This week has been a week of many challanges on the mission but we have had many success as well including my first baptism, and find another person that has accepted to be baptized at the end of this month. However one of the things that really recharged my spirtual batteries was general confrence this week. I have never had a confrence session go by so fast and through out the week. Will be posting more of what is going on in my mission as well as more thoughts about this sessions general confrence.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about our potential. It is amazing how some days I can wake up and feel like I can do almost anything and other days being a victim of realism. Elder Uchtdorf had a great talk about Grace and how not only the atonement is to make us innocent before Christ but to progress and become like him.
Before going on if you have not listend to the talk by Elder Rafeal Pino and Gods Plan and Our Potential I would watch it. One of the struggles I have is when reading the scriptures is that we are like the dust of the earth, yet we are children of God and his most beloved creations, or sometimes reading that with faith in him we can move mountains. I have come to the conclusion that we are as members of the Church of Jesues Christ of Latter day Saints are lucky to have the restored gospel. As we have been studying the gathering of Israel we really are a people of covenants, and i like how he says first got taught us the plan then gave us covenants to keep, and how really that is where are potential comes from. He has a plan and we may not know understand all of it but by following his plan we really can accomplish anything. I liked the part where he said the ¨¨lord knows what he wants and we do not have the right to council him. Why should we, we should be asking him what he wants and how to achieve it. Many do not realize but the church between the sessions gives the world report and shows great things such as church news, or faith counts and mormon messages. One of the mormon messages I have never seen is below and I really liked how it shows us just sometimes the simplest things that are holding us back from reaching our potential.
What really stood out to me in the talk of Elder Pino is the story he uses about the block of stone. Only the stonecutter knew the man was in there. Sometimes we do not really see our true potentail but God does and if we go to him in prayer, scripture study, but most importantly in faith he will help us see what we really can become. Another thing i have learned besides how truely blessed we are to have the restored gospel, but that we do not have the right to determine who should and should not see no their potential. We do this in many ways by tearing people down instead of building them up, gossip, but one thing I have learned is we do not know who is ready for the gospel. I can not say how many times when that the most unlikely people have accepted to hear our message and some to the point of accepting to be baptized. There are countless times when I may have not felt to talk to a person and my past companions have started a conversation with someone when we are on the way to an appointment and are going to be late, somtimes they are great contacts and others may not have been ready at this time but we never would have known if we did not talk to them. We can not let our first impressions determine if they are ready to hear the gospel. I want to invite all of you to think first learn your potential and I know as you reall understand the love god has for you, that you will be ready for the most unlikely moments to share the gospel and help someone understand their potential. The gospel of Jesues Christ is the plan to unlock our potential and happiness, it is also part of this plan to share the gospel.
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta lds mission blogs. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta lds mission blogs. Mostrar todas las entradas
martes, 7 de abril de 2015
sábado, 5 de julio de 2014
Feeling the Spirit in the Office
One of the things I am really learning is that being in the offices is still part of the mission, but is still very diffrent. If we are not to careful the offices can just be an offices even though we are doing things for the church. Later in the week you will see a blog post appear about an experince I had this week.
Thinking about this I really have been studying how can we feel and recognize the spirit. For me this is something that is really hard, and I have heard many things that have helped me and I can and probably will write many more blog posts about recognizing the spirit, because it is not only one of the most important things we need to do but something that I am really studying.
For now I want to just write about feeling the spirit in the office or how you can feel the spirit througout the day. I know they are your usualy sunday school answers but they are basics and are very imporant that is the importance of prayer, and scripture study. I can testify now that these basics help us feel the spirit during the day even when we are not in the church. First and foremost as you will read in another blog post about my experince of personal scripture study in the near future. Since I have been here the past three weeks I will be honest we have not had our studies everyday and I can tell you there is a huge diffrence. The other is just simply always having a prayer in our hearts.
