Well first off I want to start off by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAXLEY! I can't believe that you are 11 years old now!! That is crazy because I really still remember when you were a little tiny kid hahaha. I hope you have a great birthday!! Kasey thank you so much for you letter and your advice. I am so glad that you are learning, so just apply it!! You are meant to be a leader in the kingdom of God but obedience, study, and prayer is required to take that spot. Brinkley congrats on getting another job!! SAVE your money and don't be stupid like I was with mine. Kolby....Baritone?? Really? Hahahaha cool! You are going to be really good! Mom, congrats on passing your test!! Dad thank you for your letter and for sharing your experiences. I really did learn something and I felt that I must really use the guidance of the Spirit more in that aspect of the work.
Well this last week was hard because my comp did not want to do anything and so he stayed in the house all week. I tried having a member to come over to be with him so that I could go work with other Elders but I didn't feel comfortable with it.
I studied a ton this past week hahaha. There are blessings in the trials. I really learned alot. This week I read 1 Nephi 8 and learned quite a bit of new things. Something new came to me as I was studying this chapter. I learned that the Rod of Iron is like the Doctrine of Jesus Christ which is Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. If we as members and investigators live and follow that Rod, we will have the opportunity to partake of the fruit which we know from Nephi´s explanation in chapter 11 is the Love of God. I learned in my study that this fruit is Eternal Life. That is the gift that God offers us if we live His Gospel. The love part comes in from the Gospel that He gives us but more importantly His Son, Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ we can't partake of that fruit. We need His help. There are dirty rivers and great and spacious buildings in our lives, but we always have the chance to come back to the Rod and partake of the fruit through the Love of God, Jesus Christ.
(This is Mom...since Elder Lester has spent a lot of time in the apartment with his companion that won't work, I thought I would show pictures of the new apartment in Castillotla that they moved to awhile back.)
I think this is the view from Brady's apartment. I believe that's a volcano.
I studied a ton this past week hahaha. There are blessings in the trials. I really learned alot. This week I read 1 Nephi 8 and learned quite a bit of new things. Something new came to me as I was studying this chapter. I learned that the Rod of Iron is like the Doctrine of Jesus Christ which is Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. If we as members and investigators live and follow that Rod, we will have the opportunity to partake of the fruit which we know from Nephi´s explanation in chapter 11 is the Love of God. I learned in my study that this fruit is Eternal Life. That is the gift that God offers us if we live His Gospel. The love part comes in from the Gospel that He gives us but more importantly His Son, Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ we can't partake of that fruit. We need His help. There are dirty rivers and great and spacious buildings in our lives, but we always have the chance to come back to the Rod and partake of the fruit through the Love of God, Jesus Christ.
This past week I also learned about the importance of being obedient. There is no way to have success in this work unless you are obedient. There are rules for our protection and for our learning. We can learn so much by the Spirit if we are worthy to learn from it. I believe that we must always remember our Covenants and these Commandments and have them in our hearts. If we really ponder them it will be easier to follow and live them I believe. We will understand the importance of these commandments and then have the desire to keep them. If we don't, we are offending God and can't learn or live great experiences. I love what Joseph Smith taught "When we are willing to come to Him, He will then be willing to come to us." I believe we do that by keeping Covenants and Commandments.
I also read Alma 17 and I love that chapter! It was written for Missionaries I believe! I learned about three things that we must do as Missionaries to have success. The Sons of Mosiah did these things and had alot of success Baptizing thousands for their 14 year mission. First is studying diligently in the scriptures. There is a difference in reading and studying. Studying is really pondering and trying to learn from the Spirit while reading. It takes alot of pondering I have learned. It takes me almost 40 minutes to read one chapter in the BoM because I ponder certain words, verses, and phrases. At home we call it "family scripture STUDY" so I invite you all to really study. The next thing that they did was pray alot. Prayer is the greatest blessing that God gives to all of His children, members or not. We can talk to Him and He will answer us! Its amazing! We just need to listen to the Spirit before, during, and after the prayer. This is one way to receive revelation. The next thing that they did was fast. Fasting is so important in our lives. First, we are more healthy physically. We need to not eat every once and awhile, as the prophets have taught. Second, we are spiritually fed. I have learned that the greatest blessings come from great service and sacrifice. For example, a Mom serves and sacrifices to give life to a child. The Savior served and sacrificed to give each of us the gift of life after death. Fasting is a way to sacrifice something that we all love and receive blessings for it. Then it is not such a sacrifice but something that we want to do because it's a blessing.
Those are some of the things that I learned in my personl studies all week and day long, hahaha. I really know that the Lord is preparing me for something with all these lessons and trials. I just can't wait for it to happen, hahaha. I really see success in the future! I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Elder Brady Lester
Puebla Time
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