I didn’t have a baptism Saturday, like we were supposed to...3 actually...the day before they changed their mind and said they wanted to wait till their inactive father went back to church---WELL GO BACK TO CHURCH THEN!!--- I guess he’s going to come back "in march." Why not sooner? I have no idea, but it's sad, cause these girls know its true, they weren’t at church on Sunday and it’s the first time they've missed in like a month.
This week I’ve walked more than probably I have in my entire mission. One day we walked all the way to the colony for a set appointment, they weren't there, NOBODY was in the colony. Then we walked way to the top of the puebla for our other appointment we made the day before....gone...then we went all the way down...nobody..., then to the OTHER part which took like an hour and the MEMBERS were there for food, so that was good, it was WERID food, like eating a tree...but seriously its been stressful this week cause nobody keeps their commitments, nobody reads, we rarely receive help from members, people don’t have watches or clocks so mostly all appointments fall through and they're not there, or the people say "manana, manana eldres" ---hear that about 10 times a day. We're fasting again today in hope that things will pick up and we'll receive some help from the investigators, the members and the others. We've worked so hard this week. Knocked Domingo Arenas, walked the entire Puebla and all, but really I think this Puebla just needs time. We have 3 people who can't get baptized until they are married...and that takes forever. that family with the 8 daughters--we went to our appointment yesterday and he was working on his car and said to pass by NEXT Sunday...I thought they were golden...they didn’t read. It's so important to act, if the investigators don’t act, nothing happens. Members DON'T give us referrals. Well, a few are great, actually like one family -- but their referrals fell through too and the person straight up told us he respected us but didn’t want to hear our message or anything because he was catholic.
Well that’s about it for that kinda stuff, I had a sweeeet hilarious experience this week in Domingo Arenas. We went to go find people that would want to listen, cause there’s not many in atexcac, and we ran into this one guy on the street with his 2 daughters and we started talking to him and we talked about a bunch of random stuff first, like how tall I was and me being American and stuff--always a topic of conversation for everyone we meet -- then he was telling us about how he used to go to our church when he was younger and would come up to Atexcac, but then he was saying how all the churches are similar, and how the Catholics, the "temple thing" in atexcac, and the Mormons are similar, and he just picks the best parts out of all of them. He was saying how he liked our church, but he's seen drunk Mormons in the streets before so he was telling us we're just like everyone else and he’s looking for a place where people do what they believe --- haaaaah!!!! It’s the TERRIBLE examples of the inactive members here!!! SO LAME! There is this one guy, drunk all the time, and another member who sells to the borrachos and is usually drunk outside his store with them, then he tells people he's Mormon when they ask if he is. It's what’s killing us, examples. I think, personally, if someone is going to take upon themselves the name of Christ, that they should ACT LIKE IT, and if they don’t want to keep the word of wisdom or the commandments, then they should not say they're part of this church. It would greatly benefit the missionaries also cause its probably the thing I hate the most when we're talking to someone and they bring up and example of some "member" who has done something super bad, and thus think that ALL members are like that. We told him that those types of people don’t go to church, and the good members of the church don't do those things and what we teach is that we SHOULDN'T do those things --- annnnnnnnnnnyways I don’t wanna get in to EVERYTHING we talked about -- but somewhere in the conversation they asked me if I played the piano and I said yes --- but ONLLY like my 3 songs and I clearly explained that I KINDA play, well, turns out he's in a band kinda thing - like those super annoying mexican music banda bands with all the instruments --- I can't stand them...anyway, he takes me back into this shed (sketchy right) not, and he has all his instruments in there and they all wanted to me to play the piano for them!! So we had a mini concert on his electric keyboard and I played my Christmas song, clocks, and Fur Elyse, yup, it was great :) They LOVED IT!! THOUGHT IT WAS THE GREATEST THING EVER!!! Then I tried to teach them that song where we can do a duet --- but no -- apparently that song is hard to learn -- it took them forever, I taught his daughter and she got it after like 10 minutes then we played the duet super slow. It was TOTALLY SWEET. It made my week. Oh, and remember mom how you always said I had this "gift" where I could "hear" how it goes and play it --- well, I thought everyone had it, turns out that’s not true... funniest thing happened after the duet...he brings his boom box thing in and starts to play this song and wants me to figure out how to play it!!! Like the notes and everything...so...totally did...10 stars for Alex. It was this mariachi music and I TOTALLY figured it out and taught it to them and they were so happy, and guess what? -- TOMORROW I’m TEACHING THEM HOW TO PLAY the piano!!! Great huh, cause I’m like super good and know how haha. I’m going to have to go find the piano notes today and print them out so I know what to do haha.. but ya its hilarious, these people are great. I think with a little fellowshipping, they could be golden:) They are super cool... yup AWESOME DAY...or awesome hour.
