July 1, 2013

Hey everybody! Happy 4th of July! hahah. I obviously wont be celebrating it here but... Still. Happy 4th of July this week! I cant really gather my thoughts super well in this moment.... and I dont know why haha. So Im just going to spill them out as they come!

I dont really have lots of stuff to update on, but I do have some thoughts from the week to share!

One thing is this past week I found myself for one reason or another thinking about life before the mission (im focused on the work dont worry...) and something that hit me really hard and was amazing to me was seeing how the Lord prepared me so much to come out into the mission. The whole year/year and a half before my mission... I thought back and just thought "WOW" as i saw all the things the lord had done to help prepare me to serve a mission. Going to BYU, being in that environment, playing on the lacrosse team, living on my own, having my own parents leave on a mission BEFORE me, just EVERYTHING. I thought back on so much stuff and was amazed at all the blessings the Lord had given me to help me prepare for the mission! It makes me think of one of my favorite scriptures in 1 Nefi 17:13-14. And how it says that the Lord will be with us and prepare the way for us. But it wont be until AFTER we arrive in "the promise land" that we`ll see and know that the Lord was with us guiding us. So yeah. ¿Pensarà usted en las bendiciones que Dios le ha dado y verà las cosas Dios ha hecho para prepararle para estar en el camino en que està ahora? haha. Bad missionary jokes. Theyre contaminating me. haha.

Other thought is that one of my favorite things about the mission is getting to see the miracles of God in my life! And getting to see LOTS of them. haha. Because thats what happens here. Lots of miracles. This past week we found another family of 5 that has rejected the missionaries for YEARS. But we found them and were able to enter their house and share with them a really powerful lesson, all because my compañero had the inspiracion to go tocar la puerta JUSTO when one of the members of our ward was there visiting with them, talking to them about HIS mission and how HE was preparing to leave for his mission in a few months. Again. The Lord knows what he`s doing, and he`s preparing everybody. Everybody will have their chance. Be it in this life or the next. Exercise your agency wisely! haha (unfortunately only 2 of the 5 in the family could go to church yesterday, but next sunday we should have them all there with us!)

OTHER thought. Ive really learned the true meaning of "Pedid, y recibirèis" (Ask and ye shall recieve.) here on my mission. And its a frase that im very fond of and have a strong testimony of it now. In all senses of it, temporal, and spiritual. I dont know if that made sense. BUT, my example is that next to our chapel where we have district classes on tuesdays, theres ALWAYS this lady there who makes sopaipillas that are THE BEST EVER. But... she ALWAYS closes her little stand before we finish class and so we can never get them :( But anyways, I asked, I received. And so she is now going to make 6 extra sopaipillas before she closes (enough for everyone in my district) on tuesdays and wait for us outside of the chapel. hahaha. and they cost like...  40 cents. BUT THEYRE SO GOOD. So since im the best district leader ever and want to show my love for my district <3 I made a deal with the lady so now Ill buy sopaipillas for my district each tuesday after district class hahahaha. SO pumped. Theyre so delicious. 

And the last thing I wanted to share were some of the accomplishments from my first year in the mission! Like i mentioned last week. So For time Ill just list them and not be able to talk anything about them haha. Anyway. Here are some of my accomplishments from the first year of my mission! (In no particular order)

- Read the Book of Mormon completely in a week and a half

- Learned to fluently speak the spanish language

- Became a trainer

- Memorized 80+ scriptures (spanish and english)

- Learned to play guitar/didgeridoo

- Improved my soccer skills so I can now keep up with the Latinos

- Read El Libro de Mormon completely in 42 days, and marked/highlighted the name of Christ everytime it shows up

- Became District Leader

- Helped bring 14 children of God to the waters of baptism!

- Gained an immovable testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints so I can now say without doubt that this is the path to eternal life and exaltation.

Woo hoo! I count it as a successful first year :) 

Some focuses I have for the final year are: 

Improving in Journal writing, letter writing, and scripture marking (can you tell Im not a huge fan of writing?...) haha.

A goal I have for the final year of the mission: Teach piano to someone from one of the wards Im in well enough so that by the time I leave the sector, that person plays the opening, sacrament, and closing hymn of sacrament meeting at least once! and so the ward will have someone to play piano for them after I leave :) A BIG goal that I have... that i am VERY set on doing...

And im thinking of other goals. We will see. 

ANYWAY. That will be my letter for the day. As for investigators, keep that one family in your prayers please!! The husband, Jakelyn, Natalia, Antonia, Matias. Thanks! And keep me in your prayers :) haha.

Anyway I love you and miss you all. This is the only true church of christ that contains the fullness of the gospel and the priesthood of God to truly perform the ordinances of salvation correctly, so that we can receive eternal life and exaltation. And I love having that knowledge and testimony! So imma go share it with others! Brb.

Con mucho amor,

Elder Heyman