Week 79: Its been 18 months and well its gone fast but you know what I have lived and loved every moment.

How is everyone today???

This past Wednesday I compete 18 months in my mission. It was sort of a special day my companion made me a cake and well it was special.  It was the night when we go to the church and well we had brought the cake to the church because it was institute and we wanted to share the cake with the young single adults. Then the teacher asked me to share my experiences in the mission and how I have felt on my mission. Well it was pretty good a neat experience to talk about how my 18 months has changed my life forever. One reason is I can’t relive them and they have changed my life forever. So I went in and taught them about how we are the hands of God here on the earth and  how we have a need to open our mouths so that the spirit can come in. it says in Doctrine and Covenants 68:4 that “And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." I was thinking the other day about an experience that changed my mission and my trust in the Lord. It was in December 2012 and well the thing is I only had a few weeks in the mission and I didn't understand nor speak the language but as I sat there with my companion Elder Picuasi (who is my zone leader now) and I payed attention then it got to the part I was supposed to "Know" I felt the over whelming impression to open my mouth and speak about the restoration of the Gospel and about the First Vision. As I opened my mouth I spoke with the voice of angles and to this day I have no idea what I said to a young 17 year old, Yesien.  All I know is that I explained exactly what young Joseph saw. I opened my mouth and it was filled and the young girl who was listening was overpowered by the spirit because, "for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." (2 nephi 33:1) that day I learned that when I feel the impressions of the spirit I should just go along with it and not resist it. I knew the love my Father in Heaven had and well I still know the love he has for me. In Romans 5:5 it says,  “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." I had the hope and the ability to speak. And well I spoke. 

(editors note: What a beautiful example of strength, hope and faith.  Makes a Mom weep!)

Its sort of funny because the members and the investigators tell us we are "ANGELS" or we are their angels that’s why we have so many people to take care of haha. But if we are the angels they say then,

 “Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark”.

We are angles we speak the words people need to hear and it’s their decision to accept or not. We are sent from God to preach the gospel and to be Representatives of Jesus Christ. The thing is the Holy Ghost takes care of a lot of things we need.  “ The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever”. (Doc.& Cov. 121:46)

Its been 18 months and well its gone fast but you know what I have lived and loved every moment. And I would not change any part. The fun and the greatness of the members and their willingness to serve, the heat of the sun that makes you feel like someone is frying you in a frying pan! the happiness of being a Son of God, and the amazement the changes the Lord can do through his atonement, the feeling of peace and the legs that are absolutely ready to break in two as you sit in your hammock thinking of the day and how grateful you are to be able to recharge the batteries to wake up and do it again. The good feelings you get as you drink cold water when you are super hot and the willingness to fall asleep in 10 seconds, the feeling of the constant companion the spirit and the good feeling you feel when you and your companion leave a lesson smiling and just ready to keep going and the smile of a young kid a baby an adult to know the love the God is eternal. The eyes ready to cry when you know someone has done it and they are crying and your ready to. What a wonderful feeling to be a missionary. 6 months left and well who knows what else will go on.  I will remember my mission forever and ever and will talk about it forever as well. I love this work!!!

Elder Jaymes Monson

(editors note: As a mother, I feel so blessed to have a willing son to serve his Heavenly Father even when he is not sure how to do it or nervous about how it will all turn out.  I’m grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has taken this boy and changed him to a loving, compassionate, sensitive to the spirit Man!  What an amazing journey this is.  Words can not describe how this has changed me and solidified my testimony that God lives, that he know us, each one no matter where we are and that hastening the work of the Lord is to provide this foundation of faith in a loving Heavenly Father to EVERY person.  What an important work sharing the gospel is and how blessed I am to have two sons out willing to do what it takes to help all of God’s children and bring them to Him.)

Week 78: Officially out 18 months this week

What a week!!! That’s all I can say lots of success 36 lessons with investigators and we will just keep going higher and higher, its such a blessing to Be obedient to the commandments God has given us!

