Tuesday, December 22, 2015

WELCOME HOME!!



Home on Monday November 9, 2015




Last Letter Home

Saturday October 31, 2015

Hello friends and family!

Well I guess this is it... I`m going into my last week as a missionary!! It`s a weird feeling but I feel so happy, so blessed, and also so excited to see my family.

My mission just keeps getting better and better. Last week we were teaching a recent convert and her daughter came in and started listening. Her name is Monse and she almost got baptized about 4 or 5 months ago but wasn't ready yet. We stopped teaching her after that because she wasn't very interested in it and we hadn't really taught her since. When she came and started listening the other day she started asking us a lot of questions and has gotten to a point in her life where she has to make a lot of big decisions. We taught her about reading scriptures and praying and the next time we went over there we taught the plan of salvation and then on Sunday she came to church and then this Tuesday while we were over there we sat down and she started to cry. She said she prayed until 3 in the morning and had the overwhelming feeling that she needs to be baptized and that Heavenly Father wants her to serve a mission. Nine months ago Monse didn't believe in God and felt she had no purpose in this life. A week from today she is going to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am overwhelmed with joy to be able to see this miracle. This is why Heavenly Father needed me to stay just a little longer; to show me that He is a God of miracles.
I have been reading my journal a lot this week and reflecting on my mission. I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity to serve the Lord. I have met so many amazing people, learned so much, and have grown closer to my Savior.

I thank everyone who has supported me during these two years. They have been the best two years of my life and I have felt the prayers of friends and family that have carried me all the way through. I will be eternally grateful for the support of my family, friends, and church leaders.

I know that this is Christ`s church that has been restored by a modern day prophet. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know that our Savior lives. I know he paid a price for us that we will never be able to repay Him. I know that families can be forever and I am so excited to be back with mine.

See you soon everybody :)

Love,

Elder Del Toro

Patricia

Saturday October 24, 2015

Hello Friends and Family!

All is well here in Guadalajara! We gave Hurricane Patricia a run for her money! :) It was actually pretty funny because we have a zone on the coast that was supposed to be the only zone hit by the storm and so they were preparing and everything and Patricia threw a curve ball and started heading up our way. I´m not going to lie, we were all jumping for joy when we heard we were going to get a piece of Patricia. I thought it would have made the perfect end of the mission story! Yesterday morning we went and bought food and water for two days and buckled down ready for the storm in the afternoon. It just rained and that was about it. There are a couple fallen down trees in the city but nothing major.

Besides that, this week was pretty normal. We worked a lot and have been having a good time with our good friends Elder Conrad and Elder Gonzalez. They have an appointment in the embassy on Monday. We don't know if we should pray that they get everything figured out or that they have more problems so they can stay with us!

Being with the new missionaries has made me remember when I first got to the mission. I have been telling them all sorts of mission stories and funny experiences and it has helped me realize how many amazing experiences I have had here. I have enjoyed some funny experiences, some scary ones, lots of spiritual experiences, challenging, sad, faith building... So many experiences that have helped me learn and grow. Sorry in advance if all you hear from me when I get home is mission experiences. I know that not a day will go by when I do not either think of something from my mission or use a skill that I have learned on my mission. I feel like this experience of serving the Lord has become a foundation that I will always be able to rely on when times get tough. I can truly say that the Lord has become my rock and foundation.

I love you all! Have a great week :)

Elder Del Toro

On the Lord's Errand

Saturday October 17, 2015

Another good week in Guadalajara!

I have been learning so much lately! The Lord has been teaching me so many things during my whole mission but I think I am becoming a better learner or something. Life is just full of little lessons to learn from.

I have good and bad news about the stolen suit case boys...
The good news is that they were able to go to the area that they were originally assigned to! The not so great news is that they had to come back the next day because they found out their passport and visa things still aren't in line. And that´s not even really bad news because that means they will be with us another couple weeks!!

Elder Gonzalez and I had a really sweet experience teaching a family who still hasn't been sealed in the temple. The husband was baptized just over a year ago and so they can be sealed whenever they are ready but they haven't really shown interest about it. The bishop asked us to visit them so we did and we had a 15 minute lesson with them but it was one of my favorite lessons I have been in during my mission. We talked about covenants and the reason why we make them with our Heavenly Father. We then talked about the new and everlasting covenant, which is eternal marriage. We both shared a spiritual experience that we have had with our families in the temple and shared our testimonies. The spirit was so strong! We felt impressed to invite them, as representatives of Jesus Christ, to not procrastinate any longer their temple marriage. They were both crying and it was clear to see that the spirit was telling them that that is exactly what they need to do. As missionaries we always teach in the name of Christ but every once in a while, you get a special feeling that our Heavenly Father is speaking directly through you. It is a great privilege to be a worthy representative of Jesus Christ and to help Him bring to pass His work and His glory. I love being a missionary. It´s the best thing I´ve ever done.

Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Elder Del Toro

A Convert from Stolen Suitcases

Saturday October 10, 2015

Hello Friends and Family,

It`s been a great week! I am still a trainer! Elder Gonzalez and Elder Conrad still don't have their passport and visa stuff worked out so they are still staying with us. It`s been so fun. The missionaries that were supposed to train them called us this morning wondering if Elder Gonzalez and Elder Conrad are ever going to make it down to Zamora. Poor guys! We robbed their sons!! They should be on their way down there sometime this week though.

This is kind of a cool story about their suitcases getting stolen... A policeman came to do the report that day of the accident and we were all talking to him a little bit. A few days later he stopped by the mission office to drop off some paperwork for President Egginton and told him that while he was talking to us four missionaries he felt something that he has never felt before and wanted to know more and also wanted his brother to know more about the message we share. President Egginton took down the info and sent the missionaries to visit them. The brother of that policeman received the missionaries and accepted a baptismal date and the policeman is receiving the missionaries in his home with his family. If those two Elders` things never wouldn't have gotten stolen, those people never would have been able to hear this message. Who would have thought that so much happiness would come out of stolen suitcases? Elder Conrad and Elder Gonzalez have had a rough start to their mission but they said that getting all their stuff stolen is all worth it if through it all someone comes to know of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and is able to make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father.

It`s amazing to me how our Heavenly Father works. The experiences that he gives us help to shape us and become what He knows we can become. I love being a missionary because I feel closer to my Heavenly Father than I have ever felt in my life. I am so happy :)

Have a great week everyone!

Elder Del Toro

Another Gonzalez

Monday October 5, 2015

Hello Family!

This week has been crazy! We sent off all the old missionaries and got in all the new missionaries on Monday. Something kind of funny happened.... We went and picked up two american elders who got here on a later flight and then went back to the mission home for them to be interviewed by President and when we came out a couple hours later, we jumped in the van and started driving and one of the new elders said "has this glass always been like this?". We turned around and the back window was smashed in and all of the suitcases were gone. EVERYTHING they brought to the mission was gone. They both took it like men. We went to the mall and bought them new everything and had to go report the crime so they could get new passports and it was just a big hassle. They were supposed to go work in Zamora but they have to stay here in Guadalajara until they get their paperwork in to be legal here in Mexico so I was very quick to volunteer Elder Raya and I to be their temporary trainers. I´m a trainer!!!! I am training Elder Gonzalez from Mesa Arizona and Elder Raya is training Elder Conrad from Provo. They will probably be heading to their new areas sometime this week but it has been a lot of fun to be showing them the ropes this week. The first missionary I trained was also Elder Gonzalez! I´m two for two on Gonzalezes!

Conference weekend was awesome!!! I loved a bunch of the talks but one that really stuck out to me was President Eyring´s about his great great grandfather who was called to be a missionary after being a member for 7 months and then during his mission his President passed away and he became the new mission president. Later in his mission he had a dream that he needed to find Brigham Young so he went and found him and when he got there he told him he had not been called but he felt he needed to leave to find the prophet and he was willing to go right back if that was what the Lord wanted. Brigham told him that he was needed and they were looking for him. President Eyring said that there are many times when we feel inadequate but whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies.
There have been many times when I have felt inadequete during my mission and maybe right at first of all those times I was inadequete, but looking back now, I can see how the Lord has blessed me and has helped me grow to be able to accomplish the different tasks that he has had me do.

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ! :)

Love,
Elder Del Toro

Iguana

Saturday September 26, 2015

Hello Jello..

Another week down! This week was pretty sweet. We had zone conferences in Lazaro Cardenas and Uruapan and stopped by Morelia for a couple of interviews. We have been busy with transfers lately and then next week is leadership conference but after that things should be a little less crazy. I will be spending my last 6 weeks here in my same area with Elder Raya. At the end of this transfer it will be 10 months in this area :P That´s a long time!!! But I love the ward and Elder Raya so it´s ok.

This week I tried iguana for the first time. We were in Lazaro Cardenas and a family had given the zone leaders some iguana so they shared it with us. I know they say this about everything, but it tastes like chicken.

