Hola Todos!
What another wonderful week to be here in the great Texas San Antonio Mission! I am grateful to be here in Carrizo Springs with these wonderful people! We have been working hard this week to find those who are prepared to receive the gospel. We've been focusing on family history and introducing that to people and it's been awesome! I'm learning a lot! The family is central to God's plan. Because of the Restoration we understand God's purpose for families. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenanats available in Holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally. Isn't that wonderful!
On earth, family associations can be the source of some of our greatest joy. Satan is attacking the family on many fronts, through divorce, drugs, violence, bad peer influence, cheating, etc and too many families are being destroyed by his efforts. The message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ makes it possible for families to be united now and in eternity. By living the principles of the gospel, families can experience peace, joy, and a sense of belonging and identity in this life. Through the light of the gospel, families can resolve misunderstandings, contentions, and challenges. Families torn by discord can be healed through repentance, forgiveness, and faith in the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (Ensign, Nov. 1995). "The most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home". -President Harold B. Lee. Live the gospel principles. Teach your kids and family members God's plan that he has for them. It brings families true happiness. I have met so many families on my mission who are looking for this happiness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is where they can find that. When they truly have the desire to follow God and his commandments then he promises us that true Joy and happiness.
On that note Pearl, Anna, and precious's baptism are this Saturday May 27th! We are so excited for them. They are doing so well!! I love them so much. This week we had the wonderful opportunity to start doing their family history with them and it got Pearl and Anna so excited to know they could go to the temple after they get baptized and do work for their ancestors. Hopefully we will get to go with them in a couple weeks so they can take their own names to the temple! Also on June 3rd Jason (one of Pearl's sons) is turning 8 and is getting baptized. He is so excited, still reading the kids Book of Mormon stories. Every time he sees us at their apartment complex he comes running to us asking if he can help us with missionary work! So cute. He's going to be a wonderful missionary one day!
We were able to get in contact with the Longoria family again this week and had a lesson with them on eternal families and invited them to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon as a family each night in order to prepare to become an eternal family. We are excited to see what they learn from reading together.
Mary Treviño is one of our new investigators. She has met with missionaries in the past but decided to not continue meeting with them but when we knocked on her door she really wanted us to come back the next day and meet with her. When we did she had expressed to us some of the things that the Elders had taught her in the past and wanted to learn more at this time. Way to go Elders for planting the seed! She expressed how lost she feels and just wants to find peace and joy in her life. We shared the restoration with her and she liked how much she relates to Jospeh Smith and so we invited her to pray to Heavenly Father and ask him for help and guidance in her life. She gladly accepted the invitation and we are excited to go back tomorrow and see how that's going.
In District meeting this week there were a lot of wonderful testimonies and trainings given. I learned a lot about asking inspired questions to our investigators more in lessons while using the scriptures to help them. Here is an example of what I came up with during district meeting.
In Moroni 10:3-5 it says
3. Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Search question: What does the Lord ask us to do?
Analysis question: What sort of feeling would you expect to feel as you pray?
Application question: In order to receive these feelings of peace and joy will you pray and ask God if the things we have taught you today are true?
It has been amazing to see how asking better questions in lessons helps our investigators really think and have the opportunity to feel the Spirit witness to them that what we are teaching is true. We got to teach Isabelle and her girls a lesson about the covenants/promises that we make at baptism this week. It was a really good lesson. When we are baptized we make a promises with our Heavenly Father. These promises are CTR (Commandments: keep them all, Take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ: trying to be like Jesus, and Remember him always). He promises us that when we do these things we will always have the Holy Ghost to be with us (the Shield).
It has been a wonderful week! I know that as we follow the simple principles of the Gospel we will be happy as individuals and as families. Keep being strong, stay safe! I hope y'all have a wonderful week! I love you.
Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Mann
No comments:
Post a Comment