The new area is pretty nice!
We have a huge apartment and there are a total of 6 Elders living there. We have a
balcony which is nice, so we get a nice breeze.
Pretty much everyone in Chelsea
speaks Spanish. We walk and ride the bus everywhere. My companion is Elder
Sompi and we have 4 other missionaries working with us in our ward. We have 2
more Elders and 2 Sisters. All of them are awesome!
There is a whole lot of
work to be done, that we need to get started. We are in Revere 1st Ward and we
had 135 people last Sunday attend. A little bit bigger than the branch down in
CT.
On monday we were able to go to the Temple, which was amazing. There were so
many missionaries there and I got to see some of the members as well from
Bridgeport that came up. We got there at 7:15 am and left at 1:30. It was packed!
We
were allowed to go to the Redsox game with permission from Pres. Packard, but
we didn't because we didn't have time and weren't sure we wanted to spend $30, so we went to the Cambridge stake center (which is a beautiful
building and one of the most expensive). There were Brazilian
members there who were having a BBQ. They invited us for lunch and there was
a party in there with musical chairs and everything. It was fun and we then went
into Boston to Quincy Market and that was a very interesting and fun place. There are a lot of things to do here since we are so close to everything, so I
am looking forward to my new area.
There is a man named Dan who the Elders met on the
street. He come up to them and wanted them to meet his mom in a nursing
home. He is a very nice man and doesn't really want anything to do with the
church, but we are really good friends with him. We went Sunday night to see his mom
with him. It was really hard to walk in there because of how sad it is, but it
was a beautiful experience. She wasn't in the best of moods and so we ended up
singing a song, "Families Can Be Together Forever." The Spirit that was
there was amazing and she just lit up after that. It was really a great visit
and she kept talking about how bright we were, like there was a light coming
from us. She expressed how she was scared and so we expressed our love for her
and talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation since she also said she
never got to know the purpose of life. It was a great visit, but so hard to see
how the whole situation was affecting Dan.How blessed we are to know the answers to these questions that everyone asks themselves at one point in their lives, which is the reason why we NEED to share these wonderful things with others.
I would encourage all of you to ponder for a few moments exactly how coming to the knowledge of these things has blessed your life and affected how you have handled situations differently as a result. Wouldn't you want others to feel that same peace that you have felt; that same joy? Can you imagine having to go through life in the dark not knowing why we are here, where we came from and the fear that people have about death because it is the unknown. We do not have to be in the dark and I know that Heavenly Father has provided us a way to have a light in this life; that light is Jesus Christ and his gospel. Everyone can have the peace and guidance from having this light in their lives if they but chose to follow it. We as members who have come to know this truth and have had this light have the responsibility to share it with others.
In Luke 15:4-6 we can learn one of the best ways to really be that light.
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose
one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine ain
the wilderness, and go after that which is blost,
until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his
shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his
friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my
sheep which was lost.
Every
Sunday we go to church and partake of the sacrament and then go to our classes
learning more and more about our Savior, but how often during church are we
truly striving to become more like him? Are we having too great of a time
focusing on ourselves and those who are at church and not giving a second
thought to those who aren't there? Brothers and Sisters I hope with all my
heart we can apply this parable to our lives and start
looking for those who are not at church and making it a priority to stop by and
see how they are doing. To let them feel that they are loved and that they are
needed, for truly they are loved and needed. Just as The Good Shepherd goes out
to find that sheep that is lost, so should we.
We should all ponder about how going to church each
Sunday blesses our lives and why we would want others to feel that same way.
We need to ask ourselves, "who is not here today that should be," and then, "who is not here because I didn't
invite them?" Just as Christ invites all people to come unto him, so must we. I
know that as we invite people to come closer to Jesus Christ their lives will
be blessed and so will ours. There are so many blessings waiting for those who let
their light shine forth. I urge you to be that light to others, that they
may come to know what you have.
I know that this church is true. That it is truly
Christ's church restored on the earth today and that there are many people
who are looking for the truth, but do not know where to find it. I know that Christ
is our Redeemer and is that Light for all men. I know that because He lives He will always be that light that can never diminish, and how
great this knowledge is; I know that my redeemer lives. I say these things
in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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