Cinnamon Rolls

This week flew by super quick, we got some really good planning to start the week, set so many lessons, but had a lot fall. All in all the few little moments we had to strengthen someone's testimony in Christ make it all worthwhile. I've gotta say that one of my favorite parts of this week was Sunday. My companion Elder Ek was sick, so we went in a Trio Elder Lybbert, Elder Pedro, and I. We share the chapel with him and His companion, so we ended up going to church twice. Super good! (Except I always have no idea if I should take the sacrament twice, doctrina profunda) In Tribuno, it was the Primary Program, so you already know it's gonna be good. There ended up being 145 people in the chapel! whaat. Elder Lybbert, said "Why don't we have the Primary Program every week?" We visited one of the kids and his family last week. He doesn't have a father or priesthood holder in the house and is 11 years old. So we went to give him a blessing of health with another member in the ward. It was such a privilege to be able to give him the blessing, and then Sunday, during his testimony he shared his testimony of priesthood power. It was so special for me to see that, especially as he is preparing himself too soon to receive the priesthood. As we are ready and at the will of the Lord, he will use us to serve in small and simple ways. And I love that as the loving father He is, He will give us all the chance to gain a testimony of these things, of his son. As we seek to know the truth, to obtain our own testimony with faith, and as we look around us with the humility and eyes of faith of a child, we will come to know the truth of what He teaches us. 45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I aknow of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? 46 Behold, I say unto you they are made aknown unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have bfasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of crevelation which is in me. 48 I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name. I forgot Thanksgiving was a thing this week, until Hermana Janzen made us cinnamon rolls. So goood...(those don't exist here, if you tried to explain them to someone they'd think you're crazy). So I had cinnamon rolls with powder milk (be grateful for the little things, like, real milk). I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve my Father in Heaven, to sacrifice just a small part of my life to serve His children and help them come unto Him by His son Jesus Christ. As you look at a mission more and more, it is always more of a blessing than a sacrifice. To see Christ be welcomed into the lives of those around me is so beautifully wonderful. I am so greatful for the opportunity God has given me to grow my testimony throughout my life, to find the truth by Him and His Spirit. I am so grateful for loving parents who lovingly and patiently guided me to be able to find the truth on my own, who put up with me for years, and somehow still love me. Thank you all for your love, your support, your efforts in the service of the Lord and His children. I testify that He knows and hears each one of us. As we seak Him, with real intent and thank Him for all that we have, we will feel His love. Love you all, Elder Shepherd 5fee8472-4fba-4325-88eb-faf313a8c4b3.jpg it also rained this week, so gee willy that made me happy. 20231123_205022.jpg

