Jam-Packed Blessings!

A few days back we had our first desert storm! I'm talking pouring-down rain, lightning, thunder, the whole shabang! It was a little taste of home, but a lot angrier than Oregon rain.

I had my first pinata experience this week! Did you know that there is a song that goes along with the pinata? You all chant this song and then by the time it's over, it's the next person's turn. I would tell you the song, but all I caught was, "Dale! Dale Dale!"

So there is a scripture in Isaiah 58 that talks about the blessings of obeying one simple commandment. We're going to talk about the blessings first. "Thou shalt call and the Lord will answer." When you cry out God will respond, "Here I am!"  He will guide you continually and satisfy your soul. Doesn't that sound incredible? Now I bet you're all thinking, "What is this commandment? Can I keep it so I can get amazing blessings like that?" And the commandment jam-packed with blessings is... drum roll please.... fasting. That's right. Are you shocked? Because I definitely was! There are so many different ways to fast: fasting from bad habits, fasting from a vice, and the traditional fast from 2 meals. It's amazing the power and strength that God will give us when we are willing to sacrifice, even just a little bit, for Him.

Mother's Days!

Happy Mother's Day everyone! Did you know that in Mexico, they celebrate Mother's Day on the 10th, but in the United States it was on the 12th this year. That means that in El Paso, there are two Mother's Days! If a mother is ever feeling unloved, she ought to move here.

This week, we've been learning about following the promptings of the Spirit. You know that happy feeling you get when you pray or do something nice for someone? That's the Spirit, telling you that what you're doing is good. There is a scripture that says that the Spirit "will show unto you all things that ye should do." Now you're probably asking, "All things? Surely you only mean spiritual things!" Nope. I kid you not. The Spirit is not limited in what kinds of things he can tell you. Now of course, everyone has the ability to make choices and so often God will let us use our best judgement. But at any time, God can tell you, "Pull into that gas station." "Call this person." "Go talk to that person." My companion and I are learning very quickly that God is a pretty smart guy, so when He tells us to do something, we hop to it!

Well everyone, have a wonderful day!

Transfers ! ! ! !

This Tuesday was my first transfer day! That means that I got to pack up and move out to Horizon, Texas. It's a lovely little town, in the middle of the desert. The good news is we get to drive a truck. The even better news is that we get to keep being missionaries, teaching the gospel of Christ to anyone who wants to learn.

Around transfer time, people always ask, "Why are you getting transferred?" Well I'll tell you. God called a prophet to lead his people. That prophet called a man to be our mission president. And that mission president prayed to know exactly where each missionary ought to serve. Sometimes missionaries stay in an area for months and months. Sometimes they are transferred after just six weeks. But through prayer, and through revelation from God, every missionary serves exactly where they need to be. Isn't it incredible, the power of prayer?

Well I wish I had time to write more, but I've got to run. Have a wonderful week!