Learning

Honestly, not a whole lot happened this week that is report worthy.  We worked.  We got rejected.  People weren´t home.  Appointments fell through.  But it´s all good because we worked.   feel good about that.  I learned a lot.  I found life principles and mission principles in many things that happened that seem like nothing until you think about them.  Unfortunately,  I can´t write them all here right now.  Through the course of my mission, I will be sure to touch on them though.  For now,  I would like to share one of the things that I learned.

For our District Meeting on Wednesday,  Elder Sanchez asked me to talk a little bit about a profound subject. He would teach the lesson on "How to begin teaching" and would cover the first several points that are given in Preach My Gospel.  I would then teach the last point which covers very special parts of our message.

 #1. You will learn what are and how to make covenants with the Lord.  A covenant is a promise with the Lord.  He promises blessings and you promise to obey His commandments.  

 #2. You will learn how covenants bless your life with harmony.  Enos says in the first chapter that his soul had peace because of the covenant which was made between him and the Lord.  

 #3. You will have desires to enter into a covenant with the Lord, and follow the example of Christ and be baptized.  Baptism is a covenant in which you have to have the desire to make before the ordinance can be preformed.  

Now, together we find that since the Lord is always offering blessings in every one of His commandments, there is a covenant in every action of our lives and not only the eternal promises in baptism and in the Temple. Reading the scriptures is a  covenant.  Praying is a covenant.  Going to church is a covenant.  All of these things are promises that we make to receive blessings.  First, we must have the Desire.  We must have faith that we will receive if we do.  Christ did all things that we could follow His example and so He had covenants with Heavenly Father to do and receive.  How often are we open to enter into a covenant with Him that always promises and always desires to give - if we would only desire and do.

I hope we can all desire to do all that is required of us so that we can receive those blessings and ultimately, Eternal Life.

Elder Heath

There's Work to be Done!

Well the changes were today and guess what!!!  I´m still here.  I have apparently not been working hard enough or there is just more to do, so I am going to work extremely hard.  Then no one else can come in and have any work to do because I want them to say,  "Oh Elder Heath was here? Why am I here? He already did it all." Or something like that.....

So Saturday was a really good day!!  I baptized Suri!!  She is the daughter of someone that Elder Montero and I helped to return to the church.  She didn´t want her Grandpa to do it or her brother or any of her relatives but she wanted ME to do it.  That girl already had a place a little special in my heart but she just about took the rest of it when she told me she wanted me to baptize her.  Sorry I don´t have photos sent today but my companion is sick and we couldn´t walk far so this internet shop we are at doesn´t like my camera.  GRRR.  But it´s all good. I will send them and more next week.

Yesterday was really great too.  We waited for the numbers of our district and the news about the changes in the home of Hermano Braulio who is my first baptism in my mission.  He and his wife are pure joy and they will be entering the Temple Febuary 18, 2012.  The day after his 1 year mark as a member of La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias.  While we were there, I gave him a blessing to help him in his calling as Elders Quorum President.  He then gave the first blessing he has ever given to me to help me with my animo and my language.  We then blessed Elder Sanchez to get better.  It was awesome.  3 Blessings and a happily crying wife. I will definitely keep contact with them after my mission.

Elder Sanchez has officially unofficially given me the position as Senior Companion.  Why? Because I want to work and he is having troubles with his desires to work.  Here is a point of advice for everyone with a missionary serving.  When that missionary is about to finish thier mission,  DO NOT REMIND HIM EVERY WEEK IN YOUR LETTERS!!!  His family is making plans and telling him all the great things that will happen when he gets home.  I understand their excitement, but they aren´t really thinking about him and what he needs to be thinking about.  I won´t let him slack off this last change and he doesn´t want to either.  Of course I am not actually the senior and I won´t even call myself that except to tell you what all is happening.   

Please don´t forget my advice. Keep missionaries focused at the end of their missions so that they can return with all they gave and not slack off and return with regret.

I love you all!

Elder Heath

Rising Above the "Rain"

Wow.  This change has flown by.  Monday I could be gone from this area.  I´m not feeling too chipper at the moment.  I´d be baptizing the daughter of one of the less actives Elder Montero and I worked with, but her mom is just not being smart.  I have a world of other problems that I´m dealing with and not many are mine.  

The rain finally stopped after a solid 3 days and I had to put plastic bags in my socks so my feet would be ok in the end of the day.

I meet our new mission President tomorrow. President Reeves.

An elder that I know from the MTC got robbed a few days back and I´m giving him some extra stuff of mine that he lost.  He is a really shy and shelly guy so I hope he will be ok.  I just thought I´d let you know more or less what is ACTUALLY filling my days.  Sorry that I had to rant.

I bore my testimony yesterday. I discussed the difference between being "Mormon" and "LDS" (SUD in Español).  It´s far too common for members to say, "I´m Mormon."   No, you’re not.  Mormon died after abridging most of the history of the Nephites.  You are a saint in the latter days to help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.  Here we usually just say that we are, "La Iglesia de Jesucristo"  because there is no other church that uses His name here.

