Well we went to the temple again. It was a great experience and really I found a lot of answers this time.  Last time I went without questions in mind and came out with nothing specific. This time I went with some questions and the Lord taught me in His house. It was a very incredible experience. I definitely don't know everything but I sure do learn a lot every time.  And it's great to know that the Lord does want to answer our questions when we go looking.

Really my experience in the temple helped me to understand the Atonement better.  I had some question about Nephi's vision and why they used some of the weird wording phrases there.  I have read it about 6 or 7 times in the last 2 weeks trying to understand it and then today I asked the Lord to explain it to me...and now I understand it.  Like Elder Holland said there are some of those marvelous moments when you feel the rush of revelation.  It all makes sense now.  I know that Christ came to help us go back. He came down to be like us so that we can return and be like Him.  It is such a beautiful doctrine and like Joseph Smith said it is the simplest doctrine that we have as a church.  Wouldn't that be the doctrine that we should all learn in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants?  Always focus on the doctrine of Christ, with the center in the Atonement!!!  I learned that today, and I will make sure to apply it.

We have decided to give everybody that we were teaching some time to decide. Nobody wants to get baptized very much, so we are going to take a step back and work with some other people a bit more, and we are only going to go with Blanca and Florencio every once in a while so that they can progress at their pace. It's kinda sad but in a few months they should be all ready to get baptized.  It's incredible that we fight so much for people to go to church and then some of the people that go to church don't want to get baptized.  There are a lot of steps on the path and we have to augment our faith to overcome the big steps on the path.  I guess that if it were easy everybody would do it.

So we have had to find some new people to teach.  We found Sandra and Ivan.  They are a very great couple and they have 3 kids.  Axel, Lia and Jesus.  One of their kids is old enough to get baptized as well.  They accepted an appointment the other day when we contacted them in their house. They are Catholic but inactive, and they say that they are always willing to listen to the other churches but yesterday when we went again they said that it is the first time that they've let someone in. They had some great questions about the plan of salvation and we are trying to answer all of their questions.  They are very sincere and we hope that they are going to progress quickly. Just another couple that has to get married :) but they seem to be willing to do it! We will see very soon.

We also have been talking to Rene. He is a man of about 35 years of age, but he is about 3.5 feet tall. He has a lot of problems with his mom and a lot of weird experiences in his past, we'll see how much we can help him, it's rough when they can't read. But he is definitely willing, so we are too!!!

Fernanda and Vanessa are ready for their baptism on Saturday. They already passed the interview and they are excited for the baptism.  It was really easy to help them get ready and they were definitely a gift from heaven. I am so grateful that we found them when we did.  It has been great to watch them progress.

We went to seminary again with Ivon!! Another great experience in Ether 12!!  I love the book of Ether.

We'll keep going. I'm excited to continue in this great work. It is without a doubt the work of the Lord. I love you all and hope you have a great week this week. Good luck on the last week of school. I love you all!!!

 

Elder Brady Allred

So I have to admit that missionary work is very hard, and very taxing.  But that is how we learn.  It has taught me how to trust more in the Savior and just let Him take away my pain and struggles. Hopefully I can learn to depend on Him even more.  He is always there to help me out.

So this week we decided to go looking for Carlos Samael, the now Ex young men's president. We wanted to talk to him. It was the first time in over 3 months that we had decided to visit him. I had never been to his house before. So we got there and his grandma invited us in. She is missing a leg due to an accident that she had 2 years ago, she is almost ready for the prosthetic.  And her husband also had an accident, first he lost a lot of his hand to an accident and then when they were going to put in the antibiotic they hit his nerve in his backside and so he lost all of his feeling in his left leg.  so they are recovering and then they will be back to church. But what to our wondering minds did appear a few no members living there. They have just over a week living here, they are Carlos´ little sisters. Their mom left them here now for over a year while she is in the USA. They already went to church 2 weeks ago, even though I didn't see them, and now they are listening to us.  We are going to put a baptismal date for May 26th.  They have now gone twice to church and their brother is almost the most active member there so he will always take them to church. It is great. I don't believe that it was a coincidence that we went to visit that family that day (Carlos wasn't even there)

And the other great experience this week was on Thursday. We were out of things to do at 8:20, and so we decided to go visit another active member. He is the 1st counselor in the bishopric.  I had only gone to visit him once and they were busy. so it was just a stab in the dark that we could visit them. So we got there (they live a block away from the house) and guess what, the brother Bonifacio was sick and he wanted a blessing. So we gave it to him.  In the morning (Sunday he told us this) he felt better and was ready to work.  He told us Thursday night that it seemed as if we had known that he was sick when we went there.

