HAPPY EASTER

Hola Mami!

so the back...still not so good, but you will be happy to hear, that i have a missionary who was just greenie broken and that i served within miami beach, his name is Elder Gutierrez from Tijuana Mexico, grew up in San Diego. it has been alot of fun oh ya i forgot, i am also District Leader now...it is alot of fun but i was surprized at the calling.  it scared me a little bit but now i find it is very rewarding.  Btw i am surprized that i didnt get a happy humpday letter from you. My 1 year mark is on Friday..OYE CHICO that went fast. oh and when i return with honor, i will be coming back here at the end of May for a wedding, i promissed them i would be there, and i am a man of my word. wether i drive or fly i am coming back for the wedding on june 1st. just so you know. He wants me to be one of his best men lol. hows the famjam? dad to answer your quiestion about a career, i am actually not so sure at the moment, i would love to be an architect, especially now that i have this funky little something-syndrom in my lower  back.  i cant remember the name. but it hurts thats all i know. They were thinking it was multiplesclorosis or what ever but it is something different.  i still walk with the cane, and i have spasms again. it worries alot of people. i have lost alot of weight. 20pounds. so in the pics i have today you can see. we do service at our investigators house every saturday, and i was doing the hedges. Teiler, There is no shame going to grad without a date. you don't need commitment now anyway lol... stay away from getting hurt.  remember, before a mission girlsfriends are more like flicks, cuz sometimes you wanna flick 'em in da head! una pelea con las faldas. jaja. btw the reason that i use jaja instead of haha, is because in spanish j makes the h sound. h is silent in spanish. also dad for the liahona, i love the idea, and also all of the church dvds have it in spanish too so i can watch the testiments in spanish. i miss Elder Flores, he was amazing! . i am glad you all liked the experience, there will be manymore! this is my favorite area now. cuz so many things are happening here, Sunset is ready. 

So being Senior companion and District Leader has been interesting for the first few days, but i am excited to see what happens during this transfer, we have a baptism coming up for this Saturday, and then another for the next saturday. gonna be fun gettin into the water again lol.. btw about guitars, are you guys keeping my guitars nice? those things are my pride and joy you know, please keep them clean, and dust free. dust actually erodes the enamel finish on the guitars. especially acoustics.  so May 13 is the day to phone home for mothers day, or skype , i will do all i can to Skype. so what were you able to find concerning the electronic pulse thing for my back? i need one if possible to get.  having a cane isnt so badi guess, now i have something to hit someone with if they make me mad lol, jokes, Elder Dean's new companion is Elder Shepherd who came in with Elder Gutierrez so it is fun.  Elder Gutierrez is a loud snorer too... i sleep hard as it is with my back lol... i have to end this letter, but really quick, my spritiual experience this week was my first District Training, completely by the spirit, the whole district was crying, it was about the atonement. it was really nice. I love you all so much. Mom, hang in there, your pain will soon be gone.  Dad, keep doing all you can, Teiler, keep a readin! im so proud of you. keep it up.  See you in a year lol. ay ay ay time flies

Yours Always,

Elder Maki

GREAT EXPERIENCES

hello Mommy, 

oki doki, so transferres are actually tomorrow and elder Flores goes home and i stay here in Sunset. i am so excited, i am curious on who i will get.  i am going to miss elder Flores tho... My back is still giving me troubles but i have asked, and the Lord told me that i need to bare with patience my afflictions, which are meant to build me and modify me , ok so the back thing is basically the machine they used on my back after the excercises during physio, but they also want me using an ab work out belt, to strengthen my core, just search on google Contour ab belt and it should pop right up.  and yes i got the package, and i sent the camera as fast as i could but the post offices were all closed down here :( so it is sent as of last week). now to the spiritual experience...so before i go on, i want you all to be sitting down and holding on to something, you all aregoing to be on a spiritual rollercoaster!!! especially Teiler... ok so last monday, we had a FHE at sis. Nava's house with Maria and the recent converts, it was great, afterwards, everyone left, and as we were about to leave, sis. Nava told us she needed to talk to us about something that happened to her and Maria...

