Week 89: A baptism from learning about the power of God!

Well… What a rainy week!!! I am pretty glad the sun came out so I could dry out, I didn't care if my cloths dried super fast I wanted to dry myself out!! My prayer came true when the sun came out I was in an oven!!! It was super hot then, i was like don't be mean to me mother nature and she sent rain again so ya it was a very interesting sort of things that happened waking up and feeling the cool air and then feeling the scalding sun and then having it rain once again! It was crazy and I’m not sure how I could have made it with out my boots but now they just need to dry out and well I needed to get the 8 inches of mud off of them too! Its been a crazy week. Its funny my companion Elder Reyes has never walked in mud before but  he has now until the shoes just about don't come out! haha but all good here we are safe and dry and well we are always expecting the rain in the afternoon.

So this week was absolutely awesome!! We had a baptism! The baptism of Jesus Emanuel a 12 year old young man who is a bit small for his age! But a great young man. It was sort of funny he didn't want to be baptized before. Elder Aguila and I had a really hard time with him oh it was a spiritual war with him. The spirit was there he felt it but he didn't like to feel it. oh and we couldn't find his needs he wouldn't listen at times oh ya it was like what aren't we doing right?!?!?! but we keep working and praying and doing everything to help him. and well we reactivated his family and well, they where happy to be back. The ward accepted them with open arms and he felt it but the youth wouldn't really do much for him and well we were just like why? help!!!! We got the bishop to help him and well he's his best friend.  The members where a bit like- we can help but not where his lives because there is lots of mud and lots of dirt and lots of wind and its hard to get there. I was like then OK we will go there some of the youth helped, but it wasn’t what we needed. We kept working. His mom was like -he has his own free will and well he can choose. He said -I’ll get baptized when I turn 18. Are you serious?! 18 well I will hopefully be married and have a family at least part of one in 6 years! Are you serious? I thought why? Then I asked him Why? He said he had no idea. Its hard enough to work with someone that knows why and they tell us but its even harder when they don't know why. We kept working, until one day at church the high counselor sat by him and as he was getting ready to leave he asked- why he wasn't baptized. He still didn't have an idea he asked him if he knew what the priesthood was. He said no he said -this week the missionaries will teach you this, right elder? looking at me I said of course we can explain that. During the week Elder Reyes and I went and it was a very spiritual lesson. We got there and we stared explaining the priesthood and its purpose. It was good he started to learn and he started to understand. Then we talked about confidence having an assurance, belief, trust, or faith in something, especially God and Jesus Christ.  “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” (Proverbs 118:8) We explained how God needs to trust in us to have the priesthood. It was a very spiritual lesson and well we really taught through the spirit there and we really learned. We then asked him if God could trust in him to have and honor his priesthood. He said yes he can trust in me! Then we explained that we need to trust in God to have the blessings of the priesthood. Then my companion said “Emanuel will you be baptized to put your trust in god?” Ding! We found the need he had, “Yes” he said! and what a baptism it was a very spiritual uplifting thing for him and well he is now a  member of the church. Man it just reminds me of my baptism when I was 8 as my dad baptized me with the divine power of God. What a blessing! Now he is baptized and he just needs to endure to the end. This happens with everyone, we as missionaries need to listen to the spirit and together try to find this need that everyone has. Sometimes its hard sometimes its a bit easy but everyone has this need and the want to do what is right, when we find the need, boom a blessing comes and we breath and we drop them off at the feet of the Savior and we go and bring more people in. what a blessing it is. The Lord says he works in small and simple things, its amazing how one thing changes everything. If Joseph Smith didn't ACT I wouldn't be here in Mexico and I wouldn't know the truth! If he wouldn't have done it would I have the courage to trust God and act. I don't know but I do know I am in the truth and that I love this work!! Now is the time to act and to start small and well change peoples lives!  I love changing peoples lives or better said Saving lives!! I love this work!!!

Hope you have a great week! and just remember people can change, Simba remember who you are! oh wait!! Love you all!!

