Blood Oath

Wazup family??

 

This week was great. Nothing to out of the ordinary! I had Manta Ray on Tuesday with Mario. That was pretty delicious. I had ten tacos of it. 

 

Jocelyn is moving along great. Clemente went to "his church" yesterday and took the family with him. (Catholic). For some reason, from the moment Deseret told us that and even now I think it was a good thing. He is REALLY weighing things out in his mind. He still listens well in the lessons and he is continuing to take action in reading and praying. The more sincere we can get him to feel in this process, the better. We need him to really search and quit hitting off the surface. I was thinking this week; if I leave in five weeks after this transfer the #1 thing out of everything that I would want to see is for Clemente to accept baptism and be baptized. I know that family is due. Deep down I am positive that Clemente will be baptized. What a blessing it would be from the Lord to be the missionary who sees it. We are working our nargas off to see this miracle in his life. I surely haven't wanted anything more all mission than this. I want it for him. But we will see. Without compromising my faith and confidence, we will put our trust in the Lord and do our best and see what happens.

 

I have had some great studies on Faith lately. Does anyone else agree that Faith seems like this really floaty concept that is hard to grasp, understand, or apply? I have felt that way for the longest time. I feel like I am finally understanding it. I was reviewing some notes from Zone Conferences with President Taylor and Faith. I remember learning that any gift of the spirit not asked for and prayed for was a gift of the Spirit that we denied. Faith, like love, is not something we can see. But we can see the effects of these two things. Miracles are the effects of Faith. I was talking to Elder Dodd earlier this week, I boldly told him that I feel that it is perfectly okay to expect miracles. I pray for them every day. I pray that we see bigger miracles that build off the small every-day ones we see. We want these miracles for our investigators and feel that they deserve them if they are doing their part. We don't want them for ourselves, nor do we only feel like we can be happy or that we are doing a good job if we see the miracles. I was reading in Matthew 14 this morning. Great story about Peter and the Savior walking on the water. I don't think we give Peter enough credit! That dude had great faith. Can you imagine the Lord stretching forth His arms "immediately" to save us when the winds get boisterous and our Faith wavers? Wow. The last verse was interesting to me too. All the sick and infirmed had to do was touch His robe and they would be made whole. It brought me to the story of Moses and the staff, and, one of my favorite BOM chapters, Alma 37 where Alma is telling Helamen of the easiness and the simplicity of the way. We really do have absolutely everything laid out for us. We need not complicate our lives with rabble and nonsense. We have the commandments and the Gospel and easy ways to live them. I learned this week that every decision, doubt, and concern that cannot be answered by obedience to the Commandments and the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be taken to prayer and the righteous exercising of agency. There are no other answers we could ask for!

 

It was nice to hear how things went back home this week! Is it weird to anyone that when I hear about cool, meaningful stuff in sports, like everything that has happened to Mo this year, that I get a very strong almost spiritual and warm sensation? Haha. I wonder if it is the Spirit! I hope Caroline had a fantastic birthday! I can't believe she is 18. Could you be on a mission in a year? Am I really almost done in a year!? Crazy stuff.

Again, things were pretty normal this week. We cleaned our apartment so well today! That was nice. The bike life has been going well. Elder Dodd got another popped tire haha. Mafia Lou keeps letting us in his house. Whenever we want. He told us yesterday that he wants us to know that nothing will ever happen to either one of us while we are here in El Mirage. That is a blood oath he says. If it is ever 3 in the morning and we don't have a place to stay we go to his door and knock until he wakes up and he will let us sleep in his bed and he will sleep on the ground. I don't think that will ever happen, but it was nice to hear :) He bought us some cool scripture coins from the Marines or something like that so we are getting those soon. Hopefully, he can change his work schedule real soon and get back to the church! Elder Dodd is doing well. He had a tough couple days this week though. He is really hard on himself. I see a lot of me in him. That scares me because I am no good and he shouldn't be like me (did you catch that paradox? Haha. Its all true though.) We are both doing our best, and a lot of the time I try to look at us two in other's shoes and it makes me think things like; "what would two young, clueless, teenagers know about anything they could help me with? They can't even speak my language?" A lot of the time I do feel clueless. A lot of the time I am! But I know how to work hard and make sacrifices and I am trying to do it every day because I love the Lord, the message He has trusted with me to share, and the responsibility He has given Elder Dodd and me over all who live in El Mirage and Youngtown. 

 

Love, Elder Jacob Karl "Hagrid" Parry