Christ is the Reason

Hey world!!

Well its great to see you all in the videos of all the Christmas caroling and tiara singing and wrappin' up some presents! Its always great to see the Christmas spirit in so many people!!

This week was great! One of our converts named Walter got the priesthood!!! WHOOT WHOOT!! Man I am so stoked for that, he is gonna pass the sacrament next week and this week we are gonna baptize a wonderful man named Luis! He is about four feet tall haha but anyways what a great time we have in this season to really settle down and look at life! This week we have had the opportunity to knock on a lot of doors and its interesting to see that the people with Christmas lights on their houses, usually accept us into their houses for a message on Christ! I love how the christmas spirit opens up the hearts of the people. More than anything I know that the Christmas spirit is the pure love of christ. I know that Christ lives and that he loves us! HE IS THE REASON FOR ALL THINGS!

I love seeing people try to tell people that what we are teaching is wrong, but time and time again it doesn't matter what other people say to our interested people, because our people know in their hearts what the Holy Ghost has testified unto their heart, and it stays in their heart. I just want tell the world I know that serving here in Honduras is the work of the Lord, I love giving my all to Him. Although most days I feel tired, I feel an even greater strength coming form an unseen power. That power is real, it is the power of God, I will always remember the promises of the Lord, if we do what he says, he blesses us. Yes that is TRUE, its pretty darn simple.

I got a cute letter from Tuck and Sarah and it was great to here from the latest addition to the Toolson family! She is a keeper!:) Anyways I love you all, Oh so much and desire that you all enjoy your Christmas! Mine will be FILLED of tamales and chicken and Chancho haha!

Merry Christmas and may we always remember the promises the Lord has given us, like the nephites to the promise of samuel the lamanite... read that story again please, great scripture reading for a quality Christmas!

Love,

Elder Ty Toolson

Elder Ty went to the Beach!

Deuces

So this week was absolutely fantastic, the highlight being that we will be having baptisms coming up this Christmas season!!! To be honest no an incredibly abnormal week, but still i loved every second of it. Today we went to the beach and took tons of photos and man Honduras has its own type of beauty haha. One highlight is we had an incredibly powerful lesson and we have an investigator that is going to get baptized on the 27th but he has had an amazing life that has prepared him for these decisions:) Last night a random person that Im almost positive is not catholic, tried to throw holy water on me and give me a blessing. He tried to convince us he was a messenger of god and was catholic, but when we started asking where he attended church and if he knew the pastors name (who happens to live on our street) and this dude was crazy. But he didn't finish his blessing and he started yelling at me and stuff that I was denying a blessing from god... in the end, something we all need to be aware of is our own decisions!!!

Never let anyone pressure you into doing something that you KNOW is wrong, your ability to choose is not something that is simply given.. it was planned for by our loving heavenly father and paid for by our brother Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and that the atonement is real. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the mouthpiece of the lord and that the lord of lords Jesus Christ is the head of his church. His authority has been given to us in these latter days to fortify and build up the kingdom of God! I feel so blessed to be able to participate in the marvelous work. I know that we are saved by grace but as it is best said by one of his prophets "we are saved by grace, after all we can do" I know that our heavenly father waits anxiously to bless us but we must work anxiously to receive those very blessings!

I hope you all have a great week:)

Love Elder Ty Ty Toolson

Photos

1. No this is not my companion, I did splits with Elder Cotoc form Mexico City! He is in our district, great guy:)

2. A shot of the beach and city all in one.

3. My District:My Companion... hoy fuimos al puerto  mira mi zona Elder Colindres is in the blue & white Honduras jersey is tall, dark and oh so handsome the girls all say!

HERRO

Hooowwwsss it going everyone???

This week was a reaallll keeper to be honest with you:) The highlight was that Hugo (who has had the missionaries for years) has come to church for the first and second time in his life these past two weeks:) His wife and family are the definition of disciples of Christ and from the first time we met this family, we knew that they would soon be an eternal family. We still haven't gotten him in the baptismal font, BUT ITS COMIN!!! We feel the spirit so so strong when we teach its truly beautiful.

