Buenos
dias a todos!
I have a lot of thoughts
running around in my head that I would like to share and I hope it all comes
out making sense.
First. Tomorrow marks
the first day of my last transfer. EL ULTIMO CAMBIO. If thats not the
craziest,scariest,most exciting,happiest,saddest thing ever. Ha. Lots of mixed
feelings if you can’t tell! We find out in about an hour if Hna Sanchez is
staying with me, or if I will get a new companion. Everyone has been teasing me
that I am going to train for my last transfer. We`ll see.....
This last week we had an
awesome Family Night with the ward. With our new ward mission leader we have
set the goal to have a family night in the house of a less active or recent
convert every Tuesday night. This last Tuesday we had it with the family of
those super adorable kids that live at the very top of the hill (that I sent a
picture with them a couple of weeks ago) y fue EL EXITO.(It was a huge success
:)) 31 people came!! 31 people climbed to the very top of the hill to be with
that sweet family. We filled up their small humble house completely, but it was
so awesome. In the lesson we were able to use the experience several people had
climbing up all the stairs as an analogy for our lives. It was dark outside,
and so those that got to the top first had flashlights that they used to light
the path, and there were groups of people helping those that struggled a little
bit with the climb and we used that as an analogy for our lives. That the path
to eternal life with our heavenly father is a climb. It’s not always easy, and
we are going to pass through a lot of difficulties but we have our families and
ward members to help us along the way, and prophets and scriptures etc... to
light the path. And that it will all be worth it when we are all together again
with our father in heaven. We put on a small Mormon message video about the
temple and it all went together really well. The spirit was really strong, It
was an awesome night :)
Another thing I have
been thinking a lot about this past week, a lot for some of the things you told
me in your email last week mom, and also for some personal experiences and
things I have seen in the mission, is that Satan’s power is REAL. In the
scriptures it says that in the last days mens hearts shall fail them, and even
the most elect will be tricked by the cunning ways of Satan. He is going to be
working SO hard to make us fall. To make us doubt ourselves, and our
testimonies. He also was with us in our premortal life, and that means that he
also knows us very well, our strengths, and our weaknesses, and he knows
exactly how to get us where it hurts the most. So what can we do to keep
ourselves from his influence? The exact things they have been telling us in
church our whole lives!!! In Spanish we call it the ´´OLA´´ como hola...(Orar,
Leer, Asistir o, Pray, Read, and go to Church) The simple answers that we give
every week in church. But it is TRUE!! This week to help a less active family
learn how to really search and study the scriptures we had them read to 1 Nefi
8, to Lehis vision of the Tree of Life. And then last night we studied, and
drew out the dream, and applied it to our lives. ESCUDRIÑAMOS juntos. It sounds
cooler in Spanish, lo siento. Anyways, I had a huge breakthrough about the four
different groups of people it mentions in the dream. To be short there is one
group that doesn`t even enter the path, but goes straight to the great and
spacious building. The second group enters the path but doesn`t grab hold of
the rod. (What’s the rod? It’s the word of God. How do we grab hold of the word
of God? OLA!) So that group treats very lightly the word of God, and when the
mists of darkness come they wander off and are lost. The third group enters the
path, grabs hold of the rod and partakes of the fruit! But afterwards they
still wander off and are lost. Why? Let’s look at the fourth group. The ONLY
difference between the third and the fourth groups is one word. CONTINUALLY.
The fourth group held fast to the rod continually. They were constant in their
studies, they were constant in their OLA. That is the only difference. That hit
me hard.
I invite anyone who
reads this email to be more constant in your study of the scriptures, in your
daily prayers, in your attendance at church, in keeping the commandments.
Whatever it is that you may not be doing in this moment. Because I know that
Satan will come and he will tempt us and make us doubt our very dearest
beliefs. He is smart, and it is not a matter of IF he will come, but WHEN. That
we may do all we can to be built upon the ROCK that is our Savior, and press
our way forward continually holding fast to the rod of iron.
I absolutely love what
one of the apostles (I think it was Elder Holland or Elder Uchtdorf) said a
couple of conferences again. Doubt your doubts before doubting your
faith.
I know these things are
true. I want to make it through this ´´climb´´ that is our earthly life with
all of those that I love so much. That would be all of you reading this email
:) It is going to be difficult, there are going to be pitfalls and times when
we feel like we have lost our way, but there will always, always, be someone at
the top holding a light, guiding the path and cheering us on.
The gospel is true. It
BLESSES and CHANGES lives. I know it.
I love you all con todo
mi corazon :)
Have an absolutely
wonderful week and don`t forget to do your OLA. :)
Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Shelton
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