Numero 100 ~ last week in the mission

Hey fam! 

Well, it feels so weird but I am entering my last week in the mission. I dont feel it but everyone tells me that im gone. I dont think it will hit me until i am in the airport. 

This week was really awesome! 

To let you guys know, we are going to finish the mission up with a baptism! His name is Gerson, he was an old investigador that we had that accepted a baptismal date for this weekend. He went to church and everything and he is ready to go. Wilfredo didnt go but his date is for this weekend. We arent really sure with him but we hope that we can get him all ready for him to do it! We are hoping for some miracles this week!

This week the stake did a cool activity with the youth. We were part of the act and we had to be there at 7 am. We got together with all the youth and we all split up in groups and we went and contacted a bunch of people from 7am to 9am. It was so cool to see the little youth all nervous to talk but by the end they were doing it really good! We got a TON of references from the members and it was really successful. Too bad that I only have one week left. We were able to find some really cool people!

On Thursday, we had to go to managua because my comp, Elder Aviles, had to take his english test, and my other comp, Elder Vasquez had to renew his id. We lost a lot of the day because right when we got back I had to go do some interviews for the district and by the time i finished the day was over. 

We left with a member this week and she showed us to a couple new people. We saw some cool miracles because we went a taught her brother who wasnt really interested and as we were walking to the next meeting she just stopped and started talking to a guy in the street and we started to talk to him and it turned into a lesson and at the end he told us that he wanted to be baptized so we put a baptismal date with him for the 21 of August. We went to the next meeting and the girl wasnt there but her son was so we started to teach the son. We talked to him about the final judgement and how it is important to prepare ourselves and we talked about the things we need to do to be prepared and we talked to him too about baptism and he accepted the goal to prepare to be baptized for the 27th of August. It was awesome that we were able to find those people and they werent even the people that we wanted to visit! Its so crazy how the lord just puts people in your path to help them. Miracles.

As I am finishing, I think about everything I have learned here in my mission. What I have come to know is that Christ lives! He watches over us and helps us when we are obedient to his commandments. I have come to learn that the atonement covers us with arms of misery that helps us be able to enter into the kingdom of God. Without the atonement, none of us would enter because God is just and he will not let anyone in that has sins. But if we are obedient to the commandments Christ will have mercy over us and we will be able to enter. I know that this is his church and in it there is a big work. The signs are showing of his coming and we are called to prepare the people for his return. I love the Savior. I remember the scripture that says "but whosover should lose their life for my sake, the same shall save it. When we look for Christ in our lives we will find out that there is a happiness that never leaves. The gospel is perfect and restored in these days! 

I am so very grateful for the oportunity I have to be a missionary and to preach the gospel. I cannot wait to share with all you guys the many miracles I have seen in my time here.

I will see you all very soon!

I love you!

Elder Sherle

Numero 99 ~ pupusas with the bishop

Another down, 2 to go!

This week was good. 

On tuesday i got to go do divisons with a new missionary that just got to the mission about a month ago in his area. We had a good time working together. He asked me a lot of tips and advice for the mission. It was cool seeing him try to speak to the people and not being able to express what he really wants to say. It reminded me of when i started the mission. 

On wednesday we had a normal day with my two comps. Elder Aviles is getting pretty tired and his back is hurting him a lot so we are trying to do a lot of divisions with the members to lighten up the load and to make is so we dont walk as much. 

On Thursday the zl, elder pilling, went on divisions with me. He goes home with us. He is from New Zealand. Him and I were born in the same zone in the mission and now we are dying in the same zone. We talked about a lot of experiences we have had in the mission and our plans for after the mission. Its going to be a little hard to see him after the mission because he lives about 18 hours from the states haha. 

John with Elder Walker and Elder Clark

Friday was a good day. We passed by all our investigadors and we did divisions. It was a little crazy because I had to go do some interviews for the sisters and Elder Vasquez was with a member and then the member had to finish divisions but we were still doing interviews and then we had some important appointments with some investigadors so we couldnt go get him from the members house until the end of the night. I felt bad because we had to leave him there for like 4 hours haha. We said sorry and he was all good after. It was funny. 

