Promises And Forgiveness

Picking Oranges

Labor Of Love

Tortillas for the week: 30

So where to begin for this past week, well we had divisions again which was sweet.  I love divisions; it is a time when I get to serve with the other missionaries in the zone and get to know them. I am also able to see how the missionaries work and how I can help them. By the way changes are next week. I can’t believe how fast time is flying by.

Teaching Truth

We had district meeting on Tuesday, and I had the opportunity to share a few words on the theme of the meeting which was the plan of salvation. I shared with them something that has been on my mind for some time. I said let’s go back to when you received your mission call, you were beyond excited, let’s go back to your last hug with your Mom and your Dad, remember how hard that was, now let’s go back even further, to our pre-earth life and think about your best friend, the one you were always with, talking with, playing with, sharing your dreams with. You did everything together. Heavenly Father calls to you to come and hands you your call. You open it and it says where you will be born, who your parents are; it also says you shall receive the eternal blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as you will be born under the covenant. You are so excited to tell your best friend the news but you see he or she is crying, and you ask what’s wrong, then he or she gives you their call and it says the same thing as your call except one part is different, it says you shall not be born under the covenant and you shall receive the gospel if you choose to accept it. Both of your hearts are filled with sadness. It is time for you to go to earth, your best friend looks at you with tears streaming down his of her cheeks and these are the final that words shared with you, “Find me, promise me that you will find me, please I need the gospel in my life.” You look at him or her in the eyes and say, “I promise you that I will find you and share with you the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you may come back home.”  You hug each other, maybe for the last time and then you leave. Elders and Hermanas there are people that we promised to find, so my question to you, are you going to find him or her or will they find us in the next life and ask, “Why didn’t you find me, you promised me, WHY????” So Elders and Hermanas what are going to do to keep your promise? As I have thought about this scenario often and I have asked myself where is that friend I promised and what do I need to do to find him or her? It has even occurred to that maybe they are already members of the church but they have taken a few wrong turns in this life and maybe her or she is one my friends here. Where ever they are, I testify that we promised them that would rescue them in this life. We must stop and be still and ask ourselves where is that person, how can I find them, how can I be an answer to their prayer?

Somewhere In Huehue

Grateful For Domino's Pizza

We went by a less active member’s house this week and wow, I can understand why one of Satan greatest tools is pride. As we visited with this Hermana, she shared with us an incident that happened 3 years ago or more. She said it is so hard, we just can’t go back because we will see faces and feelings will be stirred up. Elders it is just not good to have those feelings in church. I said to her, “Hermana let’s look at the final moments of our Saviors life, when He is on the cross, with nails driven through His hands, His wrist, and in His feet. The people are mocking Him and the pain He is feeling is a pain that we could not possibly understand. What does He say? He says ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’ Now that is unconditional love and forgiveness. If He can forgive, we can to, if we can’t, we can ask for His strength to forgive. We have to find a way to forgive, if we don’t are hearts will always be bitter and we will carry around hate which is pride which is one of Satan’s greatest tool. And we will never seek a remission of our sins. We must forgive, move on and forget. Hermana let me tell you of an experience I had in one of my old areas where I had served, there lived 2 gringos and every time I would see them I would say hi. They never said hi back and I was like what, you’re kidding you can’t say hi back to your fellow gringo, what is this. I became hard in the heart and I stopped saying hi to them. I realized what was happening to my heart. And then I listened to a conference talk that says we must pray for the poor in spirit and pray for those in need. Elder Holland also said in that conference talk I may not be my brothers keeper but I am my brothers brother. I knew I had to have a change of heart and I started to pray for those two men. I developed a love for them that I thought I would never have and I saw them differently. It is through prayer we can have the strength to forgive and see them as Christ sees them. Ask for the strength to forgive this family Hermana and then pray for them, be a disciple of Christ. If we are true disciples we do the Father’s will and love unconditionally.” I love you all.

The Family: A Proclamation To The World

What I love about Mom is that she taught me how to pray and what I love about Dad is that he showed me how to forgive and to forget.

con mucho amor, ducks forever,

Elder Mcilmoil

November 17, 2014

A Missionary Thanksgiving Chicken Dinner

Celebrating Thanksgiving Before Changes

Scripture of the week: Doctrine and Covenants 6:36

Fear not I am with thee.

“Are we not all beggers?” Elder Holland

“Rich or poor, we are to do what we can when others are in need.” Elder Holland