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

Hey Y'all!

Hey yall!

Happy Halloween and parties and such. Life here is pretty darn awesome and I am so grateful for the fact that I am a missionary. I am just SO HAPPY! We call it fengue. Its like dengue, the fever, but with FE (faith)! Its super contagious and amazing.

Big thanks to momsy and DFM for the Halloween cards and Sheila for the chocolate! Holla! And special thanks to the fam bam and friends for awesome emails and prayers. Love you!

So yesterday we were in sacrament meeting, and I heard a gagging sound and looked to my left just in time to see a kid stand up and throw up on the ground... All i can say is thank you tile floor. Amen.

And a few hours later, we were teaching outside and a drop of water mysteriously fell from the sky and I looked up to see a little kid with some water just spitting it on me. Love children!! JESUS LOVES THEM!

And while I was at the airport, I found someone else who spoke french... a sign that I need to fresh up on french? I think so!

Anyway, this week we started a 40 day fast as a mission. Not that were not eating for 40 days, were just purifying ourselves! and my goal is to FIND JESUS in the Book of Mormon. So I mark each time I find Jesus name in the book! and I mark surrounding words to figure out why a person was referring to Jesus. Its amazing! I love the book of Mormon! I love Jesus!

This week we have seen miracles. We had 4 less actives in church, and these people are coming back for good! Its so amazing to see people change because of a simple invitation home.

So of all things I can share with you, I just wish to share with you something cool that happened in a lesson last night. We were talking to a lesson of recent converts and the whole family is struggling. The daughter just said THE CHURCH IS TAKING AWAY MY PERSONALITY BECAUSE I CANT WEAR A TON OF EARRINGS. There were a lot of ways I could have responded to that, but I stopped and thought of what she needed. She didn't need to know how her body was a temple and all that jazz, because she was frustrated and crying. She did't need to know why she needed to change her life because of a religion. She needed to know God and Jesus Christ. I simply asked her if she had prayed recently. She said yes. I asked if she had communicated and spoken with the Lord to find his opinion on the matter of modesty. Then she said no. I testified that the standard isn't about what she can and cant do, its about who God wants her to become. And ultimately, her lifestyle comes down to how her life is in harmony with what God wants. I testify to each of you, no matter how close or far you are from God, it matters what direction you're facing (see John Bytheways dvd, Come Unto Christ). I invite each of us to come unto Christ a little bit more this week. To stop living by rules and start living with Christ. To walk with Him. To come unto Him.

Come unto Jesus; He'll surely hear you,

If you in meekness plead for his love.

Oh, know you not that angels are near you

From brightest mansions above?

It is my testimony that prayer is the key to happiness. It is the key to any doubt, question, or uneasiness that besets us in this life. To those who may feel like He has left you, He is ignoring you, or He simply doesn't care about you, I kindly invite you to reconsider your thoughts. It is easy to complain, but it is not effective (thanks mom). I finish with a teaching of a less active, who said the following when asked about how she reTURNed to Christ. She said something like this:

I have learned that when we don't choose the right, Christ never leaves us. Hes always there reminding us what we should do. He always invites us back. He just waits and waits until we reTURN to Him. 

I testify, as the Eagle Scout that I am, that the Savior invites us to do a good turn daily toward Him. 

I pray that each of you has a blessed week this week. I love you with all my heart and thank you for your support. Let us all look for the angels on our individual journeys back home.
Till next week,
Elder Risueño

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

Who We Are

Dearest family and friends,

Wow.This email is one that I am so blessed to write today. My sister
comes home this coming Thursday and I cant continue to write without a
sincere thank you to her and for her service. She is my best friend,
my confidante, and mi hermana. Hermanita, gracias por tu servicio y
por ayudarme en mi juventud. Tu eres mi ejemplo de la caridad y de la
virtud. Gracias. I love my sister and I sure hope y'all start learning
some Spanish when she gets here because when I get home it will be a
Spanish household.

This week hasn't been anything super crazy. Elder Bailey and I have
just been doing our best to find people. We have had some great
lessons and some great trials too. Yet again, I thank my sister for
her same attitude as we pass through these struggles. Its hard, but I
have learned something so key this week: Gratitude. A german guy said
that ¨It is with gratitude that life becomes rich.¨ I am a witness of
that. This week I have started praying out loud as much as possible, I
have called people and just said THANKS! and I have just continued to
love the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is the best thing I could have
ever asked for. Truly, the trials and hardships in life are the most
important because they mold us into who we can become.

This week marks another important date. The birthday of someone so
special to me, dear St. Karen de Risueño. She is such an amazing lady.
I went on two exchanges this week and the two elders stated that, even
though I'm super disorganized and I get lost like every second, I have
the gift of love. I love with all my heart. And I owe that gift of
love to my mom. She is the perfect example of a Christ like woman. She
has become a full time working mother while still caring for my dad,
serving in the church, and serving her children. She finds time to
send me things I ¨need¨ while sending me I love you cards. And she
does it because she loves.

While my sister and I were growing up, EVERY TIME we would leave the
house or go somewhere, my mom would say ¨Make wise choices and
remember who you are.¨ Mom even wrote me that in today's email. And I
wondered why she would say that, but it must have had something to do
with the struggles we youth face today. People try and tell us we have
no potential, or that we need to party and to drink and to forget God.
Bullies are found in every part of a young persons journey through
life. Both my sister and I suffered through difficult moments as
others tried to bring us to misery. But we are so grateful to our
mother and father who reminded us each and every day that we need not
forget who we are. We are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father
who LOVES us and we LOVE Him. He wants us to be happy so he provided
us with a way to learn and to grow. That way was our Savior, Jesus
Christ. His way was one of love, of sacrifice, of service, of
happiness. And it is His way that my parents have both followed. My
sister and I have followed in their footsteps and are now helping
others see the way to happiness. I thank my mother for her example,
for her love, for being unique. I have gone from doubts of who I was
as a son of God to now embracing who I am and helping others see their
potential. I wish to finish this simple letter, with the lyrics of a
favorite children's song:

Mine is a home where ev'ry hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood pow'r,
With father and mother leading the way,
Teaching me how to trust and obey;
And the things they teach are crystal clear,
For love is spoken here.

It is my hope that this week each of us can embrace the merciful arms
of Jesus Christ through the power of His infinite atonement. No one is
excluded from these blessings and from this love that He freely offers
us. I promise you that as we live with more love, we will feel Him
near. Let us all Make wise choices and remember who we are.

For a dollar, and with much gratitude,
Elder Risueño