This
week was an incredible week.
Elder
H*** and I worked hard, we blessed met 12 New Gators and taught a total 24
lesson we literally were running from place to place, working REALLY hard and
that work paid we brought 2 investigators to sacrament 1 walked in late, and 1
less active it was a great day.what we learned is that here since we are
starting a system we must continue at this pace and next week we will bring
these people PLUS the new people, I know that if we put forth our efforts that
the Lord will bless us, as we labor he provides fruits. This area is very much
different than anywhere I have served so far, here the majority of the people
are polite and they love having us in and a round, even when you tell them that
they are wrong they tend to invite you back, we normally have to tell some
people that are making no progress that we are not going to be able to to come
back until they start to read the Book of Mormon.
I
have really learned here a lot already about desires and commitment there are a lot of people here that are "comfortable". They have no desire to
improve in their life, and so they don't even when we teach them pure simple
doctrine if they have no desires it does nothing to their souls. I have
realized that this is one of Satan's tools, complacency. That is why I am so
grateful that here in the Restore Church of Jesus Christ we understand the
doctrine of eternal progression, that we are never done and that we can always
learn more. Many other churches are held by a vicious false doctrine that there
is a point of salvation that they achieve and once surpassed there is no need
for added search only a maintenance of activity to qualify. THAT IS NOT HOW THE
ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST WORKS." it is by grace that we are saved,
after all we can do." This
is the reason that there are ghettos in this world it is the reason for the
Hood the peoples desires to change are there but their desire to do work is
missing! I think that this is one of the MAJOR things that God
wants missionaries to learn, out on the mission you get to see how various
decisions lead to different out comes and you get to see the life that you want
to live and the paths that you want to take. This is some thing that I have
been applying to my studies to truly understand I really like a talk a bout
this similar subject by Jorg Klebingat in the General Conference just past he
talks of how to have confidence before the Lord but also about how to keep your
life on the eternal life of repenting he give 6 principle that IF and ONLY IF
applied will change your life and the way you live it.
1. Take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being.
2. Take responsibility for your own physical well-being.
3. Embrace voluntary, wholehearted obedience as part of your
life.
4. Become really, really good at repenting thoroughly and
quickly.
5. Become really, really good at forgiving.
6. Accept trials, setbacks, and “surprises” as part of your
mortal experience.
These
are the things that the hood doesn't do and the way that we ought to be trying
to live.
no
aside from that throw down on the Hood.
This
week was made incredible by 2 great young men, E***** (17) and L*** (E****** 15) E***** we found at the beginning of the week we is a young man that has
been searching for truth and reading different versions of the bible searching
for truth even the Koran, but when he got his hands on a Book of Mormon that
we left with his mother and now he is running head long towards baptism and
full activity, he's been to Wednesday night activities and to church and is
reading the BoM faster than anyone that I know, He really understands and
desire to repent fully and completely he even went and bought himself a
shirt and tie for church and asked us to teach him how to tie it. The thing
that impresses me the most about him is what his family has said to us when he
is not around they say that he literally is changing in his attitude and
behavior, and that he is sharing what he is learning and reading with his Mom
and Dad, (Mom is a Southern Baptist, and Dad is a Mexican Catholic and they
"agree to disagree, but we know what the other believes works") we are
trying very hard to get Mom and Dad involved in the whole changing process but
they are more interested in learning what he is learning and they support him
fully.
L*** is a 15 year old that I swore was 18 when we first met him, I don't really like
blessing kids, but he turned out to be 15 but was very excited to have us over
and invited us back to visit his Mom, when we returned the next day his Mom
answered the door very excited and told us that she also was a Mormon but when
she got involved in the military she fell away, but she is very excited to be
getting back and is excited that her son is so amped about church. See in
California where they lived a few months ago L*** was getting into trouble with
gangs and drugs, she decided that she was not going to loose him to that life
and brought him to the other side of the country and here they are trying to
get another start on life. He is realizing that his actions and mistakes lead
to his mom sacrificing a great job to help him and doesn't want to live that
life any more, he is excited to have friends t that are good people and that
want to follow God. We are excited about how energized he is about church! he
got up at 6 in the morning to get ready for church at 10. they are a definite
miracle, they both came to sacrament and that means Half way to a baptism and
Half way to a rescue! How awesome!
Elder
H*** is an incredible Elder full of energy and hard work together
we complement each other nicely. Lots and Lots of good things are
happening!
Stay Strong and Push on!!!
ELDER PARQUE!!!
