Sunday, November 3, 2013

CUSCO 10.31.13

President Harbertson has given me some amazing thoughts/teachings on faith that have been so great. Basicaly it goes upon these lines. We should always hope that our dreams se cumplen and that we have all of our good desires come true... many times it seems like what we are asking for is very justo, when really the Lord can see the whole picture from the beginning, and maybe we need something else.  That´s why I love realizing that he really does answer all prayers if they always end with "thy will be done".  True faith can be hoping for the best but knowing that "the best" comes from God and that only thing we can really have faith in is Jesus Christ and in his will for us. 

We JUST got back from Puerto today. I will send some great pics your way. (If we can ever get this drop-box thing to work).  I was really impressed with our trip to Puerto this week. The missionaries are really doing a wonderful job. I have a lot of love and respect for missionaries who have never known anything of church administration, and of course haven´t ventured to overstep their bounds, but who have learned so much simply to help local church leaders who may not get it 100% yet.  These missionaries are troopers who are helping not just people who do not know the gospel, they are helping less actives, recent converts, and even just everyday members keep and make covenants. 

We had the oportunity to attend the District Presidency mtg with President Harbertson and the zone leaders. Great mtg. lots of talk about coordinating efforts to reactivate and retain.  

We had two great days of training with the missionaries. Elder Castro and I give a training about becoming missionaries accordign to preach my gospel while President interviewed the missionaries. The next day we helped president do a zone conference with the zone leaders. One of the practice sessions that we have is practicing doing a ward council mtg. It is so interesting! I never thought that so many changes would come about in my mission in just the short time that I have been here. 

Truly, the time has felt short. I feel like my feelings are deepening every single day, about this work, about my goals for later on in life, about my family, and especially about the savior. I love being a missionary because we try to emulate the Savior in every act, thought and deed, I feel like I get to know him more the more that I try to be like him. 

While we were in Puerto the quick chance I got to escape and go and work we went to a family home evening or as the members called it "noche de hermanamiento" (fellowshipping night) with a less active family. The thought that impressed itself on my mind was that many times we don´t know why people have left the church, or why they aren´t coming. I think many times we would be surprised to find that they aren´t there for a problem that they really needed a helping hand to get out of. In this family that was the case. The mother had a big tumor growing next to her eye from an accident, they seemed to be in financial problems, and simply some circumstances had changed.  They needed people to come and tell them that they were loved and needed, that someone was there looking out for them and that they could count on us to fullfill the promise that we would "mourn with those who mourn, and comfort those in need of comfort." 

The greatest missionary work is done as we serve in the way that Christ would have served. I love thinking that we can shout out the gospel to all the world simply by the way we treat our fellow man. 

Ok this isn´t my sermon, even if it may sound like it. I just LOVE THIS. I love it all! And most of all I love all of you. 

Oh ya happy Halloween.... wasn´t to exciting here..... 

So much love!

Elder Neff

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