I had a REEEEEALLY good study the other day...like REALLY good... so I was studying knowledge and trying to make a Spanish talk for my language study, and studying knowledge led into studying the importance of the Book of Mormon and some other stuff and I thought of this kinda neat analogy that I might be able to use in a talk or a lesson here, and that went into just more and more studying :)))))) and I learned so much. the Spanish talk never got done, but I think I grew and learned more from the things I’m about to write:
What if you spent your whole entire life learning and writing about how to grow the perfect corn so you could give your writing to your children and your children’s children so they could benefit from it, make a lot of money, and live happily and well in their lives; and what if your children never took the time to read it, learn it, or study it, and your whole life in the process of writing this "secret” or key to growing having success and growing the perfect corn was wasted for nothing? How would you feel?
Now what if someone, or a bunch of people, spent thousands of years writing a story of their lives, their recordings of what they did, and things that would greatly help you and protect you in your life, and moreover BLESS you in your life and bring you exceeding happiness, and maybe even show you the secret for living forever. Then what if someone, after all those writings, spent the majority of his life going through those thousands of words and stories and ancient records written, and put the BEST of the BEST together, the ones that would help you the MOST in your life and compiled them together into a tiny little book. Would you want to read it? and lets just suppose what if every man that had written in that book was actually inspired of GOD to write those things and their words were to help you and bring you UNIMAGINABLE blessings not only in this life, but the knowledge of how to receive and have those blessings in the life to come and throughout eternity; and what if that knowledge gave you the chance and the knowledge of how to someday BECOME like God. And just to make things even better, let's suppose that that knowledge in that tiny little 500 page book let you in on a little secret of how you could do all this--and how even you could become like God and BE gods someday. Kinda crazy awesome right!? Like the most important book you could ever read maybe? One if you found, you would never want to give it up or put down, and you'd constantly want to keep studying and learning more about right? It contains the way to your salvation, and the way to receive an abundance of blessings and it explains it all in a simple manner, and contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and EVERYTHING that God would want you to know... that would be crazy if there was a book like that! Would you read it? I think you would; cause who wouldn’t? Who wouldn’t want to know the answers to the biggest and most controversial questions of life. Who wouldn’t want to know how to live forever in the presence of God. Who wouldn’t want a ridiculous amount of blessings just dumped on them for learning and doing the simple things it says in this book. I would, and I’m trying to do exactly that right now. I would want to know, have, do, and read everything if it were possible, and it is, and I have that book, and we have that book in the world today, and ALL we need to do is just pick it up and read it. I know if we do we'll see for ourselves how much it can bless us. It shouldn’t be that hard. If everyone just knew how much joy and knowledge, peace, and comfort it could bring to them - everyone would have read it by now. Sometimes things are just so easy and simple and sometimes we don’t think to do them. Alma 37:44 says "it is as easy to give heed to the world of Christ, which will point you in a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land." The words of Christ will lead us to that ETERNAL BLISS! and it’s easy it says!! Easy to give heed to the words of Christ! The "compass" of "our fathers" relied solely on their FAITH in God! pretty simple. We can give heed to the words of Christ! We can take that "straight" path to eternal bliss, we just need to read and LEARN!!! In 46 it says "do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers, for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live (Moses and the Israelites -- the snake on the staff); even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we look, then we may live forever." THE WAY IS PREPARED FOR US!!! and we can learn of it in the BOOK OF MORMON!! and its made clear though the Book of Mormon... and I know the book of Mormon is the source for all heavenly knowledge we are able to receive in this life. I know we will come to know that "straight course to eternal bliss" if we act upon and APPLY to our lives what we learn and read in that INCREDIBLE book, a blessing to us all. I know that through the Book of Mormon we are able to come closer to Christ our Savior and our Heavenly Father that reigns in the heavens. It's MY testimony that the Book of Mormon IS the word of God, and through it, we are able to know ALL the mysteries of this life and learn everything we must to do, and gain the knowledge we need to someday be worthy to enter into the presence of our Father in Heaven again. I love the Book of Mormon. Everybody needs to read it. It’s the most important book we have on this earth and is absolutely indispensable for our salvation. It teaches the pure and beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ, the fullness that He has blessed us with and brought back to light through the restoration of His gospel. He has given us this book to READ and LEARN from! I love this book. I learn so much more every day. I love my family, I love my mission, I love my LIFE!!! I love the Lord and I feel so blessed with the knowledge of this gospel and the wonderful blessing of the Book of Mormon in my life, to guide me to that "eternal bliss."... which is exactly what I want someday. :) Read the Book of Mormon, it will change your life :)
Elder Bertha
