Woo! 4th of July!

Woo! 4th of July! Elder Black and I have been singing patriotic songs on the top of our lungs all morning. Our companions think its funny. The plan to celebrate this fantastic day is to eat a whole lot of food...the American way. That´s all we´ll have time for anyways since we need to go to the offices. We had to stop by the hospital as well so my companion could get the results from an exam. It seems he will need an operation in his throat to take out a gland that has died. Please pray for him...he´s fantastic, and he´s facing all this with a lot of optimism. There was a scare of possibly having to send him home, but it doesn´t seem like it´ll be that extreme.

So Iran Rojas was baptized on Saturday. It was a great service, and Nadia was there as well. The family is doing great and they´re all coming together and trying to do things right. Nadia is just waiting for some paperwork in order to get married and then baptized. SHe´s loving the Book of Mormon and she and Sinuhe have changed a lot. There´s a number of others who are coming along as well. Seven investigators in church, and about ten less actives as well. Honestly, I´m having a great time. I´m always exhausted and there´s never enough time for all that needs to be done. That´s part of what makes it the best time of my mission. I´m working harder than ever at a time when most missionaries start to slow down, and every moment is worth it.

Putting first things first, you say?

Honestly, you´ll never get anywhere if you don`t have your priorities straight, and it comes from a basic principle: God can make far more out of our lives and talents than we can. Living righteously and living to serve allow God to open the windows of heaven and bless us in all that we do. He´s more than willing to bless us with the talents and abilities we need if we´re willing to dedicate all we are to Him and His work. The scriptures are full of those promises. I know I will have success in whatever I decide to do, because I´ve decided to use my time and talents to serve The Lord. I don´t doubt it at all.

"Whoever shall lose his life for my sake..." fill in the blanks. It really is that simple. And if anyone doubts it, I dare them to try it. Iran Rojas was baptized because we sacrificed p-day and sleeping time in order to visit his uncle one day. We were tired and had things to do (we had no food for the week), but we agreed to visit Brother Rojas as he had asked us. That caused a chain reaction which led to two families coming back to the church, Iran´s baptism, and soon Nadia´s baptism as well. There´s lots of tiny examples like that which, while they seem insignificant at first, lead to great things.

Also, being here in the mission is completely changing my life. That´s a little miracle in and of itself. God always gives us back 100x what we invest in Him or thanking Him.

Well, gotta run. Love you!