Rebuilding

An incredible week:

This week we had the opportunity to go to Cali Colombia, the central of the mission. We had a meeting with Elder Wadell of the 70. Elder Wadell from the United States served a mission to Spain both as a missionary and just 6 years ago as a mission president. My companion said, "His Spanish is better than mine", although he is from the DR. The messages that Elder Wadell shared with us were incredible, inspired by God, to help us in this very difficult time. 

Cool thing about our trip to Cali, my companion and I were selected to stay with the assistants of the President. My companion really liked that cause he got to spend some time with his friends who are now all the heads of the mission. We ate pizza... AWESOME! Cali is known for its amazing bread, so we had some amazing bread. Plus a chocolate malt I don’t think I will ever forget, ha-ha, oh the challenges of a mission.

I love the mission life, lots of people ask me, so do you like knocking on doors everyday? And I simply reply to them that honestly I haven’t knocked on a door in like 2 months. We talk with the members, we talk to their family, their friends, and we are having amazing success.

The family of Evelyn, my first baptism, we will get to baptized all of them, her grandma, her mom, and her dad. Her dad and her mom are getting married so they can get baptized on the 21st of September with another couple that are also getting married to get baptized. We are starting to teach her aunts as well. 

Yersson Florez will also get baptized the 21st of September.

We will have around 10 baptism on the 21st of September and we plan on doing it in a river out in a place called Tres Brazos, its going to be really amazing. We just have to find enough baptismal clothing, because normally you don’t have more than 10 people being baptized at one time. It just doesn’t happen and we alone have 10 and the other missionaries also have baptisms that day with us as well. 

Our district Américas Branch is leading the most successful mission in the world. I love that we can help so many people. 

Here in this part of the world we are able to see the many trials of the world that we live in, here and now. This world is much different than the times of the past. Elder Wadell talked a bit about this. Elder Wadell said that the souls that are here in this day, are the souls with the most valor. There is a scripture that talks about this, although I don’t know how to translate it correctly but something along the lines of the cumplimiento de días, that was still in Spanish, sorry. Everyone I would just like to say. I have all but forgotten my English. I can only speak in Spanglish, it was actually really embarrassing. I got to personally talk to Elder Wadell for like 2 minutes in which I couldn’t help but speak Spanglish. I was actually really embarrassed. Seriously, it was horrible, he told me not to worry that he could see that I was getting embarrassed and that the missionaries who still speak English perfectly will have problems with Spanish the rest of their lives.

Elder Wadell spoke to us about our purpose here in the mission. This is what he told us: 

You as missionaries have one purpose in the mission

To baptize

You eat to baptize

You sleep to baptize

You breath to baptize 

Everything you do is to baptize. Baptism is the door through which your investigators can enter to have a true conversion of heart.

We have been having a few problems with members who are telling our investigators to wait, that they really don’t know what they are doing. This is always disheartening. What they do not understand is that this is a process and that we are always building our testimony. We never reach a perfect knowledge of these things. We will always be learning more in terms of Jesus Christ and his ministry in the World. 

That is really my message. 

Oh and this: 

Ezekiel 37 in the bible there is evidence of the Book of Mormon. What is the book of Mormon some may ask, I explain the book of Mormon in the following manner:

If you had two kids, and one went to live in Canada and the other went to live in Germany.

You are going to have a party in the United States or wherever you live. Which of the two would you invite.

Normally the people answer, BOTH 

Because you love your children equally. God is no exception. So when prophets were preaching his Gospel in Jerusalem and in that part of the world, would it be fair that God would forget those on this continent? No, so he sent prophets to write and preach his gospel here in the Americas long, long ago. 

The Book of Mormon is a record of the words of these prophets that was written on ancient records around the time of 400 AD. Mormon a prophet of God compiled all the important writings of these prophets of ancient America. He then hid the records in a hill. Later these ancient plates were translated, and so we have the Book of Mormon

Another Testament that Jesus is the Christ

That he paid the ultimate price for us. 

That he is the Savior of the World 

That is what is the Book of Mormon is, the history the stories of the people of this continent, together with the Bible the two point towards the divinity of Christ and his redeeming love. 

15 the word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 And when the children of they people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephariam, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

There is lots of evidence in the bible of the Book of Mormon, this happens to be the most easy to understand. Ephraim is a tribe of Israel that will except all nations. 

This is the true church of Christ established to its fullness as it was once established. I know it because I have prayed about it. If you do not know it’s because you have not prayed about it.

Challenge of the Week:

If you do not know these things talk to the missionaries you don’t have to be converted, you just have to listen. That’s all I ask of you, is to listen to the things that they say. Then you can judge for yourself if you do know these things. 

Please host a family home evening in your house Friday night. Invite the missionaries, and most importantly invite a friend that does not know these things. If you think you do not have time, you do, the time you have is here and now is of the Lord. Maybe your friends won’t be interested. That doesn’t matter either. Do it, they won't think of you any differently do not have fears. 

Just do it. 

I love all of you so much 

I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ 

Amen

Elder Lyle