Que tal mis campoenes!
It has been a crazy couple days!! I’ll do my best to make this one extra express. I’m writing a day late because yesterday was pyramid day and today was airport day. But here it comes anyways!
I hope you have had a great day and a great week! I hope you know I love you!
🌇
– On Wednesday I got to go on exchanges with Elder Shumway who we picked up from the airport the week before!! He is already so diligent and is super excited to be here. It was super fun to talk to and council with him, he’s awesome! We got some quesadillas afterwards that did some serious damage but it was tons of fun and I learned from him!
– We had some fun and creative Transfer Meetings with the Bradys! New missionaries arrive tomorrow, and Thursday is transfers! I am so excited to get back out there and get to work, its going to be amazing! I am feeling a little melancholy to spend less time with the Bradys and not do little random fun tasks for them but I can’t wait to work!
– Walked around another soon-to-be new Sisters area, accidentally almost ran into the Sisters while rounding the corner and scared the living crud out of them (and me). Played it off as if it was totally normal that we were there. Found some donuts on the street at the end of the day, success!
– We went on exchanges with Elder Parry and Elder Sawyer, I went with Elder Sawyer at we had a great time. Elder Sawyer told me all about the ins and outs of salmon fishing in Alaska and we worked to invite everyone to sacrament meeting! That same night we got Domino’s on the way home and sat and talked on the roof for awhile about life and the mission and it was great.
– The Garduño Olloqui family had me write in their family missionary journal on Sunday since they new I would be leaving, and I actually felt so honored and sad! I love Montevideo and I am going to miss it!
– The Bradys took us to PF Changs and let us go to town, it was a ton of fun and we listened to the wisdom that they learned while at their mission leader conference in the CCM, so that was pretty inspirational!
– Today we took my old companion Elder Herrera to the airport at 5am and it was so sad to see him go! I learned a lot from him about having a backbone, teaching with authority and having diligence in all aspects of the work. I am going to miss him.
📚
This week was full of home runs during my Book of Mormon reading.
Alma is soooo good. I think this week it officially surpassed 2nd Nephi as my favorite book of scripture in the Book of Mormon. Anyways, one of my favorite chapters ever contains Alma’s last bit of words to his son, Helaman, and here’s why:
There is a lot of symbolism in the Book of Mormon of Jesus Christ. I love how Helaman, son of Helaman, later teaches that, just as those who lived by looking to at the brass serpent, so can we live by looking towards the Son of God.
BYU historians say that the word Liahona has a translation that likely means “Look to the Lord”. So, here’s what Alma teaches Helaman about the Liahona (a compass that the Lord prepared) and how we can look to God and live: (from Alma 37)
“It is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.”
Just like the Liahona (the Lord’s compass) guided a family to the other side of the world, if they exercised faith and remembered the Lord, we can be guided through the tribulation of life to something so much greater if we follow Christ, exercise faith in Him, and always remember Him!
“The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.”
I particularly love this last line in Spanish. It says that if we want to look, not just if we will look. This great plan of happiness depends on the desire and on the heart. I think I’ve said it a billion times, but its true!
So, let’s work a little harder this week to look unto Christ. If that’s hard for you, start with the desire to look to Him! He has prepared a perfect way for us to come home to Him and begs for us to follow. I love that in President Oaks closing remarks this General Conferenfe, he said exactly that. He promised more personal revelation and spiritual guidance as we follow the council of living prophets and choose to look to God and live.
So, Liahona! And, remember.
I love you all so much and I hope your impressed that I fell into my own lie and didn’t end up writing a short email. Never have, probably never will.
Go have an amazing week and go make a life better out there. Teach someone how to look the God and live this week! I love you, you are in my prayers always!
Talk soon banda,
Elder Crockett 🫶
