It's...Fathers' Day!

Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure when Fathers’ Day is up there in the USA, but down here it’s on Friday so HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY DAD!!! It’s impossible to express how proud I am to have a dad like you. I think the greatest way to thank you is by living all the many lessons you have taught me. It’s something I strive to do everyday. It’s one of the coolest things to be able to show all the people I teach a picture of you, Zacho and me at the Conference Center and tell them that my Dad ordained me a deacon, teacher, priest and elder.  So thanks Dad for always being the best example and I love you so much!!

This week was full of interesting stories and experiences. So the first experience of the week was a little update on Kevin and Mauricio, two kids that we have been teaching. So we found them a few weeks ago because we have been trying to reactive their grandpa. They spend the weekend there and live close to our house. This week we were able to put dates with two of them and their sister. But what happened was that we found out the mom has her church records in the church next to ours. So they went to church but we had to pass the reference over to the missionaries in the other ward because they have to be baptized where the mom’s records are. It was rough because in total they are 5 brothers and sisters and all of them want to be baptized, which would have been awesome, but the Lord’s church is a church of order so they will have to get baptized in the other ward. At least we got to play a part in their process of becoming members! 

Marcela continues to do fine and will be baptized this Friday. She asked us on Saturday how many times somebody can go on a mission because she wants to serve a lot of different missions.  So we had to explain that it’s a one time experience! She’s going to be one of the best converts I have had.

This week in sacrament meeting one of the kids that passes the sacrament had to pass the sacrament to his mom, so the lady was sitting right next to me and when her son goes by, she couldn’t take the sacrament because she wasn’t worthy. The kid just looks at his mom and then keeps going...It really hit me having to watch that and it made me realize one of the major problems the people here have. It’s very rare that the parents give good examples to their kids, so the kids end up being the same as their parents and things never change. Having to reject the sacrament from your own son has to be one of the hardest things yet the people continue in the same sins. I just am so grateful for the blessing of having you guys as my family and having parents that really teach by example.

Last cool thing this week is that after we had worked the week and had to pass the reference of Kevin and his family to the other missionaries I felt pretty bad obviously... So we just went down a little path and I guy was standing there, and asks us, ‘Are there Mormon churches in Mexico?’ I told him yes...and asked why? He then tells me the whole story of him and his family.  But they live close to us now and they need to find a church to go to. His wife has a Book of Mormon and listened to the missionaries before. So tomorrow we are going to visit them and see what’s up, but I hope they end up being positive because it would be a true miracle!!

Love you all so much. I know this church is true and that the gospel changes lives. I’m a living example of it!

Pictures: This is a normal El Salvador house in the pic and last week I went to Chalchuapa real fast to eat lunch with Diego and Luis that I baptized a year ago!

Elder Crump

Wisdom of the Old...

Mi Amada Familia!!

Looks like it’s time to report on mission life here once again. I literally can’t handle how fast time is going. This past week was a great one and I have learned a lot in my studies about the Priesthood. I picked apart all of D&C 84 and 107 and it made a big impact on me. The Priesthood is such a huge responsibility and blessing in our lives. It’s organization is perfect and the keys really have been restored upon the earth again. I have obtained such a strong testimony of those truths while I have been serving and know that I have the true power of God.

This week we continued to help Marcela progress towards her baptism. She went to mutual, a family home evening and is already working on her Personal Progress, so things are great. We also found two other kids, Kevin and Mauricio that accepted the invitation to be baptized, we just need to get them to church. Hopefully this week we can work some magic and see more miracles with them!

On Friday we went out to a little town that’s like 30 mins from where we live, and there we met a member named Felipe. We had found him in the records of the church and wanted to go see if we could help him go back to church. So to our surprise we find out he was one of the first members in Ahuachapán and started the branch there, but then left the church after a few years. It’s crazy because he is 95 but can still go jogging and do squats and stuff. Probably because he has eaten nothing but corn and beans all his life. But while we were listening to his countless stories that grandpas always have, he said some stuff that really impacted me. He was literally one of the founders of the church in the west side of El Salvador and a true pioneer. Why was it that he didn’t stay in the church though? He didn’t believe in one of the basic doctrines of the church. Revelation. He thought that his ideas where better than the current leader. He thought that things couldn’t change in the organization of the church over time. It really hit me that God needs people here on the earth with priesthood keys so that they can receive revelation for the church. Once we receive that revelation, we MUST follow it. If we don’t understand why, that’s why faith exists. Felipe is a great guy and down right hilarious. But the problem was that he didn’t have the trust in God revealing truths to his servants on earth.

Well that’s all I have time to write. Love you all. Have fun in Italy Mom!!

Elder Crump

Felipe (right) talking with a member that went visiting with the missionaries.

"The baker in our ward that had his birthday. And seeming as though I
eat his bread almost every day, I had to buy him a cake." 

