3/6/10

Dear "Best Family in the World":

I thought this letter I'm including might interest some of you. I'm sure you are aware of the earthquake in Chile and the damage it caused. This letter is from the Mission President's wife of the Santiago East to her family. It's at the bottom of the email if you'd like to read it. Pretty incredible!

I've decided to try and have something to write on next to my bed so that I can record spiritual promptings when they come in the wee hours of the night.

Anyways, Elder Peppler and I have had a pretty awesome week. We just came from a Zone Leader Council with our mission president where were discussing some of the needs of the missionaries in this mission and how we can improve. I was amazed at how the subjects we were discussing paralleled so closely to things I need in my own life. My mission president is so wise and he is inspired. We talked at great length about culture; the culture of the mission and traditions and how we need to break bad habits and bad elements of the culture and keep and improve the good parts. I think it's easy to get stuck in a rut in life and never get outside of your circumstances and difficulties. It takes work and effort and it is sometimes painful to recognize things that you are doing wrong, even just out of ignorance or habit, and to correct them. If you keep doing the same thing you've always done, you'll keep getting the same results you always have. I found that I have been guilty of this in so many ways in my life-not even related to spiritual things. I often just expect things to change because I want them to and I hope they will. But it takes a good deal of examining yourself and seeking improvement, sometimes from an outside source, to break the cycle. In our mission, we are very good teachers. Those that we teach, we baptize, and retain them. But we're not so great at finding new investigators. If we can break the cycle, and find as much as other missions, we would be fulfilling our purpose in a miraculous fashion! I'm excited for the months to come. The future has never seemed so bright and so optimistic! I love this work!

Speaking of finding new people to teach, Elder Peppler and I were tracting yesterday in some apartments near campus and knocked on one young man's door. He seemed incredibly sincere and invited us in to talk a little more. As we sat down he informed us that he was from the Church of Christ and that his pastor was coming over in just few minutes to talk with him as well. I was a little uneasy at that, not sure how the pastor would react to us being there but we decided to stay and began teaching this young man, Craig, about the plan of salvation. When the pastor arrived, we shifted our focus to answer some questions that he had had about our faith. The pastor, Todd, was a graduate from Pepperdine university and at first was a little abrasive in his question about the validity of the Book of Mormon. He wanted archaeological evidence to support the stories in the Book of Mormon. As we talked we politely explained the need for faith and seeking answer from God through prayer and the Holy Ghost. As we bore testimony, I would love to tell you that he was completely converted at that moment; He wasn't, but his demeanor did change as did his approach. We began to discuss more the things we had in common. By the end he said he was willing for us to meet again to talk more and to bring some points that we believed in to his attention. He also mentioned how much respect he had for the Latter-day saints and admired their discipline. He said the closing prayer and prayed for everyone to be able to find truth. As we said our goodbye's, he mentioned that we were all brothers and children of God and all trying to achieve the same goal. I left humbled by the Spirit that was there and the miracle that had occurred. Just that morning Elder Peppler and I had prayed to be able to find new people to teach to bless their lives with the message of the restoration! The lord hears our prayers...isn't it incredible?!

My dear family, I love you all. My love has grown as we have been separated by this work I have been called to do. It has been a good thing. I am in deeper gratitude of all that you all have done for me and appreciate the wonderful relationship I enjoy with each of you! I am saddened by the struggles some are facing but confident in the atonement and the future.

I'll leave with a new favorite scripture an Elder brought to my attention today:

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad...."

D&C 128:22

Love you all! God bless!

---Elder Cabrera

P.S. The letter about the earthquake in chile is below. Enjoy!

http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/100303chile.html

2/27/10

Hey family,

Hope everyone had a great week! It was incredible here in the Promised Land! Colorado is beginning to show signs of spring and it's so beautiful. Yesterday and today it was in the 50's with clear skies and lots of sunshine. You could see the mountains perfectly-I wish I could go climb them! Colorado is for sure the best kept secret; everyone should move here.