For now I want to talk about some changes we have made here in the office that have made us really feel the spirit and change how we have worked this past week. When I first got here we would come in and just start working and that was it, we also had tongs of problems with coordination because we have to share a car and with all 6 of us having to do very difffrent things, on time and in diffrent places it made it really hard. This also made tentions rise and at times we would have a spirit of contention.
How did we fix it. Well president Smith suggested we start everyday with a meeting where we verify the plans, and plan for the next day. This is going to help either way, but he then said we need to start it with a devotional and a hymn. This is something that is only 10 or 15 minutes at the most but not only are we working more effciently, but I can say I am not just working in an office but the office of a mission.
Other things that has been intresting ways to feel the spirit is through focusing on christ attributes. Especially at times when we are driving and people cut us off, or we get a call from a angry land lord. Things are very diffrent when you have to start the conversation off with Elder Holt speaking from the Montevideo Oeste Mission. How can I help you? Focusing on those attributes have really helped especially focusing on the attribute with patience. We get a variety of calls, and we receive a lot of them, but becuase there is a focus on helping the person and being a representive Christ there is a huge diffrence in this offices than any other offices I have worked on and that diffrence is the spirit.
Hope you all have a good week. On a side note I am to a point some of these things are easier to just write in spanish or think in spanish it is funny to think I never thought I would have this probably where I had such a struggle with the languag
Thinking about this I really have been studying how can we feel and recognize the spirit. For me this is something that is really hard, and I have heard many things that have helped me and I can and probably will write many more blog posts about recognizing the spirit, because it is not only one of the most important things we need to do but something that I am really studying.
For now I want to just write about feeling the spirit in the office or how you can feel the spirit througout the day. I know they are your usualy sunday school answers but they are basics and are very imporant that is the importance of prayer, and scripture study. I can testify now that these basics help us feel the spirit during the day even when we are not in the church. First and foremost as you will read in another blog post about my experince of personal scripture study in the near future. Since I have been here the past three weeks I will be honest we have not had our studies everyday and I can tell you there is a huge diffrence. The other is just simply always having a prayer in our hearts.
For now I want to talk about some changes we have made here in the office that have made us really feel the spirit and change how we have worked this past week. When I first got here we would come in and just start working and that was it, we also had tongs of problems with coordination because we have to share a car and with all 6 of us having to do very difffrent things, on time and in diffrent places it made it really hard. This also made tentions rise and at times we would have a spirit of contention.
How did we fix it. Well president Smith suggested we start everyday with a meeting where we verify the plans, and plan for the next day. This is going to help either way, but he then said we need to start it with a devotional and a hymn. This is something that is only 10 or 15 minutes at the most but not only are we working more effciently, but I can say I am not just working in an office but the office of a mission.
Other things that has been intresting ways to feel the spirit is through focusing on christ attributes. Especially at times when we are driving and people cut us off, or we get a call from a angry land lord. Things are very diffrent when you have to start the conversation off with Elder Holt speaking from the Montevideo Oeste Mission. How can I help you? Focusing on those attributes have really helped especially focusing on the attribute with patience. We get a variety of calls, and we receive a lot of them, but becuase there is a focus on helping the person and being a representive Christ there is a huge diffrence in this offices than any other offices I have worked on and that diffrence is the spirit.
Hope you all have a good week. On a side note I am to a point some of these things are easier to just write in spanish or think in spanish it is funny to think I never thought I would have this probably where I had such a struggle with the languag
sábado, 28 de junio de 2014
A Light Lesson
This week has been really busy. I honestly can not explain all of the things we do because it is a lot and some things are really random. We really run around a lot of the city and some nights we have to stay up a little later working on speacial projects or have our sleep interrupted to go pick someone up at a train station then go back to sleep. It is a very hectic and busy enviroment in the offices. Just like the streets of Montevideo. It is funny to be literally praying for your life everytime we get out on the intense streets, and cutting and being cut off by people while of course listening to the Morman Tabernacle Choir....it is really funny.
Anyway with the enivorment I am really learning that well sometimes we just need to take a break and enjoy the moment for survival from stress and well just to enjoy and be happy. Alway sneed to be postive and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.
