MORE MIRACLES!
This week we
started teaching the neighbor of a member that NEVER gave us references before,
so then when he finally did give us a reference, boy was it a DOOZEE. His name
is Antonio and lives alone here in Monclova (about 30 seconds from our house if
we walk slowly, which is handy) and his family lives in Piedras Negras while
he's working down here. We tried teaching him that first night and it didn't go
so well. He couldn't understand anything I said, he just wanted to talk to his
buddy (the member who brought us), the member kept trying to pull the lesson
down the direction that he wanted to (which is frustrating, it's hard to teach
Atonement and Baptism when the member takes 5 minutes in the middle to explain
Sunday Meetings and the schedule), but we left thinking that he might progress,
it would just be hard. During that first lesson he told us his baby had just
died a few months before, so we gave him the pamphlet of Lesson 2, which is the
Plan of Salvation. When we came back, he barely paused to ask us how we were
and didn't give us the chance to ask him before he just launched into how
interesting it all was and basically explained us the whole lesson, with a lot
of details that most people don't catch up on. Then said he just had two
questions. "Explain to me better the 3 degrees of glory." okay, here
you go. "Now, I see references to this other book, the Book of Mormon that
I suppose you guys have beside the Bible. My other question: how can I get one?"
Uh...we'll give you one. (Unfortunately, we don't have any right now. That's
part of the hard thing of being in this mission but outside of Saltillo,
supplies are always running short.) "Okay, that's awesome. By the way, I
really want to come to church with you guys. It just feels like a good
idea." Then after he said the prayer: "......Wow. I just feel so in
peace right now. I don't want this feeling to ever leave." But then he had
to go to Piedras to see his family this weekend. Next Sunday, then.
AAAAAH! SO
MANY PEOPLE!
Then
Maribel...we asked for permission to baptize her this Saturday, but the
President told us to wait a week, that if she came this Sunday she could be
baptized this next Saturday. The sad part: she didn't come to church this
Sunday. That means we're probably going to have to wait the 5-times in church
rule, which means I probably won't be there. But it doesn't matter. What
matters is that she's going to be baptized, she's determined to serve a mission
and be a faithful member all the rest of her life. Let's just get her to
church, though......But she asked us for a copy of Preach My Gospel. That'll be
good.
Mayela and her
twins came again! This time they stayed for the full 3 hours, and Mayela was
really super gung-ho in the Gospel Principles class. The topic was service and
we got on how we have to give a good example to our kids. She's a child
psychologist. She just jumped on that. And she's giving us references of her
family members and friends (her children's god-mother for example) which,
unfortunately, all of them live outside of our area. But they read the
pamphlets and book of mormon as a family and are very, super stoked about this
whole thing.
Maricela
didn't come this week because she had a party to go to, but she said she'd come
next week. Some things came up in a lesson we had with her this week that make
it sound like she's going to take a while to get baptized, but she's as well
just in love with the church and so is her son, Denzel (named after Denzel
Washington).
Then as well
Rebeca's husband Luis came to church and we had an intense lesson about eternal
marriage in Priesthood and he seemed to be really touched, so we'll see if we
can't get him down one of these nights to actually teach him a lesson. The
problem there is he works in insurance and he has to go whenever there's a car
accident, which apparently is just about all day, every day.
Also, Sister
Barranco (we call her La Barranquito) brought a neighbor to church, a young
woman whose name is Evangelica. Apparently the whole family was invited but
only she came. But we have an appointment to go with them this week with La
Barranquito.
And Javier,
Blanca's husband came. But he's just the same, doesn't want to be baptized.
I've never
seen this level of investigator before, this amount or people that have just
been SO DANG-WELL prepared to receive the gospel. Yes, they have struggles,
such as sleeping in and not making it to church or whatever. But it's fun to
watch the spirit work on them, how they change their mind in middle of a lesson
about whatever point of doctrine or their interest just explodes in everything
that is the church and gospel.
This next week
we're going to have zone conferences, and Elder Pieper from the Area Seventy is
coming. Normally this would be a super stressful event for us zone-leaders, but
luckily for us, it´s going to happen in Monclova Este, the other zone. So we
just have to make sure everybody shows up on time while the other zone leaders
worry about the rest.
I just feel
super blessed right now. That must mean the trial is right around the corner.
That's gonna suck.
Recently I've
been studying a lot about what it takes to become perfected. The scriptures say
that only one perfect person has existed, that was Jesus Christ. However, they
also name other "perfect people," such as Adam and Seth. I look at it
this way: even if the two words "perfect" and "perfected"
are sometimes used interchangeably in the scriptures, it's important to note
the difference. Perfect would mean having never had a defect, sin or weakness.
Perfected would mean having overcome them. I really love the verses in Moroni
10:32-33, where we are exhorted to become perfected:
"Si,
venid a Cristo, y perfeccionaos en el, y absteneos de toda impiedad, y si os
absteneis de toda impiedad, y amais a Dios con toda vuestra alma, mente y
fuerza, entonces su gracia os es suficiente, para que por su gracia seais
PERFECTOS en Cristo...Y ademas, si por la gracia de Dios sois perfectos en
Cristo...entonces sois santificados en Cristo por la gracia de Dios, mediante
el derramiento de la sangre de Cristo, que está en el convenio del Padre para
la remision de vuestros pecados, a fin de que LLEGUÉIS A SER SANTOS, SIN
MANCHA." It's impossible for someone in this life to become Perfect as we
have all sinned and we all have weaknesses. I've personally become painfully
aware of some of my own in these past couple weeks. But not only is it possible
to become Perfected in this life, it is a commandment. "Be ye perfect,
even as my Father in Heaven is Perfect." (paraphrased because I don't
actually know exactly what it says in english.) I sure am glad to be here
learning all these things. I plan on progressing every day for the rest of my
life, and I fully intend on becoming Perfected before I die.
Bueno, que les vaya bien! Andale pues!
Elder Taylor
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