[Turns out that Hna Ixmatá is from the exact area where I (Lori) served MY mission to Guatemala eons ago, and we even have a common acquaintance!! As Emily says, "El mundo es un pañuelo!" ("The world is a handkerchief"...i.e. "It's a small world!")]
Hello all,
Hope all is well,
and that your Christmas trees and lights are up! I am quite excited for
Navidad! We started an advent paper chain sometime in early November,
haha. |
| Hna Hooke's & Hna Platino's Christmas Tree |
Well yes, this week has been very wet, lots n lots of
rain, and also the baptism of Liza!!!! It was very special. In spite of
the rain tons of members showed up and also brought good things to eat,
so that was a plus. Her mom came and said she felt the Spirit. She is
never home when we teach Liza but secretly she has been reading all the
folletos (pamphlets?) we leave for Liza and has even read parts of the
Book of Mormon and she likes our message. Hopefully Liza will be the
example her family needs to learn more about the gospel!
 |
| Liza's Mom?, Liza, Hna Hooke, Hna Ixmatá |
There was a
sapo (toad) just outside the baptismal font, Liza's mom said it's good she didn't see it because apparently she's deathly afraid and would have
fainted, haha. Luckily Elder White caught it and put it outside.
Also I almost stepped on this snail. |
| Ugh! |
I've been
studying in the New Testament and there is something similar in many of
the parables and teachings of Christ. In the parable of the pearl of
great price and the hidden treasure (Matthew 13, I believe), in both cases
the price to obtain the treasure is the same - it doesn't matter if we
are rich or poor - the price is everything we have. This is what Jesus
told the rich young man who came to him and asked what he needed to do
if he was already keeping all the commandments, and Jesus told him to
sell everything that he had, give the money to the poor, and follow Him.
In our lives we may not have to sell everything that we have, but we do
need to be willing to give everything, sobre todo [above all] our selfish and
sinful desires, like the father of Lamoni in Alma 22:18 who said that he
would abandon all his sins to get to know God. [Lamoni's father's prayer: "O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day."]
There's a quote that I
like a lot that I don't have with me but its something like 'Our will is
the only thing uniquely personal that we can put on the altar of God.' [Actual quote: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give,’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, LDS General Conference, October 1995)]
Well I don't have more time but I love you very much, take care!!! 10
more days til Navidad (I think!!!)
Love,
