Hey fam. This week was super good so I'm going to take you all through it step by step. First of all last week like I told you guys we had transfers and I am now companions with Elder Marrow. Our first week together wasn't the most successful week I've ever had, but we had a ton of really great lessons together and saw a lot of miracles. We taught Carlos this week twice and tried to help him to understand all of the commandments that God has given us to protect us from the world. We had a very spiritual discussion about repentance with him and how he, even though he has failed in the past, that he can be fixed and can get better. Which applies to every single one of us in every single little thing. We can all be fixed, we can all be healed, we can all get better, and we can all always improve. Christ is the author and finisher of our Faith (Moroni6:4) which means He writes our book, edits it, spellchecks it, double checks it and keeps refining it/us until it is perfect, then he publishes it. Same with us. He starts our faith, then edits and refines us through trials and repentance until we are perfect and pure like unto a like child (Mosiah3:19) and we can be 'published' into the kingdom of God.
Speaking of becoming like unto a child, we had a super good and funny lesson this last week with the familia Enriques. So last week we had assigned them each specific chapters to read from the Book of Mormon, all according to their age level and what not. Good News: They all read! That's very good because revelation comes to people when they read that book, and all scriptures for the matter. If we want God to speak with us and/or our investigators we and/or our investigators have to read the words of God! Huh, who'da thunk that'd work... But we're excited, cause they are learning and progressing (just not fast enough for me to ever see them get baptized because of well, y'all already know why), but they are doing well. Anyways back on the topic of children, the 9 year old in the Familia Enriques is named Alandra, she is super cute and we had given her the assignment (in her Historias del Libro de Mormon Illustrated book) to read Enos, and she did. so when we came back this next week we asked her what she had learned from what she had read. and she responded: "Yo apredi que Dios es tan Poderoso para dar de comer a todos los personas con hambre"!
We were like kinda confused for a little bit how she got that out of reading Enos. But it was too cute to correct her! We later found out she was just super hungry during the lesson and wanted food! But still, the moral of the story is that we can learn something new every time we read the Book of Mormon! Even though most people learn about repentance, or forgiveness, or charity when they read Enos, Alandra at that time needed to learn that God can give hungry people food. Because she was hungry, and God wanted her to learn that. Like I said earlier, when we read the Book of Mormon, revelation is received and that revelation is always personally customized to what we are feeling, doing, going through at that specific time. So for all of you guys back home or where ever you are, read the Book of Mormon. Yes it is super old, can be super boring and sometimes is just a lot of dead people killing each other. but the people who get the most out of the Book of Mormon are not the ones who read it for the story or the History Lesson, but the ones who put an ear to Gods words, and learn the personalized modern lesson the He shares with them. So read it, and apply it. See what you will learn, and you will see the blessings in your life.
On a completely separate note, yes mom, the rumor is true, I am going back to Puerto Rico. I fly out on May 15th early in the morning, so two weeks from today I will drive into the mission home and stay the night there with president and his wife before they drive me to the airport at like 4 in the morning. You're right, I have loved my time here in California. I have grown more than I ever would have imagined, and seen more miracles than I ever thought were possible. No doubt about it, I would not have been mad for even 2 seconds if I were to have finished my mission here. But I also know that God wants me to progress His work in Puerto Rico as well, and that it is over there where He wants me to continue to grow, and to continue to work miracles. And if that is His will, that is what I will do, and I might add, I am very Excited to do His will. Idk everything that will happen over there when I get there, where I'll be or anything like that, but that will come in time and I'll keep you all updated, for now, we are in the hands of the Lord. Thank you to everyone for keeping missionaries all over the world in your prayers, thanks for the story Mom, its very true. Good job on the prom date Seth. Good Luck with Dance everyone, I Love you All!!!!
Elder Bailey
