Well I am entering into my last week
in the Mission. It's gone by fast. I would like to mention some of my
experiences and talk about how great of a Mission it has been and what I
have learned. I hope that it might be of great worth to the boys since
they all want to be going on a Mission.
The Mission has been the best yet most difficult
experience that I have had in my life. I think that because it was
difficult it was great. I remember when I first came to Mexico I wanted
to go home. I remember wanting to just give up but I was inspired to go
on and finish. Hahaha, I remember hating the food and feeling lonely since my
companion wasn't the best and the members were a little mean. I realized
that it was just culture shock. Hahaha, since then I have had a lot of
difficult times but I have put them behind trying to learn from them. I
remember when I was a Branch President, things were really hard and I
thought that I was losing faith. Afterwards I learned that my testimony
grew and was strengthened from the trials that took place in
Chignahuapan. I remember the members and the things that I learned from
them as I tried to help them with the spiritual and temporal needs.
I learned alot in Castillotla about Missionary Work
and how to really do it. Elder Escamilla and I had great times and a lot
of success and I will always remember my time with him. I really enjoyed
training Elder Escamilla and also learning from him. He is a great
friend. I learned a lot about leadership in Loma Florida (Apizaco) when I was a DL
and I had a struggling district with struggling wards. We ended up doing
miracles for the Lord there in that district.
I remember that I learned
the importance of working with members in Totolac (Tlaxcala). Wow, we did some
great stuff there Elder Nuncio, Elder Lopez, and I with the members. We
ended up having success for the members. They are great there.
Now as an AP
I have learned a lot of everything. Having to run a Mission of over 100 Missionaries is not an easy task and I have so much respect for the President. He is a great man and has taught me a lot, especially about the
future after the Mission and how to apply everything I have learned
here, there in the real world.
I have learned a lot in the Mission and I know that
it will help me throughout my life, but I believe that the most valuable
thing that I have learned here, that I will always treasure is
understanding how and why to apply the Atonement in my life. I really
understand that it is more than just repenting everyday. I have learned
that it is essential for us to experiment it everyday. I have learned
that to be able to experiment it each day we must be obedient. It's
impossible to understand the Atonement or even experiment it if we are
not obedient. Most people think that you must be a sinner and sin to
understand it, but I believe that you must be obedient to understand it
because the obedient repent....sinners might not. I have learned that
the Atonement has a divine power that can set us apart from reaching our
potential....yet it allows us to go beyond that if it is required, and
more times than not, God needs us to go past our potential so that we may
help Him establish His Kingdom and we do it through the atonement.
I have learned that really we must understand the
importance of the Atonement because it is the center of all we do. We
could study the Book of Mormon and find that a lot of scriptures that
maybe we don't see very well talk about the Atonement. The Bible actually
only refers to the word Atonement one time were as the Book of Mormon refers to it 39
times. Besides the fact that it mentions the word more in the Book of
Mormon, helps us understand at a broader view what the Atonement is
through personal experiences of the Nephite and Lamanite people.
I know that the Atonement is important. I know that
it is essential for us to apply it to our lives each day. We must
experiment at some point in our lives a little what He experienced. I
testify as His representative that Christ lives! He loves us. He wants
us to be like him and through His Atonement we can do it.
With Love,
Elder Brady Lester
Puebla Time