This was a pretty crazy week. Lots of interesting experiences. First, we are teaching a less-active young man who is borderline anti-mormon but agreed to meet with us if we would teach him only from the bible. So I guess we're now teaching a Bible study class! We had interviews with our mission president, which was amazing. He is a wise and inspired leader. I have a lot of respect and love for him. We began teaching a new investigator named Alex who is just incredibly sincere in his search for truth. We taught him about the bookof mormon and about prophets and he loved it. He has investigated almost every religion from Judiasm to Paganism, and says he feels like he finally has found answers in the Book of Mormon. One of the wards in our Zone had a talent show and asked the Samoan elders there to do a "haka" for the ward and somehow we ended up a part of that. Apparently a haka is a war dance from the pacific islands. We're going to war against the powers of darkness! We are now giving a presentation to a Methodists congregation in town on Wednesday. Im not sure how that came about but evidently they want to learn about what mormons believe. And as a side note we're also going to be giving our input on the CSU's "Faith and Spirituality" panel of various religions. So lots going on in FoCo!

Other than that life is great! I was wondering if anyone had some either email addresses or mailing addresses fora few members of our family I would like to write: Taylor, Grandma Bugga, Aunt Bev and Uncle Bry, Kirk, Uncle Jim, Austie. If anyone could send them to me I would appreciate it. I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying life. I hope to hear from you all soon!

--
Elder Cabrera

2/20/10

This was a stellar week!! So many amazing spiritual experiences. I feel so honored and blessed, and just down right spoiled to be on a mission. I could never imagine my life without it now. I can now understand the push to serve-it stretches you and helps you find yourself. It's the most incredible thing I've ever done and the greatest work I've ever been a part of. I don't think I maintain the vocabularly sufficient to describe what an amazing experiences it is. It's so fulfilling and life changing. It sets the tone for the rest of your life.

I mentioned in my last email home the confirmations I had received that I am in the right area in the right mission. It continues to happen. I am noticing more and more the people that I know I have been sent to help. It's incredible how aware our Heavenly Father is of all His children and how he works through those He trusts to do His work. I've noticed this week that some investigators we are teaching and less actives we have been visiting are people that I get along with really and our personalities are similar. Jason is one investigator we have been teaching for several weeks now. I noticed just this week how well we get along and how much I enjoy his company and our visits. He has an interest in the medical field much like I do and is planning on going to medical school in a year or so. We had a breakthrough lesson with him where we talked about the Spirit, the Book of Mormon, and Baptism. He has some really deep and sincere questions that make me have to think (dang!) and reflect on my understanding. I love to teach him. We usually dont even end up teaching what we plan to teach but the lesson is more like a conversation than a sermon, and he said he has seen changes in his life since reading from the Book of Mormon and praying and coming to Church. He is an awesome guy and will be a great member of the church one day. I keep you all updated on how he is doing.

Another person we have been teaching is a man named Brad. He is a member but has been struggling with life and is having a rough time. I have never met someone who I instantly had the most profound and deepest love for. It was without effort. I dont know if it is just because he is just so affable in nature or if it is because he reminds me so much of Jared and therefore I instantly like him. In any case he is great. Our lessons with him are, again not so scripted, but rather very heartfelt and tender. I love him, without reserve, and for reasons I can't quite understand. I feel like it's the Savior's love. I feel like He is teaching me how to love those He has wlaked with and knows and loves Himself. Brad is an incredible person; he's a convert and served a mission just a year after he was baptized. He has quite the life story and lots of incredible experiences.

We heard from Elder L. Tom Perry yesterday. Words can't communicate the feeling that was present there. An apostle of the Lord spoke to us as a mission and gave us some incredible direction. As I shook his hand he looked right into my eyes and said "Thanks for being here." I feel like I never want to wash my hand ever again! He was an amazing speaker and the Spirit was strong. He talked about how important Preach My Gospel is and the wonderful tool it can be in missionary work (he pulled out his iphone and said he had it downloaded on it so he could take it on the go! No joke!). He was very entertaining and made us laugh and made us cry. I received a stronger witness that this Church is led by a living prophet who receive direction from Christ Himself and it is organized and arranged in such a way to bless the maximum number of Heavenly Father's children in the most efficient way. It is without fault.

