February 29 in Tierra Blanca

It was another crazy week!!! A sister we've been working with is ready for baptism, and everything's going great! There've been some problems with her husband. He's a member of the church since he was a teenager, but had since fallen off the right path. He has a serious drinking problem. He doesn't drink like, every day all day, he only drinks every once in a while, but when he does, he just gets hammered and he's a really angry drunk. The problem is that he just doesn't want to stop, even though it's destroying his family. They have a little kid who's 3 years old and who is the coolest 3 year old in the world. We're working really really hard with them so that they can do what's right, repent of everything and become better people. 

As I've gone through my mission, I've become really grateful for all the commandments. A commandment is a rule that God gives us. They're like the rules that parents give to their kids. I like how He says it in Doctrine and Covenants: (I don't remember exactly how it goes in English, so I'll paraphrase) "I give you a new commandment, or, in other words, I give unto you new instrucciones so that you may know how to conduct yourselves before me so that you may have salvation." (Mom if you know where that exact scripture is in D&C then just insert it: D&C 82: 8-9: And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a new commandment, that you may understand my will concerning you; Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation. ) 

The commandments are guidelines that protect us from all the bad things in this world. In the case of the man with the drinking problem, imagine to yourselves, how much better would the lives of his family be if he kept the commandment of the word of wisdom (a commandment that forbids strong drink), and didn't drink alcohol? 

The result of keeping the commandments is happy living. I will always strive to keep God's commandments and do what's right cause I want to be happy. 

I was super pleased this week because my companion and I were able to achieve once again the goals for excellence here in the mission, which are incredibly high. We just did it 2 weeks in a row, a thing that is pretty tough to do, major work involved, and we're seeing results. The attendance in church went up by 30 people and there were 11 less-actives who came because of our efforts!!! 

Every 6 months in the church we have something that's called General Conference. General Conference is when the prophet, apostles, and women leaders of the church come together to give a worldwide broadcast on the will of God concerning us in our lives. Last General Conference, in October, a talk was given where we were invited to do something thats called "ponderize": to ponder and to memorize a passage of scripture each week. I decided that I wanted to do just that, so I started with 1 Nephi 19:9: 

    And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. 

Talk to you all next week, 

Elder Thompson