Veinte Seis

 Hola from Yucatannn

Ill keep this weeks update short haha. This week was great! As far as missionary numbers go, we had a very successful week and Im learning so much everyday especially getting the reps in with spanish.

Im quite blessed as a trainer, i got a humble and moldable missionary ready to learn. I am so glad i didnt get someone like how i was when i got here haha! Stubborn, didnt like the authority, arrogant, the mission sure changes people! Im sure at some point i will recieve my share of karma, but for now the Lord has given me someone to help and is willing and he has learned so much spanish in just a week. My man gives a killer prayer and testimony every lesson.

We put and rescheduled a total of 5 people for baptism this coming month this week! So fingers crossed we can get those to pull through.

I cant help but have to share something that happened a lot this week jaja. I have been getting good at asking questions that lead the investigator to admitting simple gospel truths, such as, God has one church. And they tell me it only makes sense no? And then ill be like yeah and guess what! We are representatives of this church and your father in heaven sent us here so you could know it! And you can see them start getting excited and then we go off about something else for a few minutes and its like they go back to default programming. Ill make a mention about how this is Gods only true church on the earth and the only church of God and then they will be like, well God is in all the churches. GRR

I feel all of your prayers and support and I thank you all for it. I hope you guys know for yourselves this us Gods only true church with his authority and power to act in his name, and a great and marvelous work, is in the works. Dont ever take it for granted and dont waste a second not learned more about the gospel and letting its principles affect your life and how you live it. We are nothing without it, and our finite minds cant comprehend the things of God, lest we keep the commandments and learn the gospel precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. It is why God lengthened our lives for this probational period. We have the time to take slow steps but we dont have the time to stop stepping. I promise all of you the gospel answers every question and doubt, and through true faith and humility we can have any answer we desire. Dont stop until you see the face of God, better start walking no?

-eb

25 weeks

 Already another week down! But this one was quite eventful, im training now! My new comp's name is elder rogers and he's from atlanta georgia. He Knows 0 spanish haha!! But thats awesome for me because I can actually teach and i know exactly how he feels. Some people come in from the CCM with a usable amount of spanish knowledge, elder rogers and I did not. 

I have experienced the gift of tongues on like a whole other level this last week! My last comp was a spanish genius after a year in the mission, and he had such a good relationship with the members it was easy to just kinda sit back and not be pushed, and suddenly im doing all the talking and understanding perfectly! Even last week understanding everything would be a struggle at times but the second elder Parker left and i was on my own I had no more problem at all like i can speak and joke and listen and conversate perfectly, or sufficiently i should say. I have grown to appreciate the Lord on a even higher level this week as i have been able to look back on my growth and how i always was where he needed me to be even if that meant struggling with spanish for months. And now he is just like, okay you can know spanish now. I feel as though i have learned NOTHING on my own accord haha! Only when the Lord saw it fit to bless me in that way.

I used to sit on this side of my trainers lessons and say nothing and not be able to understand nothing sitting on a dirty chair in a dirt floor house and think, this my life. All i couldnt wait to do was at least get to a point where I could be the one sharing the gospel, and share a whole lesson by myself and teach with the passion and power the retoration and the gospel deserves, and somehow be able to articulate it in a foreign language and ask questions and keep people engaged. And every lesson we have taught this week has been completely me haha! And i finally got my wish, and i am able to bring and use the spirit and make people feel something in these lessons, and even just be able to conversate efficiently to get in their door to teach a lesson. I taught the restoration 4 times last night to all new people! It warms my heart looking back and being patient with the Lords timing. To be fair, i had no choice but to do so. But how grateful i am for that now, and i hope we are all sufficiently patient in the Lords timing because everything comes in its own time and when you need it.

