Zarahemla Week 43

First Poutine

We had an interesting week! I received my new companion on Thursday! His name is Elder Salvador. He is from California, but his family is from Mexico originally. He just got into the mission field, so we've been working hard at getting him adjusted! He's doing great though, he has a lot of fire. He talks to everyone he can, even though he doesn't speak too much French yet! He's been doing very well! Well here are a few highlights from the week!

Said goodbye to Elder Ramos Chen last week. We had a really fun transfer together, and saw so many cool miracles! He is super smart and taught me a lot. We'll see each other at BYU though, so I'm excited!

Met my new trainee, Elder Salvador!

We've seen Julio, the man we regained contact with last week, multiple times this week! He's doing very well! We have been focusing on the basics, on helping him read the Book of Mormon and praying. Yesterday he expressed how he has been seeing lots of change and help from God as he's become more actively applying the principles of the Gospel in his life. He wants to be baptized soon! He has quite a bit of changes to make, but he is motivated and has the goal of baptism in mind. He's very humble, and it's been fun to work with him!

Saying goodbye to Elder Ramos Chen 

We started teaching someone named Yair this past week. He moved here from Peru just a few months ago. We had our second lesson with him on Elder Salvador's first day, and I made Elder Salvador invite him to be baptized. The Spirit was very strong in the lesson, Elder Salvador invited him to be baptized, and he accepted! It was awesome! It's been humbling to see him work, because it really reminds me that we don't do anything in the work; it is truly the Lord's work. Sometimes we get caught up and put too much of the work on our own shoulders and take too much of the credit. But it's been clear to me in watching Elder Salvador work miracles that it really doesn't matter how "experienced" we may think we are as missionaries, if we do our best and have trust in the Lord, he does the miracles!

We're ready to work! 

There is a scripture that I love that has been on my mind a lot recently. It is found in Matthew 6, and I wanted to quote a few verses:

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

I have found this passage to be so true on my mission. I have seen the difference in peoples' lives, and in my own life, between having God as our first priority and having other things as our first priority such as work, school, money, etc. There is happiness, power, and love in the one, and a lack of said things in the other. It is so true; God knows we need food, He knows we need to work, He knows we need money, He knows we need sleep, He knows we need all these things… Nevertheless, the passage says it so clear: these things will be added unto us, if we put God first. It's a promise, and I know it is sure!

Well it's been an amazing week, I hope you all are doing well as well. Have a great week, I love you!

Elder James