One of these moments of peace in our crazy week was attending the confrence for all of the zone leaders and going to the temple. We did not get to stay for all the confrence but our president talked about the light. It was really Intresting. Before I give his notes on it I want to tell a story that came to my mind while he was talking about this.
It reminded me a couple weeks later in my other area in a lesson that I had. In this lesson the man asked why we have suffering and bad things happen in the good people and what is bad and evil. We talked about the plan of Salvation but failed and luckily we came back and talked about him with the bishop who had served a mission and talked about how darkness like light is just the abscence of light, and eveil is the abscence of good.
Now with that thinking what is light? Well we find out answer in 3 Nephi Chapter 15
9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him thatendureth to the end will I give eternal life.
I really liked this and it has been really intresting. It also reminded me of this video from David A. Bednar Patterns of Light http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1737858984001
Anyway sadly I do not have speakers on my computer so I can not comment more about the video but I hope you enjoy this light lesson and leaned something like I did it was really intresting.
To all of my friends, family, and anyone who just happens to read this I invite you to share your light and let it shine.
Anyway with the enivorment I am really learning that well sometimes we just need to take a break and enjoy the moment for survival from stress and well just to enjoy and be happy. Alway sneed to be postive and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.
One of these moments of peace in our crazy week was attending the confrence for all of the zone leaders and going to the temple. We did not get to stay for all the confrence but our president talked about the light. It was really Intresting. Before I give his notes on it I want to tell a story that came to my mind while he was talking about this.
It reminded me a couple weeks later in my other area in a lesson that I had. In this lesson the man asked why we have suffering and bad things happen in the good people and what is bad and evil. We talked about the plan of Salvation but failed and luckily we came back and talked about him with the bishop who had served a mission and talked about how darkness like light is just the abscence of light, and eveil is the abscence of good.
Now with that thinking what is light? Well we find out answer in 3 Nephi Chapter 15
9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him thatendureth to the end will I give eternal life.
10 Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me.
11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen:
12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.
I thought that was really intresting then. President Smith talked to us about how we are all called to be an example and share the light of Christ with all for this we go to 3 Nephi Chapter 12
14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
I really liked this and it has been really intresting. It also reminded me of this video from David A. Bednar Patterns of Light http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1737858984001
Anyway sadly I do not have speakers on my computer so I can not comment more about the video but I hope you enjoy this light lesson and leaned something like I did it was really intresting.
To all of my friends, family, and anyone who just happens to read this I invite you to share your light and let it shine.
lunes, 28 de abril de 2014
Who is Driving your Life?
This week has been a really busy week. We had interviews with the mission president and learned a lot. One of the challenges he has given us is to internilize the doctorine especially with the Plan of Salvation. Twice a week during our companionship studies we take turns and share all that we knows with scriptures and experinces about one part of this plan. The other then does the same and we have a disscussion and create questions to study or ask our mission president.
When we were talking about the Creation and studying it I found this scriprutre in 1 Nephi 17:36
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the aearth that it should be binhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
This world was created for us to possess it. It made me think how often we don´t drive our lives and we let the world plan what we are going to do on a daily basis. If we focus on the eternal perspectives we control our lives, the world around us, and when we will recieve in the next live. How luckily we are to have this plan.
Now for the experince. This week we were teaching a man and usually it is really hard to find him because he is always at the Bar. Just a little background he is a refrence from his son in another department what is what is like our states in the United States. Anyway this man has no realtion with is family and is kind of a wreck. One day we happened to find him and said my life is over. He has lost a lot of family and money and probably more because of is addiction to Alchohal and Drugs.
The thing that was worst besides the feeling he could change was the reason he felt the world was over. He took us into the house to look at his TV that didn´t work. He had worked for a year he said to get this TV and when he was moving it he dropped it...he was drunk at the time probably. This is why his world was over. I am sure it was a something more as well and everything was just adding up and the poor man needed a realease. He is funny because he doesn´t want to talk then ends up talking for 20 minutes we hope to help him but he is always drunk and has no desire to change because he feel at 75 his world is over and can´t change.
