Sister Martina: A Powerful Member-Missionary

This week has been just great! Thanks for sending me pictures. Christie, my nephew is beautiful.
It's hard to believe I'm coming up to 16 months. It feels like I was just at home hanging out with everyone before they had to go off and get married.

I thought I'd share something that I wrote a few days back in my journal with all of you. It's about Martina:

The Peruvian members of the church here are humble, sincere, and for many of them you could say that there could not be a happier people among all the people who [have] been created by the hand of God (see 4 Nephi 1:16). That`s true for one happy sister that has come to be one of my closet friends Sister Martina Castro.

In 1991, Sister Martina was baptized with her husband in Suyana, Peru. 5 Years later, after the baptism her husband passed away, leaving a widowed mother with hungry children to feed. Tears began to soak her eyes from the memories as she told me, "When my husband died, we lost everything. I had to sell the house. We built a small brick home four meters wide. We sold rice, and didn`t have enough to go on but I kept enthusiastic and my Heavenly Father does His part. Thanks to Him, we had enough to keep going."

Finally sister Martina and her family were able to leave Suyana. They moved into a house here in Ventanilla, Peru (Where I`m currently serving). For several years, she lost in touch with the church and became inactive. She learned how to bake cakes and cook tamales to help her family. She sells to all the neighbors here and it seems like she knows everybody. Several months ago she returned to the church, and has been a member firm in the faith ever since.

"I knew I needed to be part of the Lord`s church, and I always felt the Lord was calling me back", Sister Martina told me.

Now sister Martina Castro is making up for lost time, talking with literally everyone about the gospel. It seems like every time we visit, there's somebody else sister Martina knows that wants to make covenants with their Heavenly Father. Thanks to Sister Martina's love for the gospel, in two months my companions and I have baptized eight members of her family. Even her mother Elva who just turned 80 (I think I told you the wrong age before) years old! The blessings don't stop there, because she didn`t stop. She continues sharing the gospel and now four more family members have baptism dates.

The Lord is so powerful, Sister Martina says. "When I give more, God gives me more."

I give thanks to the Lord, and I give thanks to Sister Martina Castro for simply sharing the gospel with others. As a missionary, I have experienced first-hand through all this that the members are so incredibly important to the missionary work. The prophecy of Joseph Smith is being fulfilled as these modern day lamanites flourish as the rose. But Peru or not, the blessings from the Gospel of Jesus Christ will come to ALL Saints as they share it.

Before I left in my last visit she added, I want my family and grandchildren to grow and be happy and put faith in Jesus Christ. I tell them that this Church is true.

This week was a good one too. We baptized Rosalbina, the mother of Paula and Martin, and also Beatriz, the mother of John, Dalma, and Angel. It was a really special baptism. The husband of Rosalbina even came to the baptism even though he usually doesn't want to know anything. We have so many families to help complete. We have eleven baptism dates, partly thanks to a reference yesterday in Church. We always go around to every organization and ask references and sister Nelly said she knew of a familily that want to learn about the gospel. We went in the night with sister Nelly and they all accepted baptism dates. The only problem is that the parents aren't married. He has to go in for surgery any day too, but the good part is that he accepted to get married. Hopefully before this Halloween so he can get baptized with the kids.

That's about it. I love you so very much.

Elder Layton

We Have to Keep Pushing Forward

Buenos Dias,

Vamos a la playa!!! Oh oh ohhh oh You've probably never heard that song before. We're going to the beach to bbq and play soccer. I finally got the package!! THANK YOU! It was the best ever. I felt loved. I haven't had the time to play any of the songs you sent me though...but one day.

This week was a hard one.

Yesterday a lot of the investigators didn't come to church. We challenged some of them that fell for the 17th of Oct. I was kind of bummed yesterday too when Oliver didn't come to his confirmation. There's a first time for everything. John, Dalma, and Angel who are all siblings and their cousin Paula were all confirmed. So 15 Baptisms for September but only 14 confirmations. I feel blessed but I know that we need to work even harder than we did this week for October!

We had interviews with President this week. He gave me Mosiah 23:15-22 to read. He talks to me using the scriptures I think. I studied it and everything and I'm trying to apply it. It describes that Alma had success when he put his trust in the Lord. I only hope that I can continue trusting in my Heavenly Father.

I learned this week that maybe our commitments need work. It feels so overwhelming to commit so many people at the same time and visit each one every day but I know we have to just keep pushing forward. President was really happy about the success were having and told me to keep growing.

It looks like my usb lost the pictures it had. Luckily I have backups. But I need to make more now. Ill try sending pictures soon.

