19 Enero, 2015

Many great things happened this week, so I will start off with the most important...

We had a baptism! We finally baptized Adrian Martin Martinez Garcia who had been investigating the church for about 10 months before finally deciding to get baptized. Many missionaries complain about people taking a long time, but personally, he is one of the ones that will remain faithful in the church. His decision to get baptized was truly his, and he did not need to pressure of missionaries to decide to get baptized. His baptism was great, and I am grateful for those that prayed for him.

We also found a family of 6 that could start progressing in the church, so if they go that will be a huge blessing. There are also two baptisms for the following week in Jalalpa, Tacubaya that look promising.

On the other hand, I was transferred to Culturas, Culturas with another American that is named Elder Mccrory that has about 8 months in the mission. He is the district leader, but we are both senior companions which means I am moving up in the world haha. Hoping my Spanish really progresses this change, so I can take on even more responsibilities that the Lord has planned for me.

I loved my old campanion Elder Martinez, and I am truly grateful for everything that he taught me. He helped me learn how to enjoy my mission, and that is something that every missionary needs to learn. In order to make it through the two years, we need to make it fun.

Also had the opportunity to give a talk this week for the first time in Sacrament meeting. It was on the sacrifice of serving a mission and doing "la obra misional." The thing that I liked most was the definition of "sacrifice" in the guide to the scriptures which is in the Spanish Book of Mormon. The quote from Joseph Smith said that a religious group cannot except and will not have success in the Gospel, if the church and its members are not willing to sacrifice everything. And with this sacrifice, we will see a bigger reward in the world to come. 

To be able to live with God, we need to be willing to make sacrifices. Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us. We all say that we want to be like Christ. We want to serve others, be humble, have His amount of faith, be that powerful, but we need to ask ourselves the following: Are we willing to suffer a little of what Christ suffered to be able to be more like Him? That is the grand questions that we need to ask ourselves, and we need to answer, "yes." 

I am grateful for everybody that is supporting me, and I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. This year, try to sacrifice a little more so that was can be more like Christ. 

I love you all, and have a great week!

Elder Andrews