It´s a Small World (April 13, 2015)

First Week in Negritos. I go out preaching with some young single adults in the ward. One of them tells me his uncle and his uncle´s family just got baptized in October. He then tells me his uncle lives in Pueblo Nuevo de Colán. *CD screech noise* I was like "WHHAAAT?? Who is your uncle?" Turns out it was the family I baptized when I was in Paita a while ago. I am now working on reactivating the other part of the family here in Negritos. Yeah, small world.

Things are going awesome with my new companion. He is pretty much my brother from another mother: video game expert, anime fanatic, user of excellent phrases, and a sage in terms of movie quotes. He might be the Aimee I have been missing for almost 2 years (he is 22 too so like, Aimee pues!) We are working well together and working hard to reactivate a ward that has been aflicted by trunky elders for a long time. It is hard, but I am excited.

Really, there are a lot of amazing things happening in my mission right now. I get up every morning, look outside at the ocean, and say, "Let´s get to work!" The weather is like Spring in the States, and the ocean is just so beautiful. The people are also so kind. For the first time in my whole mission, a complete stranger invited us into his house to use his telephone because we didnt have change to call with a public phone. No one does that!!! Seriously, there are amazing things about to happen.

I also gave a lesson this past week in Priesthood meeting on Sunday about Joseph Smith. It was full of doctrine, scriptures, and then testimonies of the members. Wow. It was good. It made me so proud to preach of a modern prophet. I ended with this favorite scripture of mine:

"Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!"

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today, and that the true church has been restored to the church today. May we all feel the flaming testimony that I feel in my heart, if not then a raging inferno!! 

Que tengan una semana buenaza!

- Elder Dax Rich