Hear Him

I hope you all are doing super well, and preparing for this conference weekend. I am so excited to listen to the words of the prophets this weekend. I'm even more excited because I know it is a time of lots of spiritual revelacion, it is one way that we -- can Hear Him. I have found that sometimes we don't hear the Lord exactly when, where, or in the way that we would like to or that we would expect, but He does listen to every prayer no matter how simple, and that He does speak to us. He does it in ways that are unique and in His time, but here are some of the ways I have found that we can Hear Him. Through the Holy Ghost, the feelings of peace and warmth, the impressions, and His voice. The spoken or written words that others are inspired to share (especialmente de sus queridos). The double-alley-oop-impression (I didn't know how to describe this, but when you have the impression to say or do something, and then when you act on, the other person has the impression to do or say something, that helps you receive revelation that you were needing, even if you didn't know it). His words that we find in the scriptures, in the words of those who have been called to share messages with us, and especially through the words of His prophets and apostles. This Conference weekend, I hope you can listen with the spirit of prayer and with specific questions in mind because I know that the Lord speaks through His servants and that we can find answers to our questions by listening to and acting on the promptings that we receive. To find the truth isn't something that normally we find stagnantly, but by searching for it. I also hope that as we listen, we will have impressions of ways that we can be the answer for someone else's prayers, that we can have the guidance to be instruments in the hands of the Lord, and that we can help others to Hear Him. Through our actions, our examples, our words, or our Christlike love and support. The Lord has a need for us to lift up those around us, and as we search for His help and guidance, He will help us to do so. If there is anything I can testify of it's this. Thank you for each one of you, your encouragement, love, and support. You have helped me hear and know Him more in my life. ¡Love you all!

Happy Birthday Mason!

How is my baby boy 20 today?!

Una Casa de Bastantes Ventanas

Just wanted to share a quick story this week, a testimony that has strengthened mine. One of our recent converts here, Guadalupe shared this with us the other day. She was working with her son cleaning this house. A house with so..so many windows. Just a ton. Here's a picture of the Bangkok Temple for an idea.

That's a whole lot of windows. Wow. Alright, I'm not sure it was exactly like this, but now you've got a picture in your mind. your welcome. She was there cleaning this house, and was really tired, exhausted, from the work of the week, taking care of the family at the house, and a surgery she had had recently. She was exhausted from the things of the world, and part way through looking at this house, it looked impossible to finish the job, to clean it all. That's when she had an idea, an impression. She paused for just a moment -- took out her phone -- and hit play. As she started to listen to the Book of Mormon on her phone, she continued to work. She said that for the rest of this day, the rest of this time cleaning an endless amount of windows, she found the strength and energy to keep moving forward. She didn't feel tired. God has promised that as we follow his commandments, even his simplest ones, including edifying ourselves upon his word, we will find blessings espírituales and temporales. Including the energy to keep pressing forward. As we look first for his Kingdom, the rest will fall into place. As we do the little things to read, to pray, and to take time in our days to remember, and take time for Him, his light will enter into our lives. The Savior is the Light of the World, and can make this change in each one of our lives, as we do what is needed to let Him into our lives. As we do, we will find the strength to press forward. He will help us to meet our needs, overcome our obstacles, and press forward. We have lots of needs in this world, lots of troubles, challenges in our minds, it's part of life. I'm sure you and I could think of a larger list than we would like to of these things. But He has said - 32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But aseek ye first the bkingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. God knows that we have things we need to do and things we just need in this world, he understands that more perfectly than we could ever know. But He also loves us perfectly and if we put Him first in our lives, show this love we have for Him, those things will fall into place. It does not mean we will live a life without trials, without difficulties, or maybe without a huge house just full of glass windows to clean. But as we come to trust in Him, His strength, and let the light of the Savior enter into our lives, we will have the strength to press forward and to accomplish these things, with His help. It is tremendously special this opportunity that we have as missionaries to share the light of the gospel with all, and to this light enter their lives, and their families.

Through Him

 Alright, it's been awhile and I'm not sure where to start here.

