Mission Tour with Elder Nelson! May 27

Dear Friends and Family, This week has been quite the week, the highlight of the week by far was our Mission tour with Elder Russell M. Nelson! This was the first time that the entire mission has met for a conference so I was able to see all of my batch and old missionary friends. However the best part of the conference of Course was hearing from Elder Nelson. We were all seated in our seats reading the scriptures when we came in and then we were all able to shake his hand. He was on a really tight schedule so our conference wasn't very long. We first heard from a member of the Area preisdency Elder Neilson and his wife who talks were both amazing but my favorite was Elder Nelson's talk. The spirit was so strong in that room and I listened in awe so the things he said. He gave us some opportunites to ask him questions and the way he answered the questions and his Gospel Knowledge is just on a whole other plane. Right now I want to share some of my favorite things that he shared with us. He talked about the way we look at people and this what he said, "We see what we see, but beyond what you see, see what they can be". He talked about how we need see people for their potential not just as who they are at that moment. He also talked about how the future potential of people is contingent on their encounters with us. He shared a story about meeting a chinese man in china and seeing him in white baptismal clothes. Many years later that man was baptized. This has helped me change the way I now look at people. When I see them I picture them at baptism or in the temple. This has also helped me a lot as I have worked with members of my zone. I seeing the great potential they ahve and it just makes me excited. I feel a greater love for people and am that much more excited about missionary work. Elder Nelso also talked about how it's important to find common ground while teaching people like Ammon did with kind lamoni in Alma 18. That has helped me a lot to. He said so many things that I want to share you. He talked about what a prophet of God see's when he looks in our eyes and he also talked about our families while we are on missions and the blessings they will recieve (D&C31). It was just an amazing experience. I feel truely changed because of the spirit I felt, the promptings I felt, the things I heard and the revelation I recieved. The spirit is just a wonderful thing and I am so thankful for it. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to be a part of our misison tour I hope that one day I can share more of what I learned with you. This past week we also saw some great success in our work. Our church attendance yesterday was 104 which is the highest I have ever seen it and it's all because of our rescue efforts with the less-actives. I really feel like we are establishing the church in San Jose by helping priesthood holders come back and by helping families get to the temple. This past week we taught a lot of very spiritual lessons but some of my favorite were to the De Dios family, who I have talked about in Previous weeks. We taught them about tithing and it while we were teaching it they talked about how most of the time money is really tight for them. Brother Dexter then told us that he realized that things were hard financially because he hadn't payed his tithing in 10 years. It was really cool to see the spirit testify to him that if he paid his tithing the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on their family. Right now Brother Dexter is getting ready to be ordained as a priest so he can baptize his two boys this upcoming june 9! I love this family so much and love seeing them live the Gospel. Things are going really good here in San Jose. Elder Revillo and I are working well together and I know that this is going to be a great transfer. The zone is also really excited and we have a lot of good missionaries here serving in San Jose right now. June is going to be a month of Miracles! The pictures I attached are all from the conference. The first picture is of my MTC Batch. The sisters in my batch go home the first week of August which is weird to think about! The second picture is of Elder Tomasi and I. It was so good to see and be with Elder Tomasi. The first time I saw the entire mission was at transfer announcements so it was good to see him again! I really really love Elder Tomasi! The last picture is the Burgos family tree. All of us there besides Elder Pioquinto got trained and trained in Burgos. The Elder With the Red hair is my great, great, grandson in the mission! It was also really good to see Elder Pioquinto again. This is his last transfer and I probablly won't see him again before he goes home. I love being a missionary! I love San Jose! Mahal ko kayo Love Elder LEishman Fight the Good Fight of Faith!