Create of Your Life a Masterpiece

Dearest family!!

This week has been one of the best of my mission. I pray that each of you who reads this letter, will be touched by the miracles here in Tarija.

To start, at the luncheon for the mission Christmas Conference here, I swear I saw Uncle Sy. I got all the gringos together to decide if it was him, and one of the elders noticed that the man did't have a rattail (like the long hair on the back) so it wasn't him. We didn't take a picture, but we sure got a good laugh!

We also found the Krusty Krab! Dream come true! Its called something different in Spanish, but its a restaurant located here in Tarija! That's awesome!! Love life! A few minutes after, we entered a taxi and asked the driver if he celebrated Christmas and he said, NO. I DON'T LIKE TO THINK OF JESUS AS A BABY WHEN HES GROWN UP... Awkward silence. Then the Assistant who was in the taxi just said, HEY! CAN WE SING A CHRISTMAS CAROL? And he said, SURE! So he pulled the car over, and we sang! He enjoyed it!!

And to finish: So yesterday I got to speak in the Christmas Sacrament Meeting! MIRACLE!!! That means I speak well... So I did that and it was GREAT! And I finished with a musical number (RJ STYLE) and everyone complimented me on the music NOT my speaking. And I worked so hard on my talk and didn't practice the piece... Its okay! Music is great!

Oh, speaking of music! I basically did my own music Christmas program again! President asked for some musical numbers and so I got some together! 6 in total! I accompanied 3 zones, did oh holy night with a sister, did a piano solo, and helped a group of elders! So fun! I love music!!

So this week has continued to have its ups and downs, but I just wish to share my gratitude for my mission. Having time to think about the Savior in each moment has changed my life. This year I have realized that birth of the Savior is so important to us because it shows the power that one person has to change the world. The King of Kings was born in a stable, but despite his circumstances, He served and changed the world. Isn't it the same for us? Granted almost all of us were born in a hospital, but we each have the chance to change the world through our service.

This coming Wednesday, the 24th (here in Bolivia Christmas day isn't nearly as important as Christmas eve), the Zentenno boys will be baptized. During the Christmas Zone Conference, Sebastian, the 15 year old, shared his testimony in front of his parents, missionaries, and others, and he cried as he shared his gratitude for missionaries. I will never forget the Spirit that was present as he recognized how the mission is super hard and its not easy being away from family. But he testified that we are changing lives. And he thanked us for changing his. His parents, after the conference, said that they don't want to be baptized the 24th, but will be willing to talk about a baptismal date after their sons are baptized.

To many, Sebastian may just be a young boy, but to the Lord he is a future missionary, future priesthood holder, a future father. This morning my life was changed by a talk entitled ¨The Abundant Life¨ by Joseph B. Wirthlin. Elder Wirthlin teaches us how to live a life like Christs. He teaches of how to see potential not just in others, but in ourselves as well. I share with you some highlights:
¨David saw himself as a shepherd, but the Lord saw him as a king of Israel. Joseph of Egypt served as a slave, but the Lord saw him as a seer. Mormon wore the armor of a soldier, but the Lord saw him as a prophet...We are sons and daughters of an immortal, loving, and all-powerful Father in Heaven. We are created as much from the dust of eternity as we are from the dust of the earth. Every one of us has potential we can scarcely imagine...

Love the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. Enlist in great and noble causes. Create of your homes sanctuaries of holiness and strength. Magnify your callings in the Church. Fill your minds with learning. Strengthen your testimonies. Reach out to others.

Create of your life a masterpiece.¨

I invite each of us to do something to change our lives this Christmas:

1. Decide when we can kneel in prayer and read this talk (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/the-abundant-life?lang=eng)

2. After reading it, we can decide how Christmas can change our lives this year. It doesn't matter if we were born recently, or a long long time ago in a galaxy far away; what matters is our disposition to change our life so that we can live more abundantly. 

That''s it! I pray that as we think of how a simple birth 2014 years ago changed the world, we can think of how a simple decision to change our lives will, in turn, change the lives of many! 

I share the words of a good man, Dwayne, from the Oak Ridge Boys:

I am so glad he came into my life,

Gave me light,

Made it right 

Now everything will be alright.

(If anyone's wondering, tha's my favorite song called Jesus Was Born Today.)

Love you guys so much!

Elder Risueño

Becoming Fit for Heaven

Dearest family,

Joyeux Noel!! (I still miss French...) I hope everything is going well back at home and that you are all enjoying this amazing time. I love being a missionary. We continue to join the church in the He is the Giftproject (El es la dadiva) and we talk to people about Christ and invite them to watch a video and listen to our message (see christmas.mormon.org for more info). We have loved talking to people more than ever. I just wish to share my gratitude for my mission and for all that it has helped me become. There isn't one moment where I regret going on a mission. The mission has changed my life for eternity.