So I learned once again that we don't have to recognize the impressions for them to be spiritual impressions. I love being in areas for a long time because some how, when I have been there for a while, we always seem to go to the right house at the right time.  I heard comments from the Bishop in Lomas that less active, or active members had told him that we had gotten to their houses in the exact moment that they asked God for help, and it seems that the same is happening here in Del Valle.  I am starting to really love the ward, and if everything turns out as planned then the youth and YSA in the ward should accompany us to appointments everyday this week. We'll see if we can get a strong missionary focus going in the ward. I'm excited for what's to come!!

I hope you all have a great week. I love you

Elder Brady Allred

We are teaching some great people, and we are finding a lot of  problems with most of them.  The first one I will talk about it Blanca.  She got sick yesterday and didn't come to church for the same.  She still hasn't found the moment to pray to ask God if it is all true.  We may just have to do it outside and pray that the spirit answers and that the dogs don't bark. She has to ask because if not then she will go away from the church fast after her baptism.  We are going to postpone her baptism for a few weeks, we still don't know for when. But she knows everything, she just doesn't ask!! we are getting there.

The Chavez Family went to church yesterday!! it was incredible. We were in the stake conference and they came in at the first hymn.  They didn't like it :( They said that it seemed to be directed at other people (the members) and that it was a little bit boring.  I almost have to agree.  They talked about a ton of things, and told a lot of alright stories.  So that was a little bit sad that they didn't like it.  We also had a very heated lesson last night with them.  They are not very accepting of the idea of the Book of Mormon still. They have only read one chapter, so when we talked about the Plan of Salvation it kinda blew up in our face. It's a hard lesson to teach with just the bible cuz every one else interprets the same scriptures in very different ways.  I guess we should take our time a little bit more and get them more fundamented in the Book of Mormon.  I think that we are just going to read with them for a few more weeks.

We are also teaching another elderly man called Pablo Bautista (Paul the Baptist, that's kinda funny). He has never been part of any church and he thinks that they are all pretty corrupt (I cant say that he is all that wrong)  He didn't like that we talk about prophets. So we showed him (in his own bible, cuz he said that our bible is different, even though it's not). We had to buy a big triple combination cuz he couldn't read the Book of Mormon. Hopefully he doesn't get into the D&C too soon.  So we are also going to have to take our time with him and get him converted to the Book of Mormon.

We are also trying to find more youth and YSA to teach. Elder Andersen told the country to look for them because they are the future of Mexico. So we are trying. It's a little bit frustrating because they will always tell us yes but then they are never there for the appointment.  So hopefully we can have a bit more luck with all of that. Obedience to the Lord's representatives always pays off, even if not at first.

I have been trying to follow President Nelson's council to receive revelation more.  

"In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation,

Oh, there is so much more that your Father in Heaven wants you to know. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!”

Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.

And I have found that it is very true when he said, "To be sure, there may be time when you feel as though the heavens are closed. But I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you. 

My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this Eater Sunday be a defining moment in your life. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly."

There are without doubt those moments, even in the Lord's work.  It will always hurt to go beyond our capacities because that is when we will realize that we are missing so much of our own power.

I finish with one more thought.  Yesterday in the conference Elder Roman (70 area authority) quoted a conversation of Elder Andersen and Elder Oaks several years ago. He said that Elder Andersen was serving in the Area presidency of Brasil and Elder Oaks (member of the 12) came to visit. Elder Andersen commented that in Brasil there are the same number of members as in Mexico, but that Mexico had 15 temples and Brasil only had 2. And he didn't think that that was fair.  And Elder Oaks made a very interesting comment, that filled the room with the spirit when it was shared. He said, "Temples are not distributed based on the number of members, but on the number of spirits prepared to receive their ordinances"  You are blessed with a temple at 3 miles from home, there are prepared spirits in our family tree that need YOUR help.  That is why the temple is there.

  It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations [through baptisms for the dead] Doctrine and Covenants 128:18

Please fulfill that sacred duty.  And if you can send me a name or two then I will do them here.

I love you and hope you all have a great week.  Please fulfill your responsibilities.

-- 

Elder Brady Allred