So at this point I need to say that sometimes Elder Maki has such personal and sacred experiences, that it is not proper to post them in a public blog.  The experience which he and Elder Flores had was just such an experience.  I don't dare publish it publicly.  Needless to say it was something that was amazing, powerful, strong, life altering, and very spiritual.  It was a great example of the Power of the Priesthood, and of an inspired Stake President who; when he set apart Elder Maki; was prompted to bless him with certain spiritual gifts relating the Priesthood.  These gifts, as strange as they may have sounded at the time, make complete sense to us now.  

In areas of the US there is a movement referred to as Santaria.  I don't understand much about it other than this particular day the Priesthood was needed to bless a home and rid it of the influence of the Santaria.  

It is amazing to see how the Lord uses his called, chosen, and set apart servants to bless the lives of his children.  

Elder Maki has sent some pics, so I will share some of them with you all.

STAYING STRONG

Hey Mommy.

well the back still hurts but i have decided after staying in the apt for 2 weeks to get out and work, the Lord with care for me. it has been hard to adjust to walking with a cane.. ok so that story goes like this... so I told the mission doctor that i am having strong difficulties walking because of the virus. which now infects my lower back also. and as you remember this virus causes the muscles to break down, so that is why i have the cane, and why they told me to have the cane, is because i have a week lower back, they want as much support as possible, so they gave me the cane idea, and i was like ok whatever. but its not so bad.  i look old hahaha... they also want me to take physical therapy but it would cost me 90 dollars a visit to do what i need to do.  with the missionary medical plan i only have to pay 10 dollars but i know what i need to do.  they want me to exercise my back and my abs, but i am not to be moving my back, so they want me to buy an electric pulse machine to work out my abs and my back, i don't got money for that, and i am not allowed to go online, so that's where i need your help, if you find one for a good price, would you be so kind as to purchase it and send it my way? a good one is the Contour ab belt. it is pretty pricey tho like 200 dollars or something. 

ok so now to the spiritual experience. ok so this past weekend we had another 3 baptisms, ya you can just call me John the Baptist haha, jk jk, in the mission that is the nickname they give the missionaries who have baptized the most in the month... we have had a baptism almost every week this month it is great... i left Miami Beach with 7, and in 1 transfer i have almost doubled it,.. XD makes me happy XD but anyway, last monday, we both had the spiritual impression to knock on a couple doors and found our eternal investigators house, and we were having a family home evening so we invited them and it was awesome, we watched the testaments, and they were all crying and they committed to be baptized this past weekend. so it was very nice.. it was very spiritual and powerful to see eternal gators get baptized. awesome!!!  you never told me when James goesinto the MTC, QUE PASO? and quick, tell RYAN i am so proud of him and get his mission address so i can write him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   oh and when elder flores leaves for home, i will be sending you emails in spanish that i want you to forward to him ok thanks! XD TEILER! QUEPASO CHICO MALO!!! i didnt get a letter form you this week! i want to know how the heck are you? next week right? ok good. smell you later! anyway, Mom and Dad you have no need to worry about me, wait your myparents its your job, so never mind.  jaja it is hard but you know what? what Christ did was harder... (MOM! keep having FHE's that are spiritual power-bombs, like you!) I received revelation about my back situation.  just like stated to Joseph Smith, my trials and tribulations are to be for my experience and my benefit, so i will endure them to the best of my ability... i gotta go but until next week, Portense bien! chow pescado. i got pics!!!


Yours Always,
Elder Maki

I AM ABLE ... WITH A CANE!

Dear Mommy!

