We started a new course about Self-Reliance

Hey everyone, I hope that you all had a great week and that you have a good one coming up! Our week went pretty well. It amazes me that it is already Monday again, time seems to be flying by. We were pretty busy this past week with a trip to Guadalajara on Monday and then Ajijic (Chapala) on Tuesday with lessons and a devotional the rest of the week! Overall it went pretty well. Last week we had a devotional to start a free course on self-reliance. The plan for the area of Mexico in 2015 is learning to become more self-reliant and this course is offered to help people improve their economic circumstances. It is set up so that people can see how they can better meet their financial needs and what they can do to improve their income. It includes a twelve week course in three different areas of the person's choosing. They are: how to improve my education, how to search for a better job, and how to start or grow a business. We were working all week long to make it successful devotional on Saturday night. We made and passed out fliers to a lot of people and helped coordinate meetings between the District President and our Branch President. Not a ton of people actually came compared to those who we invited, but we had about twenty-five. Six of them are non-members and we only knew one of them which is Lorena's husband and is already an investigator. I hope that with them we can find some new investigators and help them to be baptized. Also a less-active sister who we have visited with since I got here went and that was the first time I have seen her at the church. I hope that it really helps push the work along here in our area! I think it will! Other than that devotional we taught quite a few lessons. Our main focus right now is Arturo. He is doing pretty good and he hasn't drunk for the last two weeks. I am hoping that we can help him to continue to resist and overcome his addiction to alcohol. He is doing pretty well. Last Tuesday they invited us to eat dinner and they made us ceviche. It was really good and we got to meet his wife officially. They are working out their problems together (now that he has stopped drinking) and we were able to teach her as well. We are hoping to be able to help him and his wife and son to all listen to the lessons and prepare for baptism although I think that Arturo will be the first baptized. Unfortunately he didn't come to church yesterday because he pinched a nerve or something while working (he is a mechanic) and he couldn't walk very good. We had to change his baptism date, but he is still progressing quite well! Really the work is slowly moving forward here. It is kind of hard to be patient sometimes, but I know that with our efforts and patience that we will be able to find more people to teach. We have been working to talk to more people in order to find investigators and I think we have some good prostpects. Thank you all for your continued prayers for us to find and teach God's children here! I know that through our efforts and His immense help we can help many others come unto the knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel. I just want to share with you all my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that this sacred book is the word of God given to the ancient inhabitants of America. I know that they received revelation by the Spirit of God just as our modern day prophet, Thomas S. Monson, recieves. I know that it was translated by Joseph Smith Jr. only through the gift and power of God that he was able to translate the ancient record from Golden Plates. I know of a surety that the Book of Mormon is true and that if we will read it daily and live the principles it teaches us that we will be immensly blessed by God and given the things that we need. I love the Book of Mormon and I am so grateful that God has revealed it to us through one of His chosen servants! I love each and every one of you and I hope you are all doing well! I hope you all have a lovely week this week and that you all take care! Love, Elder Mitchell J Condie