Bill Clinton once said, "Big things are expected of us, and nothing big ever came from being small." SO TRUE RIGHT! If we aren’t "big" and proclaim the gospel to everyone we meet and talk with, NOTHING big is ever going to happen!! We, as members of the church, need to be BIG in our beliefs, and our willingness to go out and share what we know, we can’t be small and never want to stand up for what we believe and never share and testify of the truth we know. BE BIG... Oh Bill, great quote, ten points for you. Annnnnyway this week was fannnnntastic.
One day we knocked a TON of doors---so much fun, really---but really nobody was interested and gave us the pathetic excuse that "they were about to leave" or "they were in the middle of working." They’re just missing out on blessings and an opportunity to hear the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and GOD, no bigs.
The ramma (ward) here is dying because of the members. It’s super sad and totally ridiculous. My comp and I are scared to leave our new converts in this ward because its just...terrible...really. I’m not going to go into it, but my comp and I had this intense talk with the president of the ramma and then my comp talked to his wife a day later and he ended up just getting up and leaving cause she said something super bad...there are SO many crazy bad rumors and stuff going on here… it’s CRAZY!!! Be good members. Help the missionaries. Don’t start rumors. Don’t be a part of rumors. Hopefully our new converts will fix up the ramma a little and start helping us change things. The thing that a lot of the members are MOST upset about is the KILLER talk my comp gave the other Sunday. We planned it together with the things that needed to be said--but i don’t speak perfect so we decided it’d be best if he explained everything. We talked about chismes (rumors), keeping the Sabbath day holy and not working, wearing the appropriate clothing to church, and some other stuff, and the members took "offense" to it thinking it was directed at them---duh it was, and it needed to be said by someone. They always take offense to things that they know they need to change, and don’t have that desire to change and are hard hearted and wont do it (I’m kinda generalizing it with the ENTIRE ramma, but it’s a small ramma so it’s pretty much true with everyone--minus one family) We’re trying to fix it as best as we can and it is VERY hard, the people put themselves above the missionaries as if we don’t know ANYTHING and don’t listen to us hah...oh best part about my comps talk was when he shared the scripture like the truth is hard for the wicked it’s a great scripture. We rarely visit the members and try to stay away from interacting with them much because of the problems they cause and just try to be missionaries and teach people and focus on that. That is what one of President Rex’s councilors told us to do in this crazy situation.
Hey, on a better note, guess what!!! WATER FIGHT SATURDAY!!! I got this letter from Scott and he told me in Peru they were doing it and I know they were doing it in Jordan’s area too and I was so bummed that nothing cool like that goes on here...BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT YES!!! Saturday! I’m so going all out and I have my li’l super soaker but I’m going to get a bigger one this week...cause people are going to have buckets...and I need a bigger gun----OBVIOUSLY!! and I might whip out my water balloons too and strap them to my belt like grenades. I shall win...in defending myself.
I would like to share another president quote with you all. "The United States is the best and fairest and most decent nation on the face of the earth." -George Bush. TRUE FACT PRESIDENT!!! I love the United States of America, and I really think my patriotism has SKY-ROCKETED since I’ve been here, with the ridiculous amount of racism and bad mouthing about the united states. I love the USA, and every single American...and I’m trying my HARDESTTTT to love every Mexican too---but it takes time :)
OTHER thing that happened this week that was cool...I entered a Mexican jail..and seriously---I think I’d rather be in a Mexican jail than one of ours...its like wayyyy laid back and they just make cool things out of wood and sell it. It’d be legit, the guys were making some sweet stuff, anyway, we went in (and this was the second time for my comp cause the first time I forgot my license so they made me wait outside while he taught them) and taught this guy---whose wife’s sisters daughter is a member and we gave their house a blessing that one night like 2 weeks ago. He killed two people after this party and ya...he’s in prison now...he’s the nicest guy though, and totally wants to change, stop drinking--cause he was drunk at the time--and GET BAPTIZED AND his wife!! But it will obviously be in a while, but still, its awesome. We taught him and followed up on his reading and everything. He didn’t read though so we talked a lot about that...but he is just a super humble quiet guy who you would never think this sort of tragedy would take place with him. His wife was there too and I think we’re going to start going to their house and teaching she and her children there too!! After we met with another guy who is in jail that we started teaching, and from now on, I think we’re going to try to pass by there every day--cause they have 30 minutes of visiting time everyday and his family doesn’t talk to him and his wife went off with a different guy. He is awesome. He was like, how many people are in the ramma, cause I want you to count me in cause in 2 years I’m out of here and I want to get baptized and join them!! SWEET HUH!!! He has been reading and we taught him a 30 minute lesson about reading and the importance of prayer and how he can use it in his life to bring him that peace he needs with everything going on, he being in jail and his family and everyone else not talking to him or helping him. He is a really fantastic guy. I swear everyone was way cooler in jail---like that’s the new hot spot for new investigators I’m thinkin...
