Always Changing

Well there was another change in my area.  The baptism that we had planned for this week with Jose and Ramiro, has been changed for this next week so that Ramiro´s mom can be there.  She is really great and probably a future member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.  We haven’t taught her, but we explained a few things to her because she was wondering about the baptism and what we were teaching her son, and she just accepted what we said and threw in her own great comments.  She left quickly though to get back to work.

Guillermo is still going, though we can see him once a week.  His wife was in the lesson too and she said that it wouldn’t be easy to leave the Catholic church because they have their images and all that.  She straight up said "images".  I quickly wanted to respond with the 10 commandments, but I was held back.  I just had to wait for something.  Her husband then found the scripture in the Bible and told her,  "See?  It says it right here, in Bible and clearly, that images are wrong."  She was silent.  Very silent.  We dropped the point and moved on to other things that probably hit her as well, just not directly.

We weren’t able to meet with Panfila, the woman that had the dream about her brother, nor her daughter-inlaw, Carmen. We will work with them this week.

Now, for this AWESOME general conference.  I just want to talk a little about what Sister Dalton said about raising little girls.  I loved it.  I put that into missionary work.  How can the investigators know what to look for in the church of Christ?  How we treat our companions is the first step.  How we treat the other members is the second and how we treat them is the third.

For members, how they treat their families and their leaders.  Are you respecting those that you have a calling to serve?  If you don’t have a calling, are you loving those that ask you to help them in their callings with support and service?  If you aren’t, why would anyone want to join a church that has no support?  

Christ is the foundation of this church.  But a foundation has corner stones and does not go on forever.  How then can we have Christ for our foundation if we are not standing on that foundation, but wandering off.  Love every person, including yourself, and you will see growth.  Love your wife, and your daughters will know what to expect when it is their turn.  Mothers, respect the righteous guidance of your husbands, and your sons will not fail in finding a worthy and a loving wife when it is time.  

President Reeves always talks about marriage to us.  Not to make us want to move past our missions, but so that we can use our missions to prepare.  This is our time to prepare because this is where we are.  Where are you?  Great.  That is your place and your time to prepare.  Be an example to help the future generation prepare as well.  

I was pretty much writing what came to my head so I hope it makes sense because I have NO time to correct it.

I love you all!!! "Be good and be good for something." - President Hinkley

Elder Heath

GOLD!!!

WE HAD CHANGES!!!!  Elder Herrera is my new comp and he is bien chistoso (very funny).

Creo que nosotros vamos a tener un cambio bien suave.  Èl quiere trabajar porque su ultimo comañero no trabajò mucho  (I believe we are going to have a very cool transfer.  He wants to work because his last companion did not work very much)

We already talked about all that and I told him that we have a lot of work and I want it ALL done at the end of this six weeks. He then said, "Pues, podemos divertirnos un poco. Estoy bien con algunas cosas." Yo dijè,  (‘Well, we can have a little fun.  I’m okay with a few things’)

"Yo no. Yo voy hacer todo correcto y si no me quiere seguir, no voy a jalarlo. Pero voy a poner el ejemplo."   (‘Not me, I’m going to do everything right and if you don’t want to follow my lead, I’m not going to drag you.  However, I will set an example for you’)

I`m a little proud of that because I don`t have the most will power in the world, but I am really getting better. My time with Hernandez helped a lot.  I wasn`t having problems with Elder Hernandez, but he stopped talking to me and I could just feel that there was something under his skin.  I figured that I shouldn`t pull it out so I asked only once.  He said there was nothing so I dropped it.  We ended working really well.  We found 3 people this last week and they are AWESOME!!!

First is Guillermo (WIlliam in English).  He started off telling us that he knows that his church is wrong and that it is as revelations says, "La gran Ramera del mundo". (‘Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth’)   I forgot how to say it in English.

He is looking for the truth and believes our words that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and he is VERY excited to read it.  He said, "Solo es que.... SIENTO algo quando ustedes hablan de este libro y yo creo que es verdad. Yo quiero saber mas de Cristo entonces estoy muy emocional a leer este escritura."  GOLD!!!!  (‘It’s only that… I feel something when you speak of this book and I believe that it is true.  I want to know more about Christ so I am very excited to read this book of scripture, GOLD!!!’)
Next is Carmen. She told us she lived in Tijuana for years with her family, but her brother got lost somehow. They don`t know where he is. He had papers to go to America so it`s possible he is there, or so she thinks. She then said that they were very close. 

One night she had a dream that he came to her and said, "Yo estaba castigado, pero Mamà vino a salvarme y ahora soy libre.  Aqui esta Mamà."  (‘I was punished, but Mom came to save me and now I’m free.  Mom is here’)

Her mother then walked out from behind him. She woke up crying from joy. I don`t know why I asked this because it was just very random with the conversation, but I asked, "Y cuantos años tiene su Mamà?"  (‘and how old is your mom?’)

