4 July 2016!

We had the most amazing week! We were simply exhausted always but it feels great. Life is meant to work be it now before of after this time on earth am I right? The best part was surpassing our goal of 30 lessons. Hopefully we will have even more this week. I've been so blessed for the companion I have for the area I'm in for everything in my life. Estela was able to make it again to church! Her and her family have a baptism set for the end of July.  Hopefully I'll be here to see it through. Jackelyn and her family are progressing but a litter slower. We are hoping for the next transfer they can become a great family in the branch. A great moment in the week was when my comp told me that we should take a different route than the usual to get to an area we work. We start walking down the street and as usual talk with the people we see. We were able to find a family that had just moved the day before. She is a less active member and her husband has some knowledge of the church but plenty to learn :) I enjoyed seeing God's guiding hand in our life to find his children that need His help. 

I'm trying to re-read Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage before finishing the mission here in Sonora. I read of Christ as a baby child and adolescent. There is very little about his young years in the scriptures but the few verses teach us a lot. what really stood out to me was how cared for Christ was by God. His family was guided to the perfect locations at the perfect time to protect his young life and ensure an environment where he could learn and grow and come to understand his great mission. Pondering this I had a thought come to mind. the scriptures teach that God is no respecter of persons and that he loves each child as much as the next. sometimes we feel that maybe God loves others more than us but it is not so. God loves Christ so much and helped him so much in life but that isnt a right that Jesus alone had. we all have the right to have divine guidance and help in life. we all have the right to witness miracles. To have the constant company of the Holy Ghost. We are so very much loved by God. sometimes we forget that. especially when personal actions drive us away from His path for us. or when we simply have trials in life. remember that Christ too was not immune to trial and temptation. I forget too often that he was tempted much more than just the time after his 40 day fast. I forget that he was rejected by many. spat upon and hit. and probably not just in his last moments but all through his life. He had trials and hard times and was perfect! I loved something my aunt sent me in a letter. 

"Speaking of perfect…..in sacrament meeting a while ago, a sister spoke on gifts that Christ gives us.  She said something that really struck me so I wrote it in my journal.  She talked about the word PERFECT.  We think of it as being without flaw.  So we don't see how we can ever become perfect, as Christ and Heavenly Father are perfect.  But if you look at the word PERFECT in its definition in Christ’s day, the word meant complete or whole.  So if we should be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect, we should be complete or whole, which we can become in Christ.  With Him, we can be whole.  By joining ourselves with Christ, we can indeed be perfect.  Cool thought, huh?"

Christ was complete and whole and even as so He had a hard earth life. But he made it through. and we can too!. Through Him we can overcome all. we can become complete and whole and learn to love and accept every moment. Lifes too good to not enjoy. I love you all and hope for you to have the most amazing week ever!

Love,

Elder Smith