The Work of the Lord........week 92

Dear family,

Well, we had a baptism last week.  It was of Elizabeth, Malena´s sister.  I can´t seem to upload the photos so I will send them afterwards.

Elder Gosnell´s last night as a missionary.  We did the ritual of "cutting the tie".  

Elder Gosnell faithfully completed his mission today.  There are always a bunch of mixed emotion with all of that.  I am so excited because I am going to stay here and do you know who is my new companion?!?!?!  ... Elder Egan.  I laughed so hard when they told me.  We are going to work like crazies here.  Elder Gosnell and I learned how to bring about the work of salvation in a ward in these past changes.  It is miraculous how the Lord has taught us how we can bring His work here.  I would like to give you a hint how to do it.  Read DC 101, 103, and 105.  From there study the doctrine of the wheat, the tares, the salt, covenants, and the strength of the Lord.  I mentioned a bit about this doctrine a few weeks ago and it has stayed with me.  It has left a very deep impression on me.

I would like to mention something that the Lord taught me a bit ago.  Every desire that we have can be fulfilled and every problem can be solved if we are willing to make and keep covenants.  We were talking in our Elder´s Quorum meeting a few weeks ago about how to obtain unity in a family, branch, ward, or stake. The brethren had their various answers but I was impressed by what came to my mind.  I turned to Mosiah 18 and the baptismal covenant.  If we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, keep His commandments, and be witnesses of Him everywhere we go, He promises us eternal life, a remission of our sins, and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.  So why is there disunity in a marriage, ward, or stake?   It´s because we need to better make AND keep our covenants.  With all other covenants that we make, if we will MAKE these covenants and KEEP these covenants, we will be totally happy and we will be able to return to the presence of God.  Something that has really impacted me about making and keeping covenants is that those who do both parts because the true servants of the Lord here on this earth.  God shows His love and His power through them.

We have learned that here with our members and investigators.  It is interesting to note that every time that we make a covenant, in order to keep that covenant, we must be willing to sacrifice.   And that sacrifice is always for the welfare of someone else.  For example, someone will not be willing to invite his friend to church, stay with him in the classes, and prepare himself spiritually to teach and lead his friend to the waters of baptism unless he has made the covenant of baptism.  It´s simple.  Everything that we do as missionaries and as people requires work.  It requires genuine sacrifice.  As Dad always says, ¨when the call to keep our covenants is convenient, give me a call, I would like to know.¨  We cannot truly bring about the work of the Lord unless we are friends of the Lord, not only His servants.  For the friend knows why the Lord does what He does while the servant no.  And how can we change our fallen nature to a higher plain?  How can we bring the power of God in our lives?  How can we show the power of God in the lives of those with whom we come in contact with?  Through the making and keeping of covenants.

My dear family, I invite you to learn of the conditions of your covenants.  I invite you to make a list of your priorities and put obedience to those conditions first.  As you do so, everything else will fall into place.  I can promise you that in the name of Christ.  You will find every desire satisfied and you will find the solutions to the difficulties that you face.  It is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love, 

Elder Russell

I Got No Time........week 91

Dear family,
I got no time.  Baptisms of Alma and Malena.  Tell you more when I can.

Love,

Elder Russell

Making and Keeping Covenants........week 90

My dear family,

Well this past week was great. We have been working really good. We had the baptism of Alma Saturday afternoon. It was really special. I forgot my camera at our department so I will send you the photos next week. I felt so blessed to be a part of that baptism.

I would like to share something with you that I learned last week that was a pivotal lesson in my mission. It has to do with the importance of making and keeping covenants. I have been studying much of Doctrine and Covenants the past week alongside the history of the church. While reading across some old articles in the Ensign, I read a talk by Elder Bednar that talked about the importance of holding a name and a standing in the temple of God. I learned something so very true: those who make and keep covenants are those who are willing to sacrifice for the Lord. As it mentions in True to the Faith: those who make and keep covenants willingly bring fruits unto God. You don´t have to convince them of nothing. You don´t have to remind them to do what they know they should do. If they are keeping the covenants that they have made with the Lord, when they are asked to sacrifice, they do it. And not only do they do it, they do it well and without complaint. This topic was brought about because we have been working really hard to better help the members of the church to participate in the work of the Lord. All that we ask of them is that they make and keep their covenants. And as Elder Bednar puts it, ¨there is a difference between church attending, tithe paying members who occasionally rush to the temple to go through a session and those members who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple.¨ We came to realize that those who work to establish Zion are those who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple. The first group you have to call them, remind them, pass by, help them out, etc. so that they can participate in the work of salvation. The second, when you ask for their sacrifice in behalf of others, they take responsibility and the do their work well. The exact quote from the True to the faith is, ¨always remember and honor the covenants you make with the Lord. Then you will not need to be commanded in everything you do.¨ We cannot live a Celestial Law if we do not make and keep covenants with the Lord. And we cannot establish Zion unless we live the Celestial Law.