"Ella murio hace muchos años."  (‘She died many years ago’)

We then knew what happened to her brother but we didn`t have time to explain it to her at that moment and it just seemed better to let her realize it on her own, so we left the.... folleto (pamphlet) of the Plan of Salvation and testified of what it was and how it is truly the plan that God has for us. I am super excited about teaching her!!!

That`s my time yall! I love you and I hope you are all well! I will be commenting of General Conference and the speakers for the next few weeks so be sure to tune in!!!

Elder Heath

(English translation offered by David Manuele , Colton’s brother in-law.)

Thank you

This is just a general message.  I’m not feeling very well today and I’m keeping this short.  

I love you all and I want to thank you all for your letters: Lanae, David, Jared, Mitch and Mom.  Thank you for the advice and for the uplifting messages.  I want to let you ALL know that I love you and that I am keeping you in my prayers each night.  

Look for the blessings because they are there even if it is simply in a well needed and unexpected smile from a loved one. It is a great thing to have someone love you and have them near to you.  That is the hardest part of a mission, not having all that love in your face every day regaurdless of how much you give to others.  But the sacrifice brings forth eternal blessings and I wouldn’t trade this for any amount of time in my house.  I couldn’t see my family before November 26, 2012 and  be happy.

 I love you all and I never want a single one of you to think that I am forgetting you or don’t pray for you because I do and I am.  Thank you so much for your support and love.  I feel it over this great distance.

Sincerely,

Elder Heath

The Right to Teach

So this week was a pretty normal week.  We taught a lot but we had a LOT of walking to do. The closest town is 30 min away so you can imagine just how much walking we do because we pass that little town almost every day. Haha.

We are still planning a baptism for the 2nd of October but she needs to get back in town. We will just have to pray and have patience.

So I want to touch really quickly on the title of this blog.  "The Right to Teach" is something that came to my mind one day while we were walking an hour and a half out to an appointment.  In D&C, it says to first seek the word before you preach it.  So then if you don´t study the scriptures, you really shouldn´t teach from them because you don´t have the knowledge nor the Spirit to recall the doctrines to your mind.

Also, a teacher learns as they prepare to teach because they have the purpose of helping others understand something.  Someone that simply starts teaching without the desire to learn as well cannot have the spirit of revelation and therefore cannot truly teach.  They will use the imperfect tone and words of humans and not feel love nor inspiration of the Spirit.  

We talk to many people each week that only want to tell us about their experiences long past, but I say, where are your experiences from yesterday?  What did you learn this morning?  Here is what I read at 8-9 this morning and here is what my comp and I discussed from 9 till 10.  That is what God has for us TODAY.  Do you know what your Father has planned for you to learn today? No?  Why? Because you didn’t put forth your effort and you aren’t willing to put forth the effort now to know that WE are what the Lord has planned for you to grow and to be closer to Him TODAY.  Study each day and you will have the Right to Teach.  Those who are not willing to Learn, don´t have the Right to Teach.

I love you all!  Sorry if my thoughts are a little scattered in that. It was a good day of archeological finds. Pics next week!!!

Elder Heath

NEWS!

Well we have some good news!  We have a baptismal date set with Leovi Hilda.  She is a new investigator that is living with a member for a while some problems calm down in her pueblito.  She is really good and expressed a great desire to follow Christ and be baptized only in the true church.  She has never been baptized despite attending multiple churches and religions because something just told her that it wasn’t right.  She has accepted the goal for October 2.  She is really great and I enjoy teaching her.

Ramiro and Jose Francisco are really great and I love just talking to them and teaching them cool things about the Gospel and outside of the gospel.  They are obsessed with the fact that I can all but break my neck.  Haha.  I don’t do it very often, but when I do they go off in their Chinatecan.

So here is an idea that I want to throw out there to you all.  When was the last time you renewed your testimony?  When was the last time you asked God if what you believe and live is true?  Are you scared to do it because you don’t want to betray the feelings that the Spirit has already given you? Maybe you don’t want to show any form of doubt so you keep with the same testimony that you have had for years?  I say that it is better to ask and receive the answer anew.  How much stronger could your faith be if you received an answer every morning that the church of Jesus Christ has been restored on the Earth again.  That is what the Spirit testifies of.

If you aren’t getting that renewal, is that not a more likely time for doubt to enter?  I know that this Church is true.  I know that Christ lives and that it is only through Him and His eternal atonement that we will one day enter into the Kingdom of God.  I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration and that through him, Christ re-established His church in it’s perfect form here on the Earth for me, my family and each one of you.  This is a small part of my testimony that I would like to share with you.  It is new and strong.  It will not die because it receives new life each day.  I would like to invite you all to bring new life to your testimonies as well.

I love you all and I am very grateful for your prayers.  I can feel them and they push me along.  Thank you so much.

Elder Heath