Angels and Believing Christ

This week has been pretty awesome! We had interviews with president, and I learned so much! He explained why we had to complete and bring our 4 generation chart! Using D&C 13, and D&C 84:88, he explained that the angels we have a right to call on are our ancestors! That they are with us when we are working, but only when we show sufficient faith to tell them where to go! So now, when we plan to contact people, we specify that we are going to contact 7 houses on a particular street, or the 3 houses to the left and right of a particular investigator, but very specific. And then we see miracles! Our ancestors are able to go and prepare somebody to be ready to listen to the message of Christ! It's literally a miracle. It all comes down to our belief of Christ. 

I have been really thinking about the difference in believing in Christ, and believing Christ. It's really interesting, because in Peru, everyone believes in Christ, but very few believe Christ. I think that extends even to the church, where people really believe that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God, but when the Book of Mormon says that "God has not ceased to be a God of miracles." (Mormon 9:15), that applies to other people. If we can really believe in the promises of God, we live with much more peace and joy, because we don't have to control and do everything in our life, but rather we can let God take care of a lot of it. This is the message that changes lives, and it really lets us focus on who and what is important. I know it's true, and I know that God is with us. That God is still with his prophet, and that we are really his children, and he loves us, and will do all he can to help us, if we let him.

That's all this week, but it was incredible!

Confirmation of Faith and Preparation Day

This week has been super cool!  Do you remember Mariah, that was getting married?  Well, she's now married, baptized, and confirmed!!  And it's incredible!  She shared an experience with us that I want to share with you guys!  She first decided that it was important to pay tithing, and payed it.  She had borrowed some money from her boss to be able to get married, but a lot of money, and they were going to discount it from her paycheck. She and her husband have the tradition of praying for their bosses and coworkers every night. So, her boss called her, and said that he had been talking with his wife, and that they were going to consider the loan a gift for their wedding, and so they didn't have to pay it back!! It was so cool, and to see the confirmation of her faith shining in her eyes the day of her confirmation, was incredible!!

Also, remember David, that you guys prayed for?  He totally received a confirmation of his testimony!  He's super cool!  Thank you so much!

We had transfers on Tuesday, and now I'm with Elder Flores from Bolivia (The Elder in my pictures that isn't me).  He is awesome!  He planned a zone P-Day (preparation day) for today, and it was incredible!  We got up at 6, and went on a run, followed by a hike as a companionship, which was awesome!  We went with a young man that is preparing to serve a mission, and his nonmember friend!  It was the best!  Then we went to a stadium, and played kickball as a zone, followed by ultimate frisbee.  We then went back to the chapel, and guessed at riddles while we waited for the food to be ready.  And then, we ate mostritos, or chaufa with fried chicken and french fries!  It was super, super fun!

This week I've been listening to the Joseph Smith the Prophet some more, and there's one part where they talk about councils, and how was the school of the prophets, and how we should have the same attitude in our councils.  It really hit me hard when Truman G. Madsen said that we should apply this scripture to all of our councils in the church:

D&C 88:133
Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen.

Super powerful!  If we can apply this in our service, we will see miracles, and we will receive revelation!

I love you guys!  You are incredible!

Actitude and Rejoicing in Christ

This week was pretty cool!  We went on exchanges with some elders that were struggling a little bit, and it was very interesting to see the impact an attitude can have on your work!  Technically the "magic word" of the mission is attitude, or actitude in Spanish, and we found some amazing things when we were working with a good attitude! One thing I learned, is that if we really trust in the Lord, our life is so much easier!  We don't have to feel fearful, or worry about what to say, we just say what comes into our mind, and it all works out!!  We found a family of potters, and they were so nice and open, and even showed us how they make pots, which was so easy to tie into the gospel!  It was incredible!  And then we did a Zone attack the next day (where the whole zone goes to one area for a time,) and I walked up to a door, and said, "We are going to baptize this contact."  He was so cool!  He said, "Oh, do you guys want to come in and talk?"  It was literally like a gift from heaven!! It was our third door in this attack, and that has not happened in all my mission!

"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Rev. 19:10)

This month we as a mission are focusing on strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ, and it's been really interesting to see the changes in myself!  Part of having faith is having a correct understanding of Jesus Christ and God the Father, and so I have been learning a lot about them, from talks on LDS.org, and the scriptures and Jesus the Christ, but I found something really interesting.  I was listening to a BYU speech by Bruce R. McConkie, Where is the Lord God of Joseph Smith
and it was so interesting, and really re-centered me on the "trunk of the tree" as says Joseph Smith, quoted by Truman G. Madson, in Joseph Smith the Prophet [1].  It was so cool!  So I began to study more the basic things so I could really understand the "arithmetic" of the Gospel.  I was studying the Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ, in the Topical Guide, and I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is true!  This is such an incredible, all-encompassing, gospel that changes the lives of people forever!!

I love you all!  Keep loving what you do, and rejoicing in Christ!!

--Dallin

P.S.  Today we went on a hike!!!  It was so much fun, and we got to see veins of quartz in the mountain, and be so far from the rest of the people, it was incredible!!

[1] "Oral tradition attributes another wise maxim to the Prophet: 'Don’t climb to the extreme branches of the tree, for there is danger of falling: cling close to the trunk.' One translation: Avoid the vain mysteries and the discussion of them. Avoid imaginative speculation. But Joseph Smith, one must quickly add, made a distinction between the mysteries of godliness-that is, the deeper things that can only be known by revelation to the soul on the how of living a godly life-and the speculative pursuit of matters that are without profit to the soul. 'I advise all to go on to perfection,' he said, 'and search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness.' The vain mysteries are those of which we know nothing and need not know anything-- whether, for example, the pearly gates swing or roll, or what is the ultimate destiny of the sons of perdition. “Cling close to the trunk.” Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989), 104.