Another great experience was that we went to visit an old investigator to see if they were ready to progress. We came in at an essential time when she truly needed a message of help and support, which 100% the purpose of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. With all of us in tears from the first prayer, we shared simple scriptures of the book of Mormon and testified of the mercy of Christ and the endless love he has for his children (which we all are) Today in the night time the ZLs will tell us if my comp or I have changes, we are kinda caught 50 50 on if one of us stays or goes. :(

Last night we were blessed to attend a meeting for Young ones preparing for the mission and Elder Alonzo of the seventy came and spoke powerfully of the importance of the conversion. He spoke of the difference between a testimony and the conversion to a gospel principle. I testify that elder Alonzo is a special witness of Jesus Christ and that the importance of the mission is not describable. IF YOU HAVE DOUBTS OFTHE MISSION, simply pray to your heavenly father and ask if it is right if you should go on the mission, if you receive YES, GO!!

Other than that the highlight of my week is that we had the most lessons this week than any other week this change! I love my life here in the mission! It is not the easiest i will admit but it is truly the best time of my life. I love the lord and ask that all of us simply look for the little blessings in life. Like shade! Man i love shade (its pretty hot these days) And seein little bunnies and receiving my Christmas package from my fam!!!! I love all that little stuff hahah have a fantastic week you are all children of god!!! Look for what he truly wants for us, know that he will never leave us alone, he knows us and talks us to us by name. Have a great week errybody

Love, Elder Toolson

Fw: Tys Week of Bigs!

Herro Familia,

First and foremost, BIGGGGG SHOUTOUT TO MY OLDEST SISTER MICHELLE!!!!! I love you so much and your age doesnt matter to me, you will always be you and artsy and alll that good stuff haha! I cant wait for the moment when we can all be home and celebrate these birthdays in person!

Well this week was absolutely amazing! It was an up and down week but a week with no ups or downs means its a dead one. There are definitely no boring days in the mission even if you are stuck inside for the half the week killing the families of animals in your houses. Cockroaches in honduras are BIG! Like WHOOO thats big. So apart from being bored in the house due to the fact that my comp has been sick for the whol week i found days to leave to proselyte with certain people! We had the opportunity to find great new people to teaach and i truly hope they progress.

One of these people we found is named Elmer. He is 37 and lives with his wife and daughter. His dad recently got baptized and it sparked elmer´s attention because his dad has always been a hard head to attend a church, so we were contacting elmer and when we came across and asked if we could enter, he said yes. It seems that the lord has put a number of people in his life to lead to the church and now i hope elder lopez and i can take this advantage to get him ccloser to his heavenly father.

Well thats my week really i hope you all look for an opportunity to share the gospel or listen to the missionaries. Their message is divinge and will help us all live a better life if we listen and act according with the demands and commandments of our fatther. I know that christ lives, that he leads and guides his church and that through a living prophet we receive his guidance and counsel.

Love

Elder Toolson

Sopa de Mondongo and Transfers???

    This week was super duper great!!! Im so excited to be in the mission field when there is SO MUCH to do!! HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK! Sopa de MONDONGO! Yupperdoodles cow intestine;)  and your little missionary son elder ty toolson loved it! I think i am really turning catracho because it was DELECTIBLE! ha ha. Im almost positive that this is my last week in this area but we will figure out tonight! I love this area so much and am super excited to see if i stay or leave!

    This week was full of service and a ton of lessons and baptismal challenges. In the terms of the work me and my comp are working really hard to get the people we have to come to church on their own will. Something that has been working alot for us is challenging the people to be baptized in the first lesson. It helps us know who is truly wiling to change and who isnt. We spent alot of time looking for a few families that have recently gone inactive! We found and visited them all and how extremely powerful lessons with them. We simply expressed our love and the love of our havenly father and important each of us are to him. We talked about the impportance of parenthood and how we have the home for the gospel to be taught!

