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!! :)

Walking in His Way

Dearest Family! 

Happy thanksgiving to all! I love you all so much and am so thankful for each of you in my life. Really . No joke. Love you all.

Some funny things to start:
So once I got my stomach under control, I got a crazy cough, cold, sore throat, EVERYTHING! I became the king of powernaps this week till I just got dizzy and napped for 4 hours. I am thankful for priesthood blessings from my comp.

Also, long story short, we were eating with our bishops family yesterday and the conversation turned to TV, and the bishops wife LOVES THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY! I told her I had repented and wouldnt watch it again, but she couldnt help but update me about how they were recently on Doctor Oz. Oh goodness. I love life.

So today I just wish to share my gratitude for being a missionary.  If I were to narrow down my gratitude to one simple thing this year I would say that I am grateful for the chance to become. It is a blessing that comes from having the Priesthood on the Earth. Let me explain:

This past week I went on exchangesand while we were out contacting in the streets, I went to buy some crackers thanks to my gastritis. As we got to the shop, the lady recognized taht we were gringos so she asked us to teach her son English. Well, that turned into a conversation about the gospel and then I felt impressed to talk about baptism. So I bore my testimony about the Priesthood. I saw her face glow as we testified about the gospel, and then I said, I testify that we exercise the power and authority of God given to man to even baptize man on Earth. Right as I said that, the lady looked very doubtful and said, And how do you claim to have such a power? Where did you get that power? Well, I took out my Line of Authority and showed her that I had evidence that I received my authority starting with Jesus Christ, down to other men, until myself! Her face started to light up again as she realized that we arent just men who claim to be ordained of God. We are ordained of God. But that isnt the point. We dont just want bragging rights to have the priesthood of God to baptize, baptism is just the start on the road to conversion. Christians recognize that baptism is the door to salvation, but the door to salvation opens to the path of exaltation. The path to exaltation is what we call conversion. The testimony is just a start to what comes to be a change of a lifetime. Elder Bednar stated that Knowing by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ is important and necessary. But earnestly coming unto Him and giving our whole souls as an offering requires much more than merely knowing. Conversion requires all of our heart, all of our might, and all of our mind and strength. (see Converted unto the Lord in the Nov. 2012 Ensign, see also Elder Oaks talk called Challenge to Become)

I add my gratitude for this process. For the process to become more like my Savior each day. It is not an easy process, but easy things are never worth value anyway. If college were easy, a degree wouldnt be worth anything. And so it is with exaltation. If the conversion process were easy, becoming like God wouldnt have such a great eternal value. 

Last night I contemplated on why I was given such a nasty sickness this week. I realized that I didnt ask for Gods help via a Priesthood blessing immediately because I thought I could do it on my own. It wasnt until a few days later when I had rested for 4 hours that I humbled myself and asked for Priesthood help. I realized that I cant do it alone. No one can. And it is thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the covenants and ordinances of the Priesthood that I can become like my Savior Jesus Christ. Thats what Im grateful for. Thats what Ill be forever grateful for in my life. I hope each of us can be more willing to walk the path of the Savior. I finish with a hymn that has touched me a lot this week:

As now we praise thy name with song the blessings of this day,

Will linger in our thankful hearts and silently we pray

For courage to accept thy will, to listen and obey.

We love thee, Lord, our hearts are full; well walk thy chosen way.

(As Now We Take the Sacrament)

As I thank God for the chance to change, I also pray for courage. For courage to keep going and for courage to accept His will, and to walk in whatever path He puts ahead of me.
 I love you all and I hope you eat some turkey and gravy for me this week.

Love,

Elder Risueño

Look to Your Lord and Live

Family!

Before we get started, my gastritis is fine now. The medications work great and I kind of am on trial and error as to how my stomach reacts to certain foods. For example, I cant eat both rice and potatoes. Just one or the other. And I must always be munching on water crackers or something so the acid does't get to much for me. I did feel like Grandpa Perry was happy with me from the heavens because yesterday I cooked myself a hard boiled egg and cut it up and combined it with sesame seed bread! My FAVORITE! and then I made a peach juice. SO GOOD! I swear Grandpa Perry ate that with Nana May... and SOY MILK! Tastes funky, but I feel great. And I also love powdered milk. I know, my comp says I eat like an old lady but I said thank you because every one loves old ladies so...

This week has been really great. That's it. Honestly, pretty much everyone has rejected our message that we have tried to share, but man I love the message I carry. Its really easy to get down and stuff, but I cant! I just start laughing because I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am  doing the Saviors work and sometimes I don't know what He wants for me but I trust Him and keeping walking through life, as we all should.

Today's message is kind of special for me. Exactly 16 months ago, on July 17th, 2013, I embarked on this journey of a lifetime. I left LAX and flew to Peru where I would start my training as a missionary.
Today marks the two-thirds completion of my mission and I simply wish to share why I do what I do. And simply put, every member of the church I represent should have the same motives to be missionaries as well. I pray that the Spirit will help each of you see the greatness of being a simple missionary.

