Busy busy week with several trips to and from Mexico City. But the good news is that we are receiving a few new missionaries this coming week who had been waiting for their visas, With the time we did have in our area, Elder Azueta and I focused on helping our recent converts a little bit. We taught Martha about missionary work and she got right to talking to her neighbors and friends. We actually went with her during the week to meet a few of her friends. When we would knock on the door, we wouldn´t do any of the talking. She boldly and honestly shared that what we had shared with her is true and something that changed her life. She shared with her friends that she had found a new happiness and that she wanted the same happiness for them. Her friends accepted and we should be teaching some of them this coming week. I was impressed by the courage and testimony that this sister, with just a few days as a member, was able to demonstrate to the people she loves. Our lessons with Javier and Edith continue to go great. This past week, when we were teaching them, I suddenly had a little vision of their small 6 month old baby as a missionary someday. When we asked them last lesson if they have believed everything we had taught them they both responded, "It may be hard to believe, but we FEEL that its right." What a great way to explain how the Holy Ghost helps us to know if something is true or not. They have felt it and know it is the path for them in their lives. I know I always talk about the Duque family but they truly are incredible. Brother José Felipe has investigated a lot of lds.org and has prepared himself well to help the Sunday School Presidency improve in the ward so that the classes can be more effective. Sister Guillermina has read a lot of the Book of Mormon, all of the Pearl of Great Price, and some of Doctrine and Covenants. She also is great to shake everyone´s hand at church and make them feel like her best friend. Estefania is getting started on her genealogy so that she can do baptisms for the dead with the youth the first week of May. And Karla has already memorized all the Articles of Faith and is one her way to achieve her Faith in God. My thought today is a principle of teaching, ministering, and serving. It is a principle taught multiple times in the scriptures and it is a principle that must be applied now in our days more than ever. This principle is teaching, ministering, and serving ONE BY ONE. I noticed a couple examples of this principle in the scriptures this past week. Both of my examples today come from the Book of Mormon. Alma, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, was sad due to the wickedness and unbelief of the people that lived in his time. In response to this sadness, he decides to take each of his children, ONE BY ONE; and have a direct and personal father-son interview with each of them (Alma 35:15-16). The other example comes from our Savior. After having established His church and called His apostles here in the Americas, Christ decides to hold interviews, ONE BY ONE; with His apostles. He does so in order to know what each of them desired and needed from Him. From these interviews, He was able to choose the 3 nephites to remain on the earth and to continue to preach the Gospel. Although we often teach, help, and serve big groups of people, friends, or even our own family; we must never forget that we will have the MOST success in one on one situations. If we focus on the personal needs of each person in our family and the personal needs of each member of our circle of friends, we will be able to help them in a way that Alma helped his sons and in the same way that Christ served and loved His apostles. I am grateful for the opportunity to go and teach one person at a time and one family at a time the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope everyone has a great week! Love you all!
Elder Stutz
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