On sunday church was good. There wasnt that many people there this weekend which was a little weird. Roger and his wife Carmen went to church. They are learning a lot and we are hoping for the miracle of their baptism before we leave. We passed by Wilfredo in the morning on sunday and he told us he was going to go but he never showed up so we are going to go tonight to see what happened to him. 

On sunday night our bishop invited us to dinner for the last time. He made us pupusas. They are a famous food from El Salvador. They were really good. I forgot to take pics though. 

All of the members keep reminding me that I am going to leave soon. I try to keep it out of my thoughts as much as I can but it doesnt help that they keep reminding me haha. I am going to miss these members. There are some really cool people here. 

Thats how our week went! Hope you guys have a great one!

Elder Sherle

John with Elder Lainez (his son)

Numero 98 ~ Presidente Poncio

Hey fam!

Well this week was pretty good!!!

This week we had the chance to get to know the new president! Presidente Poncio. He is awesome!! He is a really cool guy! I can tell that he is going to help out the mission a ton! He is a lot different than President Collado. He is a lot more open and free. A lot of missionaries were really suprised from the difference. President Collado is very serious and President Poncio is very emotional and energetic, its funny how big of a change it is! I am excited to get to know him more. He and his wife are converts to the church and both are returned missionaries. They have really strong testimonies of the gospel and are really excited to be here. 

This week we were really happy because we were able to work with a ton of members! Now that we are 3 we can really easily get divisions going in the area. All we need is one member and we can cover a ton of meetings we have. We put that in practice this week and it helped us a ton to be able to cover everything we needed to do. 

This week we found out that Roger's wife, Carmen, got home from Managua. We had some really spiritual lessons with them and the wife is really curious in our message but she doesnt want to commit to anything. She listens and learns but is really hesitant to open her heart to our message but we are trusting that the spirit will soften her heart to let the message testify to her that it is true. 

We taught Wilfredo too with one of his friends that is a member but he didnt go to church. We dont know why he didnt go so tonight we are going to go to see what happened.

This week the big miracle we saw is that Roger brought his whole family to church. His wife, Carmen, and his son. We were so happy to see them there. It seemed like they really enjoyed it. Roger told me before he left that he and his family will be at church every sunday now. We were really happy to hear that how much he likes the church. Roger cant read or write and there is a professor in our ward and he told Roger this week that he is going to help him learn to read. It was cool to see the members supporting our investigadors and trying to help them in any way they can.

This week is a big week for our investigadors. We are setting up a baptism for the end of the month so we hope that we can get them all ready for that day.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Sherle

Numero 97 ~ trio

Hey fam! 

Well this week was a little crazy! Heres what happened.

So on monday night we got a call that we were going to have emergency changes with my companion. My companion was going to leave and I was going to get a new companion.

My comp didnt do anything wrong it was because another missionary went home. So in the morning, my comp really didnt want to leave so he called president and asked president if there was any way to stay and so president told us to wait and call him back in 20 minutes. At the end, my companion got to stay with me but president sent us another missionary. So now we are in a trio. It has been a lot of fun so far having 2 companions instead of 1. We have had to adjust a couple things in the teaching but we are having a great time. 

Our new companion is named Elder Vasquez. He is from Guatamala. He has 16 months in his mission. We call him our little boy because Elder Aviles and I are dying and he is like our little son hahaha we joke around with him alot. 

This week we found some cool new people. We put a couple baptismal dates and all that good stuff. 

This week Roger and another investigador named Pilar went to church. We didnt even need to pass by for them it was awesome! Roger's wife comes back from Managua this week so we are really excited to be able to teach them together. We are praying that the wife will be open to listening to our message and be able to study it and look for an answer. Roger wants her to support him and he wants to be baptized but he wants to do it with his wife so we will see what happens. 

I had my last testimony meeting on Sunday. I was the first one to get up and bear my testimony. I felt really good doing it. My testimony has really grown a lot in these two years. Through study and prayer and the many miracles I have seen in my mission has really helped me grow a testimony that the Lord lives and that he is guiding this work.

This week we will be able to meet the new President. Ill let you know how that goes!

I love you all!

Elder Sherle

here are some photos john sent that I believe were taken a while ago.