June 15, 2015 email "Looking forward to that day"

                                            Alejandro and Stephanny, I love them!  Wonderful friends!

Tortillas: 16

A wonderful week in Los Altos with a lot less rain! Because we had some normal weather we were able to have some fun experiences like constructing the house for Sacorine, the goat of a member. 

Also, I am grateful that on the days where almost all of our lessons fell and our time was spent in the street, God blessed us that we were dry! 

Mejor Milagro:

I had a moment of discouragment this week as our Plan A, B, C, and D fell, including that we were in an area where not many people wanted to talk about the gospel. In this moment, I decided to go to a secluded place, and standing I said a silent prayer, asking Heavenly Father to guide us to where his prepared children were. As I prayed, a specific place came to mind, so that is where we decided to go and begin contacting. As we knocked doors, the people we ran into either ingnored us or flat out told us that they did not want anything, but we kept pushing along. This continued for about a half an hour, but eventually we arrived at a house that we had contacted before, but they rejected us, but I decided to offer again. An old women answered the door and accepted to listen for a moment. As we entered and sat down, The house was interesting because it was one big house with many small rooms divided as house inside, because of the many families living there. We were chatting for a moment with the women when I noticed that people began to leave the rooms and were listening from far away. Before we started, I invited them to join us and listen, and our lesson then went from 1 grandmother to the grandmother, 2 mothers, and 2 daughters. We began to share with them the message of the restoration and the love of God, and the interest in their eyes was amazing. They all began to ask questions and had much interest in learning. It turns out that 4 families live here, and 3 of them are interested in learning more about the gospel, with the last one still having the need to be invited! I am so grateful that the spirit touched their hearts with the desire to listen, and that we were able to be guided to say what they needed. 

Testimony time:

As followers of Christ, our most important invitation is the invitation to endure to the end. In Alma 4 we read about the problems that the church was having at this time. Many people were falling into pride, leading to great iniquity and apostacy. It was a huge challenge for the faithful members and especially the leaders of the church at this time. But, I found and especially like the description of the members that kept on going:

13 Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’ssake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy;

 14 Looking forward to that day, thus retaining aremission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

My favorite part is how it descibes that they were looking forward to the day that Christ would come, and because they joyfully looked forward and prepared they were worthy in every moment to be in his presence. They cared for those that needed, and because of that they received the blessings from the Lord of comfort and happiness. They were willing to suffer what ever was necessary for Christs sake. We live in trying times, but I know that as we follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, treasure his words in our minds each day, and turn to our Heavenly Father in prayer asking what we can do better, we will be prepared for the day that we stand before our Lord and Saviour and listen sweetly as he says 

"Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth" (Alma 5:16)

Oh how blessed will be that day, and I work every day to receive that blessing. I testify of these thing in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

                                                             It was so good to see Elder Maynes!