Love you all! Hope everything is going fantastically. Keep me posted on how you are all doing!

--
Elder Cabrera

2/13/10

Family,

What a crazy week! We had lots of pretty incredible things happen. I love serving In Fort Collins because it has become so apparent to me why I have been called to this mission at this time and in this place. Certain things have happened this week which have convinced me leaving no room for doubt or coincidence the reasons why I am here. I love it. It is so humbling to be an instrument in the Lord's hands and to be able to bless the lives of His children.

There is a girl in our ward who Elder Peppler and I met with regularly for lessons and she also cuts our hair for free. Her name is Kylee and she is awesome. This week she shared with us that she was struggling with making some big, life changing decisions and with all the variables involved, especially the influence that those around her had on the decision making. I was able to relate in some ways with the struggle I had on deciding on whether or not to serve a mission. Some times the Lord prepares you to be able to share the perfect thing at the right time. I am so grateful for the Spirit being able to guide me in that conversation that seemed to help Kylee in her big decision. I know part of the reason I have been called to Fort Collins was for that meeting.

Next I share perhaps the most faith strengthening and confidence building experiences I have yet had on my mission. I had often heard of others having those miracles on their missions where they happened to be at the right place at the right time and happened to find this golden contact, but I had never yet had such an experience. On Sunday night, after a long fast Sunday, Elder Peppler and I were the last ones to leave the institute. As we pulled out of the parking lot and circled around to the street that the institute faces, something caught our attention. As we drove by the entrance, we saw a figure standing outside the doors on the sidewalk, facing the building's entrance and looking in. We decided that although it was late that we should turn around and go talk to them. We did; one of the best decisions I have made. It was snowing and dark and cold. The streetlights lining the road had been dimmed by the falling precipitation and created a gloomy haze in the dark. The figure, which we now discovered was girl, stood still on the sidewalk despite the dark, the snow, and the cold. As we approached her we saw tears and a sad countenance. I asked her if she wanted to go in. Her eyes didn't the doors, but she nodded. We opened the doors that had once been locked with the keys that had been entrusted to us. When we made it inside we started talking and found that she was a member but had been inactive for quite some time and wanted to come back. We took her around the building and gave her a tour, stopping at the pictures of the Savior and talking about them. It was incredible to see the comfort that immediately came over her as soon as she was inside. There's a special spirit about church buildings that have been dedicated and consecrated to the Lord. A healing spirit. We set up an appointment to meet later on this week and we are excited to visit with her. She left, I'm positive, feeling much better and much more at peace. What would have happened had we not been leaving at that time? What if we had not taken the time to go back and talk to her? I cannot fathom the regret that I would have had I know of the significance of the situation. I know that I was simply an instrument in the hand of the Lord. His daughter needed help and He used me to meet the need. Isn't this gospel incredible? Isn't the God we worship so loving, and so mindful of us in every instance? I saw so many parallels in this experience to life as I sat pondering over it several times. There are those out there, our Brothers and Sisters, who wander a lonely road in the dark, in the cold, and in discouraging circumstances. They often stop along the way and look, longingly, at the doors of the Savior's house, aching for His embrace which has the power to heal our broken hearts and mend our wounded souls. We have been called to stop in the midst of our busy lives and with the keys and knowledge that have been entrusted to us, through open those doors and bring them into His rest. We have a great work to do. We have love and healing to bring to the world.

I know this is a marvelous work I am involved in. I know that it is the Lord's work and that without Him, there could be no miracles such as these. I love Him, and I love that I can teach others the power of His atonement is real. I take comfort in knowing that when it comes to salvation, He is, as the scriptures say, "mighty to save". It's good to know we can full faith in Him and in the cleansing power of the atonement. Were He anything short of perfect I don't think the same could be said, but I am glad to know He was and is perfect. When it comes to faith, it ALWAYS first in the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is no need to doubt. The order of the first principles and ordinances are not given at random; that is the eternal order of things. Faith in Christ will always be first.

Love you all. I am doing so well. I dont mean to be selfish, but I dont ever want to come home. I hope everyone is doing great. Happy Valentine's Day!

--
Elder Cabrera