How are you all? Doing great? I hope so!! It’s so great to hear from you! Gospel Doctrine teacher! (Gina is now our Gospel Doctrine Instructor in church) Woo hoo! What an opportunity to learn! I am sure that you will love it and learn a ton!
Well... what’s new? Today we went exploring in the Zoo Park where we live... it wasn’t very well marked and we almost got lost in the back of the park because it’s all woods and dirt tracks that leads off to who knows where. There are a lot of pathways like that here in Paraguay. I’ve no idea where they lead to... we’ve even taken the chance to explore and check them out, but we only found small little fields in the middle of the jungle. What can I say? We tried! Hahaha. Eventually we found the road leading to the area we wanted to go. That’s what counts.
The work is coming along just fine. We have a family that is preparing to be baptized on the 18th, but right now we are helping them to find the answers to their questions and doubts, so that they know what the Lord wants them to do. We were going to have a baptism this week of a couple, but the girlfriend still hasn’t been able to get her birth certificate from the State. Her parents never had her recognized by the State so it’s like she doesn’t exist. We all know how the government works, but we are helping them to know how to find the way to be baptized and how to get the help from the Lord that they need. Something we have really been working hard to do is teach our investigators how to find answers for themselves through prayer and the scriptures. It’s one thing to believe what we say as missionaries, but it’s entirely different when they know they can receive an answer for themselves from our Heavenly Father. It helps them have the confidence that they can get the help they need from their own efforts. It is something that I have learned a lot about here in the mission field and about the purpose of life. We shouldn’t be little blind mice running through the maze trying to find the cheese. We shouldn’t be the donkey that has to be led by the rope. We need to learn how to make choices for ourselves. We need to learn how to get the help we need by the efforts we make. We don’t know everything, we never will, but our Heavenly Father wants to help us. But He also knows what is best for us. Sometimes He lets us struggle until we are humble enough to ask for His help. Sometimes He doesn’t answer a prayer in the way we want because it won’t help us in the long run. Sometimes He waits for us to make a decision and ask if the decision we have made is right. We will never learn if we never try. It’s impossible. It’s like a child. We can give them the answers to all of their homework, but when it comes to the test, what do they know? We might know the answers, but we know that they need to learn for themselves. They need to find the way to have success. Our Heavenly Father won’t rob us of the chance to learn and grow. That is our purpose. To learn, grow, and prepare for the day when we will appear before Him and account for what we have done. If we want to be stress free, tranquil and happy in that day that undoubtedly will come, the answers are there. What we need to do is make the effort. We need to read the scriptures. We need to know if they are true. We need to know if the Church of Jesus Christ was lost after His death and resurrection. We need to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that through him, the Church of Jesus Christ was brought again to the Earth. We need to know if Thomas Monson indeed is a prophet of God. Why do we need to know this? Why are there so many churches? Why are there so many ways of interpreting the Bible? Why are there hard times in our lives? The answers are there. We just need to make the effort to find them. We need to have the faith in a loving Heavenly Father that He will guide us to the truth. That is how we will find the peace and happiness in life. It isn’t money. It isn’t fame. It is living the commandments of God and knowing that He is blessing us because we are doing what He has asked us to do. As missionaries we always invite people to pray and ask God, our Eternal Father, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that what we teach is true. It isn’t just for people who aren’t Mormon. It is to everyone. Everyone can get an answer for themselves. I promise that if we make the effort, we will learn, grow, and know for ourselves really what God wants us to do.
Well, I am out of time. I love you all! Take care of yourselves! CHAUCITO!!!
Mucho cariño,
Elder David Watson
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