Last Christmas in El Salvador

My dearest family... well it was great to see you all on Friday! It’s always so awesome to talk to you all.  And well, Grandpa, it was the best to be able to see you still going strong! You really are the hardest worker I know in this world and one of the best examples I have. Glad I can rep the Crump name out here in El Salvador for you.

So family, this week was a wild one.  We had the Christmas activity as a mission which was great. I got to play some basketball with all my CCM homies and enjoy a Christmas movie. On Christmas I ate chicken and rice about 9 times and will probably die if I eat another chicken leg again within the month. Still trying to figure out how Grandpa Crump would eat 20 or more at KFC, haha.  The rest of the week was pretty normal, we just continued to work and things just keep rollin here in Juayúa. We were able to take new people to church, which is always sweet and hopefully we can finish this week with some baptism dates!

So quick story before I have to go.  A year ago I was in Nahuizalco working and with Elder Guzman.  Anyways, a lady came up to us one day, a less active member, and asked us to come and work a little on her house and call all the missionaries because she needed our help. Elder Guzman didn’t really want to go so we just never called her back.  But when he left there I felt bad and called the lady and told her we would go as a zone to help her with her house, and went. So I never really thought about it again. A year later I go to Nahui last week to do an interview of a kid that is gonna be baptized and guess who it was, the son of this less active lady we had helped out a year ago! She had said that the missionaries had always been really good to her and she had a lot of respect for them so that’s why she would let her son be baptized. She’s like, ’They came and helped me with my house!’ and I’m like, ya, that was me sister, haha! But ya you never know what the consequences of your actions will be! Things like that happen a ton out here and they truly are miracles!

That’s all I’ve got time for but I love you all so much and know this is the work of the Lord! Until next week folks!!

Elder Crump

Matthew with Anna Escobar.  She lives in Juayua and is the aunt of
 Kari Larrabee Rugg's husband Kedar.  Small world!

With Elder Laing on interchanges in Nahuizalco.

With Elder Flores and Salmons who were in Nahuizalco for the temple sealing of a family they baptized a year ago.
They both finished their missions and were Matthew's Zone Leaders in Nahui.  He said it was awesome to see them.

Elder Laing in Nahui.

His MTC buddy, Elder Craig, at the Mission Christmas party.

In downtown Nahui.

The reindeer in Juayua.

Skyping

   Just a little update for this week.  Scott's dad has an advanced form of Plasma Cell Leukemia and the doctors only give him a couple of weeks to live.  Heavenly Father orchestrated many tender mercies through two inspired mission presidents.  Both Matthew and Zachary's mission presidents allowed them to skype Cal on Monday night.  It was a sweet, spiritual time.  The boys looked great and were so happy.  Here are a couple of pictures of them skyping with Cal.

Cami with Cal in Copperton.

Love these faces :0)

Silly Face Time...

Cami's instagram post.

Juayuuuuuaaaa!

Welcome back to Juayúa Elder Crump!! Haha!

Hooray for being back in the zone of Juayúa again! The only difference is that this time I will be working in the actual city of Juayúa! It’s crazy because I’m super close to were I worked in Nahuizalco and have already been able to see some of my converts! Yesterday I saw a girl that is singing in the stake choir that I baptized which just made me so happy knowing that she is still active in the church and everything! Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be able to go on interchanges down there and pass by to visit some people!

So my companion is Elder Leiva, he is from Bogotá, Columbia and will go home in like 3 months. He’s a good guy and has a lot of love for the people, which is one of the best attributes to have! Things here in Juayúa have been on the down side as of recent so it’s time to get to work!

A miracle that happened this week... so when I was in Paraiso, I went on an interchange with some elders and went to visit some members...in the house was a guy that had gotten back from the mission 2 years ago.  His name was Mauricio and was inactive.. Mauricio said he didn’t like the church at all and felt terrible going to the ward he was at...So I talked to him awhile there and just left and didn’t really think much more about it. Then a month and a half later one of the elders in Paraiso gives me a call and tells me that he had been to visit this same kid and was asking him about why he was now active in the church and what had happened. Mauricio told him that an elder had come to visit him a few months back named Elder Crump and that the things he had told him had a big impact on his life and decided to go back to church. Ever since then he has been going again and is now the YMs president. It just made me so happy knowing that even the smallest words we share with people can affect them for eternity. You just gotta help others out in every moment possible and the Lord will work miracles through you!

In my new area this week we also had the miracle of taking a lady to church who is now progressing. Her name is María and she had gone to the church before but gave up on things. All the members told us that she didn’t have hope and well, not true! She’s doing awesome now! The area hasn’t had anyone new to church for months so it was a huge blessing to be able to take her to church! If everything goes well she will be baptized around Christmas time!

That’s all folks, love you lots. Be examples of Christ in everything you write say and do! Hasta luego familia!! 

Elder Crump

New zone of Juayua.

New companion, Elder Leiva.

Elder Leiva

Christmas Time....Is Near.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Cami, Happy Birthday day to you! You can imagine us as a zone singing that if you want! Haha. What a blessing to be able to write on the day of my lovely sister’s birthday! Just have to say that she’s the best sister I’ve ever had :0) and that it’s such a blessing to have her as an example in my life. I would have never been able to make it to this point in the mission if I wasn’t able to remember that my sister has already done all this! Hopefully you have an awesome week Cam and never forget you have a brother out here that loves you!

For the rest of you family, this week we were able to see some improvement here, so that really helped boost my happiness and the best part was that we were able to put a date finally! This kid named Enrique is going to be baptized the 20th of December and it’s truly a miracle how everything came about. Like 3 months ago I went to the house of this grandma that was less active and invited her to go back to church. She was going to a different church so I just did what we usually do, testify and invite them to pray to receive guidance. We didn’t talk for 3 months until last week when we were in church and she ends up coming with her grandson! She’s like, ‘Yeah I did what you said and prayed and ended up having a dream! In the dream it was clear I had to go back to the Mormon church so here I am! I brought my grandson too and he’s 12!' Instantly we ask if he’s baptized... nope! So now he has a date to do it the end of the month and it all came by making a simple invitation to pray! What a miracle!

So the only bad part about all this is that... I have changes!!! So I won’t even be able to see the baptism of Enrique! I’ll be leaving Aldea tomorrow, so yup! Crazy stuff, I’ll let you know next week were I end up!

Quick thing I wanted to share with you guys is the power of one’s testimony. I have been studying a lot about it as of recent and really your testimony is everything. If you want to convert other people, it’s all based on the testimony you share with them. This week we took a member out to visit, Don Pedro (in the picture). He’s like my best bud here. But anyway this guy just has the most powerful and simple testimony. He reminds me a lot of Ronald Ruegner, because he just shares exactly what he knows to be true, nothing more and nothing less. Sharing your testimony with others is really what mission work is. So share it! Tell every single person you see what you know to be true!

That’s all I have for the week, love you guys lots. And I’ll see you all next week!!!

Elder Crump

Silly boy...

With Don Pedro

Elder Olsen from Oklahoma

Well...

Well family, this last week.... you could kinda say we hit rock bottom, but I have a lot of faith this week is gonna be different! I don’t have time to write and well, I don’t have much to write about, so either way.  Here are some of the pics for this week; one is of Elder Barlow who just got here.  He is from Sandy, Utah and he’s a good guy. The other is of my 5th pair of shoes that broke this week, and the last one, I was just chillin’ in a tree!

Everything is just fine here so I’ll write you all next week!

Love ya!

Elder Crump

With Elder Barlow

Pair #5

Chillin'