In a guide entitled PREACH MY GOSPEL, we learn the following: You are called to represent Jesus Christ in helping people become clean from their sins. You can do this by inviting them to come unto
Jesus Christ and become converted to His restored gospel. To come to the Savior they must have faith in Him unto repentance-- making the necessary changes to bring their life into agreement with His teachings. You can help people develop such faith by teaching them the restored gospel by the Spirit and inviting them to commit to live according to its teachings.

So as a missionary, I try and find people and help them come unto Christ. While most people have a set religion, we teach that the Lord himself restored his pure gospel teachings to a prophet today who
helps us on the path back to Gods presence.

While it is difficult and we young people face much rejection, there are moments that remind us of the blessings that come from being representatives of our Savior.

Let me tell you a story about a man that Ill call brother John. He and his family were reactivated a few months ago and have been doing great spiritually. John is a recovering alcoholic, but we have been visiting him weekly to make sure hes okay. Even a week ago he said he didn't have any temptations toward alcohol! Awesome, right?! But on Saturday as we were walking to our lesson, we found John with a beer can in his hand and he saw us and said he didn't want to talk. Though we were very sad, we could not and would not give up hope. After all, we are representatives of Jesus Christ and he is not a Savior of second chances, he is a savior of as many chances as needed. So on Sunday we saw Johns kids and set up a lesson to visit them that night. As we knocked on the door, he opened it and was still drunk. He said he was angry and didn't want to see us, but we spoke to him and loved him and did all we could to help him. Within a few minutes he started crying and through his sobs he said, Soy imperfecto. (I'm imperfect.) And he then looked at me and I smiled and said, I am too! And we laughed and we all hugged each other and we helped John see, yet again, the love Christ has towards him.

Yes, we are all imperfect, but we all need a reason to become better people. And that's where Christ comes in. Thanks to the Redeemer of the World, we all can have the hope that we can and will change, no matter how long it takes. And though it takes a long time to change, we can
find joy in the One who knows all of our struggles.

David Naylor wrote the following:
Behold the wounds in Jesus hands
Look to your Lord and live
He yearns to bless you with His love
And all your sins forgive

Oh, empty is the heart of man
When it is filled with sin
Come, open wide your broken heart
And let your Savior in.

I testify that it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can be saved and changed. That He requires us to make certain changes so that we can experience the complete joy that comes from
living our lives in accordance with His will.

I am so happy to be a missionary. I do it because I love my Savior. I know He lives and I know He needs help in bringing His children Home. I simply finish with a quote from Clay Christensen. He said:
Every time you take someone figuratively by the hand and introduce him or her to Jesus Christ, you will feel how deeply our Savior loves you and loves the person whose hand is in yours.

Till next week,
Elder Risueño

Being what he wants me to be

Dearest family,

This week has been yet another crazy one so get ready for another long letter. I just pray that the Spirit will give each of you some peace as i share my testimony in the best way possible.

so to start with, i have gastritis. like father like son, right? for the past few weeks i thought it was just lactose intolerance but i cut out the lactose and i was still in pain. So we went to the doctor, and to my surprise, the same doctor that removed my big toe nail was there to see me! We had a good laugh together. i am doing well, healthwise. As long as i change my eating habits, stop stressing, and start exercising, Ill be back to normal in a few weeks. Thanks for your prayers and such.

this week i had a great opportunity to play not one, but 10 different times in musical numbers of some sort. bolivia reaches 50 years of having the church here, so we even went to the main city plaza, they gave me a fancy keyboard up on the gazebo, and i accompanied a few musical numbers. it was stressful and last minute, but yet again i was blessed with the gift of sight reading to bless the lives of many.I played in the plaza, in a recognition ceremony that night, the zone conference, the adult and general sessions of general conference.  i just wish to share my testimony of music and how it changes the lives of many. its worth the practice and worth the dedication.

But whether you have the talent of music, or the talent of being a leader, or some other talent, we are all blessed with some gift to help the world. This past week I got super stressed with a lot of struggles. Not just the music stuff, but i was also struggling to be a better leader, to be more organized, to be just more successful. And so i got to a super spiritual zone conference with president willard, and found a moment to speak to him. We went outside the chapel and I pretty much told president i didnt think i could become a leader. there seemed to be so many successful missionaries and there was Elder Risueño- Everyone sees me as the super happy, pianist, who jokes around and is super out there. Everyone knows im unique, but sometimes it seems better to just be like everyone else. So i expressed those feelings to President, and I am so grateful for his response. More or less, he told me, ¨Elder Risueño, I need you to use your God-given gifts and talents to become the leader God wants you to become. Dont try to be anyone else, just be the person God has made you, and work with Him to become the person He wants you to become.¨ He then invited me to study the Book of Mormon and learn from the different prophets who, with their unique talents, blessed many others.

Let me just tell you, i love my president. For many years I have been told that I need to change because im different. But i testify that the Lord needs me and my talents to bless others. And he needs the same for each of you. He needs each person to use their individual talents to help others.