Why was this so impactful to me? When we talk to members and say to them, ¨invite someone to our next appointment,¨ those who do not consistently go to the temple or do not understand their covenants fight it. They try to get around the sacrifice that missionary work is. However, those who faithfully hold a name and a place in the temple of God not only invite but take charge of the spiritual progress of such person. There is a huge difference. I reflected on my own life and it caused me to better understand, appreciate, and live the covenants that I have made with the Lord. If I don´t keep my covenants, I am of little benefit to others or the Church of Jesus Christ. I cannot establish Zion unless I live the Celestial Law. And I cannot call others to help me unless they too are living such law. It was a lesson so simple yet one of the greatest lessons that I have received in my life. The salt of the earth are those who make and keep their covenants. They are the strength of the Lord: those who will establish Zion in the last days. The Lord requires discipleship, complete and total. As John Taylor said, ¨the kingdom of God or nothing.¨

I am a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have entered into the new and everlasting covenant of His Restored Gospel. I make and keep my covenants. I am here on this earth to prepare it for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My dear family, I prayerfully invite you to sit down and evaluate your lives. Write down your priorities and what order they have in your day and in your week. Write down each one of the covenants which you have made with God. Look at where you covenants fall in this list of priorities. I promise you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ and as one of His representatives that if you put your covenants first and foremost in your list and you do something everyday to bring them about, your life will become full of peace, fruits, satisfaction, and your purpose here on earth and the reason for the challenges of life will become simple and clear to you. We satisfy EVERY true desire of our hearts as we make and keep our covenants with the Lord. Family, I pray that you may ALWAYS make and keep your covenants. Be consistent and faithful in keeping them. By so doing you will find yourself as you lose yourself in the service of your fellow man. And you will be able to stand before God and he will say unto you, ¨thou good and faithful servant, enter into my rest.¨ That is my goal and my desire for you my dear family and those whom you know. May we do so is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,
Elder Russell

We Know What We Need to Do and We Do It........week 89

Dear family,

I love to hear that all is well. We didn't baptize Alma this past week because she was unavailable but this Saturday at 5 she is going to be baptized. Eros is going to baptize her too. These are the most joyous moments of the mission.

I don't have much time today but I would like to share a quick story. Felipe blessed the sacrament this past Sunday. He was really nervous but he did an amazing job. As I sat next to him in the chapel, with his white shirt on and a tie, I thought to myself, ¨if there is no other opportunity to bless than in the life of this man, I feel that I am successful.¨ I was deeply moved by this man. As we are working to help his family so that they can come with him to church, I am repeatedly moved by the conversion of this man. As we make and keep covenants, nobody has to tell us what to do. We know what we need to do and we do it. We don´t have to invent ways to get them to participate, they do it alone. Felipe made a covenant with God and that is enough for him. I am so proud of him. I hope to reflect such a conversion.

My dear family, I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have no idea where I would be without it. I am so grateful for my dear family and the Gospel. They are everything to me. Jesus Christ rose the third day and lives today. I know that we are guided by prophets and apostles today. May we follow their examples is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Elder Russell

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Greatest Treasure........week 88

Dear family,

What an amazing weekend! We have been so richly blessed to hear the words of the living prophets and apostles. I was very touched by this General Conference.

Something that I would like to mention about this last General Conference was an a very clear impression to simplify my life. It's true that there are things to do, they never get over with. However, I was particularly enriched by the comments of the First Presidency and Elder Ballard. If I haven´t told you beforehand, these 4 men alongside my parents, my family, President Spannaus, leaders in my youth, and President Packer are my superheros. Something that President Uchtdorf said that stayed with me, ¨even though something is good, it does not mean that it requires our time, resources, and talents.¨ Do the most important. The sessions were amazing but I believe that is all that I am going to mention about it for right now.

We are working really hard. We have a baptism lined up for this weekend of the lady named Alma. She is Eros´s mom (convert of a few months ago). We have various families that are progressing as well that we expect to be baptizing in this month. I will keep you all informed as the weeks come. Honestly, I am loving the mission. I learn each day something that would have taken years to understand. I see the lives of the honest in heart change under the influence of the Spirit. Today made me laugh because I received what the Elders called the ¨call of death¨. Or in other words, the call that they ask, ¨Do you still live here? Will you arrive at this airport?¨ I had to laugh because Elder Gosnell, who is going to finish in 4 weeks made fun of me that I am now a marked man :) But we are working harder than ever. I would like to share a story of this past week. We were running around town between Conference session and while we were doing so, I had been praying that after doing an interview for some Elders, that in the transport (la combi) we would find a family willing to hear the Gospel. We we got in the combi, I looked around and to my surprise, there was a woman named Ana with whom we had lost contact for around 2 months. We taught her briefly in the combi and as we got off, I told Elder Gosnell, ¨God answers our prayers.¨ It may be like Nephi who wanted to break the bands but they were loosed, but God answers our prayers.

My dear family, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest treasure that I have. Thanks to it, I know who I am, why I am here, why I have a family, and where will we go after this life. I know what I must do while I am here on earth. It is simple yet beautiful. I love my Savior Jesus Christ as He has provided the way for me. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father in this day and age when the Gospel is here in it's fulness. What a joy is the Gospel of Jesus Christ! May we share it daily is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Elder Russell