Sometimes I worry that I'm having too much fun serving Heavenly Father out here in San Geezy. :P This was one of those weeks were I served so many people and had so much fun doing it! It really is silly but the old saying, "what goes up must come down" makes me wonder when it is going to come down and things are going to get tough. I have had a really good past few months out here. Granted, there have been many trials but they all have been worked out.
Miracles happened this week! Tuesday we visited the daughter of a recent convert. She is 23 years old, a single parent, and has two children. We always are taught to invite people to be baptized during the first lesson to understand how they feel and what we need to do to best prepare them for the essential ordnance of baptism. More often than not, people do not accept the invitation to be baptized right away but this girl did! She was so prepared! It was a testimony builder for me to see that God is always preparing people. Just on Tuesday two more people accepted the Savior's invitation to be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God.
It is interesting how I have served in the same area for 5 months now, yet we are still finding new people to teach.
Thursday morning was interesting... All the Elders got up and we played dodge ball in the cultural hall. Things were going great until Elder Bagley and I went for the same ball. I bent down to get the ball as Elder Bagley slid for the ball. His face collided with my knee and lets just say it was not pretty. My knee literally has two tooth marks and it bled pretty good. Elder Bagley's face was even worse. His upper lip was split wide open and he ended up needing 25 stitches! I felt really bad. That taught me to never start morning sports with out an opening prayer again.
Friday was another crazy busy day. The craziest part of the day was going to the city offices to help translate for an investigator that needed a daycare license. The police had came by and told her if she didn't get a license she would get a ticket. Of course, like most people we teach, she doesn't have a green card so the police were setting her up for immigration to come and get her! I never thought I would work so hard to make sure someone wouldn't get deported but that is what the mission does. I am starting to understand a small fraction of the love our Savior showed when he died for us. That love Christ showed us is AMAZING!
There were some other silly things Elder Valdez and I did that involved Santa hats, sunglasses, and the Temple visitor center. But that is a story for another time. What would the mission or life for that matter be with out a little fun? :)
As I think of this Christmas season I remember the story of the Inn keeper that turned away the Joseph and Mary, Christ’s mother who was heavy with child away. "Away in a manger no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head." How many of us at this time of the year are turning the Savior away? How many have shut the doors to the LDS missionaries with out first fully hearing their message? How many of us turn Christ away in the shows/movies that we watch? In the music we listen to? Ask yourself, am I doing all I can to allow Christ into my life? If not we are missing out on the feelings of peace, comfort, and joy, which are all associated with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Replace fear with faith and know that Christ will never turn away. He is the reason for the season. I know "He" lives. I know this is His one and only church. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Vaya Con Dios.
God is love,
Elder Bennion
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