There's surely somewhere a lowly place

In earth's harvest fields so wide

Where I may labor through life's short day

For Jesus, the Crucified.

So trusting my all to thy tender care,

And knowing thou lovest me,

I'll do thy will with a heart sincere:

I'll be what you want me to be.

This hymn is not intended only for missionaries. it applies to each of us in our lives. the difference between a servant and a disciple is the following. A servant obeys till his work his done. A disciple obeys and lets his work shape his life. I testify that to achieve complete happiness in this life, all we need to do is trust in the Lord completely and love Him. He doesnt give us commandments just so we can be happy in the moment, but so that we can BECOME HAPPIER forever. Commandments dont just make us peaceful, they make us perfect in Christ (see Moroni 10:32).

I love the Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my great example and I will follow Him forever. I trust Him to guide me as I walk here in Bolivia. i testify that whether youre a freshman in high school or a senior citizen, you matter to God and he needs you to help his lost sheep.

Till next week,
Elder Risueño

My Anthem

Dearest Family,

Como estamos? How are we? I hope everyone is great here. I continue to
just enjoy each day of the mission and love inviting others to come
unto Christ.

A few funny stories:
So on Halloween day it HAILED! A HUGE STORM! The first time we stayed
inside for a bit because it was literally dangerous. We booked it to
get home fast and Elder Bailey got hit by a hail! But he was fine.
Happy Halloween!

So I definitely had a Coalie moment with a members dog. We visited
their house and a dog jumped on me and I started talking in my high
pitched and WUSHHHH the pee flooded out of the dog and onto me.
Whatevs. Dogs love me!

Besides that, its been a pretty difficult week. We only taught three
lessons with investigators this week, one on Saturday night, the other
two just last night. The last two were miracles because we entered
church without progressing investigators and a couple came in and had
been invited by the sisters to church just an hour before and stayed
and LOVED CHURCH! The other investigator is the Elders Quorum
Presidents brother who was touched by his brothers example and has
accepted a baptismal date for November 29th. But lets rewind a bit:

So Saturday we started our fast and we were hurting. Five days without
investigators isnt easy for missionaries, especially leaders. But
Elder Bailey and I have spent so many great moments just saying
prayers of thanks. Each night we share our testimony and gratitude to
each other for our days. We never focus on the negative side of our
work, we just focus on being happy. And that is the key to life in
general. I say that a lot to each of you. But Saturday we came home at
4 to do some Progress Reports for the ward and had no where to go. So
I got on my knees and before I prayed, I chose a hymn to sing to
myself. Here is some of the text:

Nearer, dear Savior, to thee,
Nearer, nearer to thee--
Ever my anthem will be
Nearer, yet nearer to thee!
Loving thee, ever I pray,
Aid me thy will to obey.

Of all the anthems I could have, mine would be Nearer, dear Savior, to
thee. That's my goal in this life: to grow nearer and become more like
Jesus Christ. As I sat and prayed for direction, I felt a great
calming sensation, just as each of us always wants in life, and I
continued with the work. The next day we went to teach the couple that
we met in Sacrament meeting and we brought our ward mission leader and
his wife with us. We had a great lesson with this family. They were
impressed by the ward, we shared how the gospel blesses families, and
it was great. But as the lesson kept going, we didn't to the point of
our lesson: That God speaks through a prophet. That He still talks to
us as individuals, and that we are representatives of Jesus Christs
church. I prayed for a moment to share this message and I received it.
The husband was astounded that two 20 year olds were teaching him and
I stopped him there and said the following.

¨Sir, I may only be a 20 year old. I may not speak Spanish perfectly.
I definitely don't have a college education, nor a lot of life
experience. But what I do know is something I treasure greatly.¨ And
that's how I started the story of Joseph Smith. And that is how the
Spirit testified to their hearts that the message was true. It was at
that moment that I grew to know my Savior more than I had been able to
in previous weeks and months. Up until that point I had been ashamed of
the baptismal invitation because I didn't want to offend people. But
with that family, something changed in me. After having a dry spell of
lessons, I realized that baptism is the door to happiness. The door to
change. The door to Christ. And if I don't invite a family to be
baptized, I am not bringing them to Christ. We went from that lesson
to our last lesson of the night and we taught this new investigator,
Ismael, about the Book of Mormon. I testified to Him that this book
had brought me closer to Christ and than any other book I had read.
And from there, I invited him to come unto Christ through baptism. My
companion and I set the baptismal date for the 29th of November.

The changes that have happened in me haven't happened just because I
have a name tag on. There have been many others just like who haven't
been changed one bit by this name tag. The changes have happened in me
because I have come to trust in my Savior and Redeemer a whole lot
more than I used to. I pray to my Father in Heaven each day and find
the Savior in the book of Mormon each morning. I work so hard to
understand my Saviors will and do my best to help those in need. As we
enter the time of thanks and the time of giving, it is my hope that we
may also remember the time of loving. It is through Christlike love
and service that we continue to change and become better people. And
these changes are a little bit each day, till we look back and see
what Christ has made of us.

I love you all! :)
Till next week
Elder Risueño