Performing Miracles Through Christ
First off I wanted to say thank you to everyone who reached out these past two weeks! Those letters meant more to me than you will ever know! Very appreciated and guided by the spirit!
Wow it has been a wild ride of 3 weeks!
I have had three companions in the span of two weeks and it has been a rollercoaster of a mission. Here are the quick highlights:
-Said goodbye to my Friend and companion Elder Lopez. It was so much fun being with him in Reforma La Perla! Also sad leaving the area I had been in for 3 months (I know that is not long for a lot of missions, but for my mission it is really rare). When I asked what he learned in this transfer he said the most important thing was how to make a dang good Oreo Shake! I taught him well haha. Luckily we learned a lot more than that though hahaha!
-I trained for one week! This was the craziest week of my life! My companion was the most unique person I had ever met and we worked hard! In this one week I have more "What did you just say" moments than in my entire life. Also kind of funny I went from Reforma La Perla to Reforma Oriental. We loved each other and worked hard. Training had its challenges, but I loved it! One of the most joyful weeks of my life. LOVE YOU Elder Flores!
-After a week of laughing with Elder Flores JR I got called to a new area. Funny enough my new companion is also named Elder Flores! SO I went from Reforma to Reforma and Elder Flores to Elder Flores. (I think that is kind of funny. Mission humor really is starting to hit me hard). Elder Flores, my new companion, is an absolute stud! We had the most joyful week of my life! The stories I had this week were nothing short of complete miracles! We put 8 friends on baptism, found 4 families, and had 20 of our people in teaching come to our sacrament meeting. We moved to this area to help grow the ward so they can make a new stake for the area. The ward was already big at 90 people on average every week, but the President asked us to get the ward to 170 people attending church every week by April. So this week Elder Flores and I went to almost every inactive member's house and told them why going to church is important. It was a lot of tears and so much fun seeing these inactive members find their love for Christ again. Then the big miracle was yesterday on Sunday 171 people came to church!!! This was absolutely insane! In our first week there everyone considered Elder Flores and I family! The love I have felt here is absolutely insane. I thought I would be in this area until April, but with how fast the Lord has allowed the area to progress I have no idea how long I will get to stay with Elder Flores. Just trying to soak it all in!
-We have been teaching a family who is absolutely amazing! Their 22 year old son 2 weeks ago saw a message on Facebook and decided to click it. Low and behold it led him to missionaries who sent him later on to us. We have been teaching them everyday and it seems like every single day it ends in tears. God has blessed Elder Flores and I with so many inspired questions and lessons that have led this family to come closer to Jesus Christ. Eric, the 22 year old son, is one of my favorite people on earth. Such a genuine soul! During this week he has started asking us how he can become a missionary. He has such a desire to share the joy the gospel has brought him. Yesterday they invited us over for dinner and 5 of them expected the invitation to be baptized. The Grandpa Francisco did not believe in God at the beginning of the week, but yesterday said that he has started praying to God every day and receiving answers. He wants to be baptized but just said he needed one more prayer to decide if he is really ready for the goal. So amazing seeing the change of a heart and the joy the gospel can bring to a family. I know so many miracles are in store for them! Also there is a set of twins and the family and they love us!
Spiritual thought:
God can work miracles. Amen... But really during this week I have been reading Acts in the Bible and it is so inspiring! They did everything possible to represent Jesus Christ. It posed a question to me. What little parts of my life can I change in order to represent Jesus Christ more? Maybe smiling a little more, listening a little more, loving a little more. Who knows completely what I can do more. But I have the desire. The other thing I have learned from Acts is just the complete faith in Miracles through Jesus Christ. The reason I actually am reading Acts is because of Moroni 9 which says:
9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
So I know God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He performed miracles in the past and so he can perform them now! Therefore I wanted to know exactly what miracles have been performed in the past and specifically after the death of Jesus Christ. So I went to Acts where practically every page talks about a miracle. I learned a lot about performing miracles and the most important part of all of it is commanding it in the name of Jesus Christ. I think a lot of times we can be afraid of commanding miracles because of the doubt of what if it fails? What will they think of me and more importantly what if it weakens their testimony if it does not come. This fear comes from the Devil. We can perform miracles and it relies on your faith! I loved in Acts 3 how it says
11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the aporch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
12 ¶ And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
12 ¶ And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
I think the reason miracles do not happen sometimes is because of the reward we want. In 3 Nephi 13 it says
2 Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have a glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
A lot of times we have the wrong desire to receive praise from the natural man. I want to be more like Peter. He immediately disregards the praise of the miracles. He gave it all to the Lord immediately! Peter perfectly resembles this verse in 3 Nephi 13:2. He did not sound his trumpet and actually revoked the trumpets others were trying to sound for him. We need to perform miracles in God's name and then give the credit to God through Christ's name!
I LOVE YOU GUYS AND HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!
Talk I recommend is
God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon
BYU devotionals I loved:
Constructing Spiritual Stability by Elder Renlund
Timing by Elder Oaks
If you want more please email me! I just feel like if I put more you guys will listen to none of them haha
Comments
Post a Comment