To the rescue

Hello family and friends!

 

I hope all is going well with you guys down in the U S of A! Life is going pretty darn well here. This week has been super hard and amazing at the same time and I cant wait to share with y'all the miracles of this week!

 

So last Monday we went to a place called the Casa Dorada, its a famous mansion on the $20 Bolivian bill and it was super beautiful. There was a piano there, an organ, and a lot of amazing art and just AMAZING! So while we were there, the tour lady got interested in our message and I had a ¨YOLO¨ moment and literally taught the Restoration IN the Casa Dorada. I recited the first vision and loved it! I sure hoped the dead people who had lived there were listening too!

 

So this week I also went to the doctor—thanks dad—to check out my toe and the poor baby isn't doing well. Well, I'm not in trouble. I just wear my sandals WITHOUT SOCKS and everyone sees my big toes and there are plenty of jokes going around about my feet. Love life!

 

So aside from that, this week has been a lot of learning for me. A few days ago it was super hot outside, all of our lessons fell through, and we had no idea where to go. I was burning like a disco inferno and didn't want to walk around lost all day so we had the idea to go to a plaza and hand out free juice!! It was fun! But off all of the 20 references we received in a few hours, none of them were for our area. But yay for new ideas!

 

Also, we got transfer calls early and Elder Bailey and I are together for 6 more weeks! Yay us! We are so excited for Halloween and Thanksgiving together!

 

So as we have gone through struggles here, I have come to  know my savior more than ever. Its the biggest plus of having struggles. So I have decided to share with you some thoughts on Christ. Lets start with a hymn:

 

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine

To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,

That he should extend his great love unto such as I,

Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

 

So lets focus on the word rescue. Ready?

 

There are two types of rescues:

 

1. Salvation Rescue. A lifeguard does this when someone disobeys a rule or makes a mistake and starts drowning and dying and the lifeguard goes to the rescue to give the swimmer another chance at life. The Savior does that for us when we make mistakes. Many know that and use the Atonement in that sense. The song above may have been implying to that type of rescue. But I wish to focus my email on another type of rescue.
2. Redeeming Rescue: A swim teacher does this while helping the swimmers improve. For example, for two summers I worked with 8 year olds as they worked to swim across the pool, width wise, so that they could pass a level. At first they started with their kickboards and with small strokes and kicks, and many times I helped them by holding their arms for them and showing them how to do it. But after a few days, its was time for them to swim on their own. They would launch off my thighs and start swimming by themselves. I would usually count till 3 to let them take a few seconds to work on swimming alone. Most times, they would get tired and not really progress, but start to drown. I would wait just a second to let them gain personal strength only attainable without my help, but I would NEVER keep my eyes off of them. And then, I would go to their aid, and when some wanted to cry, I would smile at them, look at them in the eyes, and say  YOU DID IT! Lets go a little farther.¨ And then they would jump off my thighs again and swim again.

This rescue had a purpose: To let the swimmer grow and see the progress made. Maybe even to take a breath and realize that they CAN do this difficult task. What is important to note is that the swim teacher NEVER takes his eye off his student as he struggles. The teacher knows the students strengths and weaknesses and uses that knowledge to help the child grow.

Do you see it? Do you see the Savior in all of this? Many of you reading this email are active disciples of Christ. Maybe you don't need Christ to save you from some big sin. But do you see Him as a swim teacher? Do you see Him as you struggle for breath in this journey from one side of an mortal pool to an earthly rest in His kingdom? After this level of life, we go into another part where we will continue to learn. But if we don't come to trust the great Teacher who cares for us and loves us, we will not be able to grow as fast we could if we simply let Him guide our strokes. Its always easier to raise a child who is calm than one who screams and cries the entire time. And so it is with us in this life.

 

It is my testimony that Jesus Christ loves us. That He cares for us and He wants us to grow with Him. I love Him and I pray that each of us can take His guidance and trust Him as we swim through life.

 

Till next week,

Elder Risueño