En the end it made me think about all or our little habits or small addicitons like facebook or things we do just for routine that don´t profit us anything. Or we are doing things that we don´t like to do. In the end it is important to remember we are here to possess the world, we have a purpose, and we can change yes we will have trials, but the more we learn about the plan the more we will posses the world and find peace and happiness in your life.
That is the story and thoughts for this week. I encourage all of you to study the creation and share your thoughts about this post or just about things your learned studying the creation in the comments below. There are tons of great scriptures in Preach my Gospel you can use.
In the end I love all of you and hope this week you go own what ever you need or want to do this week.
Sincerly,
Elder Holt
When we were talking about the Creation and studying it I found this scriprutre in 1 Nephi 17:36
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the aearth that it should be binhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
This world was created for us to possess it. It made me think how often we don´t drive our lives and we let the world plan what we are going to do on a daily basis. If we focus on the eternal perspectives we control our lives, the world around us, and when we will recieve in the next live. How luckily we are to have this plan.
Now for the experince. This week we were teaching a man and usually it is really hard to find him because he is always at the Bar. Just a little background he is a refrence from his son in another department what is what is like our states in the United States. Anyway this man has no realtion with is family and is kind of a wreck. One day we happened to find him and said my life is over. He has lost a lot of family and money and probably more because of is addiction to Alchohal and Drugs.
The thing that was worst besides the feeling he could change was the reason he felt the world was over. He took us into the house to look at his TV that didn´t work. He had worked for a year he said to get this TV and when he was moving it he dropped it...he was drunk at the time probably. This is why his world was over. I am sure it was a something more as well and everything was just adding up and the poor man needed a realease. He is funny because he doesn´t want to talk then ends up talking for 20 minutes we hope to help him but he is always drunk and has no desire to change because he feel at 75 his world is over and can´t change.
En the end it made me think about all or our little habits or small addicitons like facebook or things we do just for routine that don´t profit us anything. Or we are doing things that we don´t like to do. In the end it is important to remember we are here to possess the world, we have a purpose, and we can change yes we will have trials, but the more we learn about the plan the more we will posses the world and find peace and happiness in your life.
That is the story and thoughts for this week. I encourage all of you to study the creation and share your thoughts about this post or just about things your learned studying the creation in the comments below. There are tons of great scriptures in Preach my Gospel you can use.
In the end I love all of you and hope this week you go own what ever you need or want to do this week.
Sincerly,
Elder Holt
lunes, 21 de abril de 2014
Sharing Mission Experinces Online
Hello Friends and Family!
This week has been amazing and like all ways I can never put it into words. Here in Uruguay it is the Semana Santa also known as Holy week or other people call it week of Tourismo. A lot of the time the question is what is this week a week of tourism or a holy week. This has been a great conversation starter and lead to many great discussions such as should we remember Christ all of the time, only for a week and our beliefs about Easter. I am short on time because we only have so much time on the computer so next week I will share more but for know look at this video. I am also starting this blog to share like the church is encouraging all members you can read more about sharing the gospel online from this article. https://www.lds.org/church/share/sharing-via-blogs?lang=eng
Here is a cool video an other Elder showed me today http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1737858982001
Talk to you all next week
Love,
Elder Holt
This week has been amazing and like all ways I can never put it into words. Here in Uruguay it is the Semana Santa also known as Holy week or other people call it week of Tourismo. A lot of the time the question is what is this week a week of tourism or a holy week. This has been a great conversation starter and lead to many great discussions such as should we remember Christ all of the time, only for a week and our beliefs about Easter. I am short on time because we only have so much time on the computer so next week I will share more but for know look at this video. I am also starting this blog to share like the church is encouraging all members you can read more about sharing the gospel online from this article. https://www.lds.org/church/share/sharing-via-blogs?lang=eng
Here is a cool video an other Elder showed me today http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1737858982001
Talk to you all next week
Love,
Elder Holt
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