Ok so all your spirits are high and mighty! and get ready, mine are not...:( i have been in the apartment all week in bed, my back crashed on me :'( i didn't even get sick! and i have been officially prescribed a CANE!  :/ i look old! elder Flores says i look like a prophet.  my leg got all nice and blue during the week cuz of the Virus, but hey. what is a little test of faith eh? (BOOYA still CaNADIAN EH!) i am trying to be as positive as i can, especially now that i have to walk with the cane the rest of my life, so they say! i said to the Doc, i am 20 not 80, that is still weird thinking i am 20 but oh well.. so my spiritual experience of the week was last Monday, we gave a blessing to hermana Nava, you will meet her, she is the sweetest most cutest and witty woman ever!!! i love her to bits!!!!! she is like you mom, a great example of Faith.. when we were is sacrament meeting yesterday, i was in a lot of pain, and this ward is huge so i couldn't lay down. so i was clenching my fists, she looked at me from across the congregation and made a sad face and went with her finger from her eye making kind of like a tear movement...but anyway, on monday we gave her a blessing, she was experiencing back and leg pain also, Elder Flores pronounced the blessing that her pain would be taken from her... they were talking afterward, like wednesday, that her pain could have been placed on me, which i thought hmm maybe. but there is only one who suffered all pains and afflictions, Jesus. so when does James enter the Missionary Torture Center.. I Mean Missionary training Center? lol.. nah its really a great place. it was so nice to get a long letter from Teiler, it felt as if he really does love me lol jks. i know he does, i can feel it often...i will try and send the package with the camera this week. or have one of the other elders do it for me... but you should get it this week.. BTW you were saying that you are gonna try to sell the cars and get better ones, you know what i am thinking already, you should keep the small blue car for when i get home, seeing as i will have nothing lol. a nice little car to get me around, and fairly fuel efficient. it is obviously your dicision., and i will try to take a pic of me with the nuescence, i mean the cane so you can see how ridiculous i look. :Z, so how is the rest of the family? you have to tell me cuz apparently they don't like to write me, Lonna and Jerry,  Doug and Rachel, Jesse and Robbin, Lloyd and Rachel everyone else i have gotten a letterfrom, but still let them know that i have had no time to write themback. anyway, I need to get some pain killers.


 I love you all so much!
yours always,
Elder Maki

4 MILES

Hello Mommy!

That is so exciting to hear that James is going to Provo!!!!!!! the highest baptizing mission in the world next to us, he and i will have a competition! muahahahah! lol. anyway, this past week was great! We met with lots of our investigators and taught very spiritual lessons but the other night was the ultimate highlite of my week.. ok so we went out to harvest, and even though it was dark and not many people want to talk to you, we put our trust in the Lord...we said a prayer to ask where to go, Elder Flores said well i think we should stay around here, and i said, "No, we need to go over by the Church," and he said, "but that is 4 miles away and its almost time that we need to go to our next visit." and i was like, "Elder, there is someone over there who needs us this instant." so we went, and we there and we talk to this one family and they up and rejected us, and then we felt discouraged so we said another prayer asking what door to knock. at that moment a young women, maybe had 30 years, came and was taking food from her car to her apt, and we asked her if she needed help, she replied with a shy No thank you.. so we continued, we were about to contact a family who was out side and she came out again to her car, we asked again if she needed help, she said again no, but regardless we introduced ourselves and told her we were there to bless each and every person who would receive it, she accepted! She introduced herself as Yesica.  (Jessica) and we were about to go in when we discovered that there was no man in the home, but we just taught a lesson instead, she expressed her situation, she is from Cuba, her grandfather, is very sick and she loves her grandfather alot. she has been searching and praying that someone would show her the way, and we showed up... it was amazing, and she lived right next door to the chapel. so its nice and easy to get her  to church! she was unable to come yesterday but tonight we are going back. 


This is how we teach the Book of Mormon, what i tell my gators, is that the Book of Mormon, is another witness, how? because it testifies of Christ, It may not tell the life of Christ like the new testament, but it still tells the divinity of the Son of God, and why he is so important, in 3 Nefi from chapter 11 on, tells of when Christ, after is resurrection came here to the Americas and stood in front of his people here, and said, "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, of whom the Prophets have testified shall come to this Earth and shall redeem his people, Arise, and come unto me"  He said in the new testament, that "Other sheep i have, which are not of this fold, them also i must bring, and they will hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, and one sheppard" he was talking about the people here in the Americas, if you want  to understand a little better, just watch the Testaments. it explains very well the mission of Christ.  Ammoron is the Prophet in the movie, who gets killed because of it, but it shows the scriptures, written by the prophets.  I also tell the gators, that the only way we are going to know that it is truly another witness of Christ, is to pray about it,  i pray in Spanish and only Spanish. and first read Galatians 5:22-23 and  pay attention to those feelings.  I promise it will help... also D&C 8: 2-3. Here is a list of scriptures that will help more than anything: Alma 5,Alma 7,Alma 32,Alma 36,Alma 37,Alma 42, 2 Nefi 32, 2 Nefi 43, Nefi 9-11, 3 Nefi 11-18 especially 17. 


I love you all so much!
Yours Always,
Elder Maki