Week 80: Count Blessings‏

This wasn't the easiest week of the mission, nor the most rewarding.

But that's not to say that I didn't have any fun.

It's interesting to see how the mission works like that. It can be one of the hardest, worst, most frustrating week of your life. You can run out of food, clean clothes, investigators and even things to do.... and you still come out blessed! You still see miracles, big or small, they are always there.

You would think that I should have figured that out by now...but for some reason it took me a year and a half to have that mental break-through.

Yes, my brothers and sisters, we are all highly blessed as we are a part of this restored gospel, that's the biggest lesson that we all have to learn. All those who have embarked on the service of God have had to learn that before their boats were brought back into their harbors.... The Lord is ALWAYS looking after us, and if we put forth our part, he will bless us until we have no more fingers or toes to count all the things that he has given us.

That's what I learned in the book of Alma this week where we learn about the preaching of Alma and Amulek together (previously mentioned back in August), it was an important lesson...but even more important was that of an overlooked blessing:

I was looking over some notes taken from when I was set a part as a missionary and I saw something, It said that as I "Read the scriptures in the mission language, I would be more fluent" A promise with a cause and an effect (also something that I have been highlighting in my Book of Mormon). It was something that I had neglected during my personal study, believing that I would be more capable to feel the sprit as I read the scriptures in my native language.

But no, my friends. It's entirely on the contrary.

I am so glad for the blessings that I have been receiving since this last October when I started the Book of Mormon again in Spanish, I feel as if my language skills have catapulted to a level that I didn't believe I was capable of achieving! 

There are ALWAYS blessings as we are obedient.

This week, we also saw the blessing of Hermana Liset and her two stepdaughters. She is a sister who came to church two weeks ago, with the determination to help her family progress spiritually. She was baptized a while ago and recently married her husband and adopted his two daughters. With his permission she started to bring them to the Mormon Church and asked us to come and give them the lessons so that they could receive the instruction that she had.

Thanks to her faith and her determination, Vanessa and Jasmine are now preparing for Baptism.

So, blessings are everywhere.

Last of which was the opportunity to see Jorge...(now Elder Mac) give his farewell talk and leave to Brazil on a mission. For the past 6 months he's been helping the missionaries in almost all of their appointments.... and now it's his turn to start serving.

I love this church and I know that it's true, I hope you all have a great week!