Im almost done reading the first volume of saints and man has my testimony grown of our dear prophet Joseph Smith. If you dont know Joseph Smith, you dont know our church really, and consequently you dont Jesus. One of the most long suffering, patient, and Christlike men that ever lived. Do we know why? Because the Lord prepared him to be so, and he was patient in the Lords timing even after years and years of trials and unexplainable hardship. I listened to a talk called, "the prophet and his plates" by Brad Wilcox this week and i was moved to tears. I want so so badly for every single one of you to listen to it but i know that probably wont happen. But if i can persuade a few who ACTUALLY do then ill be happy. If we have questions about Joseph Smith, or the Plates, or our testimony isnt strong in any of those topics it is our duty to strengthen such things. It is either true or its not, and its true. So if you think its not then by default, you are wrong. Which personally would really bug me to hear if i didnt know of its truth! So you might as well strengthen your testimony of such truths. I started saying this to the people we have been teaching. All of these things are either true, or they are not. If theyre true you better do something about it right? Because if you settle for not true, and youre wrong, whos side are you on in the end? Logically for your OWN sake you should pray to find out if these things are true just for the 50 percent chance that im telling the truth! The same is applicable for all principles of the gospel.

I read in Helaman this week, 

49: And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.

50: And it came to pass that they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received

Neither should they doubt. Doubt not. They had had this amazing beautiful experience with the spirit and were born again, and their commandment was to doubt not. We could read that and say, yeah when i see an angel i won't doubt. But we know such things dont build our faith! The simpleness of the holy ghost in your heart is more of a rock of testimony than seeing all the hosts of angels in the sky. Why should we doubt the holy ghost? Why should we doubt what we have been given and know deep within our hearts to be true? Why doubt the Book of Mormon and the spiritual experiences youve had? If you have felt the spirit, it is from God, if it is from God, it is true, if its true, all of it is true. Talk about plainness of words! I invite all of you to continue to strengthen your testimony. If you doubt it's okay, there is always a way back. But i wouldnt try my chances playing on a railroad track for longer than I had to haha!

I found it interesting as i finished Alma, that the worst of the wars were all caused by Nephite descenters. Those who had a knowledge and grew up with such a blessing and denied it, and because they did satan had an even tighter grasp on their hearts and they became more wicked than ever, and were the worst problem for the church and the righteous! Be weary of the descenters we have in our day! They are satans most decieving tool, hold fast to the iron rod. Dont lightly touch it dont walk beside it dont let go when its convenient and grab back on again! Hold fast! And doubt not and fear not because there is no other way! Do we realize this gospel is our only ticket to salvation? Why risk such a thing?

I need to end this but i have too many thoughts. I explained the difference in heavenly kingdoms to a woman this week, and where we each go. She had the most questions about the difference between celestial and terrestial, she seemed bothered because of how i explained it and she obviously had reservations. She had questions such as, what if you just tell the missionaries no one time, is that rejecting the gospel in this life and thus you cant go to heaven? I answered all questions with the underlying fact that God is just, and everyone will agree in the last day. But i have heard a few ways to describe the difference in glories. I usually describe it as those who accept the gospel in this life, get to go to celestial.

Those who reject in this life and accept in the next would go to terrestial.

And those who dont accept in both will go to telestial.

Many a times too, i hear people describe celestial for those who kept the commandments go to celestial.

Those who kept most go to terrestial.

And the bad people go to telestial.

Immediately we might think there is a different standard between these two explanations, but the more i think about it the more i disagree. The discrepency would be the difference between those who rejected the gospel in this life, and those who just kept some of the commandments both going to the terrestial kingdom. I think that is a very accurate description of the same thing. If we dont keep all the commandments, did we accept the gospel in this life? Its not as easy as putting your name in the books as a member. If you didnt care enough to do it all did you accept it? 

I told this woman i felt there was a reason why there is a difference between celestial and terrestial, a fair one. Because those of the terrestial world could have been members, kept most of the commandments, been good people. So why dont they get celestial glory? Well, i believe heaven, and a house next to the savior's for eternity, is saved for those special few. Who really accepted the gospel in its fulness. Do you accept the gospel?

I love this church, this gospel, and my God!

-elder bastian

Six months

 Holaaaa otra vez!

Time has become the weirdest thing in the world to me recently, I dont know how to comprehend or think of it haha! One day this week I told my comp that I had been in thay day longer than the mission, and he fell over laughing so hard. But now here i am again on monday! We got 3 days until i start my fifth transfer! That'll be 6 months down which was so fast, but on the other hand, it feels like I have been in this mission for my whole entire life. 

