Monday, February 14, 2011

I know that the Lord will always guide and direct us as we obey what He asks......week 29

A Day of Love...Happy Valentine's Day...from mom


My Dear Sweet Family,

Once again I find myself here in writing to you. It is so fascinating to me how quickly things pass here. There is hardly any time. Sounds like the family is really working hard and things are starting to get really busy. Like the people here always say ¨eche un buen de ganas¨ (like ¨put your best foot forward). Know that the Lord will always guide and direct us as we obey what He asks. I know that He has and does continue to bless my family. No hay duda!

This week has been one of the most significant weeks of my mission to date (wow, what a way to start a letter Elder Russell). It has to do with one of the topics that Elder Grant Russell likes to reference. It is about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have thought a lot about how much the missionary work depends upon the conversion and the discipleship of the missionaries who work within it. The Lord, through various means, has taught me what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This week was one of such occasions. This weekend an Elder McKay came to Amilcingo to work with me. When he came, we had various plans about what we were going to do in the day. We were heading for an appointment when we received a phone call that we should go visit a certain member in the ward. We spoke with her and while we were talking to this Sister, I felt that we should visit another family less active in the ward. After finishing the visit with this Sister, we left and I commented to Elder Mckay that I feel that we should visit this family. We changed our plans and we headed off for this family. We entered and we began to speak to the family. In this moment the family was passing for very difficult trials. The Father doesn´t have work, the Mother has to work too much, the son doesn´t want to go on a mission and the brother of the Mother just passed away. We came and began to speak to this family about service in the family and why we have afflictions in our lives. I was reading a talk that Hna Spannaus gave me and as I was reading the talk, there were various points that really struck me. As I read the talk, I felt that I had to write this quotes down for the chance to share them with somebody. I found myself sharing one of these quotes within three different occasions. This family had very poignant concerns and doubts about how some members could compose themselves in the church. To this family and to everyone who thinks about why we have to pass through trails, I shared this quote from a prior Mission President. Translating from Spanish...

¨Every challenge that comes to us, everything hard that we confront, every bad thing that happens to us, even if it is unjust; every conflict, every sadness, tragedy, every frustration and broken heart, every temptation and every opposition with which becomes our turn to fight happens with one solo purpose: to give us the opportunity to respond applying in our lives the teachings of Jesus. As we do so, we going to appear more like Him.¨

It is so true. I know that we live so that we can change so that we can become more and more like Him. The Spirit filled this family with understanding and comfort. In this occasion, Elder Mckay and I knew without doubt that we we sent to this home. As we give our hearts to God, we become his servants. When we have turned our hearts to God, we become His disciples. It is then and only then that we begin to really bring about His work. And His work is the salvation of the children of men.

Let us commit ourselves to do the best that we can so that we can become the disciples that the Lord desires that we would be. It is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Love,
Elder Sean Russell