to like it very much. But we have a cita with her tomorrow so well see what happens.

Yesterday we contacted a family. We taught them about the Restauracion and they told us that were grateful that we visited them and they accepted a baptismal date for the 16th of April. They were super cool and they were both crying and they kept thanking us for coming by. Unfortunatly next week is cambios [transfers] and we have 5 baptisms set up for next cambio that i probably wont be here for. 

In church yesterday, everything was about the Atonement. The talks, and the classes. And i was reading in Alma 7 today and i read verses 11 and 12 :

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

These verses just make me think of how much stuff he had to suffer for us. And how he did it all willingly because of the perfect love that he has for all of us. He suffered not just the sins, but every pain that we feel, every temptation that we feel every day, and he overcame them for all of us.

Thats all i got for this week. Saturday was Fathers Day here so i want to wish all the Fathers out there a Happy Bolivian Fathers Day.Hope you all have a good week.

Elder Crisp

March 14th, 2016

Hola everybody.

This week again was a little bit slow. We didnt have too much visits with investigators but we did meet one new guy. Hes a brazillian that here studying. Hes super cool. He speaks perfect english which is cool because yhe asked me to pray in English which was the first time ive prayed in English outloud in my mission. He also has two FatHeads of Kobe and LeBron in his room and he was wearing a Lebron jersey so he obviously knows whats up. And hes also really cool because hes super prepared to listen. We talked for a little and he told us about how his mom died and how he was never going to see her again. We taught about the PoS and how he would see his mom again and he was super excited for us to come back. Im pretty excited to teach him.

We also taught Victor and Vilma again yesterday about the BoM and we answered a lot of their questions about it and they said they are really excited to get baptized.

This week we also visited the Flia Saucedo, less-actives, and they went to church again. And the son, Antonio is teaching the Young Men Tae Kwon Do for a Talent Show in the barrio. They are progressing really well and im super excited for them too.

Anyway that was basically it for this week. Hope you all have a good week.

Elder Crisp