Well family, I´m glad to hear that everything is going well for you. It´s so amazing for me to part of a family that has a rich tradition in missionary work. I love being Elder Russell!
This week I would like to call it ¨Hoo Rah¨. You know how the military, when they have work to do, they get themselves pumped up by crying ¨Hoo Rah.¨ Recently, I have felt like a military soldier. First off, last Tuesday we had a Zone meeting and our District meeting afterwards. I am really excited to be a District Leader and I had been preparing for the meeting with some ideas that I had had. So as we were in the meeting all the sudden the room began to shake. I didn´t notice until one of the Elders told me, ¨hold up, it´s shaking.¨ The truth was that we were all really calm about it. We decided to leave the building and we stepped outside to see a bunch of telephone and light posts dancing in the streets. It was pretty cool. As everything calmed down, we entered back into the building and this same Elder said to the District, ¨Wow, pay attention to your District Leader, the Lord know who He has called.¨ That´s right. Don´t mess with your District Leader! So the first reason why I feel this way is that my first District meeting shook Iguala :) Hoo Rah!
Secondly, we are getting some serious work done here in Insurgentes. Last week I had the most successful week of my mission. We have learned how the Lord is really willing to bless us if we do all that we can. We have been working SO hard. Everyday is everything we got. When we have to find somebody in 15 minutes and we have done all that we could have, we then can ask God that He would do His part. And if we have done ours, He always does His. So for the greater understanding that I have obtained that I serve the Master and that this is His work, Hoo Rah!
And thirdly, because I cut my hair and I look like one.
I have come to understand how true the Gospel of Jesus Christ really is. I love how it applies to absolutely everything. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. The only thing that will interrupt me that I give much fruit is my inability to know what I have to do and discipline myself to do what the Lord requires me to do. If my goals are set and my plans are made, then my daily self discipline is the only factor which will set me apart as mediocre or exceptional. Or in other words, how well one repents of his sins. I have grown under the hand of the Master. I have been taught and I am called to preach repentance unto the world. I am a representative of the Savior Jesus Christ. This is His work. He knows us. He will always bless us as we keep His commandments.
I would like to share a quick story with you. This week we met a Cardoso family. This family had talked to missionaries in the past and had gone to the church a few times. We were surprised and we began to teach them how God restored His Gospel and His Priesthood authority through the prophet Joseph Smith. As we were explaining about the Spirit and how we come to know if what we are teaching is true, the father named Julio sat pondering to himself. He read the pamphlet various times until he turned to us and said, ¨It is the Spirit! He answers us through the feelings of our heart and our mind!¨ As we had felt the Spirit in this lesson, in this moment the Spirit flooded the room to testify to this man of his relationship with God. He stopped us and said, ¨This is true! This is true! I have felt this before in my life but I could never explain what it was. It is the Spirit of God.¨ In this moment we invited him and his family to be baptized. At this time, we thought that his family would accept but he would not because the man is very cautious of others. It was the opposite. His family expressed their concerns and their doubts. When we asked Julio, he solo said, ¨if it is part of the process, then yes.¨ This man bore a powerful testimony to me. Lord, if you require it of me, then yes. Thus is the faith of Julio.
My dear family, live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do what the Father expects you to do and you will find no greater joy. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. For His Atonement I am redeemed from sin. I love Him and I love His work. May we never lose sight of the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Love,
Elder Russell