Its been a bit crazy in the house. We had another companionship of Elders move in with us on Tuesday and so its the first time in over a year since Ive been with a total of 4 elders in my house. The house is still a little bit of a mess, but well fix that today. The good news is our house has 4 bathrooms, so we are putting them to use here.

So the news everyone was waiting for: I got a new companion. His name is Elder Peña. Hes from Chiclayo, Peru. (Yes, I asked Paola if she knows where is mom lives.) He's 25 years old, and has only been in the mission 7 months! He just finished training and has had a very successful mission thus far. He's humble and funny, and my best friend. I just wish to share my testimony of how transfers are always evidence that God knows me. Elder Peña is the person I want to become at the end of my mission. Now, since everyone's talking about giving service this season, I invite each of you to take some time to write Elder Peña a letter or something. He has learned a lot of English and he prays and bears his testimony in English each day, so don't worry about Spanish. Shortly before leaving on his mission, he baptized his mom, sister, and brother in law. But they don't know what a mission is. So he doesn't receive cards, doesn't receive money help, and is alone on this. So I would just love to show him that he is loved. At the end of my email, Ill post the address to the mission so you can write him. (He says he would love some chapstick if someone wants to send him some!)

So we have had miracles this week. We have a family to baptize on Christmas Eve. So let me tell you about them:

They're a family of 4. The Zentenno Family. They went to church in Santa Cruz and the kids loved it, so when they moved back to Tarija, they went back looking for the church. They went to the stake center for two weeks and the Bishop sent them to us! They know a lot of the teachings since they have had Family Home Evenings and such. We taught them the first lesson and they accepted the baptismal date. I ask that you continue to pray for them because the dad really supports his children, but he also wants to be 100% sure about his own decision. We will continue to work with them, but I just love them so much!

So this week, I have had a lot of opportunities to serve and teach different types of people. I taught a man who excommunicated himself, we continue to help Brother John with his alcohol addiction, we taught a return missionary who feels he has let God down by not magnifying his priesthood, and I have been helping my companion as he gets used to being a Zone Leader and in an entirely new area. My personal gift to Christ this Christmas and this year is to help others see their divine potential. This comes from a talk by President Eyring entitled Help Them Aim High. Its a talk that changed my life. ElderEyring taught, ¨As you seek revelation to see gifts God sees in those you lead...you will be blessed to lift their sights to the service they can perform. With your guidance, those you lead will be able to see, want, and believe they can achieve their full potential for service in God´s kingdom.¨ All of the people I was able to serve this week have one thing in common: Each is a child of God. Each has the potential to become such a person that will want to dwell in Gods presence. But many people in general fall to quickly to Satan lies that its not worth it, or that they're not worth it. Maybe its easier to heed to the degrading voices in our lives because there aren't enough voices trying to build a soul. Were so busy trying to be the best that we forget about love. Christ lived a humble life and served others when he was born the King of Kings. It is my hope that we can be as parents with a new born child. It is my prayer that we may see others as they may become, not as they are. It amazes me that the same parents who adore their newborn babies end up belittling them but a few years later. How grateful I am for goodly parents who never let me think I wasn't worth it. I thank them for the best example of Christ-like love.

May the final verse of Away in a Manger be our prayer this week:

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.

I thank my sister for being born today. I thank her for being my example, my best friend, my favorite missionary, and for always building me up. Its her birthday, shes 22, shes single, she has an angelic voice, and she is a return missionary. If that doesn't scream perfection to any man in the world, they need to look up ¨virtuous¨ in the dictionary again because they'll find my sisters picture there.

Have a great week, everyone!
Elder Risueño

(letters)

Elder Julio Peña 

Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission
Casilla de Correo 2042

Zona Central

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz

Bolivia

(packages)

Elder Julio Peña

Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission

C/ Saavedra esq. Cochabamba

Torres Cainco, Blq Empresarial, Piso 9

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz

Bolivia

PICTURES:

so here is the thanksgiving dinner we had! BBQ CHICKEN PIZZAAAA!!! THANKSGIVING!!!

then we had pique a lo macho on sunday with members. BOLIVIAN FAVORITE!!

Grams sent me some money so Elder Bailey and I bought LLAMAHA shirts! LOVE!!!

the other is my new favorite bolivia shirt. COCA!

The other is my favorite jesus picture thus far.

AND MY NEW COMPANION!!! BEST FRIEND!

so the ones on the other are in our plane to santa cruz, the other is FRO YO!! the other is the view from the mission offices!

the first two are CINNABON!!! in the airport I bought the cinnabon with an OREO SHAKEEEE!!! love!

the third with with hermano jorge from last weeks letter!! MY GREAT FRIEND!!! 

and the other is BONELESS CHICKEN WINGS!! I splurged for thanksgiving! I love my elders in the zone!! :)