Missionary wise, we had a terrible week last week haha! We worked all day everyday, and we did not find one person. Not a single. The one guy we did find told us before the end of the week he never wanted us to come back. Noice.

But it has taught me a lot of patience. Im not here for me, I am under the Lords will. If he wants me to baptizd 1000 people or 10 that is up to him, and i have eliminated myself as a variable doing everything that i possibly can to be what he needs me to be. Its a refreshing feeling :) And this week was a lot better and we had some special lessons!

I need to rant about the Book of Mormon for a minute because my mind has been blown. I finally started reading it again last week and I cant describe the beauty of its words. I waited to start it again until i finished the old testament so I have been waiiiiiiting and waiting and halfway through this last week i started and i got to mosiah in a matter of like 4 days. Its all so good, Not a single one of us can comprehend the importance of the book of mormon. Its beautiful simplicity and its straightfowardness. After having read through the old testament prophesies for so long i have so come to appreciate and, delight in the plainness, of the Book of Mormon.

Also, Nephi is my favorite book of mormon prophet and book. Hands down no questions asked. First and second nephi are the deepest books in the book of mormon. I would almost say you can learn almost as much in those two books than you can anywhere else in the entire book mormon. I read second nephi 25 this last week and as i read the words i was so overcome with gratefulness and emotion. I had to pray and thank our heavenly father for the words we are given to read in our days, and the dedication and love of these godly men. I would challenge you all to read that chapter. There is a reason nephi is the first two books in the book of mormon. They are the most important and need the most attention and studying and pondering. I truly felt like i was feasting on the words.

One of the most interesting thing here on the mission is seeing people's different reactions to the things we say. You can tell who has an open heart and who is receptive to the spirit immediately. For example, I frequently at the end of our first lesson with somebody (or even in introduction) that we are messengers from God, and you need to listen to us. And some peoples eyes will widen and usher us in or lean forward in their chairs, and some people just say, yes of course you are. But dont listen haha! But i suppose im not in a place to judge, ive thought about if i was in one of their shoes and didnt know about the gospel and two young men knocked at my door telling me they are messengers from God, would i take them seriously? 

But the more i thought about it the more i realized that we have those opportunities even as people who have been blessed with the knowledge of the gospel. But more is on the line for us haha! Do we listen to the prophet when he speaks? When he tells us to do our duty in gathering israel and read the scriptures and repent and become more Christlike do we take it to heart? Do we listen to ancient prophets and their teachings, or do we even really know what they say? Its one thing to say it all in theory, of course we do! But i think as of recently, the Lord is teaching me that there is always more that i can do if i want to reach the goals that i desire. Even on a mission it is so easy to become complacent and think as though im doing everything i can do and to just expect blessings and what i want, but the Lord has never worked like that. 

I believe the most beneficial thing i have learned from the scriptures is more about the character of God. And knowing such, when we have questions about why things are rhe way they are, we can realize for ourselves why when we know how he works and loves us. And everything begins to make more sense. I have had a cool experience in learning all of this first hand. I have learned the holy ghost speaks almost as wave lengths of information. Theyre just floating above your head, and they increase in density, frequency and knowledge as you go higher. The wavelength on which you reside determines what makes sense to you, and the higher you go, the more is spoken to you. Consequently, some things about the gospel and the interworkings of the holy spirit, you just come to know. They are just made known to you and make sense because you are on that level and you can decipher the messages of the level you are on. 

Obviously it is easy to want to grow and made things obvious and make more sense bit are we willing to work and climb that ladder? Do you do your responsibility as a member of the church and the tribe of ephraim in sharing the gospel? Or are you having your cake and eating it too? Do you go to the temple and read your scriptures? Do you teach your family the truths and bottom lines of the gospel? Ive also come to learn receptivity, does not change the truth. Do you fulfill church calling and minister to others? This is what is expected of us whether or not we recieve blessings, but of course because we have a perfectly loving heavenly father who loves effort, he richly blesses our lives anyway. I hope we are all doing what we need to be doing. 

I love you all and thank you for your support and messages and love! This is Jesus Christ's gospel. 

- elder b

23

(This is a stovetop cookie)