Bruce's email June 9, 2014

 Just some photos of the area!

Found a crab in the road. There are tons of crabs and frogs here! 

My companion, Elder Rodriguez! :) He is from Panama, in the city called Torrijtos Carter in San Migelito

Mi Familia!

I can't believe how fast life is going and how fast all of the nieces and nephews are growing up.  I miss you all so very much and pray for you every day.  I love reading your emails.  They help me and give me the strength to keep striving forward :)

I can't believe that Cambria is going to go home so soon.  How I wish I was there to welcome her and to see her again.  I am so grateful for her example to me.  I truly want to become like her.  It is my goal to put my wants in second and put what the Lord wants first.  I love you Cambria :) You are the best.

As I read 1 Nephi, I am so impressed with the example that Nephi set for us and for his family.  Although he suffered all types of afflictions without doing anything wrong, he stayed strong always.  His older brothers didn't set good examples and he had to help them along.  Even his father, the prophet, murmured against the Lord his God.  Yet Nephi acted in faith and was humble before the Lord and asked Him in faith.  He concentrated on the will of the Lord, and the Lord showed him great things because he prayed to him often.  Even when he was obeying the commandments, his brothers tied him up and he suffered it that the Lord might show forth His power.  Then after and during the affliction, he praised his God all the day long.  What a great example for me.  I truly know that all of you are such great examples to me.  You truly are :) How grateful I am and how blessed I am for all of you.

Elder Rodriguez is a really great missionary.  He has a really strong personality and when he sees a problem, he says it, which is good so that we don't have problems and everything can get resolved.  It is a very different experience than any other that I have had before.  I am being taught a lot, even though I am supposed to be the one training ;)

Thinking of Alma the younger and the miracle that took place in his life by the prayer of faith of the people of the church and his parents, I have been praying my whole mission for David.  It is so humbling to think that the Lord blesses all by just exercising a little faith by praying unto Him.  Truly I have gained a greater testimony of that.

This week I have been praying and working to find people to teach.  Slowly, we have found new investigators that we are now teaching :) It is amazing to see what the Lord is doing for us.  It is still hard. Nobody (investigators) came to church.  It is not too easy, but I am grateful for the opportunity.

Sometimes it is really hard-emotionally, physically, spiritually.  It is trying.  The mission isn't easy.  And if it is, you are doing something wrong.  I am back to having dramatic days, where you can be very happy at one hour, then the next, completley sad, then the next discouraged, then the next see a little tender mercy, then see God's love and be happier  :)

I am growing and progressing.  I love feeling the Spirit.  It just makes me want to always feel that with me.  It is so humbling to truly know that I am nothing.  I have truly come to know this week, that if we pray in faith, we can receive strength in all things through the Atonement.  How merciful is our Savior and God to give us strength to accomplish the work that He commands us to do!  I am so weak.  It is so sobering.  Truly I have come to a sense of my nothingness.  When I look at the world, they wish you to be prideful, and all I see is pride.  I feel such a weight in my heart.  All of my imperfections, weaknesses, errors, mistakes and sins.  I just feel so dependent on our Savior and our God.  

I got a rash on my arm.  I bought the cream and am applying it and it's going away so it's alright :) My things have started molding in the house.  My ties have grown this black mold on them, so about half of my ties are now ruined and half are still okay.  We put up the mosquito net.  It is really nice :)  Thank you Mom.  I love you so much!

I love you all so much. Thank you for your support and love.  Although you are far away during some of the hardest, growing points in my life, I truly feel of your love to me, even now.  I will keep trying to work as hard as I can- try to hold up our family name and the name of our Savior.  I feel so honored to be in our family and know all of the people that I do.  I love you all so much.  I miss you.  I miss Utah and the Spirit that I feel there in all the temples, and as a family.  But this is the best thing ever.  I love it out here and am growing so much.  I wouldn't trade it for anything :)

I know that this church is true with all of my heart.  I truly know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.  He did see God the Father and Jesus Christ.  Through Joseph Smith, the gospel of Christ and His church was restored.  Even now my heart is burning within my chest.  I know that it is true.  Although I do not have a perfect knowledge of these things, I have faith and believe, and I have felt the Spirit that they are true.  The Book of Mormon is the Word of God.  I know it.  There isn't a doubt that it isn't of God.  Keep the faith.  Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith because your faith is true.  

Love you all.  When you feel like there is just too much, when you just want to give up, or you don't have the strength to go on, give yourself this cry, "Remember Him!". I know He will give you the strength to overcome your trials and errors.  He loves us.  I love you.  Have a great week full of feeling the Spirit.  Love you all.  Stay safe.

With all the love that I have,

Elder Bitter