This week I have been studying about exactly that obedience to Gods commands. It marks like the 25th time I have read about it but this time I read in the bible dictionary and topical guide. The thing about obedience is the will power we have to obey. Like Nephi, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I Will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7) Nephi’s will power is amazing!! It helped him be successful in all the things the Lord put in front of him. It says in Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 “I, the Lord, am abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." if we follow the Lord we are blessed its just that. its the will and the want to be obedient to the commands God gives. Its not a once in a while thing but its a constant daily habit. Elder Perry says “The discipline contained in daily obedience and clean living and wholesome lives builds an armor around you of protection and safety from the temptations that beset you as you proceed through mortality.”  Our mission president, Pres. Cardenas, is always telling us to be obedient and the blessings come automatically. And its true, its really really true! The thing is that we aren't 100% obedient its usually 96 or 85 depends on the day but we are definitely blessed. But it’s the will power to do it. Its like wake boarding. On a wake board there are lines or groves that you should follow you can go left or right foot forward it doesn't matter but you can not go with both feet foreword because it hurts let me tell you I have done it and it leaves you with a bloody nose. If you follow the grove you feel good and it makes a nice ride. Now we can apply that in our lives if we follow the "groove" the lord has placed we will have a great ride through life and we will be blessed. The Lord has put this great ride now we should ride in it haha,   There is a Law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

 “And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (D&C 130:20-21) but it’s your choice if you want to live within the bounds God has set or no. We do have our own agency, our agency. Each choice you and I make is a test of our agency—whether we choose to be obedient or disobedient to the commandments of God is actually a choice between “liberty and eternal life” and “captivity and death.” This fundamental doctrine is clearly taught in 2 Nephi, the second chapter: “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:27). We are free to chose if you like falling face first on a wake board or not. If you do maybe check the amount of brains cells you have because they aren’t few from the amount of time you can fall.  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”.

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)  " And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments." (D&C 59:21) We need to obedient to every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Elder Perry says,"God reveals to His prophets that there are moral absolutes. Sin will always be sin. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always deprive us of His blessings. The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging. Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty and, in turn, their eternal happiness come from obedience to His laws. As Alma counseled his errant son Corianton, “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10)." I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity”, (alma 34:33) The first law under heaven is the obedience when we are obedient we are blessed. Now let us be the warriors of truth and right as the 2000 stripling warriors were in the Book of Mormon. Our Father in Heaven needs men who are obedient to ever command. I remember playing lots of soccer in my 20 years and well I remember always having my dad on the side coaching me and my mom screaming cheering at me on from the sidelines. But I remember my dad many times at halftimes as we came in feeling down from the first half score sometimes. He would tell us how great we were doing and he would ask us how our will power was. He told us, "guys the score is 0-0 the first half is in the books now if we have the will power we can win the second half." the truth is we won almost all of those second halves, it was awesome to get rebooted for another half of soccer as we worked like we were starting. Its like in life what we have done is the past its what we will do. The Lord knows us and wants to bless us “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) We can all change and make the "second half" better than the first. I love this work and well. Be obedient! Its a law after all!!

Love you all!!!!

Elder Jaymes Monson

My area is a jungle... we find spiders all the time here

RAIN everyday, so today we took picture when it was not raining.

"This is Chusi she is the daughter of our home owner she gave us ties and a tie pin that was cool she is awesome she makes us food and its just so good to have her there because she is always helping us and well she is awesome!!"

"This is Ruben who I helped teach and be baptized back in November while I was in Tuxtla.  He came to my new area to see me!  He is awesome.  He and his family are looking forward to going to the temple at the end of the year." 

Elder Perry May 2013(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/obedience-to-law-is-liberty?lang=eng

Week 77: Teaching, home, technology

Well this week was Awesome!!!! we had a lot of success, 40 lessons 20 with members and 11 others and well 8 with less actives!! it was pretty awesome!!! Now we just need baptisms now haha!!

