Santo Domingo (Espaillat) 10 - What a Blessing

Santo Domingo (Espaillat) 10 - What a Blessing

FIRST OFF, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER ETHAN. HE TURNED 15 ALMOST A WEEK AGO AND DUE TO THE COMMUNICATION METHOD OF MISSIONARIES, I WASNT ABLE TO TYPE THIS WHEN IT HAPPENED. BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BRO. MISS AND LOVE YOU.

What a crazy busy week. With the interviews with Mission President, meetings on meetings, and a rescue effort we helped arrange in one of the branches in our Zone, we really didn't have a ton of time in our own area. I really would of liked to be able to work more here in Espaillat these last couple of days but we have a lot of really cool things planned this week.

Stake conference yesterday was so amazing. I saw Frank and Eliany with the branch in Villa Agricolas which was awesome and apparently Maireny was down in one of the rooms below where it was broadcasted because her kids were a little hyper. But I was so grateful to see how much they were progressing and how the love they have for the Gospel now is brighter and stronger than when I first met them a while back. It really is amazing what this message can do for people. But we went with the Rodriguez Family and Wilson. They're both doing great. Miriam and Enrique are doing well with avoiding coffee. They expressed to us how much better they feel and it's cool to see how they're noticing the blessings of keeping a commandment from the Lord. The Ward is anxious for their baptism and they're really supporting them a lot. Manuel is thinking about taking seminary and honestly, things couldn't be going any better with them. Wilson is doing awesome. We're just trying to get him prepared for the 3rd of October as well as Ruben, another investigator we're teaching. It's been a while in the process to prepare them but it's all in the Lord's time really.

That's something that I've been studying lately. A lot of things have happened in these past couple weeks that have halted the progress of many people we're teaching. Rafa is still in Haiti, Martin has a problem with his birth certificate, and with the division of the area, we have been struggling with little issues that are preventing us from reaching our goals with everyone. But as I was pondering, I remembered back to a year ago in the MTC. Our saying as a "district" came from one of the sisters in our group and it was "What a Blessing". Back at that time in the MTC, we were all fighting a lot with the language, some heartaches and news from home was affecting some of the missionaries, and we were all thinking of a way to brighten our mood. We decided that whenever something bad, inconvenient, or annoying happened, we would all remind ourselves "What A Blessing!". 

Really, everything has a purpose. As it says in Job 33:12 "I will say unto thee, God is greater than man." God knows more than we do. What may seem like to us something that shouldn't have happened, in the mind of God happens with a purpose. Even though sometimes we ask ourselves and wonder what good could come from a particular result or how could this benefit us, everything God does has its reason. And if we put forth all of our effort and give it our all, we should always be content with the results. Because it's in the Plan of God for us and for those we love and care about.

I know this Church is true. I've grown and learned more in this past year than in any other time in my life. I'm grateful for the unforgettable impact it's had on my life and how it has helped me understand more fully the purpose of our existence. And I'm more than ready for one more year.

Elder Graff

Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth."  "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."