Hey my fam!:)
How are you all doing this fine day?:) Is there still snow up there? Man I miss snow and cold. Here it's just hot all the time. I am not complaining though. Everything is going great though! Thank you for all of your emails. Honestly, they are all blessings to me that I read and try to apply:) I hope everything and everyone is doing well at home and in our ward. Everything is improving in the work out here:) I can't tell you how many lessons I have learned thus far on my mission. I think I am starting to gain a little weight. Man they feed us a lot, despite all of our walking that we do (pretty sure we walk at least 4 miles a day; then again, I wouldn't know, but that's what it feels like). I am still gaining some. They just feed us mountains of rice and with me not exercising all of the time, it's just becoming a part of me, literally. But I am doing great:)
I feel like I am becoming like Dad and Ryan. This week we had a service, and we made a whole bunch of concrete. You know how Dad can just keep going and going, shoveling stuff, lifting things and carrying them, then putting them down; doing hard, dirty work and being able to keep going and going? I am beginning to be that way! :) It feels so good to be becoming as strong as Dad is. Of course, I still have 40 years to go, but I am glad that I am starting to see that I can just keep going like he does:) Maybe it's from all of the rice... but anyway, speaking of years, Happy Birthday Breanne and Daddy! Man, I can't believe Breanne is 14! What a beautiful young woman. Ryan and all of you brothers-in-law better watch after her, at least until I get home. After that, I can be the one watching over her :) I miss all of you so much. You are all just going on with life and growing up so much, while I am doing the same. What a wonderful life.
This week was a good one. Lots of lessons, lots of work and wonderful things. We have a baptism this Sunday! :) Her name is Delia Ruiz de Chilibre. Ella es una referencia de las hermanas de Los Andes. She is such an amazing daughter of God with such a cute and pure heart. She is 50 years old. I also have had the wonderful privilege to see people come back to church after teaching them for weeks and weeks. The fruits of the work are coming forth. There is truly no greater joy found than here in the work of the Lord. I have never been so happy for someone or so filled with joy that someone came back to church:) One is Hermano Ismael Navarrow. He is one I found, was a less-active, and we have been teaching him for about 5 to 6 weeks or actually more. He has come to church for the last two weeks. His legs are pretty bad, but he said that they are improving so much. I know that it is because he is obeying the commandments and the Lord is blessing him. What a merciful God we have watching over us.
So the work is going great. Remember Benilda? That woman I talked about with the hard situation of marriage? Well guess what? We found out from her that she is actually a member! She has been a less-active since her twenties, was baptized at age 17, moved from Tocumen to San Vicente and forgot everything I guess. Now she is coming to church and we are teaching tres jovenes en su casa. Marvillosa no?! I love speaking Spanish to her. She is fun:)
Speaking of Spanish, the Spanish-speaking is going really well;) I am learning so much. It is so weird to think that I can teach someone the gospel in a totally different language. What a gift from God; from the Spirit. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to learn this language.
My testimony has grown so much out here. As Dad has said, my testimony is becoming unshaken in the Lord. Truly, we need to put God and Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, and base all of our decisions off of them, not put other things in our hearts or as our ¨other Gods before Him¨ and base our desicions off them. No. We need to dedicate ourselves, our time, and all that we have to the God that gave us life; to Christ because of His infinite sacrifice. I have really learned this week, the infinite aspect of the Atonement and how wonderful the gift of repentance really is. Let's go to 1 Nephi 16. Dice que Laman y Lemuel were rebelling against their father Lehi and Nephi, and wanted to kill them. This was the second time in the small chapter that they rebelled against ¨the Lord their God¨ and yet they repent because they hear the voice of the Lord, and in the final verse it says that the Lord forgave them and blessed them again. They went from having killing in their hearts, to being forgiven and blessed, ONLY through the Atonement of Christ. Isn't it wonderful how much of a change can happen?:) Even referring back to Lehi. Lehi murmured against the Lord his God when times got rough and they couldn't have food for themselves. A prophet of the Lord murmured against Him. But then through the virtue of Christ and his Atonement, he was forgiven. We see it with some of the prophets, with examples of people, with all really, in the scriptures, in our personal lives, and all through everything. There is always hope. I testify of Christ. You can always repent. You can always change from the course you are taking. I know because I have changed and repented innumerable times, and through the virtue, and grace of my best friend, I have received forgiveness. I know that we can change. Anything that says otherwise is of Satan. We have the potential to become like God. It's His plan. We need to exercise faith in our Savior; the Savior of the world. He is the light and life of the world. Literally, without Christ, there would be NO light. We would be children of the Devil. ONLY through Christ can we change and have any light at all. Remember that it is only by Jesus Christ, and His name is the only name under heaven whereby men may be saved. Therefore, let us come unto him:) Teach of Him. Read of Him. Learn of Him.
I love you all and wish you to read the scriptures, living and ancient. Please, follow Christ and His teachings. Love one another to show we are His followers. I love you all and hope you are all doing well. I pray for everyone living out there where I used to be. I am doing great and learning a lot. Thank you for your prayers. I will keep trying to be the best missionary I can be:)
Love, Elder Bitter
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