Monday, February 7, 2011

Learning (and giving) a lot of lessons--even piano lessons

hey! not a ton happened this week, but we sure learned a ton! all week starting monday night, we were in cold cuernavaca for a mission leadership training from tuesday until friday.... i never realized how much the spirit can wear you out! i dont want to say ´too much´ but i was definitely tired at the end of the day from just listening. i also got really sick from the climate changes from hot and humid acapulco to refreshing and breezy cuernavaca. i got a cold and still have it a little, but i am alright. every day in the conferences we had two special musical numbers, and i participated in them all. i really missed singing, i mean good singing. it really bothers me that mexicans change the song as they like, and all the mexicans do it too.... it doesnt matter how the person plays the song on the piano or how the leader conducts it, they sing it their way even if its off key and wrong..... very frustrating. but for that reason i was happy to do the musical number with americans and sing it well! haha.
speaking of musical numbers, the bishop asked me if i could be able to teach piano to a few people and maybe play in sacrament. i played how firm a foundation two weeks ago in a young mens activity and also brightly beams our fathers mercy (of course nothing like joseph can play it) but i tried and the people were actually able to follow me. the bishop was impressed, and he wants me to start playing in sacrament if i am able to learn the songs during the week..... very nerve racking! also speaking of joseph, i am very, very impressed with your sacrifice that you have made to be able to serve. selling ´extra´ guitars isnt easy especially for you, and i just wanted to say that i was very touched to see how much it meant to you to serve a mission, even if it means sacrificing something that you love so much. i know the lord will strengthen you and give you the means to complete all that he asks you to do. i tip my hat to you.
in the conference also we talked about revelation for our investigators and how to better help them receive revelation, book of mormon, prayer, and church(sacrament). we of course knew that stuff and its what we teach, but they taught us how to teach it more effectively and to be able to apply it better to the investigators. we also learned about the revelation by the spirit, and a quote by president benson that says no missionary will have success in his mission if he doesnt act by the spirit. i think its funny how many elders worry about baptism numbers etc, but really the prophet tells us what success is, completing with the lords will. it was a very inspiring conference, but im not going to share it all yet, i have to organize my thoughts, but i want to share the experience we had on saturday about following the spirit and being direct with the lord in our prayers, just like mom told me to do. (obey mothers!!)
saturday morning during my study i read a talk called the missionary who tesifies and challenges, i dont know who its from or the whole talk, but just found the first page a while ago and read it. it said a few things important to me. this is the missionary god wants in his army, and its the missionary who says in his morning prayer, god, i want to help you better here by finding a family of four(for example) so i can challenge them for baptism and help them get ready for this sacred covenant. we with elder zazueta saturday morning before leaving the house, we made that same prayer to god that those were our desires. we left and luckily elder zazueta followed an impression to talk to an old man on the street, but he wasnt very interested, but another lady passed us and then returned to ask if we could help her rebelious granddaughter get back on track. we taught the grandmother, a daughter, the granddaughter, and another grandson. the four that we asked for and we challenged them to prepare to be baptized the 26 of february. very cool. sadly they didnt come to church, but it really strengthened my testimony that god answers prayers when we ask with real intent and all our desires. moroni 10:4, alma 29:4-5. i was really shocked with the answer, because i havent applied it in a while, and something that president spannaus always says, and i want to say it to you all: you need to have a spiritual experience to be able to really testify of it with power and authority. if you think about a spiritual experience you have had with god, you can almost always remember the date and time when it happened. mine was june 26 at 1:30am last year. it is really important to have these experiences, and it really helps me to trust in god more.
thanks to everyone for your help and your wonderful examples. i love you all and ask that you pray for gaby, ivan, amairani, and german. thanks for everything, ill also send pics right now. love you all! have a wonderful week
elder facer

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