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| A typical Valle Hermoso Twilight |
We are preparing three people for baptism this month and are hoping that a few more will be willing to come to church so they can start their eternal progression. The work that we do together is powerful and we know that is all because we trust in each other and in God.
Flor is a mother who is looking to find happiness in her life. She is about 45 and one of her friends who lives in Utah told her about the church. She is coming every week. She has a desire to learn, to be baptized, and share the Gospel with the people around her. She is going through a lot of family problems and she needs our prayers so she can feel happy and have the blessings of the Gospel and a happy family in her life.
Estrella is another investigator, is 14 years old. We met her one morning as we were walking down a dirt road. She was on the second floor of her house and through the window and we began to talk to her. Our recent convert, Anahi, is helping us teach her so Estrella can feel like she has friends at church. She is really happy when she has the chance to talk to us and come to church.
Marianela is a young mom. She is 20. Her husband is a member of the church and they are looking toward a goal as an eternal family. She is feeling that she needs to wait for baptism but we are trying to help her understand that the longer she waits the longer it will be until they can go to the temple. Pray for them both that they will be able to go to the temple in a year.
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| I made Brownies!! |
One night, as we were walking it slowly changed from day to night. I was able to see more stars and the creations of God during the nights here in Valle Hermoso. As I was peacefully walking with my companion, I was reminded of one of my greatest testimony builders before I left, an experience from my job before the mission, Harmons.
Many things can testify of Jesus Christ. One day, when I was working, pushing carts at Harmon's, I heard a song play on the overheard speakers, "Little Wonders," by Rob Thomas. It comes from one of my favorite Disney movies. I listened to the lyrics as I took out the trash. As the part of the movie played through my mind, I felt a rush of something I can't explain. It's a feeling that's common to me only at times when I intensely feel the Spirit. As I exited the building, I put in an earbud and turned on the song again, analyzing it for ways it relates to the gospel. The lyrics stunningly, in my mind, related so well to mortal life and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The following are the lyrics to the song and my attempt to verbally analyze them.
As we repent, we are told that our sins are no longer remembered by the Lord,
Let it go
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in
Let your clarity define you
In the end
We will only just remember how it feels
In one of the classrooms in the Alta Seminary building, a teacher had a single strand of string that ran the diagonal length of the room. The string, itself, represents eternity, forever extending in both directions. In the middle of the string was a single knot, which represents mortal life. That knot will always be there no matter how long the string is. Mortal life will always determine our eternal kingdom. This mortal life, this blip in time, is so vitally important it accounts for the entire eternity afterwards. Therefore:
Our lives are made
In these small hours
Small tender mercies we see from the Lord:
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These small hours still remain
Let it slide
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Until you feel it all around you
And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by
It's the heart that really matters in the end
Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These small hours still remain
The power of the Atonement is one of amazement! We will never fully understand its power, but the Lord does:
All of my regret
Will wash away some how
But I can not forget
The way I feel right now
So using the Atonement here in mortal life is so critical to the eternal progression of self:
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away but these small hours
These small hours, still remain
Still remain
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These little wonders still remain
I know that each of us receive our promptings from the Spirit in different ways. God knows each one of us personally and He knows how He can touch each of our hearts so that we can have a change. I know that God loves us all and wants us to be successful and as we turn to him, our lives WILL change.
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Elder Corom Jones
"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."
-Doctrine and Covenants 88:84
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| Zona Poderosa Valle Hermoso FRONT l to r: Elder Dangerfield, Elder Shipton, Elder Henley, Elder Palacios, Elder Dias, Elder Hidalgo, Elder Chosco, Yo BACK: l to r: Elder Hernandez, Elder Cruz |
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