Que show plebada??
A huge mala mía for not letting you know that this week was temple week! The temple is gonna be closed for about a month for some cleaning stuff so we went earlier this transfer and I totally forgot. Anyways, it was amazing!!
Oh man, what an absolutely fantastic week! I am loving being a missionary more than ever right now, it was so good. I feel like the level of mission enjoyement is exponential because it just keeps on getting better. I love it!
I hope life is also just an exponential curve of joy for you too!! How was your week? What did you do to find joy this week? Tell me all about it!
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– Tuesday was District Leader Training so I finally felt like I got a sense of direction haha and it was sooo good! President Brady talked all about how to put Christ first and how to make Him our number one priority and focus above all else. It was so good, and certainly wasn’t just a good lesson for DLs, but for all missionaries and for life!! Remember, whosoever will lay down their life for His sake will find it again!!
– Wednesday was First Week in the Mission (the meeting) and honestly I felt so at home in the mission home, it was fantastic. It was more of how to keep Christ in front of everything else and the importance of inviting everyone to Him, rather than the chapel, or the congregation, or the church. All great things, but they are all simply ways to get closer to what really matters, which is our relationship with the Savior! The chicken bales and mac and cheese topped it off, it was so fun and such a spiritual experience!
– Gave my first district council, twas very intimidating but also very fun and I think I didn’t botch the whole thing, so that was great!
– Man, we met some amazing people this week and had some serious miracles!! We met a family that went to the Visitors Center with a family member whos also a member of the Church from the States and they loooved it so much. The mom had to work on Sunday, but the husband and both kids came to sacrament meeting and loved it! Our friend Marco also came and participated in the classes and felt so at home, so that was so cool! The miracles are so real!
– We went to the temple today and wow, it was so amazing. The peace and joy I feel every time I get to go is something so special, I love having a temple so close! I got some really special answers to prayer and I can’t wait for this upcoming week of hard work and miracles. The temple is so good for you, make an effort to go this week and, if you can, every week for the rest of your life!
– Met an awesome and very energetic family with like 5 kids last night. Hectic, miraculous and tons of fun and they are super excited to hear more about the gospel so it’s going to be a great week!
I felt so much joy this week, and I think it was because (after Tuesday and Wednesday) I was way more focused on putting Christ before anything else! It was such a good week, I love this area and this ward and this upcoming week is going to be even better!
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Ooooh man this is going to be a hard one, sooo much to choose between. Just so I don’t feel too badly for leaving it out this week, go read Alma 58: 10-11. Anyways, here it comes!!
I was thinking, and reading, and learning lots this week about how to put Christ in front of or prioritized over everything else. Well, I love the example of the people of Nephi, who did “suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction.”
But, the next verse brings up their solution, and lays down the steps to put Christ above all else!! Here’s Helaman 3, verse 35:
“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.”
I hate to choose favorites, but that’s gotta be one of the best scriptures of all time. How did they put Christ first? Well, they fasted (often), they prayed (constantly, I bet) and they worked on developing more humility and faith in their Savior. Simply put, they yielded their hearts unto God. What did that bring them? Joy, consolation, purification, and sanctification!!
Whether you feel like you’re stuck in a slump or that life is getting hopelessly dark, whether it’s a difficultly to overcome sin or having a hard time breaking an old habit, there (👆) is your solution in one verse to each of those problems.
So, that’s my invitation, since we all have some sort of difficulty or another. Fast often. Pray constantly. Find more humility, and base your faith more firmly on Christ, the, and your, only sure foundation. In short, yield your whole heart to God!!
I’ll finish of with a couple lines from the new hymn, His Voice as the Sound that I read this week and that stuck out to me particularly:
“Dear Shepherd, I hear and will follow Thy call;
I know the sweet sound of Thy voice.
Restore and protect me, for Thou art my All;
In Thee I will ever rejoice.”
I hope that is the call and desire of each of our heart as we learn to put Christ above everything else thats around us. I loooove those lines!!
And, I love you! I hope you each have a fantastic week and that you find joy, consolation, purification, and sanctification as you yield your hearts to Christ!! I love Him so much and I am constantly and consistently amazed by His grace and power.
Let Him change your life!!
I love you, talk soon, go help change the world for better!!
Elder Crockett ❤️
