Elder Cramer looks forward to his final two weeks of love and service

Wow we have the best looking family around I'd say :) And there are so many events that will be happening that our lives will be spinning I feel like. Tell Bre that those ribs look scrumpcious. I am ready to work again. I also am interested in applying for GNC so I can start putting my foot in the door with nutrition. Sister Norma that was baptized worked at GNC in the USA and I am going to ask her this weekend in general conference what she did and all of that jazz.  And I don't know that missionary but maybe I have seen him in the MTC when I was there! How is the work going for our ward?  It'll be fun to start to prep Kolten for his mission and all of that as well. What a blessing. I have plans to go out with the missionaries.. (along with Ryan) so he can be a great missionary. This is the work of the Lord. I know it. And I will work my pants off so that I can give fruit of repentance :) General Conference will give me a lot of answers to my prayers I feel like this week.  This week is busy because today is pday, then tomorrow we have a multi-zone conference with President, then a zone capacitation on Wednesdaye, then Thursday and Friday are normal, then General Conference basically all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday:O I will be receiving a lot of instrucctions! :D

I love you guys. Elder Cramer

I baptized Hermana Norma Ofelia Vargas Martinez on Saturday. She is the person that dreamed about me and so she asked if i could baptize her. It was special :) 

 

 

My companion, elder vega, and i playing with the balloons that you gave me for my birthday :)

Logan will be coming home April 17th

hahaha that is awesome! :)

I didn't even know the date yet I was thinking the 10th but even better the 17th :) But yeah 7 weeks seems like such little time when you really think about it. I am trying to give it all on these last few days. I am still with Elder Vega for at least 4 more weeks. I finished his training now so that should be fun because we can leave the house at 11am instead of 12 in the afternoon :) I hope we can see a lot of success. The ward is starting to progress here because when I came we had only 70 members going and now this last Sunday we had 100 that was awesome to see :D We are working a lot more with the members and so that is always more fun to have the support and those wonderful testimonies that come as we teach families! I really want to try and baptize a family before I go.. That would be awesome :D But I feel like I am really enjoying the mission and I am trying to be perfected in Christ (using the atonement :D)

But I am going to send a few photos of what has been going on with me.. Here are two stories that have really impacted me this last 2 weeks.

1) While I was in the church in the 2nd hour.. A lady named Norma asked me a kind of odd question.. She asked me "Do you like football?" I answered a little off guard "Yes I used to play American football.." Then she sat back in her chair thinking. Later on in the class we were talking about the spirit.. She raised her hand and said.. "I know the spirit exists.. 3 months ago when I was in Colorado, USA I had a dream that I was in this exact room and I talked to this Elder (pointing to me) and I saw his face and he told me that he liked football and then he gave me a treasure that was more beautiful than any other treasure." 

That almost made me cry when that sister told us all that. Just by being here in the exact moment I had answered a dream or something. Now this investigator (that is taking the lessons with the other elders) has a baptismal date and told me that she know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ.. :) 

2) The other story is that we were walking to our house the other day a little down because an investigator just got done telling us that she is 100% Catholic and the church doesn't interest her. And then we heard a noise coming from a window and a lady that was in a wheel chair was trying to get our attention. She explained "I was just praying that God would send me my angel missionaries again because I was going to the church before in another place and I felt so alone.. I cannot move, I cannot do anything and I felt prompted to come to the window and wait. Now that you are here when can you visit me and help me go to church again?" We felt the spirit once again and I know God prepares the hearts of the people when we are trying to live worthily!

Photos

Here is the one with the woman who had the dream.

Here is a photo of a family that we are teaching. They were going to the church in arizona before. Karla and he little daughter went to church on sunday with us! :)

Here is an active family that always helps us with the work!

Last night we have an alacran (scorpion) in our house haha. It made me double check the house to make sure there are no more lurking around! Here is a picture!!

 

Here is a photo of a family that helps us in the work as well and on the right side is Hermana Nancy that will be reactived this next sunday when she goes to church! 

 

Some photos from 2/24/14

Some Valentines photos

A fishy photo - is Logan really eating fish?

 

January 13th - I Know This Is The Truth and I Want to Work Hard To The End Of My Mission

Buenas tardes mis amigos!

This week was really good because we found a few new families to teach and we found a house to change into so we should be changing houses on Wednesday if all goes good as planned! We had a meeting with all our our council of the 2 stakes in Durango and with President Flores and with Elder Lopez of the 70. They are really pushing the wards to work harder and to fill our agendas with people to teach. We are trying to raise the bar of lessons we teach to be able to baptize every week. That is the new goal for the mission. It will be hard but i know we can do it if we all work together! I had exchanges for one day and we contacted a woman that asked us about the church. We taught her the Restoration and she understood it a ton! She was like "oh so Joseph Smith received the keys that Pedro had before he died." and she accepted a baptismal date for February and she committed to go to the church. I felt the spirit real strong and I knew all that what we are teaching is true. Too bad it was for the other area! But she did go to church on Sunday and her 2 nieces as well. It was rewarding to see even though it was not for our side of the ward! :)

But this week we want to move in, make a lot of new investigators and more than anything help them go to church to feel the spirit and prepare to be baptized. One companion that was in the Missionary Training Center with me said that the offices told him that the day we leave is the 10th of April. That is not confirmed but that is what day I am thinking that I will be coming back. Just in time to see the little guy (Vanessa's baby)! :)

I know this is the truth and I want to continue to work hard and have success and do the best that I can!!

Elder Cramer

December 16, 2013 - Worn shoes

(My new companion)
 

Buenas tardes!

