¡Buenos días todos!
Hi everyone how is it going in the USA? So this next week is my last of the transfer and I will almost definitely be getting a new companion. So Elder Espinel and I are going to make the most of this week.
Just a couple things that happened this week that I want to talk about. Well, maybe just one.
The week went pretty well. We broke our previous record in lessons and found some great new people to teach so we will see how that comes along. I imagine nicely. A difficult thing was definitely Tuesday night when we had to drop some investigators. They were great people and were learning so much, but weren't progressing enough. We have certain requirements people need to fulfill before we can let them get baptized, even if they want to before. They need to have taken all the lessons from us and learned all the basics. They need to attend church three times for all three hours. They need to be keeping their commitments with us. Sometimes we leave them with something to do or to read in between lessons. And then need have an interview with another missionary. Those are the concrete requirements. There are also requirements in the scriptures that are just as important, like their true desire to be baptized, that they have faith in Jesus Christ, have truly repented, and are committed to live the Gospel the rest of their life. So when these things aren't happening, we can decide to leave them time to think about all we have taught them. It is usually for the best. Even though it is really hard because I love these people. I want the best for them though, and when I know what is best for them, I need to do it and help them.
The other thing I wanted to show you all is something different. Every week we have a meeting with a few other missionaries that serve in the areas that are close to us. At the beginning we have an opening song and prayer and a spiritual thought as usual, but we also recite two "mottos" One is our objective as missionaries, which is found on the first page of Preach my Gospel. The other one is a quote from a modern day apostle, a leader of the church. His name is Bruce R McConkie and is a well know late apostle. The quote is called the missionary commission.
"Soy llamado de Dios. Mi autoridad está por encima de todos los reinos de la tierra. Por revelación, he sido seleccionado como un representante personal del Señor Jesucristo. Él es mi maestro, el Él me ha escogido como su humilde siervo para ponerme en su lugar, para decir y hacer lo que el diría o haría si Él personalmente estuviera ministrando a la gente a la cual Él me ha enviado. Mi voz es so voz y mis actos son sus actos. Mis palabras so sus palabras y mi doctrina es su doctrina. Mi comisión es hacer lo que Él ha hecho, decir lo que Él ha dicho, para ser un testigo actual de so grande y maravillosa obra en estos últimos días. ¡Cuan grande es mi llamamiento!"
That says something like this.
"I am called of God. My authority is above all the kingdoms of the Earth. By revelation, I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master, and He has chosen me as his humble servant, to put me in his place, to say and do what He would say and do if He were personally ministering to the people He has sent me to. My voice is His voice and my acts are His acts. My words are His words and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is do what He has done, say what He has said, to be an actual witness of His great and marvelous work is these latter days. How great is my calling!"
I know that that is all true and I am honored to be a servant of Christ and to be His representative.
Elder Wes Wilcox