A few years ago a small family was being formed starting with the eternal marriage of two people they soon made the decision in Rexburg Idaho to make a family but they weren’t sure how they would do as parents but they said they would try their best. So they decided to bring a son into their world helping him know how much they loved him by creating a home where the spirit could dwell. Soon they brought in another son and then a daughter still trying to build this spiritual home they always dreamed about. They read their scriptures and said their prayers as much as a busy young family could. They wanted to be the pioneers of our day by going back on the Mormon trail to Indiana. They were the only members in their area. They tried their best to share the gospel as the young father went to school and taught the young adults about the gospel. They had another son and well they read and prayed and did everything they could to have everything spiritually. The family started to grow and grow not only in number of people but in clothes sizes. These faithful parents taught their youngsters to grow in the gospel as they baptized their first son and looked to go back on the Mormon trail to the place where Brigham Young said “this is the place”. They built a home of faith and of wood form just bear dirt. They grew and read their scriptures every day in the mornings before starting their days and well they also did the family home evening as much as they could. Family prayer and family time became a need and well they started to feel the peace that the home brought as the outside world was super busy and as they ran to a fro they soon baptized all their kids and they all took upon themselves the name of Christ as well as the home they lived in. They had become a Christ centered home they started to bring in the new technology as their father loved it more and more and this young family has changed a lot from the beginning. they soon had the bishop amongst and then a son leave from their home, and well still looking to make the home perfect. This story is one of my family and well they don’t just have one but two sons out on missions and their sons are now teaching the things they learned in the Walls of their home as kids. What a wonderful family I have.

I was thinking this week of all the many blessing that come for our families. I know I was born in a home where the spirit bound in abundance. Elder Scott and Elder Packer both talked about these types of homes in the last conferences. Elder Scott says, "

Many voices from the world in which we live tell us we should live at a frantic pace. There is always more to do and more to accomplish. Yet deep inside each of us is a need to have a place of refuge where peace and serenity prevail, a place where we can reset, regroup, and reenergize to prepare for future pressures.

The ideal place for that peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece. When He is the center of your home, there is peace and serenity. There is a spirit of assurance that pervades the home, and it is felt by all who dwell there." when Christ is the center of our homes we can feel him more and know he exists more because we can see his blessings. like my family there are many more looking for the spiritual protection that comes thought a Christ centred home. "I’m sure you can identify the fundamental principles that center your home on the Savior. The prophetic counsel to have daily personal and family prayer, daily personal and family scripture study, and weekly family home evening are the essential, weight-bearing beams in the construction of a Christ-centered home. the best ways to protect your family is when the protection is taught within the home. the best price to "buy" our spiritual armor is in the family size. and you can buy this package in the temple as parents are sealed. Elder Packer says " Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise children. There is a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered home. We focus on the family in the Church, and we counsel parents everywhere to raise their children in righteousness....

Children taught an understanding of the scriptures early in life will come to know the path they should walk and will be more inclined to remain on that path. Those who stray will have the ability to return and, with help, can find their way back.

The sons of Mosiah fought against the Church for a time but later repented and underwent a dramatic change. In Alma we read, “These sons of Mosiah … had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God."" teach your children young, how young is too young? well you should probably started now if you haven't started. I plan on going from the temple marriage that i will have to the house and have the home set to help us start off right and well and when we have our little monsons running around we will have already put in progress our spiritual home. its a Monday you can start off by Family home evening today!! Wee live in

a world where technological advances occur at an astounding pace. It is difficult for many of my generation to keep up with the possibilities. Depending on how technology is used, these advances can be a blessing or a deterrent. Technology, when understood and used for righteous purposes, need not be a threat but rather an enhancement to spiritual communication.

For example, many of us have a personal electronic device that fits into our pocket. We are seldom without its company; we may refer to it many times a day. Unfortunately, these devices can be a source of filth and wasted time. But, used with discipline, this technology can be a tool of protection from the worst of society.

