Hey, Everyone!
It’s been a great week, we are working hard and talking with lots of people. It’s
been slow with the mundial [World Cup soccer tournament] but
unfortunately/fortunately Chile is now out so things should start getting back
to normal a little bit, or at least that is the idea. It’s been fun, though; it’s
great to learn about all the different culture that there is out there--soccer
really is pretty interesting in the way it can bring people together (and drive
them apart) and unify their countries.
We have been blessed
with great members in this ward, members that have really taught me a lot. We
are working to try and be able to find better with them, as well--that seems to
be the hardest thing for most members, to be willing to try to share the gospel
with people that still do not know it. It shouldn’t be awkward or that hard,
though, if we just explain that it really is something that has brought us so
much happiness and that’s why we want to share it.
It’s been a fun week,
and we are excited for this next week--we designed t-shirts for the zone and
they are coming this week, so we are all excited to see how they turned out--pics
for sure next week. Also, an Area Seventy, Elder Waddell, came to our zone
leadership council this morning. He had some amazing things to say and
basically just gave a great sum-up as to what the mission work is all about, with
some great insights into some great doctrine and scriptures. He summed up
everything that I have been feeling lately pretty well. [See Zach’s
summation paragraph, written for the ward newsletter, below.]
Excited
for this next week! I hope everyone sees progress, as well!
Elder Brown
Zach's Summation of What He Has Learned on His Mission
The Spirit makes or breaks any work we want to
do; when we are able to recognize its promptings and follow them boldly, we
will never fail. Success is guaranteed. What we need to do is live worthy of
our covenants--not only obeying the commandments but also sacrificing ourselves
and consecrating our desires to what the Lord needs from us and for us.
Obedience, Sacrifice, and Consecration is what the Lord expects from us. It’s
easy to talk about but hugely difficult to accomplish consistently. For me, the
most important aspects of consecration that I think make the difference are
obeying and sacrificing with a good attitude and with a smile siempre [always],
and having our desires completely focused, or consecrated, on serving the Lord.
Doing that, the Spirit is guaranteed to accompany us always; to give us the
energy and courage we need to keep improving every day; to give it a little bit
more the next day than we did the day before; to help him in his eternal work
of sealing families, and eternal life to not only us and our families, but to
every person out there. Obviously, none of this is possible without the example
of Jesus Christ, who demonstrated perfect obedience, sacrifice, and
consecration in everything He did, giving us the Atonement, the possibility to improve. The
Atonement is absolutely essential to all this. Every day we need to apply it
personally.
