Happy Easter (Week 19)

Hello Everyone,

This week went by really fast to say the least! Happy Easter to everyone!!!! or late Easter ha ha! Elder Shortland and I had a very busy and tiring week. We have been trying to find more people to teach. We have just been traveling around the city and talking to lots of people.  We were able to set up appointments for this week, so we will see how those go! This past Saturday we went to an Easter party that President Parker hosted. We had dinner (aka lots of Chinese dumplings and rice) and we watched bible videos, Meet the Mormons and we played table tennis. It was a really great party and lots of people attended! I found out there is a movie theater in the basement of our teaching center so that was really cool to see!

 On Sunday was the Easter service and it was really nice to hear recent converts give talks. It's so awesome to see the progress they have made in their life because of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Francis was also confirmed a member of the church and received the Holy Ghost this Sunday! I spoke with him after and he is so excited, he told me that he was saving up money from work so that he can go and serve a mission as well! He is awesome! 

Opening our care packages from home!

We took Francis and Hao our recent converts and Kit an investigator out to lunch in China town. We  had some hot pot which is always super good and yummy! Hot pot is a spicy dish made of  beef, fish, muscles, and vegetables . We have been going to China town a lot to eat.

Hot Pot

China Town and Bings Chinese restaurant on the corner

Elder Shortland and I are looking forward to the new week! Sorry for the late email, but they had a public holiday here Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and the Libraries were closed! I hope you all have a great week and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!! 

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Sincerely,

               Elder Ethan Salcedo

Spiritual Giant (Week 18)

Hello Everyone,

We had transfers yesterday! Elder Shortland and I will both be staying in the city, which is so fantastic! This was such a great week!! We had general conference this week and I learned so much, There were very many powerful talks given and this was probably my favorite one so far that I have been able to watch! 

Francis was baptized on Saturday! It has been so amazing seeing how truly prepared he was from God! He had already quit smoking three months before, so the Word of Wisdom was not a problem with him! He has a friend who has a sad life because of her parents having Law of Chastity problems, so he understood the importance of the Law of Chastity.  He wants to pay his tithing so other people around the world could receive the resources he has which have changed his life and so they can learn more about God! He was super excited to be baptized and to watch the prophet speak right after! When he was baptized he said he felt like God was holding him in the water. He also said that a year ago he met some people and he didn't want to listen to them, but when he met us he said he had a feeling that he should listen.  He did and now his testimony in God and in Jesus Christ is so strong! He was truly prepared by God and is indeed a spiritual giant!

Elder Shortland and I with Francis

 

 Elder Shortland and I are ready once again to smash the work this transfer and do our very best to bring as many of God's children back to Him as we can! I hope you all had a great week  and I invite you all to take the challenge of the speakers from General Conference and read the Living Christ testimony and Family Proclamation, which we were invited to read and study many times over this conference. Continue to study the notes you have taken and the talks from conference again, I promise that they will answer your questions! I hope you all have a great week and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!

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Sincerely,

               Elder Ethan Salcedo

Prince of Peace (Week 17)

Hello Everyone,

Well it is the final week of the transfer already! It went by super fast! Elder Shortland and I are working really hard this week because we have a baptism date scheduled for this Saturday. We are excited for Francis and he is excited to be baptized. Since we are a day ahead of you we will be watching General Conference that we missed from last weekend afterwards.

We have been really busy with lessons and meeting new people this week. We had a great dinner appointment last night to break our fast.  It was with a family I had eaten with at the beginning of my mission. Lets just say we were so stuffed, probably the only time I felt that way this entire transfer ha ha! 

There was a testimony meeting at Prospect ward and it was a really solid meeting, the spirit was so strong and everyone was bearing really powerful testimonies! I also had the opportunity to attend the missionary fireside for the stake last night and the spirit was so strong! We watched a few bible videos about Jesus Christ and His life and Resurrection, the spirit was just so strong! Then we heard some great talks by a recent convert and Sister Parker! They revealed the new Prince of Peace video and let me just say wow the spirit was so strong when I watched it. Out of all the videos the church has released for Christmas and Easter this was my favorite one yet! I encourage all of you to click on the link below and  watch the video and then share it on your social media for everyone to see, so that they may also feel the Spirit from the video. The video will help them understand why Jesus Christ is important and essential in their life! That is my challenge for all of you reading this email member or not :) I hope you all have a great week and I love you all!!!!

https://www.mormon.org/?cid=HP_SU_2-4-2017_dPFD_fMORG_xLIDyL1-C_