Thanks so much for everything!!!! Oh yeah! Christie! Congrats on being a mommy. That's crazy. I guess that makes me an Uncle! I think that's a tear in my eye. Bueno, I love you very much.

I'd just like to share a little bit of my testimony.

I love the gospel and I know it's true. The mission has been the best part of my life. Better than video games, better than American food, better than girls. Of course I miss those things but not really. I want to serve the mission for another 12 years like Ammon did in the Book of Mormon, but they might send me home before then.

I know the profet Thomas Monson is called of God just like his counselors, the twelve apostle, and other leaders in the church. I know that Jesus Christ is the Key cornerstone of The Church of ]esus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Book of Mormon is true si o si. There's not even room to doubt from the physical evidence, and the spiritual confirmation and the promise of that book is something hard to explain but I know by the power of the Holy Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true.

Joseph Smith was a true profet with more fruits than almost any other profet I know of.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

ps.

I know that going to the beach today will bring joy to my heart, as well as the BBQ. I know that playing soccer on the beach is true. And.... nos vemos hasta pronto... bueno, proximo lunes. Send pics if you can. I love getting them.

Chow,

Elder Layton

Thanks to Heavenly Father We've Been Blessed With Success

Hey what's up?

Things out here in Zapallal 1 of Puente Piedra are doing amazingly. I just got out of the temple. We woke up at 4:30 in the morning.... so of course I feel a little exhausted right now. I think we'll go home and sleep an hour or two before 6pm. We've been busy here working hard.

Thanks to my Heavenly Father we've been blessed with success beyond anything I could have ever hoped for.

13 INCAS! (Investigators in the Church) I was privileged again to be John the Baptist on Saturday! We baptized five people. William, a young man who has a brother in the ward but their parents aren't members. Leidy a young women and reference from the grandmother of Astrid (Astrid the girl we baptized two weeks ago). Claudia, a girl whose mother is less active. Rosa, the best friend of a women in the ward named Adela. Rosa has two little children and a husband but her husband is never home so we haven't had the opportunity to talk with him yet. Rosa had been taught by missionaries for a long time but they never challenged her to baptism. She accepted right away! Also we baptized Rosa's younger brother who's 19 years old!!! (I thought he was 16 before). All of them were confirmed on Sunday and are doing great!!!

I ate chicken feet this week. I would have to lie if I said they were delicious.

We contacted 202 people.

The girl that was baptized on Saturday named Leidy has two sisters Shirley and Giosselyn and a friend that lives with them named Edith. Leidy introduced us to them a while back and they're stoked for their baptism this week. Also a young man named Junior will be getting baptized this week. We've taught him all of the discussions as of last Thursday and a little in Church because it's impossible to find him because of work, but he's committed to come to his interview this week and be baptized on Saturday. Junior's great! He's fifteen years old and he has family that lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

On the 5th of September we'll be baptizing a man named Jesus (he'll really feel like John the Baptist on the 5th) who has been going to church forever but finally made the decision to get baptized. He told me a story about a while back his life was really messed up and he was about to join the Neo Nazis or something, but he has a changed spirit and I feel he's prepared for the 5th. Also a girl named Paola will be getting baptized on the 5th.

The cousins and brothers of Paola need a little more time to prepare. Jhair and Alizon her cousins and Martin her brother have baptism dates for September 19th. The mother would be getting baptized but she's not married. We taught her the law of chastity and we have to verify but I think she'll decide to split up from her boyfriend. The mom's been living with this guy for 20 years or something but he abuses her and I encouraged her that to live the law of chastity one of her options was to split up. She said that she wants to.

We also found a family that have 8 kids, the parents are married. We have an appointment to go back and the mom and 3 of the kids have baptism dates for September 12th. We have permission slips signed and everything so it should all go pretty smoothly.

Also a mom and her daughter came to church. The mom didn't have desires to get baptized but she signed the permission slip of her daughter Merlit and she wants to prepare for September 19th.

All I know is I haven't really done anything but be obedient and work hard. It's been hard being Senior companion but my companion is one of the best examples to me. I feel blessed more than I can explain.

Saturday was so funny. I got to the last baptism and Claudia didn't want to get into the water. She was screaming because the water was freezing cold... hahaha. After about 15 minutes with the help of her aunt and uncle she got into the water, step by step. Also when Rosa (Women with two kids) came up out of the water she made the loudest gasp of air of any baptism I've ever had. Funny stuff. She sounded like an injured animal or something.

That's about it. Hasta luego. The Gospel blesses lives.

I love you all, keep writing people!

Your Elder,

Elder Layton