Hola familia!
First off, sorry about the delayed email.. our Pday got switched to Friday this week, so we had to wait extra long to email everyone... but that's okay, because we get to email now!!
Okay, I'll do my best to gather my thoughts about this eta semana (this week)!
A couple things...
First, It's been awesome being a Zone Leader here... like it's been such an absolute blessing! Elder White and I have had the opportunity to get to know so many awesome young missionaries, and we've been able to develop real relationships with so many people! We've also been given the oppurtunity give a missionary a blessing. This missionary was new to the CCM and was having a pretty rough go at it... just not being able to get enough sleep, not being able to eat, etc entonces (so), they came to Elder White and I, and we gave this missionary a blessing. The moment it started I felt the Spirit so strongly and I really felt as though I had words put into my head and I felt like I knew exactly what to say. I spent that night hoping and praying that the blessing would be what the missionary needed. Well, it turned out that the next day the misionary came to me and told me that it was just that. That was a massive confirmation to me and I felt the Spirit in that moment just as strong as I did when I gave the blessing.
This week something I've been trying to do is pray for help expressing more Christlike attributes. Every night I pray to be able to improve and I feel like there's always more we can do to be more Christlike... and so that has been my focus for the week. And on Sunday, we had two video devotionals that kinda touched on that... Christlike attributes and how to have them. One thing that really touched me was a story that David A. Bednar shared. I don't remember exactly but essentially the story was of a grandmother who started chemotherapy, and was informed that she'd need to continue chemotherapy for the next year. On her way to the hospital one day she told her daughter, "I don't think I can keep this up for a year" to which her daughter replied, "Can you do it today?" she said yes and continued out her full year of chemotherapy day by day... Point of this story for me was that when I look at the next two years, it's a little overwhelming to think... "Can I really be consistently patient with people for two whole years?" or have charity, or have hope, or whichever attribute I'll need to work on. But it's comforting to know that I can do it today, through prayer and faith. I can be patient or hopeful or charitable today, if I listen to the Spirit and pray for strength far beyond my own. I know that the Lord always answers our prayers, and that He helps us far more than we tend to recognize. And as we do our best to ask, act, and be grateful, the Lord will continue to bless us.
We also had Halloween and Dias de los Muertos this past week! It was way loud outside the CCM and it was way fun. We celebrated as a class, just a little bit, and it was just a good day! :)
Well, yeah, I suppose the Word of Wisdom doesn't specifically prohibit blood... Why do you ask? Hahaha!! :) Felice Dia de Los Muertos! (Happy Halloween!)!
This past week we had TRC and we've continued practicing lessons. And let me tell you I can feel the Spirit so strongly in those. Our teacher acctually left a little note on my desk that said:
"Gracias por su lección! quiero darle las gracias por su amor genuino hacia Sandra. Es una marvillosa y poderosa verdad que Dios conoce nuestros nombres!"
("Thanks for your lesson! I want to thank you for your genuine love for Sandra. It is a marvelous and a powerful truth that God knows our names.")
It was something I shared with her during our lesson, that God knows all of our names, and our lives, and is aware of how we are doing. It's something I've really grown to love, and be thankful for. I've come to know that God really does know us all personally and is just waiting for us to ask for help sometimes. I know when we ask, we shall receive, just like Christ says in Matthew 7:7-8:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
I've also come to really appreciate the scripture Ether 12:27:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humblethemselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weakthings become strong unto them.
I just know these are both way true and so important to us as people and as children of God.
Thanks you guys for everything... and Mom, Thank you for the package!! I love you and I'll send more pictures soon! :)
I love you all and I hope all is well!
Until next week,
Nick
PS. The internet just cut out, my draft wasn't saved, and my window closed. I just got internet back and my page reloaded, draft was saved. You know, just saying, in case anyone out there maybe doubts it -- God loves us and blesses us constantly with more tender mercies than we can imagine! :) Pray to know if He loves you, you'll get a YES every time! :)
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