Week 78

This week has been great.  It was awesome being able to see my family through Skype and being able to celebrate Christmas by serving others.

Skyping on Christmas

Zone conference

Christmas gift exchange

Santa

Week 77

We have been working around the clock to try to help our area become a stake.  We will send our reports in the beginning of January and hope for good news.  The members out here would really benefit from becoming a stake.

Elders from Las Vegas

Week 76

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is often referred to in the scriptures (Isaiah 33:20; 52:20, D&C 101:17–21) as a tent or tabernacle which extends the blessings of the Restored Gospel to all the inhabitants of the earth.  As the Church is introduced in new areas, countries, states, and cities, a stake is established, which provides support and a foundation for the figurative 'tent' or 'tabernacle.'  This establishment of a stake provides many people with needed resources, support, leaders, and other blessings which helps to 'cover' and protect them from the dangers of the world while providing opportunities to grow and progress spiritually as we serve one another in our daily lives.

Zone meeting

Week 75

In order to qualify become a stake, a district must have 5 unities or

branches (we have 6 currently), and must have a reach a minimum

membership.  Also, there must be a ratio of 1 worthy Melchizedek

Priesthood holder for each 20 members.  For our district

to qualify to become a stake, there must be 1,900 members and 99 worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holders.  We already have 107 Melchizedek Priesthood holders and about 3,400 members, which qualifies us in all aspects except for the ratio of Melchizedek Priesthood holders to members.  To qualify, we must 'depurar' or clean up the 'sime' or membership list (which is in some serious need of 'actualización'-it's a long story) and reactivate Melchizedek Priesthood holders in all the district within the time frame of December.  We've been planning with the district and branch presidency as well as with the zone to work with all the members in the district to work together in this great assignment we've been given.  We've started to 'execute' the plans, and so far, everything is going well.  However, the task is not going to be easy, and we will have to be very diligent to have success.  I feel that this assignment will help us in much more than qualifying us to become a stake (which is a huge blessing) because it requires us to unite our minds and efforts to work.  For this month, we'll be shepherds looking for the lost sheep, but more united in our cause.  It's interesting to see how a little motivation, necessity, and organization can make a big difference.

Something that I've been learning in the mission, and especially from my companion is that we don't need to worry about what

others tell us or think about us.  We only need to worry about what

our Heavenly Father and those that truly love us think about us.

It's a waste of time and can diminish our potential if we pay too much attention to the negative (and sometimes positive) commentaries others make about us.  We see so many people that abandon their eternal progress and salvation because someone told them something one time one day.  They'd put more attention to one negative commentary than to the things that really matter.  It destroys their potential.  It's just not worth our time to pay attention to them.  We need to have faith and not worry about them.  We need to be confident in ourselves and base our self worth on something better than what others think of us.