Counsel from on High

Familia Crump,

The news is in people and I’m staying here in Manantiales to finish out my mission! The crazy thing is I will be staying with my companion Elder Ordoñez another change as well! He will be the only companion I have had for more than 2 changes! I’m excited to finish strong and baptize more people before I leave. The area is improving a lot because our stake president, who has been serving as our bishop as well, finally called somebody to be 1st counselor in the ward so the guy will kind of take his place. It’s awesome because he knows the manuals by memory and sticks to the rules so the ward has already seen a lot of changes.

This week on Tuesday I passed the entire night in the bathroom and just got destroyed from something I ate. So the next day I was suppose to do interchanges in another area but didn’t feel good enough to go...I prayed a lot and just sucked it up and went. So just our luck we didn’t make the bus and I had to walk 3 miles while I was sick...It was really hard but I made it the whole day without a problem. While on the way back though my stomach just went insane and I HAD to use the bathroom, the problem was we were literally in the middle of nowhere. So I finally found a house, ask the random little girl to give me newspaper and made it in time. A true miracle, haha, but using month old newspaper for that definitely wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world.

We had a way sweet lesson with Marcela this week teaching her about the Restoration. She is reading the Book of Mormon a lot and told us this week, ‘I’m not really sure why but I really do just feel like this is something good for me.’ It was really cool too because the members are helping us a ton and we went to eat pupusas with the Familia Olmos and the family of Marcela. 

So something I have learned recently is about getting counsel from on high. I was thinking a lot about how I make choices and what impacts the things I do. Obviously receiving revelation from God is very important and that why we need to read the scriptures daily. It’s the best guide we can get. But another huge help that we have are the people all around us, especially the leaders we have. They are the ones that can give us the real counsel we need. They can be the answers to our prayers. I thought about the leaders I had in Priest Quorum and all the help I received from them. It really did change my life. So who should we look to when we need counsel in life? That’s the key. A lot of people can tell you things to do but who are the people that really want the best for your life? That’s what family and church leaders are for. They really want what is best for you. So if you need help, just go talk to them. Explain what problems you have and let them help you receive revelation for your life. That’s part of their job. I just know that God blesses us with family and leaders that love us and are willing to help if we reach out to them!

All I got this week, GTG play some soccer. Love you all. Best be reading your BofM or ill be really disappointed, haha. Until next week!!

Elder Crump

No description came with the pictures this week...

Peace be unto thy soul...

Family!!! Wow I just love you all so much. I can’t believe it's time to write again.

This week just flew by but we were able to have some good experiences. The finding part of the mission just never ends, and this week wasn’t that great but the good thing is that there’s always next week! It was sweet though because we were able to have all the converts in the area at church this week which is super hard to achieve. I love retention work and it’s so satisfying to be able to teach all the deep doctrine to the converts once they get baptized.

So I just have to say that the Summerhill Ward has got to be the best ward in all of Utah. Thanks for sending the package and the letter.  It’s the best spiritual boost when you get things like that. Beef Jerky here is like gold, so thanks a bunch!

Ugh, already out of time... alright so super fast…a girl we are teaching named Marcela wants to get baptized but we need the parent’s signature. So we talked to her and put the date for June but then had to go talk to the mom. The mom is a member but hasn’t gone to church in like 18 years. So we tried like 4 times to talk to her and set up appointments with members and things but nothing ever worked out and she just kind of avoided us. So finally Sunday it was kind of like a last straw sort of thing and we went to her house to ask for the permission. I have taught way too many teenagers here on the mission that want to get baptized but the parents never let them, so I was real nervous going into the lesson. I don’t know why but I was just so scared for what was going to happen and I just wanted to teach perfectly so that Marcela could prepare to be baptized. So right before we go in, I’m just sweating bullets and said a small prayer in my head to help me out. And just said ‘Heavenly Father, help me be an instrument in your hands’... So then I just felt the warmest feeling come over me that just said, ‘Don’t worry about it. I have everything under control!’ So we went in, taught the lesson, got the permission and now Marcela will be baptized in the coming weeks. What a blessing we have to be comforted and guided by the Holy Ghost. Got to love it.

Well I’m out folks, love ya lots!!!!

Elder Crump

Sometimes you're just desperate for investigators,
so caballos it is!"

The fence sitter at church.

Member Missionaries

Hello Dearest Family... I don’t have a lot of time today but I just wanted to let you all know I’m doing well and continue to work hard.

This week we had the Family Week here in Central America and so our goal was to motivate all the members to participate. We have been doing a ton of contacting here and nothing’s come of it so we focused on using the members. We taught lots of missionary work lessons and gave out invitations to half the world. We were able to see the fruits of our labors when the members brought new people and two of them have already accepted baptism dates...we just need to get the parent’s signature.

So I just want to invite you all to remember what David O Mckay said. Every member a missionary! You guys will be the difference in the work. That’s all for today... SALUUU PUES!!

Elder Crump

The field was white and has been harvested...

Lizard on his door.

One of the few color-changing trees
(It's fall in El Salvador).