Peace, Be Still

Good day to you all,

And a special salutation to fathers: Thank you for the positive example you have been to me Dad. Because of you, I know how a priesthood holder should act. In a world where God-loving fathers are rare, the examples of faithful fathers continue to shape the lives of their children and other people's children. Thank you!

Things are looking up in San Antonio, and the weather continues to change. Typically it feels very hot outside from the afternoon to the evening. Every once in a while we get rain showers that vary in intensity. When it rains, it feels intensely cold outside, but about the moment the rain takes a break, the humidity squeezes a hot sponge against you. There are plenty of puddles and lakes that form after a heavy shower, especially in the roads.

This past week we had a zone conference where our leaders walked us through teaching and learning using technology. We studied different doctrines surrounding Israel as a way to practice. With the IPads, we are able to access the scriptures in ways you can't using normal paper scriptures. We can also read talks from the prophets and "link" those to the verses we read in the Book of Mormon. As one of our leaders explained it, we are on the cusp of this digital change. Later into the meeting we taught each other in small groups how to use these devices in teaching. When using videos, the pause button is one of our best tools. 

In short, this week was successful because God helped me to become aware of what I was holding back from him. I must give him my heart. Only then can the trials change me to what I need to become.

How are Frances, Brother and Sister G, Juan and Sister C and her children doing?

We weren't able to meet with Francis, but we did talk to her towards the end of the week. Sister C seems to be doing well, and her kids are preparing for baptism. This may be short notice, but they should be baptized this coming weekend. Preparation and such for the baptism will take effort, but it will be worth the effort to help them to make the covenants of baptism.

Juan wasn't able to make it to church, which was sad, but that didn't seem to hamper his desire to be baptized. We've also met with Gloria, his next door neighbor, and she is interested in learning more. And as for Bro and Sis G, I didn't actually see them this week because of exchanges.

Questions and Answers

Are you able to get your scriptures on your tablet in Espan~ol?

Most definitely. 

This last week I went on two different exchanges. The first was the same day of our zone conference, where Elder Hilario came out with me, and Elder Black went with Elder Meidell. Elder Hilarios speaks Spanish, English and Russian, though I haven't heard his Russian. He helped me to understand accountability to our goals, and through his example how to show love to my companion.

This leads into my exchange with Elder Bertelsen.

That day was a little bit of a struggle, but like all struggles they can lead to growth. We talked through some of the worries I've had, and we came to a conclusion: Pride is like a paper shield, while we use it at times to protect us, it will not. That evening we participated in one of Las Palmas' activities, where we could put our discussion into practice. Elder Bertelsen helped me to understand more of the root of my worries, and I will work to let go of the paper shields that do not help me.

Coming back to the question, I've made the commitment to study the scriptures every day in the Spanish language. English is a crutch. Please help me be accountable to this goal.

Or is most of your work on your tablet from other sources of Church media?   

We focus on Gospel Library, and especially the words of prophets found in various digital books there. We can study the same way we did before IPads, except faster.

Have you even had the time to notice any funny or fun things? 

Sacrament meeting this Sunday started out with minimal participants. We sat somewhat close to the front. I saw a simple math equation occur: the longer the meeting went, the more people came in. By the end of the service, it was as if the initial families had grown and multiplied. 

The moral of that story, come early to church and you won't bump into anyone else who runs late. The Spirit of sacrament meeting often depends on us.

How has the Spirit helped you this week?

The Spirit has guided Elder Black and I to maintain focus on other people. When we worry about what we need to say, it makes it more difficult to sense the whispering so of the Spirit. I feel that an absence of pride and worry clears the way for Spiritual promptings. The Spirit helped me to let go of pride, and embrace the message of the restoration.

Elder Hall

Texas San Antonio Mission