I found out that today is a normal prep day but the next two prep days will be on Tuesday :)

I received my new companion. His name is Elder Vega and he is from Vera Cruz. And he is a big fella with a big heart to be honest. He is trying really hard to be a good missionary and what you inspire to become, you eventually become :)

I was trying to work hard and to have a lot of lessons this week, a lot fell through, but that is okay, gotta stay positive.

We had our Christmas activities this week in our 2 zones here in Durango. President came and we did a gift exchange, we ate a yummy comida, we watched Despicable Me 2 (So funny), and then there was a small talent show. But the best part was what we did as a district in the morning. We visited some of our investigators or less actives and we caroled to them so that was really special. And I still don't know the Christmas plans yet because I have to find some members with internet and a camera to skype. We have only 2 members on our side so I have to do some investigating for sure.

Ryan grats on the green belt! Your training looks like Billy Mays!

Vanessa grats on eating the most food in world history!

Keep up the good work being a missionary family! Love you

(My destroyed shoes)

December 9, 2013

Buenas Noches,

Sorry that I am writing super late. It is because I had to come back to Torreon to get my new Elder for the mission to train him so we had to take a 3 hour bus and now we are going to sleep here in the mission home and receive capacitation and then tomorrow 3 hours back to our area. But I did receive my birthday present and I loved it! Here is a photo with my ex companion and I (Elder Marquez, but i was only with him for 2 weeks and now I am training the new Elder named Elder Vega) But it was a lot of fun and I know I have the best family! Last week I showed our bishop the page on lds.org de apresurar la obra. I hope that it helps him have a little bit bigger view on the work and how we need to work together! But that is what I want more than anything dad. To have some converts that make it to the temple.. That is the best feeling! And I don't have plans yet to talk (on skype) but I will work on that this week to try and obtain where and when and what time to do all of that! But just a little reminder that this next Monday will not be our preparation day, but it will be next Tuesday for a few reasons. that will happen for 2 weeks so expect to receive my emails on Tuesday for 2 weeks only! and I will try to get all of the information for Christmas and all of that jazz. How did Ryan play his trombone? Did he sound like a dead cow when he first started playing? Thanks again for the birthday gifts and keep preparing Kolten for his mission!  DO you guys as a family have a list of loved ones you want to help? Do it for family home evening and talk about what you can do each week to help them prepare to be taught by the missionaries (Inviting, planting seeds, giving them things to read...)

Pictures of birthday package with his ex companion and with his new companion.  Missionaries are not supposed to have mustaches!! (they are fake)  ha ha

Lo haran?

Elder Cramer

December 2, 2013

Hey family!

Wendi is an investigator that we had so special (along with her mom Claudia, her sister Yareli) they will be baptized this saturday that is coming up in my last area.. I am sad that I will not be there for it but I know they will be wonderful converts to the Lord! And yes call them because I already told them that you would give them a ring. They are so sweet and before I left I gave them a hymn book and the principles of the gospel book :) They are the best. But this week here in the Guadelupe ward of Durango, Durango was really good and there are a lot of good people that we are teaching. The only hard part is that they live a little far away from the church so it basically is a sacrifice to go to the church every Sunday for the members and the investigators. We had 5 in the church this week but we are trying to work with a few families that we have just found to go and find out if the church is true! :) 

And tell Breanna to be friends with Wendi because she is a sweetheart! she is like 16 years old also and is such a delight. The conversion of this family is amazing. :) It will be a story to tell. But I bet Nessers is getting bigger and that will be so much fun to see her baby in April! I think I will just barely beat the baby to the USA haha :) Next week I will be getting my new missionary to train supposedly so that will be fun to train again :) Right now I am with Elder Marquiz and he is way cool as well. We are having a lot of fun :) and no I have not receeved any packages or letters and I will not receive them until President comes or something like that because the offices are in Torreon not in Durango :O But they will come! :)

I miss you all and know that I love you :)

Here is a picture of me one of these days of the week because I got sick because of the cold weather. It looks like I was a drug addict :O

 

 

November 25, 2013 letter

Hey family!

The news that I have for you is first.. I'm old and the second is that I had transfers today and I got sent close to my first area! I am in Durango Durango again living in a Colonia named La Victoria if you want to look it up. I am with an Elder named Elder Marquez and I will be with him for 2 weeks to learn the area and then I will be training a new missionary here. I am no longer zone leader after 6 months of doing that.  It feels odd just looking after 2 missionaries and not having to do a lot of reports. How odd :) But this last week I did 4 intercambios (interviews) with the missionaries to try and get them excited because 2 of them in 2 weeks are going to their house and the others we just had to visit because they were our district leaders. But I really enjoyed the area of San Luis for 6 months. I am not going to be able to see my 3 converts get baptized on the 7th but I got to spend my birthday with them as they got me a cake and it was wonderful! I love them. It is funny how much the Lord blesses me here on the mission. This last Saturday we had a conference with President Flores and our Seventy about the interviews that the members should be doing and that he wants them to start over and do it again. And then the Stake Conference on Sunday and we as missionaries sang as President Flores gave an outstanding talk. He always has so much spirit Ibet you 700 pesos that he will be a Seventy in the near future. He will end his mission in July so his time is also coming to an end. I learned so much from him. I love the mission and I thank you guys so much as my family for being there to support me. I hope Ryan and Carli are still preparing to go out and pronounce this grand gospel!

I love you all a ton and I will let you know how this week went for me here in Durango, Durango :)

Elder Cramer

Birthday photos