I ate this gross chili pepper the other day, it was the size of a rat--and kinda looked like one too, the tail being the stem and everything, it had cheese inside of it, and at first I thought that was the chili so when I opened it up and tasted it I was like WOW THIS IS GOOD!!!! But they TRICKED me!!! You eat the outside!!! and it WAS amazing cheese inside but the outside was all slimy and gross, like if you skinned a rat then soaked it in boiling water so its all soggy and stuff..---YUMMMMMMY RIGHT!!!?? That’s what it tasted like, I held myself back from barfing--it was really hard...oh and it has been like mega-hot lately so that just makes it all better.
Oh, and we were tocando puertas and we knocked into these CHRISTIANS!!! Weird huh? She let us in to talk for like 15 min., but then we talked forever, and then her husband came in and started talking with us...and I really don’t remember all of the hour and a half conversation we had with them - sorry - but the husband at first was like battling us about things then my comp said something, OH I REMEMBER, we were talking about the proper authority, priesthood, that we have and need to be baptized by, and he was saying stuff about that then my comp explained it more thoroughly and with the spirit and it turned that attitude around in the room and they started to listen more than before… so, I have no idea what will happen with them but obviously I’m hoping for the best as always and we’re going to see them again this week...but I think...maybe...over time...they will get baptized :) I HOPE!!! They had a way cool house too, super weird, all the walls had wood on it cause he’s a carpenter, it looked super nice actually, super homey, I liked it. :)
So this week I have been nibbling away at my jelly bellys and I’m getting good, I KNOW my flavors now...it seems like they always put a TON of those black liquorices ones in though!!! WHO LIKES THOSE ONES!!! and the cappuccino ones too ewwwwwwwww....I had a triple combo the other day---liquorice, chocolate pudding, AND cappuccino---it was SO bad!!! Not like one of those so bad it’s almost good things though, like red bull soda, which is like so bad its AMAZING--they don’t have that here by the way :/ but it was just NASTY---I put all the black ones and the brown ones in a little bowl. I love pear and pomegranate and strawberry cheesecake, and the lemon ones---but they’re all super good, and I probably have some toppers too that I’ve just forgotten about---but I’m almost out!!
K, so probably the GREATEST thing that happened this week was our BAPTISM ohhhhhyeeeee it went great!! Great in the way that it got done, because it ended up taking place an hour after it was scheduled, due to the fact that we had some GREAT branch support and nobody showed up, except for the president and his wife and another member---thank heavens because we needed a witness-- but it got done. The water was FREEZING!!! But not really, it was like the ocean but every one else was like freaking out...but I walked into the middle first and it was almost to my shoulders hah, seriously I was thinking about jumping off the rock that was there, but they would have thought that was a little weird :) but it went great. I baptized Claudia and my companion baptized Paco. I think they’ll be great members :) Sunday they got confirmed and everything :) so 2 new MEMBERS YAY!!! Everyone should be happy, 2 more saved souls :) I am so happy for them, I bet in the next couple months their mom will get baptized too and we’re hoping Paco will be able to do it!!! HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE!!! He is hard core wanting to go on a mission too, the president guy was here at the end of week to talk to the sad members of this ramma and fix some stuff and he said that Paco would be able to go if he wanted and would have to put his papers in RIGHT at one year because he’s 24 right now and 25 s the age limit, and it would work out perfectly, so we’ll see, I’m so excited!!! On Sunday, I taught gospel principles. Gracias to my just WONDERFUL companion he told me I was teaching last second. I have never read that book in my entire life and don’t know any of the lessons or anything. I kinda faked my way though :) great though---fake it till ya make it :) but it went well and I got everyone into a discussion for a long time so it worked out well.
