May 28, 2012 Hey Family! como está?? Okay so this week was pretty awesome. We had Mariel confirmed a member of the Church and that was a great experience. We also got the Cardozo family to church and more excited about the baptism on the 9th of June. This family is really sweet. They are going to Utah in a couple months to go to BYU so I will be able to hang out with them after the mission. I hope to be their for their sealing in one of the temples there. Besides that, it was a normal week. I got to do exchanges this week in a different area, and it was amazing. It made me think that maybe my area is really difficult for some reason. We were able to talk to a lot of very humble people and get some good lessons in. I have really enjoyed this area, but its been very difficult. I have been studying a lot about how to become a better teacher in chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel and I have learned a lot. Its been kind of fun applying different things too. I want to make teaching a part of my career for sure. At some point in time I want to do what dad does...Believe it or not, teaching the Gospel is infinitely more satisfying than pulling back the trigger on any firearm or doing any amount of push-ups at 5:30 in the morning. But I think that is the nature of the Gospel. Those other things are still very satisfying :) There is a great talk by Elder Holland that talks about when Peter and the Apostles went back to fishing after Christ left. He talked about how they just went back to doing the only thing they knew how to do. Well, Jesus came and after very thoughtfully cooking a hearty breakfast for His beloved Apostles, started to ask Peter some very interesting questions. Well, just one. "Lovest thou me, more than these?" Peter answers in the affirmative the first two times and is told to "feed my sheep" in response. The third time, Peter became troubled. And in response to His simple question, he said, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." He is then commanded again to "feed my sheep" Elder Holland made a point that we are much like Peter. We get excited and pumped about the Gospel, and maybe we see some miracles. Maybe we get our spiritual batteries recharged. We go to EFY, or a youth conference, or a General Conference, and later seem to forget all that we must have experienced. We just go back to doing what we know best. When God had given us the light of the Gospel, when He had caused a mighty change in our hearts, so that we no longer had the desire to do evil, He was really calling us to the same work; "feed my sheep." This is a call to be a sheep-feeder forever--not just until we have those special feelings leave us, or until it becomes inconvenient, but forever. For the rest of our lives. This calling to live a higher law and to truly love and serve others, is such a great calling and we have been given so many tools to comply with it. We have scriptures, patriarchal blessings, the supernal gift of prayer, our loving brothers and sisters and parents and children, faith, repentance, the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We have truly been given so many resources to succeed in this life, because our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to live with Him again. But He also wants that we do our best to bring as many back to Him as we can by inviting and then helping them to recieve the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know its true, and I am so thankful for the Christ-like examples I have in my parents, and all my siblings and so many friends. I love you guys and hope you have a great week. Love Elder Daybell