Villa Agricola 3 - Easter and General Conference
The small, very poor part of our area called "The Zurza". I feel like every time I´m down there visiting less active members or investigators, that I'm literally in the middle of the "Pirates of the Caribbean". It´s sweet. Very humbling but very peaceful every time I'm there.
Hey everyone. Hope you all had a great Easter weekend with the family and that you really felt the love of the Savior in your life and the lives of your friends and loved ones. Well, that was a terrible intro but I´m just going to go with it hahaha.
But really, this week was such a spiritually uplifting time for me. The whole week was "Semana Santa" here or "Holy Week" as it´s known back home. And it´s definitely not such a holy time here in the DR because the people down here love to party. But even though things were a little crazy in the streets, and there were a lot (and I mean a lot) of drunk people everywhere, I really felt more love for everyone these past couple of days than I have in my whole mission.
Our district here in Santo Domingo. Its super small, usually just the sisters and us and once in like 3 months the APs too.
Part of the reason I feel like it was such a good week is because from Monday to Friday I was preparing for General Conference. And for those of you who don´t know what "General Conference" is, it´s basically when members of the Church get the privelege -every six months- to hear from some of the leaders --the men and women called of God --for the weekend . The Conference is sent by transmission to almost every part in the world. 55 languages something like that. Its a really special and awsesome experience.But anyways, I made a promise with myself that I was going to make it the best General Conference yet to date. Through a lot of prayer and truly studying the scriptures, I really recieved a lot of answers to my prayers and learned a lot this weekend from the prophet and apostles.I feel like the real focus of the entire conference was on the unity of the family which is really needed right now because the organization of the family is --more than ever -- slowly being degraded. Especially here in the Dominican Republic, the blessing of a strong family is practically non-existent. Which is really sad to see, because the role of a good father and mother, with a home centered on the things of God, really is the way to have a life full of joy and peace. I feel like the talks from the General Authorities were perfect and I really liked one in particular that I´d like to share a little more on:
It was the talk by the father of one of my good friends who´s serving in Italy right now, Wilford W. Andersen. I really felt as if he were talking to me directly. I learned a lot about how the simple things we do each day, if done correctly and with the right attitude, really can strengthen us and keep us on the right track spiritually and with the physical things in life. We have to be focused on the reason we do them. Like for example,
Prayer: If we aren´t keeping in mind that when we pray, we literally are talking with our Heavenly Father, our prayers can become very repetitive, like mine were and sometimes still are.
Scripture study: Looking at the scriptures as a chore will make us become bored of them very quickly. Instead, we should use the Bible and The Book Of Mormon with real intent and to help us find answers and guidance in our lives.
Attending church: Going to church just to go, socialize with friends, and "fufill your three hours of righteousness for the week" you could say, won´t do anything for you. If we are there, we might as well learn, grow, and better our lives and those of others.
These three things really aren´t that hard to do. They´re very easy. But we need to have the right attitude about them in our lives. They´re here to strengthen us, help us, and guide us. They´re tools from our Father in Heaven to keep us happy and safe.
I´m glad that I chose to serve a mission and that all of you back home helped me realize how important this Gospel really is. My love for it grows every day. I really hope and pray that in our lives, we can appreciate the things of God. That we can use them to better us, and become more like Him.
I love you all and wish you a Happy Easter.
BY THE WAY, A BIG SHOUT OUT TO MY BROTHER AARON FOR HIS 17th BIRTHDAY!!!!!! IF YOU SEE HIM, GIVE HIM A BIG HUG FOR ME. I LOVE YOU BRO (greater sign and a three) hahahahahahahahahahahaaha Spanish keyboards-- let me tell ya'.
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