I love being a missionary. These past few months have been a little hard because it´s been different not working in an area a whole bunch but I have realized that the Lord calls us all for different purposes and no matter what the purpose might be, he expects us to serve with all of our heart, might, and strength. It doesn't matter if we are a stake president, missionary, nursery leader, or whatever else. What matters most is that we serve with a willing heart with all that we have.

I love being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am learning so much. I am so grateful for this opportunity and blessing.

Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Del Toro

 This is in a little town called Paracho. They make a lot of guitars there.



Love and Charity

Saturday September 12, 2015

Hello family!

This week was a great one. We got through 3 zone conferences and had to postpone the other two in MichoacĂ n because there was a family emergency with a missionary in our mission and he decided to go home to support his family.

I learned a great lesson this week about charity and love. Sometimes we get so caught up with how WE feel and what WE want that we forget about others. I was having a tough day the other day and thought that what I was going through was something that just wasn't fair. Almost at the same time while I was having those thoughts, the mission president got a phone call from a stake president of a missionary here in our mission telling him that this missionary`s mom had passed away in a hiking accident. I immediately realized that what I was going through was nothing compared to what this missionary and his family would be going through. We drove to his house and this missionary walked out with a great big smile on his face to see all of us. I started to cry thinking about how this news about his mom would hurt him. My worries about myself immediately went away and I felt love and charity for this missionary. We were able to spend the next day with him and talk with him and at night when we were in bed he thanked us for the love and support we gave him. I felt overwhelming happiness knowing that my companion and I could help another son of God that was in need of our help.

That which will help us most in our times of need is serving others. I love my mission. I am learning more than I ever thought I would learn on my mission. I am so grateful for my friends, my family, my religion, and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Make it a great week this week :)

Elder Del Toro

Zions Camp

Saturday September 5, 2015

Hello family!

All is well here in the mother land. This week flew by and we are currently in Zamora. We forgot that we were coming with President and sister Egginton starting today so we kind of scrambled to get laundry washed real quick and came on our way. We will be here in Zamora for three days and then continue on to Uruapan, Morelia, and Lazaro Cardenas. We will get home a week from today and continue on with the zone conferences in Guadalajara. The bad part is that I forgot my socks.. Just kidding, I remembered them :)

This week I have been studying a little bit of the teachings of Joseph Smith. I was reading about how a group of men were called to be part of "Zions camp" and had to travel 1600 kilometers to get to the place where they thought they were going to fight a battle. When they arrived the prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation that it was not necessary to fight and that they could turn back. The Lord revealed that it was necessary to get to that point to show their faith and devotion. Many of the men complained and criticized the prophet, but that trip also shaped and formed many of the first leaders of the church. When the church was later organized, nine of the first twelve apostles and all the first quorum of the 70 were men who had been part of "Zions camp". On that trip they took, those men learned what they needed to learn about leadership in the church and showed the Lord their faith and devotion no matter the circumstances. We may never know why we must go through what we do, but we do know that if we are obedient and endure it well, the Lord will shape us into who we must become to be able to serve Him.

I love our Savior and I am learning so much as I try to become a better tool in His hands. Whatever trial you are going through, endure it well :)

Have a great week!

Elder Del Toro

Blessings Follow Faith

Saturday August 22, 2015

Hello family!

This week has been wonderful. The temple trip went great with the missionaries who finished their missions. The Sunday night before they go home there is always a testimony meeting and I always love hearing their strong testimonies as they end their missionary service. It is going to be my turn before I know it.. I got my flight plans this week :P What a scary/exciting time to be at the end of your mission. I feel like the Lord is blessing me with more joy than I have ever felt in my life. I feel so blessed to be a missionary at this time.

We found two awesome families this week! We found both of them after the trial of our faith. We found one of the families while it was raining cats and dogs. We were thinking there was no point in continuing to look for people to teach because everyone would be inside but we kept working and then the rain stopped almost right away and we found a lady who needed help carrying a big water jug to her house. As we talked to her we found out that her husband died a few months ago and her and her two kids have been having a tough time understanding why God did that to them. We were able to teach the plan of salvation and it brought them peace and happiness knowing that they could see their father again. Another day it was really hot and we weren`t having any success and hadn`t had any lessons that day. We were walking down a street and passed a house that had the door open and there was a family inside. We got half way down the block and decided we needed to go back and talk to them. We went back and they let us right in and we taught them about the restored gospel and invited them to be baptized. They accepted everything and are planning on coming to church this week. The blessing always come after the trial of our faith. We are very exciting to help these two families learn more about the restored gospel and to come unto Christ.

We are doing awesome. I love being a missionary. I`ve never been so happy in my life.

Have a great week!

Elder Del Toro