I AM SO DARN EXCITED FOR THOSE BOYS!!!! WOOOOOHHOOOOO!!!! And Peter got the mission I wanted. Haha.

I am losing myself in the work here and the days just fly by.  Keep going and never look back.  Perhaps take a glance to the past to remember the good and to keep from repeating the bad, but FORWARD is where salvation lies.

Elder Heath

Just a Little Change of Name

So we have been teaching Ivonne Molina for quite some time now. If you don´t remember who that is, she had a lot of fear of her mom and just couldn´t make it to church. Well, she made it this Sunday. She has amazing faith right now and NO fear of her mother. She wants to do what is right for her 3 sons. Tristan, Johan y Diego. Tristan is 8 and we will be teaching him now so he can be baptized with his mom. Johan and Diego are twins (not identical) and they are great. Diego is pure love and perfectly adorable. Ivonne is just amazing because she is always reading the Book of Mormon and she teaches us what she learned from her reading every time we go over. We always learn from her. And now that she has been to church, her testimony will be even more amazing and I can´t wait to teach her again to learn what she has to say.

Well in Sacrament meeting, Tristan took my name tag and put it on his white shirt. His mom saw and almost cried. She loves the idea of him serving a mission. I said, "Unico un cambio del nombre....." He smiled and gave mine back only to take Elder Sanchez´s and said, "Mejor." That was really awesome because he has had his grandma whispering things in his ear against us and the church. He has now made up his own mind and loves the church. It´s true that everything in the Kingdom of God has it´s place and the place to truly gain a testimony about the truth of this church is there in the chapel.

I thought about this recently, "Just a little change of name". That´s what I thought it was before the mission.  I didn´t understand the meaning or purpose behind the title "Elder" until the M.T.C. and more so since I have been out here.  People always get confused that we all have the same first name and they don´t understand that it changes back after the mission, but during these 2 years of service, our whole lives change.  Why not our names?  We devote our lives to the Lord.  Why not our names?  "Elder is just a title in our church that means missionary."  This is a understatement that is told all over the world when people ask about that common first name for 19-21 year olds of our church.  It is not "Just" a title in the church.  It is a position of authority and service.  It means that we are giving a tithe of the life that God has given to us thus far.  2 years and roughly 20 years of life.  That´s what I call 10% and thus a tithing.  That is why it is a commandment to take upon us the name Elder and (there on the name tag nice and big) the name of Jesus Christ.  We are no longer teenagers that like rock and pretty girls.  We are representatives of the Savior.  Get rid of the manner that the World knows you and replace it with one name and one identity that sets you apart from the rest.  

As far as I´m concerned, I think the only reason that I still have the name Heath is because   1.  There are a lot of missionaries and I still need to be set apart from the rest to a certain extent.  2. I will return to my family and my life one day so I need to remember who it is I am.   And 3. I am not just one of billions amoung the children of God.  I am His son Elder Heath and He will never count me as a mere number. I am now serving in this work and have become more like Him and closer to Him.  

I can´t imagine what I would be doing right now if I weren´t in Puebla Mexico. It is weird to think that there will be an end to my name.  It is not "Just a little change of name" but the blessing of being set apart from the World to work in the World to save souls from the World.  "Why do you have the same name?"  "Because we are set apart to serve and to invite all, including you and your family, to come unto Christ through His restored gospel here on the earth.  ´Elder´ is how you know who we are and why we are here."  "Oh... Do you have other names?"  "After the mission we will go back to our regular lives.  School, family, work and our names from birth.  This is a special time in our lives that we hold this name with the name of Christ on our name tags." And now...... to translate that into Spanish..... Haha.

I love you all. Gracias por sus oraciones y por su apollo. Estoy aqui for este proposito: Yo tengo un llamamiento de Jesucristo.

Elder Heath

Stay tuned for, "Dear Bed"

Well Ivonne will have to have another baptismal day. She still has not been to church. She is still being bossed around by her now sick mother and conveniently had to work on Sunday when she is not supposed to. She now has her own business but that mother of hers is quite convincing as it turns out. But it will happen. Just gotta wait.

Luis and Guadalupe are not progressing either. They aren´t at our appointments anymore. I have no idea what happened there. Again, all in good time.

We are working with some less actives and they are now going to church. They are really great too!! I will have to tell more about them later though.  Just know that their food is well prepared. :)

There are a few other problems with investigators but that is far too depressing to go into at the moment.  But I´m staying positive and working.

Spanish is GREAT!!!  Can´t wait to hear what people are saying in Walmart when I get back....... Mehehe.

Dear Bed,

I miss you so much. You are far from the softest thing in the world, but you are just so derned beautiful at the end of the day.  My legs hurt, my feet are bleeding (I think) and the only release I have is your glorious promise of sleep.  Thank you for always being there for me.  You rock my socks off.  Quite literally.  I will see you later tonight.  Sadly, we have a couple appointments tonight and it will take a while.  Patience, patience..... yes I am talking to myself..... I can´t wait for our appointment at about 10 or 10:30.

Until then, 

Elder Heath