Disneyland's False Advertising

We had the privilege of spending Monday in the temple in Albuquerque. That's a long drive from where we're at down in El Paso, but it was worth it! In the temple yesterday, I learned more about the love that God has for every single one of us. He is our Father, and he given us so very much.

That's all I've got time to write right now, but I just want YOU to know that the temple is my favorite place. Disneyland was lying. It's not the happiest place on earth. The temple is the happiest place on earth! In Disneyland, your family can have fun for a day, but with the temple your family can be happy for eternity! (Wonder what I mean by that? Visit temples.lds.org)

Have a wonderful week!

Flash Floods!

El Paso is a desert, which means that we get flash floods! The morning started off clear and sunny! I even got a little sun burned while teaching an investigator outside his house. Then around 4 o'clock, the rain came pouring down, accompanied by hail, lightning, and thunder! Now I'm from Oregon so I'm no sissy when it comes to rain, but I guess El Paso isn't built for rain like Oregon is. Everything was flooded!

We saw cars with water up to the bumpers! The intersections looked like a choppy lake!

When we got to our next appointment, we had to cross the street (read: river). Luckily we found some speed bumps and we able to jump across there, where the water was only a couple inches deep.

Within two hours, the rain had stopped, the roads had drained, and everything looked peaceful. I was shocked at how quickly the flood came and went!

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, how do El Paso flash floods relate to the gospel? Let me tell you! If you were planting a garden, would you rather have a little rain every day or so, or would you rather have a month of drought followed by a flash flood? That's right! Plants need to be watered consistently, a little at a time. In the same way, our spirits need to be fed a little at a time, every day. Daily, consistent prayer and scripture study will create flourishing greenery. Does you spiritual garden get flash floods and droughts, or daily rain?

Happy Easter!

On My Mission, I Got to Build a Castle!

We had some spare time on Thursday and we thought it would be a good idea to meet a woman in our ward named Hermana Portillo. She let us in and said she really didn't have a lot of time. She was making the quinceañera cake for one of the young women in the ward and the party was the very next day! We offered to help and at first she was hesitant but finally agreed.

 

Oh my lanta! What a cake! It was a 300 person cake, designed like a castle with 20 turrets all made out of fondant. This was the most ridiculously huge cake ever! We got to knead fondant, glue the towers together, spray paint different pieces, frost, and put it all together! It was lots of fun, and more importantly, we really felt like God put us there so that we could be there to help someone who desperately needed the help.

 

I love Easter because, of all the holidays, it is the most relevant to every single one of us! Why does the death and resurrection of Christ matter to us? It is because of Him that we can live again after this life, because of Him that we can live better lives every day, because of Him that joy can always conquer pain. I invite every single one of you to cut three minutes out of the time you would have been on Facebook or Netflix today, and watch this video about how Christ matters to you. mormon.org/becauseofhim

 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

 

New Home, New Companion

Well I just couldn't stay away! After four months in the far distant city of Las Cruces, I'm back in El Paso! Hermana Hendricks and I are serving in Transmountain and we love it! We're BOTH new to the area; two Elders (young men missionaries) got moved out and we got moved in. We are having so many adventures and seeing COUNTLESS MIRACLES.

 

THE FIRST MIRACLE is that Hermana Hendricks was able to cleverly use a basic library copy machine to blow up a map for our wall. Doesn't it look great?

 

THE NEXT MIRACLE is that we were getting into the car one evening when we saw a man step outside for a beer and a smoke. He had a goatee and was covered in tattoos. You know that little voice in your head that tells you what God wants you to be doing? It's called the Spirit, and it was telling me that we ought to go talk to him. But I was already backing the car out and it just seemed awkward. As we were about to leave the parking lot, Sister Hendricks said she felt like we ought to talk with him. Then we knew that if God was bothering to tell BOTH of us the same thing, it must be really important.

 

So we very awkwardly parked the car, hopped out and headed over. We told him exactly what I just told you and we had a great conversation! We talked about serving God, prophets, the gospel, the Bible.... he'll be meeting with some missionaries later this week to share more. What is the moral of the story? "Man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart."

 

THE NEXT MIRACLE is that this weekend was General Conference, a conference in which millions of people gather all over the world to hear a very important message. People will travel hundreds of miles to attend in person, or they'll participate through TV, internet, or radio in over 100 countries. What could possibly be so important?

The Lord has called a prophet in our day and twelve apostles just like the apostles that Christ called and ordained. These men, and others, spoke to us this weekend in the General Conference. Prior to the conference, I wrote a list of three questions that I need answers to in my life. I received bigger and more direct answers to all three than I could possibly have anticipated. That's because the prophet and apostles  speak, not their own words, but the words that God tells them to say. God has declared that whether He speaks, "by [His] own voice or by the voice of [His] servants, it is the same." And I know from personal experience that this is true!

 

There are so many miracles that we've seen this week that I don't have time to write them all. But I think the greatest miracle is that I get another week to keep being a missionary of the Lord, doing His work, and seeing His miracles!

 

Have a great week! 

Missionaries of Every Size

Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

Well the epic trio transfer is coming to a close. I'm going to miss getting to work with these lovely sisters! Three heads are so much better than one! We celebrated the end to a successful transfer by going to IHOP!

Anyone can do missionary work! That's right! Any one! Missionary work simply means sharing something you love, with the people you love. How hard is that? This week we invited a member of the ward to come with us to a lesson and he said yes, and asked if he could bring his family. We thought, "Why not? The more the merrier!" I know I had a great time in the lesson, and I'm pretty sure his kids, Adriano and Nicole, had a great time playing with Adrian's puppies. See? Even from an early age, they are playing a part in missionary work!

   

Have a great week!