Great Day!
El Arca de Cristo - Replica of Christ's Tomb
El Arca de Cristo - Replica of the Cross
July 17th
We have been working with two of our best investigators and meeting a goal our zone has of 2 baptisms, every companionship, on July 29th. They are both teenage boys who have the potential to be future missionaries. One has a mother who is not sure if she wants her son to be baptized again, He was baptized at the age of 6 in the Catholic church and she is a very strong Catholic. We explained everything to her and we are praying her heart will be softened. She said she will give her permission for his baptism, but we want her to support him and come to the service.
This week we had the division of the stakes here in our zone. The Villanueva stake was split and divided into the Villanueva and Potrerillos stakes. Our stake still is extremely large, its boundaries cover a few hours of travel by bus. It was an exciting experience. It was presided over by two general authorities.
Today, we went to a place called El Arca de Cristo, it is a
replica of the tomb of Christ and the three crosses where He was crucified. We also played soccer and just hung out
together. It was a good day, but it was a
two hour bus ride there and two hours back.
The roads are rough and filled with potholes, so it is a long trip. We also had some tacos for lunch. The Mexican style tacos don’t exist here.
I am exercising faith and moving forward. I have been trying to strengthen myself. I know that it will all be for my good in the
end, and I will keep moving forward and working my hardest.
I have enjoyed listening to hymns this week. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir always helps
me to feel the Spirit. I have a pretty good collection of hymns that I listen
to ALL the time ….. probably to the point where my companion gets annoyed.
I think one of my challenges is to help investigators overcome
challenges in their lives. Sometimes we
want them to just keep listening and read The Book of Mormon, pray, etc. but
they just are not able to consistently move forward. It is difficult because we care about
them. We know God loves them and God has
given men free agency. I respect that
and it is an essential part of the Plan of Salvation. It is the difference between the two proposals presented in Heaven. We
just have to take the message to their hearts, hope that they will accept it,
and let God do the rest.
July 10th
We had a meeting with the local leaders (stake presidency) and are working on goals for the new stake. The stake we are in right now will be splitting this Sunday and general authorities will be here to preside. I am looking forward to it because we will be focusing on some new areas of the new stake that will need help. I also have been really thinking about some of the young men here that are close to mission age. I want to help them prepare for a mission and help them stay focused. I have felt that we have really been blessed here to find good people. On a bad note, I got food poisoning on Monday and was sick Tuesday. We tried and we were able to go work on Wednesday. I didn’t feel great, but I don’t have time to be sick. I don’t like being at the house. I want to visit and teach. It reminds me of when I was younger and I would try sometimes to make excuses to avoid things. If we put the Lord first, he will give us a way to complete his commandments.
July 2nd
I think I have learned some things that will help me in marriage. My companion and I had a disagreement while we were planning, and we both thought we were right. I just tried to fix things, and told him that our investigators are more important than our disagreement. We needed to feel the Spirit. My goal is to get rid of any ounce of pride that I still have in me. I think it is the same in marriages, at the end of the day. The relationship is more important than the argument.
June 26th
I feel a little better this week. I finished the medicine. We are working hard, still looking for others prepared to hear the Lord’s message. I have been working on trying to improve my study. I have decided to take a specific topic each day and in that way better learn the scriptures as well. Thinking about the temple and the eternal nature of things has been on my mind this week. I just remember the scripture that says ¨To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life eternal¨ and that helps me focus. I also remember the quote, “Obedience brings blessings, but obedience with exactness brings miracles.”
June 12th
I really found joy this
week in the moments that I was teaching and focusing on others. I know that when I think about myself I
am not as happy. We had zone conference
this week. I was able to talk with
President about my health and other things.
Zone conferences are great to learn how to be a better person and
missionary. I also enjoy seeing other
missionaries that we don’t get to see very often. We had 2 baptisms this week. During the baptisms, the power went out
during a crazy storm with thunder and lightning.