I FINALLY finished conference this week too, ALMOST...i still have like an hour left on the Sunday session, but I’ll tell you what I liked :) Seriously this conference was SOOOO good and I got some GREAT notes from it. I have tons but I’ll just share my favorites :) From the priesthood session I loved when Neil l. Anderson said "the sun never sets on righteous missionaries testifying of the Savior." that is such a good quote, also loved when he said there is no other way that salvation can come but by our message and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are SO lucky we got the privilege to come to this earth at THIS time to prepare people for the second coming, and he mentioned that, and I always think about that so I loved when he said that :) Loved when Steven l. Snow said "HOPE is one leg of a 3-legged stool of FAITH and CHARITY that stabilized our lives in rough times." So true. I HOPE that my companion gets transferred on Sunday :) It’s the hope that’s stabilizing me right now :P...for reals.
President Uchtdorf’s talk was bomb about not living below our potential with the priesthood. " Partake of an abundant feast of spiritual blessings" "Don’t just go through the motions, feel the joy" and I also loved how he said we need to become experts of the doctrines of the priesthood...and it kinda goes along with what he told me in his letter about studying my preach my gospel which I’ve been lacking but I’m trying harder now to study it more :) I finished Heleman today in my English scriptures AND read 50 pages in Jesus the Christ this morning :) I love it, I’m ALMOST half way :) Anyways back to conference, I think Eyring was speaking (I was listening to it so I couldn’t see faces and they didn’t announce it) but he said that "revelation is the only way we can come to know that Jesus is the Christ." loved that, and can testify of that, and that’s our goal for all of our investigators to do by prayer and reading so that they develop that personal testimony. Then one of the last things he said I really loved...you will find joy in the happiness of those you lead to exaltation. :) true fact.
President Monson’s talk was fantastic---obviously. He said that everyone needs a testimony of their OWN, and for those who don’t have it, READ, PRAY, GO TO CHURCH, and keep doing it. I loved his talk. I liked how he said that NOTHING in this life will bring us more happiness than when we are married, and I’m thinking that is so true, because once you are married, its like---all you need to do is push to the end and endure the hard times and keep the commandments, because the covenant of marriage is the most powerful and important covenant we make with god, so I can just imagine the relief after you get married in the temple and just know that its going to be rough, but if you do everything you need to do, you’ll receive that exaltation and be able to be with your wife and your family FOREVER, which would be the ULTIMATE blessing :))))) and he said NEVER LET LOVE DIE---pretty much, and "choose your love, love your choice." That’s an awesome quote too :) He’s awesome, I loved everything he talked about and learned so much from the priesthood session...
Sunday session--epic. Uchtdorf was the first one who spoke and I’m just going to share again what he shared cause it was just so awesome and for those who didn’t hear it or forgot about it---you should hear it again. He said something like: knowing of the savior is like a puzzle--we receive one piece at a time and each piece that we receive, although sometimes it is hard to recognize by only one piece, each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly, and after seeing enough pieces, we recognize the grand beauty of it all...looking back we see He came to us, quietly, gently, and almost unknown, but he came... I hope that’s not confusing. It’s hard to repeat it, but pretty much sometimes its hard for us to know or realize that we have been touched upon by the spirit or know the savior but he really IS there, and sometimes we just don’t realize He is until we look back on our lives. I liked Elder Johnsons talk a lot, and applied it to my mission right now a lot. He said "sometimes a particular challenge helps prepare us for something that will be vitally important." It’s me right now. This area is the "particular challenge" that the Lord is testing me with. The hard ramma, triste miembros, my crazy companion, and a ton of other lasting problems here...but really I know that the Lord is just testing me and putting me in this situation to learn, and to see how I will deal with these challenges and try my faith in hard times, and how I will deal with all of this. I know that prayer is the way to go, and I’ve been reading my scriptures A LOT lately, and it’s really helping, and I know that I’m growing and bettering myself through all of this to mold me into the man that the Lord wants me to be, because, like Elder Johnson said, I think the Lord is preparing me "for something that will be vitally important" in my life, and I don’t know what that is yet, but I’m going to learn and grow and change from all these experiences here so I can be ready when that time comes. He also said that our afflictions and trials play an important role in our progress, and that goes along with everything I just said above, its true, everything that we experience in our lives helps us grow in SOME way, and we just need to figure out HOW to use it and apply it to help us grow.