Over these past few weeks, I have come to see so many testimonies of the Savior grow including my own. I have learned of the humility, the observation, and faith by which these testimonies grow. As we humble ourselves before the Lord, recognize his hand in our lives, and have the faith to continue to follow him, trusting that he will provide the way for us, our testimony of him will grow. But these are easy words to say or write, but to apply these things in our lives ... that is something more.

This is Lizbeth and Gustavo, and their kids Christian and Bairon. 

They are a family that has taught me so many things about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have experienced so much in their lives, but have found strength in Christ. Their son Christian is about 11 years old, and spen up too about a year ago running and jumping as kids do, but as of year has been in what essentially is an awake coma. As you could only imagine, this has only brought a huge series of challenges for this young family, far from their Columbian home. One of these challenges was about their faith, and how a loving God could let something like this happen to them in their lives. And they found themselves far from him, until the missionaries started coming by. At some point they thought about telling us not to come by, because it wouldn't change their circumstances and it was a sacrifice of time. But with the impression of the Spirit, again and again, they decided that they would always welcome the word of God into the house, because they had felt that it was really from Him (D&C18:33-36). In these few months, their perspective has changed, they have found peace, and happiness, even in the midst of their circumstances. And have come to feel and know the Love of their Savior. And in words that have shaken me to the core, they are following His path, not because they are waiting for a miracle from Him or expecting something in return, but because they have felt His love and because they love Him. Their Savior, who knows them each perfectly by name.

This is the familia Gomez.

This family too, was in the midst of the waves and winds of this world, not sure where to turn or go. When the mom and grandma of the family, in the middle there, Guadalupe saw a post from the Church, that touched her. And from there, through a few miracles, and the work of the spirit, she and her family got in touch with the missionaries. We have had the privilege and the joy to grow closer to Christ with this family. One night after their baptism, we were asking how they felt and they started to share some of their testimonies. And my companion and I had the impression to share our testimonies too. I shared about how I remembered doing my interview with Ryan Roskelley and how I didn't know everything, but I remember feeling the peace of the spirit and knowing that this was the path of Christ. That it was a good choice. And Guadlupe was like, woah, I really felt that too. And she shared her testimony of the path she took to get to this point, and the spirit she felt in the interview, but then the opposition and doubt that she had in between this and her baptism. But how she followed the spirit, what she had felt, and how all these doubts, troubles of the past went away as she was baptized. She has seen the influence of Christ in her life to a marvelous degree, and her family too. Even those who have not yet chosen this path, one of them prayed (who has only been in one or two lessons with us) to close our lesson that night, and prayed diligently that they would continue to follow this path  because of the mighty change he has seen in his family. A mighty change through Christ.

These two families have taught me so much about our Savior and the effect that He can make in our lives. Because of what they have experienced, the steps of faith they have taken to let Him into their lives, the humility they have to apply his teachings and to listen to a couple kids trying to teach them the best they can (really listening to the spirit), and the trust they have in his will, their lives have been changed. They have experienced mighty changes that only the Savior can bring. In their individual lives and in their families. 

Nothing has made me so happy than to see these two families experience the atoning power of the Savior in their lives and families, and to have gained testimonies that He Lives. That He is The Christ. And that He is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever. That He is still a God of Miracles, and can make these miracles in our lives. The change in the lives of these individuals and families, is not the work of me or my companions, (in fact I can assure you I have learned so much more from them) but the work of the one who has descended below all, so that He could lift us up. He has worked Miracles that I can never forget. 

6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;

7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. 

8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; 

9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; 

10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. 

11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; 

12 Which alight proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space

The Savior has descended below all and has the power to work great miracles in our lives. And as we humbly let Him into our lives, he can and will work miracles.
Love you guys.

(it's so strange to write when your thinking in Spanish, trying to write in english, and someone is speaking portuguese right next to you)

D&C 122:7-8

D&C 88:6

“When we start with an inclination to believe, observation leads to faith. As faith grows, reason facilitates the transformation of faith into revelatory knowledge, and revelatory knowledge produces added faith,” Elder Renlund  (This talk is super good)