Love and Strength -- Gifts from a loving Father

Beloved Family,

I love you so much!!!

Quick follow up: Did you invite someone to listen to the missionaries this past week?!?!?!? ... :)

I hope to hear back from you this week about your experience!! Will you please write to me this next week about the invitation you extended? (If you didn't, don't worry, you have another whole week!!)

Sharing the restored gospel with people, feeling the Spirit with people hearing about the Restoration for the first time, is such a wonderful blessing. As you all know, "Nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach" (Preach My Gospel, chapter 9). In our mission, we pray and work with faith to find people who are prepared to accept the restored gospel. We mostly find people to teach by working through the members (as our Prophet Thomas S. Monson has asked us to do -- speaking of which, you should check out the "Hastening the Work of Salvation" webpage!! https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening), and by doing our best to talk with everyone (or always be talking with someone). We also teach free English classes (a basic level, and a conversation class); have organized Ward Movie Nights (the ward has really taken off with this activity, and has made it a success!!!!!! 50 people came Sunday afternoon!!!!!! We were approved to watch "17 Miracles", and everyone was in tears!! I was so impressed by the unity of their desire to build Zion.); and we're running a Ward-level Mini-MTC (the ward is also helping this initiative to take flight!! We have it organized into districts with assigned District Leaders to help people during the week!!). We try and do all that we can to share the restored gospel, effectively, with more people.

Why do we share the Restored Gospel? Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “We do not preach and teach in order to ‘bring people into the Church’ or to increase the membership of the Church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives. … We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this” (“The Purpose of Missionary Work,” missionary satellite broadcast, Apr. 1995).

I'm coming to understand the truth and significance of the fact that we really do have living prophets today. I know that living the gospel gives us access to the power of the Atonement; to forgiveness, to strength, and to the perfecting influence of the Holy Ghost. That's why we invite people to be baptized every day -- everyone deserves to have the Gospel in their lives.

I love being a missionary!!

Early on in my mission I had knocked a lot of doors, but I eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't as effective as other ways of finding. This week the Lord taught me that when we are doing our best to share the gospel out of love and faith, He will bless us with miracles (even when we're knocking doors in apartment buildings in modern Spain!) On Saturday we took a new member, who just barely passed her 1 year mark since her baptism, to a visit with some new friends (Jose Manuel and his wife Alta Gracia, from the Dominican Republic) that we had met a few days earlier in their parked car. We went to the visit, and it turned out that our new friends had moved out of that apartment a few months ago; they weren't there, and we arrived during mediodia on a Saturday (not the best time to have strangers come knocking on your door). The man at the door (Méndez) seemed nice, despite his intimidating stature, and after talking with him for a bit, we asked if we could go in to share what we believe. It worked!!!!!!!!! We made friends with the family, and though they didn't come to church, they felt the Spirit, accepted the invitation of Moroni, and so are that much closer to living the restored Gospel!!! It was a huge miracle for us, and for the member who got to experience this tender mercy with us!!!

This week has been super great!! I feel like I'm learning so much from the Lord on the mission!!! He is teaching me a lot about strength and love.

Here are some scriptures that I've been pondering on these past few days.

Real Strength, Alma 26:12 "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Mosiah 24:12-16 "And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts. And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.  And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.  And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."

Real Love, Moroni 8:16 "I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.", 1 John 4:18-19 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  We love him, because he first loved us." John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another". John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Both Real Love and Real Strength/Faith are gifts from God. Another thought that we had today in companionship study: Belief is to Faith what Love is to Charity. Faith is Belief so strong that it leads to Action. Charity is Love so strong that it leads to Service. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely incredible!!!

I would like to share with you that I know that our Heavenly Father knows each of us by name, and that He loves us dearly. I know that Jesus Christ understands exactly what we're going through; that the Gospel He taught, and the Zion He established is true and will make our lives happier. I know that God restored His Gospel and His Zion through the prophet Joseph Smith Jr, and that God speaks to us through living prophets today. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that it has great power; it was written for our day.

I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers, that we can receive answers for ourselves, and that our friends can receive answers for themselves.

They need to receive an answer for themselves, so that they can begin to enjoy the full blessings of living the restored Gospel in God's Zion today. You have friends or family members that need to receive an answer for themselves.

Here is a beautiful video of someone who went through a process to get an answer for himself: http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-hope-of-gods-light

Will you share your testimony, along with this video, this week to someone?

Will you please invite them to discover the truth of these things for themselves?

I know that Heavenly Father will help you feel greater peace, and will help you in your efforts to share and invite this week. I know that He will, because He does this for me every day. I love Him, and I know He loves me. I know He loves you, too.

I love you!!

Élder Zubeldia