So I have to start this week with last P-day. We rode our bikes to
the beach together as a district and it was a ton of fun. It feels so
nice down by the beach :) our mission rule is that we can't touch the
sand but we found a nice grassy spot by the beach and just got to
relax next to a sleeping homeless man and watch the waves. A couple
elders and went on a run for a couple miles along the Newport Beach
trail and it was super nice and I realized how terribly out of shape I
am haha that night we got to stop by and see Zaira. She is really
struggling with school and basically becoming the mom of the family.
She does all the laundry and cooks all the meals for her dad and
brothers because her mom is off doing her own thing. So to try and
help her out we are going to go over 2 to 3 times a week now and just
help her with whatever she needs help with. Cooking, cleaning,
homework, it's fun service :)
This week we have been trying to help one of our investigators
overcome same gender attraction and it's been a new challenge that I
have never had to help somebody with so we have had to really rely on
the spirit to know what to say. We had interviews with president Bowen
this week and it was the last one that we will have with him. He took
us out to lunch and I got to sit next to him and talk about Idaho and
track and how I used to run at Idaho state every year. He talked to me
about how he did high jump in high school and it was before they would
go over backwards. He is such an amazing president and it will be sad
to see him leave.
I went on exchanges with elder Colbert this week. He is an amazing
missionary and has a really cool conversion story. Long story short,
his girlfriend invited him to church and a year later he was baptized.
Something crazy happened, so I feel like I have knocked every Hispanic
door in my area because I have been in this same area for 6 and a half
months. But we got a referral and found two apartment complexes,
surrounded by white people houses, that are pure Hispanic, and seem
untouched by any type of missionaries. Miracle. It made me super
happy. When we starting knocking it we found this lady who said she
wasn't a member of the church...yet! She has been meeting with
missionaries and then suddenly had to move. She loves what she has
seen of the church so far and is an awesome new investigator. It was a
super awesome exchange and I learned a ton from elder Colbert.
The Lomeli girls are doing really well they just are still scared
to come to church. We taught them the plan of salvation again this
week and it seemed to finally click with Elizabeth. She thanked us
after the lesson because she said she finally understood where she
came from. It was something that hit me pretty hard. We have so much
precious knowledge that others are dying to know, and it made me want
to make sure I help everyone that I can understand God's plan for
them.
Elder Neil L. Andersen came this week for a really awesome
conference. He is a super funny guy and really brings the spirit.
Shaking his hand was cool and just being so close with one of the
twelve apostles of Jesus Christ on the earth today. He mainly talked
about how our conversion experiences are going to come one on one. And
that is how we should help our investigators have those moments of
conversion during and lessons and during their personal prayers and
study. He really focused in on helping us have the basics bring our
continuous conversion. Sincere prayer, sinking ourselves into the
scriptures and making the little changes now to have us go home from
our missions not just a little better but way better than how we came
out. He said it will come by "shaving" and "pushing" ourselves. Shave
away the bad and continually pushing ourselves to grow. Which is
awesome because it applies to us throughout our whole lives.
Happy Easter yesterday! Hope you all had a nice time to be gathered
with family to remember all that we have because of Jesus Christ. I
thought the #BecauseofHim went awesome on Facebook and it really
helped others remember all that we have because of what He overcame
for all of us. It your haven't seen the video "Because of Him" yet I
invite you to do so because it's one of the best videos that the
church has put out and it super powerful. I know that Jesus Christ is
our savior that He lives! I love Easter to focus on His resurrection
and what it means for us. I know that because He was resurrected all
of us will be too. Our bodies being resurrected is an unconditional
gift given to us as we kept our first estate before this life by
accepting Jesus Christ as our savior and redeemer and accepting our
Heavenly Fathers plan. Because of that and the atonement and
resurrection that Jesus Christ performed for us we all have the
potential to become like our Heavenly Father. I love this time that I
have to dedicate my life to bringing others to this knowledge. I feel
as Lehi did when he is talking to Jacob:
"Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he
is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice
for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a
broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of
the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these
things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know
that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it
be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who
layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by
the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of
the dead, being the first that should rise."
(2 Nephi 2:6-8)
#BecauseofHim this is the most important work in the world :)
Love,
Elder Hyde
No comments:
Post a Comment