Week 3

 Hola, bendiciones! (I wanted to make these emails short but there is way too much to talk about so if you don't want all the needy greedy details, the last paragraph summarizes it all, your welcome Riley).  

I am in the refiners fire ! Basically Heavenly Father is taking all of my weaknesses and expanding them... so yes, this week was a little hard lol. However, 3 Nephi:7 states that God giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he shall provide a way to accomplish that said commandment. I know that through these trials there is always a light on the other side. No matter what we have done or how far we think we are from the presence of God and his love, you are wrong. Thanks to the atonement of Jesus Christ, the ultimate example of love, we are always just a few steps away from our father in heaven and Jesus Christ will never leave our side. 

- Life is good! I'm getting really good at volleyball (still suck) and my district couldn't be any closer. The temple here is so beautiful and I  love being around it even though I can't understand what the endowment workers are saying. The food is still either fire or terrible, but we are always so hungry so it don't matter. Also my Companion and I got matching ties and its muy fuego. 

- We forgot we had a devotional at our house one night that we were supposed to give... so by the power of God and a lot of mental prayer we delivered a  lesson on confidence through Jesus Christ. As long as we give our 100%, it won't matter when we come short, Jesus will be our advocate with God and cover the rest so go and do with confidence in  the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

- I gave my first blessings! So the first one was kinda funny; The Hermanas in our district wanted priesthood blessings because, you know, refiners fire. There's a Hermana that is kinda pretty and I made a personal goal to not give her a blessing because I wanted to be able to focus on the blessing itself, not the fact that there's a pretty girl in front of me. Lo and behold when it came time for this hermana's blessing it was my responsibility... great. Even though she was still pretty, the moment I laid my hands on her head I felt the power of God fill my body so much that I was no longer in that room. Words that weren't mine flowed through me and I felt what can only be God's love for his daughter. Once I said amen I felt that power leave my body and I couldn't remember what I said but everyone was crying so I guess it was powerful. The next blessing was very different. An Elder in my district that we helped start the repentance process last week was struggling more than ever. He got to the point of breaking where he simply sat and cried because he wanted to go home. With some words of encouragement we reminded him of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for HIM and with the help of our teacher got him an appointment with the mission president. After class me and Elder Merrel booked it to the President's office (we spent 10 minutes walking around the wrong building because we we're so smart) and sat and waited for him. When they came out of the office the president asked us to assist in giving this elder a blessing. I was chosen to be the spokesperson. The moment I laid my hands on his head and said his full name, instead of being in a dark room with a flow of words, my mind was taken to a different place, being overcome with the spirit, I didn't just feel God's love, I saw it. Even with my eyes shut i saw concourses of angels protecting the missionaries. Thousands of souls sent by god to protect and assist me, my district and everyone else. Once again I can't remember what was said but I do recall the feeling of other people. Me, Elder Merrel, Elder Puliani, and the President stood in a tight circle with our hands on this elders head, as thousands of angels surrounded us. Once I said amen, instead of instantly feeling that power retract, we felt the presence of all those angles for the rest of the night. I will never forget what that elder said walking home, "I spent years thinking God abandoned me because of my choices, but I was the one to abandon him. He never left my side."

- I don't know why I was chosen to be the spokesperson but the things that I saw and felt from these two blessings have changed my understanding of God and his power. I know with every bone in my body this gospel is the true and chosen path from Jesus Christ to aid us on our journey back to Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ will never leave our side. When we feel distant it is because we distance ourselves, he will never abandoned you. Never. 

Summarised paragraph: 

- All of my weaknesses are being magnified right now so I'm growing a lot but hurting alot( mostly just hurting my pride). Still love my comp and my district, we are getting good at volleyball and spontaneous lessons that we forgot we had to do. That food is mas o menos fuego but it's free so that's a win win. Gave my first and second blessing to an Hermana and one of my roommates. They completely changed everything I know and understand about the power I have as a worthy priesthood holder. Through this I saw the love Jesus Christ has for his children in a way I had never seen before. He will never leave us alone, ever.