Elder Jaymes Monson

Week 88: RAIN RAIN RAIN

I remember a childhood song, and the rain rain rain came down down down and piglet started sailing! haha we have had a lot of rain!!! Its sort of hard to dry your clothes out when it rains every afternoon and through the night and especially on the day you need to wash your clothes and you wake up and its raining, its quite the rain. Tapachula is known in the mission as the place with the most rain! and well i sort of feel like I’m living in Indiana once again because when it rains it pours and with the down pour rain you have the lightning and thunder coming from all directions and Elder Reyes has never been in a thunderstorm so loud and bright in his life! Its sort of a crazy experience haha. but its a great experience! one he will never forget I'm sure. let the rain fall down because it sure is a blessing from god!! What a great blessing it is to have these natural things, rain, lightning, wind and lots of great things!! what a blessing it is to live in the rain forest haah oh wait I'm not living in a rain forest. i just hope that i can put on a dry shirt tomorrow. haha

Anyways this week I have been really inspired by the things i am reading in the Book of Mormon. Wow what a great blessing i am reading!!! I'm talking about a king we all should be familiar with his name is King Benjamin and wow he has some words that just sink down into your soul and testify to your heart that these things are true. but it was more the preparation that the people had. let me explain "And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another. And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;" all of the people came up to hear their king, but they did more than that they sat together as a family with their "tent" doors open and their "hearts" open as well isn't it fascinating how the small things are important to get the whole picture? here they are 3 chapters later this is what King Benjamin says and well i would like to share this with you today. . he says "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ”. what powerful words. I would like to explain this through a scripture us as missionaries recite every week. Doctrine and Covenants 4.

"Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men." What is this marvelous work? Isaiah says,  “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hi”. its a marvelous work and a wonder? Fascinating, this work is the work of salvation, as king Benjamin says "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh, therefore, take upon you the name of Christ" we as members of Christ church have "taken upon us the name of Christ” but as it says in Alma 5:38-39 “Behold, I say unto you, that the good Shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. And now if ye are not the asheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a liar and a child of the devil”. So we have a call made out that the good Shepard who is Christ has called us and if we listen we will be saved if we don’t well you just read it we will be named under a different name and that name isn't a good one. so we have a work to do. the work of salvation is to help these people who don’t know the way to come unto Christ, and as he has said, “I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.  I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10 11-15) We are his hands and well we need to make sure the sheep who are lost come back intro the fold so we are protected as Jesus said. We know by what name we are called but do our friends? Lets continue

 D&C 4:2 “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. it says we need to serve him with all we have interesting right all we have isn't well if i want to or if i feel it, its all! every single bit of every power and force we have in our bodyies and spirits. its hard but we can do it.  Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

I like one word here if we have "desires" to serve we are called.  Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? " (Doc.& Cov. 121:34) We are chosen because he knows we are ready! he knows that you are ready for the assignment to work in the greatest work that has been know unto men. so are you chosen or are just being called and called and you don't want to answer the call. we have lots of things going on in life but we can do this work while we are doing these things! and well we can let them know how great this work is by the way we are. everyone needs this message and you are the way they will know it. so do you have the desire to serve god?

 :4 “For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; 35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. the people are ready for your message your invitation your love. so well where are you? are you in or are you out? there isnt a maybe there is only yes or n0. and well it better be a yes haha. so pick up your new sickle and lets harvest so that it maybe a blessing for others.  And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. with an eye single in the glory of god”.  

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. if you are in the work your eye is on his glory and you can share the light within your "eye" so that others may see your works and glorify god as well.  39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)

We are here to bring this eternal life to everyone if we are in the work we help them know by what name they are called.

 :6 “Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience,brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence”.  Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen”.

Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”. (Matt. 7:7-8)

Anyone who "prays" received. if we need help in this work we can ask and well you will receive and we can search the scriptures and it will be explained what we need.  This life is for man to prepare to meet god we are the way they can prepare and they can find eternal life through us.  “But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." (king Benjamin Mosiah 4:30) remember who's team we are on. The Lord will help us in all the things we need we are on his team and well need more members of this team its only through our desires to work and through our eyes being single to his glory that we can do it. so if you need help, do as Elder Nelson has said, Ask the missionaries they can help you." that's what we do best. but we cant complete our job with out you. I have been super inspired spiritually trough the words of King Benjamin what a wonderful work we are in! i love this work!! And what a blessing it is!!! enjoy the week and remember sharing the Gospel is easy it just starts with a conversations with a FRIEND.  love you all!!

 

Elder Jaymes Monson