His Enabling Power

Why have 2 Elderes, when you can have 3. This week we received a new companion, Elder Ek. He's great, I know the Lord has a work for us to do and lessons to learn together. Yesterday in the office we received many new missionaries from Paraguay, Bolivia, Brasil, México, U.S., all over. It's always so exciting to receive the new missionaries in the office (after there 40hrs of travel usually), to welcome them, get them ready to adapt, help them with the questions the have, get them excited, and my job (that I'm sure they love) Vaccinate them all. There's probably nothing better than eating your first empanadas, getting vaccinated, and then eating more empanadas. This week we were finding and teaching a lot of families that have some members of the church in the family, but others aren't. I love to see the families take the steps to follow Christ together. The things that he asks of us, nos cuesta a veces, (they 'cost' us sometimes, or they take some time to adjust to, to put in practice), but as we give our best effort to put his teachings in practice it becomes more natural. And we will come to see the blessings. Especially, when we apply His teachings as a family. For our friends it starts with meeting with the missionaries, actively trying to learn, taking the learning and the search for the truth personally and as a family by reading the scriptures and praying so that they can find their own testimony not from 2 or 3 kids in the street, but from God. Going to the Church to learn more, set themselves apart from the world to show our love to God, to have a community to try our imperfect best to support and uplift one another as Christ would, and to most importantly take the Sacrament to remember His sacrifice, to renew or prepare ourselves to make covenants with Him, and to put us in a position to apply His atonement in our lives. I love to see how the application of these teachings can change our lives, as I reflect more and more, it helps me to see the why. Why is our a Loving Father gave us these teachings to follow and apply in our lives. As we do so we come to find greater happiness, hope, and unity in this life, that will prepare us for the next. This week my studies were aligned a lot with the application of the atonement in our lives, and how it can change us, the meaning of grace, and understanding the voluntad of our Father in Heaven. As I was study these things I turned to the "Guide to the Scriptures," and I love it's definition, it has helped me to grow my understanding and see the power of Christ in my life: "The enabling power from God that allows men and women to obtain blessings in this life and to gain eternal life and exaltation after they have exercised faith, repented, and given their best effort to keep the commandments. Such divine help or strength is given through the mercy and love of God. Every mortal person needs divine grace because of Adam’s Fall and also because of man’s weaknesses." As I was studying, I was pondering the question that was related to a lot of what I've seen recently, and the misinterpretation of Christ. What would be "being saved" if we just remained in the same state as we are now, forever? Being 'saved' through grace is more than being saved from death or sin, but having the power to change, overcome our weaknesses and the challenges of this world, and finding joy in this life. As I have tried more actively to apply this enabling power in my life, I have seen the blessings of it. And I've seen it in the lives of many others. It is the power to change, the opportunity to gain blessings, and to prepare us to live more like and with our Father in Heaven as we seek to sincerely apply it in our lives. A good friend just sent me a talk on almost exactly that, and I listened to it today. It's by Elder Uchtdorf, so entertaining, spiritual, and certainly a small airplane reference that you'll enjoy. And something to ponder and apply. I invite you to listen to it. "But the grace of God does not merely restore us to our previous innocent state. If salvation means only erasing our mistakes and sins, then salvation—as wonderful as it is—does not fulfill the Father’s aspirations for us. His aim is much higher: He wants His sons and daughters to become like Him." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-gift-of-grace?lang=eng&id=p25#p25 That is exemplified by a lesson we had this week. We passed by the house of a member and their sister-in-law was there with them. We asked a few inspired questions to get to know her, and quickly learned that she had recently passed through some very difficult moments. This year she lost her father and her recently born baby. I can't imagine the pain of this situation. And the first question she asked us was very impactful. "Where is my child?" I do not have the ability to completely lift up or give true hope in moments like this. But Christ does, thanks to Him there is hope, and thanks to Him we could let her know that there is hope. And not only that we will all be resurrected and have the opportunity to live in families forever, but also that thanks to Him we can have the strength to continue in this life and find joy. To every problem in life, Christ is the answer, thanks to His Infinite Atonement that gives us (as we seek for it, for Him) the enabling power to "obtain blessings in this life and to gain eternal life." We testified of Christ and how His sacrifice is for all, that thanks to His power she will have the opportunity to see her child again, and that she can use this power in her life now to find peace, joy, hope, and the strength to change and grow. That makes me so happy, and after a lesson with a few shed tears, we ended it all with smiling faces. Thanks to Him. I love you all, thank you so much for your constant support, and your efforts to follow and serve the Lord wherever you may be. My hope is that you can get something out of these experiences I've seen, and to see the hand of the Lord more in your lives as well. It is an everyday effort to apply the atonement in our lives and to see it working, but as we actively seek, reflect, and reach for the help of our Savior, we will always, always find it.

He's Playing Chess

This week was super good, we've been teaching a family, la flia Flores. They are super excited to go to the church this sunday as a family, to learn more and feel the spirit there. This week I have been studying a lot about "la Voluntad," the Will. Particularly of our Father in Heaven. It has been a special experience these past couple of days to study in the morning, and then to see His hands in action in our area. From impressions to visit a certain family, to sharing something specific, to the moment that we plan or end up passing by, the people we cross in our path, this week it's like I've been watching the Lord play Chess. And, He's really good at it. One example of this, we had found a family, that we the impression to visit in the morning, we found them in the middle of their super busy schedule, in just the perfect moment, then a member passed by in the street, he came over and we invited him to share his testimony, then with His help, we looked for another family that we had planned to find and visit, but the direction was bad, and in hunting down the house, someone pointed us to ask at a certain house. It ended up being a family of members, and I may not know the exact reason we passed that day, but I say the Lord working through us and the member we were visiting with. We ended up bringing them both together in a moment they were needing it. I know that god loves us, He wants the best for us in this life and the next. We have everything and every moment thanks to Him and His love for us. And if we look around, we'll see His hand. He wants us to find true joy and the salvation, and that's like a 2 in one deal in His plan. The Will of Christ and our Father are one. Christ gave us life, to give us life. To give us Hope and Help in this life. the cwill of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. 8 And thus God breaketh the abands of death, having gained the bvictory over death; giving the Son power to make cintercession for the children of men And as Nefi learns in Heleman 10, the Lord wants that all of us can come to know Him and His plan. I am so glad for this plan and for His love for us. I know He loves each one of you and I know He is working marvelous works in each one of our lifes. I know that as we seek Him,, we can better overcome the difficulties we face in our lives, find joy among our circumstances in this life, and prepare ourselves to return to His presence. And in this, I find joy in everyday as I am trying my best to apply these principles and help others to do so as well. Love you.