Be One with the Lord, Daily (Week 28)

Hey family!!

How is everyone?? So I got a ginormous letter from the Moss Family Christmas Party this week and it made my life. But snail mail really stinks here in Bolivia. Like snail means it takes a month or two to send letters and receive them. So feel free to update me with your life via snail mail if you want, but Im going with email for most of the time! Thanks Moss Family!

The picture of Scott Teague aka TWINKLETOES made my life. Kari Teague and family, wherever you are, I love you all and Twinkletoes will always be my role model in life. Thats right. Im still a kid at heart. Send my love to that man. And shine his shoes for me. 

Okay so this week was a week of MIRACLES! I forgot to tell yall, its the 50th year of missionary work here in Bolivia! Crazy, right? And the Lord is hastening it. Monday dad told me to work harder and smarter. Thursday we had a Zone Conference where President said to repent and get to work more. My companion and I had 30 lessons this week! We usually have 20. We just booked it everywhere and talked when we were given the chance. Its so awesome this work. Im definitely hoping I get to stay here in Trompillo for another transfer with Elder Chura. Its so funny because my companions last name means BUENISSIMO or super awesome in Tarija, a city south of Santa Cruz and my name means SUPER SMILEY! So the people of Santa Cruz get to meet Elder SONRISA and Elder CHURA! Yay them! 

Okay, so I feel like God wantred to make me super h o m e y this week because I swear my life was a movie this week. So my companion and I were called gorditos this week, which means little fatties with love and so we freaked and went on a diet. So I decided to buy banana bread from an sister to eat at night before bed and guess what? It came as a BUNDT CAKE! I died! This week Im eating it again and Im buying cheap flowers to put in the middle. Thank you, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I dont know how the diet thing will go, but we run each day, I ran 4 laps for the first time ever, and we only buy ice cream once a week! Winning!

So we had a Greek Wedding moment, ready for the Nacho Libre moment? So we went to English class that a member teaches and then ORPHANS walked in and asked us if we wanted to buy cakes to help them cover living expenses. I said to myself, Why cant we have just like a salad or something? ...oh how I missed yall at that moment. But of course I bought the cakes. Again, maybe we can pray for a desire to diet. 

Ready for something AWESOME?! So I went to visit the lady who speaks french and she spoke to me asking why our name is Elder and I couldnt really understand her, but she was SUPER open to us this time! Again, catholic and doesnt want to change, but talks to me in French. So guess what? I called President and asked for permission to buy a book to practice french like once a week and he said that I could practice EACH DAY for 15 minutes during language study! YES! Im going to go shopping in the next few days to see what I can find. But I WILL be trilingual when I get home. I want a book that teaches spanish speakers how to speak french so its more wise use of time. 

Okay, now for the update on life with the investigators:

Roque, thats how you spell it, is doing well. Turns out he was A MONK! I accidentally said Monkey, and he wasnt that. Difference between Mono and Monko or something like that... Anyway. He went to church and is ready, but he needs to go 3 times before baptism and he needs to remember what we teach him. But He WILL be baptized! YAY!

So Gabriel, the youth that is the nephew of a brother in the ward, is SO ready for baptism! We just have to help him resolve his questions. And to turn him away from false info on the internet. Please, pray for him.

Oscar, a teen who is listening to us, cant talk to us for a bit. His parents dont want him baptized because of false rumors someone is spreading where he lives. NOOOOO. He didnt go to church yesterday. Oh how he wants to be baptized. His sister, too.

Carolina and Enrique, our amazing couple, have bettered their lives so much! I love it! They keep telling us that they have avoided fights because they are praying together! A family that prays together, stays together! Now we just have to get them married! We got this! Prayers, family, prayers! 

But I believe in miracles and so I am so sure that these baptisms will happen. 

Ready for todays message? Me too. :)

So this Wednesday my best friend and my cousin is going to start her mission! How happy I am for her, and Ive spent so much time about the key to missionary success. Kacies mom, my aunt Julie, reminded me to be BOLD! I think thats the key to being a good missionary, whether full time or at home. There is an example of this in the Book of Mormon. Alma was teaching some people who werent very happy with him and he said the following So they were

And they stood forth to lay their hands on me; but behold, they did not. And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them

So they were trying to attack him, but because he shared what he knew to be true, he was able to have the power of the Lord. I have thought so much about what it means to be bold. I dont have a dictionary with me, so I feel like to be bold is to be B.O.L.D. Be One with the Lord Daily. When we are on the same page he is, when we are thinking his thoughts, when we are humble to what he wants, we experience that joy. We must be accepted of Him. We know the simplistic things we must do: read the scriptures, say our prayers, etc., but do we know if we are accepted of Him? When are one WITH him, we are able to know what He would want for His children. II promise

Elder Erich Kopischke of the 70 shared the following:

Seeking and receiving the acceptance of the Lord will lead to the knowledge that we are chosen and blessed by Him. We will gain increased confidence that He will lead us and direct us for good. His tender mercies will become evident in our hearts, in our lives, and in our families.

I promise each of you that if you seek this acceptance of Him, that you will be one with Him. Its not an easy task, but its something we all must do individually and with God. Yesterady Elder Chura and I visited a less active who said he was busy, duhh, but started talking to us. He said he was atheist and didnt want to talk to us. Long story short, after 20 minutes of talking to him through his gate, we had another appointment to return and he was open to us. If we had left, and not testified, he would have continued lost. But he was found and he will be rescued. We were BOLD. 

To those who may be preparing to serve missions, or those who are in the middle of their missions at home, NOW is the time to be BOLD. To be one with Him who is our creator. I know He lives. I know this power can be ours if we only search for it. Power comes simply by the flick of a switch. By a decision. 

I hope we all can go forth with this power from today, and forever.

Go forth with pow'r to tell the world

The gospel is restored,

That all may gain eternal life

Thru Jesus Christ, the Lord.

Go forth to preach his glorious truths

Of peace, of joy, and love,

That all who heed his holy word

May praise the Lord above.

I testify of His love for us. Of the power we can have if we but flick the switch in our lives to be one with Him.

Con amor,

Elder Risueño