Who could have imagined not very many years ago that the full standard works and years of general conference messages would fit into your pocket? Just having them in your pocket will not protect you, but studying, pondering, and listening to them during quiet moments of each day will enhance communication through the Spirit. If you young people would review a verse of scripture as often as some of you send text messages, you could soon have hundreds of passages of scripture memorized. Those passages would prove to be a powerful source of inspiration and guidance by the Holy Ghost in times of need."

Technology is all around us! And if you use it well it will go for our benefit. a week or so ago I was talking to one of our faithful members who just got a new phone it was cool!! I wish I could of had it haha but we are in the mission tech doesn't matter here that much haha. And well he let me see it I asked if it had the Gospel library app. he said no but look at the screen I asked how was his study of the Scriptures he said man I haven't had time. I went in and I downloaded a free app and said well maybe you cant carry your scriptures everywhere in your backpack but you have this as I set it up I told him to read it in the public transportation and well wherever he was. He thanked me and well I just smiled, he is doing better now at his study but the thing is if you have the coolest latest cell phone it is not complete without the angel Moroni app! I put it right next to a app that he uses non stop here called Whats UP? so ya he is doing better now. The thing is if we build these Christ center homes we will be eternally blessed just like me and my family. I love this church and this work!!!

love you all and hope you all have a great week and day!!!

Elder Jaymes Monson

picts. us watching the rain as it was coming down and us playing around!!

Week 76: Mango Season

Welcome to Mango Season!!

Its mango season and the picture is of Emmanuel getting down some mangoes from Juan's ranch. 

this week was pretty good lots of movement in the outer areas of our area because they are filled with mangoes so we have been trying to teach some people out there but its not working too well haha. but it was alright. this week I was reading in Alma about a guy named Amuleck who gave up everything to help Alma out in the work of salvation. it was a a pretty great momentum builder because he just knew who he was supposed to be and he went and did it. 

this week in our zone training meeting we learned about how we should live up to our full potential and i was thinking, am I working to my full potential? well i have been a bit under the weather so right now no but when I'm better or when i was better am i? 

President Uchdorf teaches us this  The words written in the scriptures and spoken in general conference are for us to “liken them unto [ourselves],” not for reading or hearing only. Too often we attend meetings and nod our heads; we might even smile knowingly and agree. We jot down some action points, and we may say to ourselves, “That is something I will do.” But somewhere between the hearing, the writing of a reminder on our smart phone, and the actual doing, our “do it” switch gets rotated to the “later” position. Brethren, let’s make sure to set our “do it” switch always to the “now” position!

As you read the scriptures and listen to the words of the prophets with all your heart and mind, the Lord will tell you how to live up to your priesthood privileges. Don’t let a day go by without doing something to act on the promptings of the Spirit.

Its like me in meetings sometimes nodding and saying well president that would be our dream to baptize every week but im the execption haha or we have the plate of answers infront of us and we don't take from it! Elder Scott tells us this With all my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are. … I urge you to discern through the Spirit your divinely given capacities. We should look at what we can be and not what we were the truth is we all have a big  potential like president Monson talked about in his talk form oct 2012 about seeing men as they can be. lots of time there are people we visit or the missionaries come to your home and they ask you for a refual or someone you can help teach. and a name comes to mind but then you say no why would they ever want to they are Catholic like they say here or baptist or Jewish or what ever reason that comes to our heads. President taught us this last conferance with our contacts as we approach someone we have so many taught and well lots of them are negative but if we go up confidently and we dont think otherwise we would have seccess but if we go half way we wont make it. the funny thing is that think of skiing if you only go half way or dont put all your energy into it well you wont make it to the bottom too quickly but starting out strong and finishing strong. our father in heaven knows the people we can help so when the first person pops into your head dont go back on it move foreword on it. Progression is the way to life. there are lots of people that don't like change but the truth is like my dad always has told me its just a way of life. so let the lord change the people inside of us and the people around us!! let us be a progressing people! just like Amuleck was he was a less active person who changed the work of salvation forever!! and well he changed and let in the prophet of the lord to help him change the world.


I hope you all have a great week!! love you all and well pray for you all everyday!!!


Elder Jaymes Monson