    I love this work and I know it is the Lords glory! I hope we can all realize the sacred responsibility we all have to love one another especially our family. I know and testify that through the restored priesthood power we can be sealed as families for eternity. I know that after this life i will see my family. I know that if we ware faithful to this glorious gospel we will have joy (2 nefi 2 25) i hope we all look to serve one another this week and always try a little harder to love a little more!

Elder TY Toolson

AND BYU what is wrong with you. They are the biggest up and down team in college football. And LCC that score is miserable. I say more football updates are welcome!

Elder Ty's Letter and a surprise Phone Call

Last Night we received a phone call from a woman in Oakland whose mother is visiting from Honuras!! Woot Woot!:D She wanted to talk with the mother of Elder Toolson. Ty gave her my cell phone# so that she could wish me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY from him personally :) She was baptized in June by Ty and than her husband got baptized by "Toolson" as well! Her husband soooo LOVES "TOOLSON" and she spoke highly of Ty and how he is always happy and serving the people well with his BIG Heart! What a wonderful and emotional call it was. So grateful for her and her joyful way of expressing all the blessings that has come to her and her family because of the gospel in their lives.

The gospel is True and it blesses everyone that lives by its principles. Ty is loving his mission and here's this weeks update:

This week was such a good one! As I hope most all others did this weekend, I watched general conference! It was nice to go to the stake center and watch conference through satellite just like the good ole chula vista days (where i grew up) It was incredible to see our beloved prophet and president Thomas S. Monson. The reverence that the people have for him is truly piercing. When he entered the conference center I simply started to cry and as well as the people all around us. he is the servant of the Lord. This conference was focused on multiple gospel topics but what struck me was the reality of the divine calling of the leaders ofthe church! The twelve and the first presidency ARE called of god. They may be old but as Russell M. Nelson taught "we need not fear." He continued to speak saying that they are not out of touch with todays world, they are aware of the temptations of the world, one leader even said that we need not list them because they are obvious and inevitable! But they are also aware of the light we are to the world. They know our needs just as the Lord does.

 Something that is so necessary in this life is that we recognize our "divine lineage." We are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, if you doubt that, but have the desire to know, read the scriptures. Read the teachings of the prophets and think of the love in their counsel, en lo cual comes from god. Our heavenly father knows us, even by name, as Henry B. Eyring said with such emotion. Elder Bednar also spoke bastante about the love our heavenly father has for us and that we are hear so that we can recognize, obtain and finally share that exact love! If you did not have a chance to see the conference, please go to gc.lds.org and learn more about what was said and what our heavenly father wants you to hear.

Shout out to my Brother Tucker Strong Toolson for being too dang good looking (am I right hermanas??) but also shout out for having been born a loooonnnnggggg 22 years ago! Man time flies. I Love ya bro! 

Anyways apart from the conference our week was fantastic! We had fantastic baptism of a wonderful woman named Bessy! She lived the life of most Honduran youth and found herself with two babies no husband and a confused line of thought. She thought on her family that constantly were going to church every Sunday and frequently during the week, she simply said in her head 'I want that' She moved in with her aunt (also named bessy) and my comp and I had the opportunity to teach her. She was so quick to understand the gospel principles and gain a testimony of them. When it came time to talk about baptism, she accepted fearlessly and with conviction. When we went by this past week to talk about her and her feelings about baptism, it was asked "do you want to get baptised?" she sat there and then said "I am not getting baptized because i want to get baptized, i simply want to start over, i dont want my sins anymore. I have two children under the age of two and no father. I want MY father in heaven to know that i love him and am ready to change." As you can imagine, my comp and i were simply stunned and smiling. Her baptsim was beautiful and she was very nervous but very, very ready.

I love the gospel and the comfort I receive from ready the scriptures and listening to the voice of the prophet today. I love my family and know we will be together if we are worthy. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and ponders on where you are in life and where you'd like to be. After simply do it. A quote we have in our room says "You learn to be by being and learn to do by doing" many times we feel overwhelmed with the marathon so we dont take a step. Take the step, if you do so with faith our father will heighten our abilities to accomplish whatever we do in righteousness! I love you all!!!

Elder Ty Toolson