President Monson spoke last in the morning, about the importance of the temple. It is SO important. I miss going the temple. I only went about 10 times, but I miss it, and I’m way bummed we don’t have one close so we can go. I just want to sit in the celestial room and feel that divine peace that’s there. Go to the temple. We are SO lucky we have one in San Diego so close to us, and we shouldn’t take it for granite, everyone should be going more. I think if we all really realized and knew the true importance of the temple we would go every single day. I haven’t finished the Saturday afternoon session, but I’ll probably listen to it tonight or something. I love conference, really. I’ve really realized how much I dooo like listening to all of it, and feeling the spirit through the words of the prophets, and it has really hit me here on the mission. I’ve really learned a lot, and grown. Sometimes it may be hard to see our own personal progression or development in the gospel, but I really do feel like I’ve spiritually progressed and feel closer to our Lord than I’ve ever felt before, and I love it. I also read my patriarchal blessing this week--it was amazing and I know its from God, when I read it I can seriously feel power in its words. I love this work and I LOVE the Lord.
In closing, I would just like to say how much I love you all and I pray for EVERYONE at night :) So you better be getting those blessings k :) and PERSEVERE HASTA EL FIN!!! ENDURE TO THE END, cause its the most important thing we can do, and I’ve totally realized that while I’ve been here, in the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is definitely the most important, cause if we don’t do it, then the rest of the things we did in this life to get closer to God were for nothing. I’ve seen so many people on my mission where it was just TOO hard for them to endure to the end and keep the commandments and just fell away all together, and I can clearly see how their lives are less happy now then when they had the gospel and were living those simple principles that ONLY bring blessings and peace and happiness in our lives. I KNOW if we are faithful and don’t fall to all the crazy temptations Satan has for us, and JUST push to the end, as it is with everything we do in our lives, we will be happy in the end, and not just happy but be FILLED WITH ETERNAL JOY as it says in the scriptures...so everyone just please endure to the end and be good and obedient and do those things that you need to do to look good in the eyes of the Lord. I love you all and want us all to be together in the highest level of the celestial kingdom playing tennis every day and jumping off of the most unimaginably gorgeous waterfalls---it shalllllllll be awesome, and we shall live juntos in the mansions that the Lord has prepared for us if we just do what he asks :) (It’ll kinda be like New Hampshire with all our families BUT for eternity--CAN YOU EVVVVEN IMAGINE HOW AWESOME IT WOULD BE)…yes, well it will be like that if we endure to the end. I know it, and testify that if we just keep the commandments and live the gospel in our lives and show CHARITY to everyone, just like the Lord, we will be able to live this dream. I am SO grateful for the wonderful plan the Lord has created for us and I hope we all can come to understand it better throughout our lives so we can always have that desire to improve and get closer to our Lord and Savior. I love the gospel so much, and am learning SO much about it! The more I learn, the happier I am and the more I am excited in trying to live it in my life!! :) It is the greatest thing we have been blessed with, it really IS the greatest. We are so lucky! :) I’m so grateful for this opportunity to serve where I have really learned to appreciate it more and open my eyes to really how lucky I am :)
Elder Bertha
"Visualize your eventual demise and it can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment."
