Costume Party at the ward
Hola Familia
It is great to hear that everything is going well at home. Things are busy but going great as usual. It was less busy this week but as usual there is always something to do. Thats how I like it. I liked reading what Grandma and Grandpa Andrew are doing in Brazil. There are a lot of similar things they are doing that I am involved in in the office so it is fun to see the differences. This next week we will have our transfers so we are waiting for a busy week we are sending home 27 missionaries and receiving 18 new missionaries. This will be my last week in the area that I am working in "Forestal Alto." In the office there are two areas you work in. Now I will be changing companions and I will be in the center of Viña del mar. I am really excited to be working in central vina. I have always wanted to work there. I will be companions with the secretary of the mission, Elder Huntsman from texas.
This last week I was reading in our search for happiness about joseph smith. After the first vision he didnt have much comunication with god for some time and at one point he was worried about his standing before god. He did a lot of studying and then prayed and asked god. When I was reading that I felt like I could do the same so I decided to pray and ask god how I was doing, where i was in his eyes, and what I need to do better. I was able to receive such a great feeling and direct revelation. I love that we can have this relation with god in our lives and I know that everyone can have it. That is what is so great. The blessings are for each and everyone one of us. It is our choice to decide. Then I was reading in The manual of president Smith for the class sunday and it was talking about just that. It is our choice how we are going to live and what we will do. We can chose to read the scripture, pray, go to the temple often, or we can chose to put other things first and then we will wont always receive the blessings. He talked about how we cant be lazy rather we must always work. I really liked something that he said. This is my own translation so it may not be that great. "It´s our duty to do the best we can and not avoid it, but try with all our soul to magnify the callings the lord gives us, to work diligently for the salvation of our own family, each and every one of us, and for the salvation of those that are in far away places." President Smith. I really liked what he said and think it is what we all need to do. The work is never done. There is always something to learn or pray about. There is always need to go to the temple. if we stop doing these things we start falling backwards. This week we shared with a less active family the restoration. We invited them to go to church and they started to explain all of the reasons why they dont go. Problems with the members, a bad experience,.. all of the normal excuses that we hear as missionaries. They explained how in their home they kept doing all of the things the church teaches they just arent assisting. I felt like I should explain the experience that I have had as a missionary and all of the people that I have seen with these same principle reasons not to go to church. I told them that it always starts with that. First we stop going to church. We can say that we will keep living as we should but at one point that changes. We start falling backwards until we are not obeying the commandments of god and the promises we have made at baptism. I think we could say, for the members who have progressed and assisted the temple. It all starts as we stop assisting the temple often. We can put so many other things in the way in life. I know that I have done it and I keep doing it in my life. As the scriptures say we must give everything to god. We focus on that a lot as missionaries with members, less actives, and investigadors. Christ has given us the path to follow. Will we take it....
I love you all. Thanks for all you are doing to support me. I love being here in chile and sharing the thing that matters most to me. Do what Joseph did and ask god for yourself what more we can do. I know that he will respond.
Have a great week.
I love you
Les quiero
Elder Hamilton
Vina Del Mar
