For Y'all,
My Spanish is improving a lot. The Spirit has at times really panged into my chest. We watched The Testament this past week and the last line of the movie really got me: "Helam." The guy had a son who joined a secret combination but then was abandoned by it when he tried to escape, and then he was rescued by his dad at the time of the Crucifixion when the earth was shattering. The father became blind, but his family got to see Christ when he came. The family saw Christ, and then He walked up to the father, Helam, called him by name, and healed his blindness, and he was able to see Christ. I was incredibly touched by this.
I didn't get a picture of my companion but he's super cool. His name's Elder Clark. He's from Dallas, TX and played soccer. He's an athletic kinda guy, very strong. We're both occasionally quiet but he's quite the party when you get to know him. He's been awesome to get to know. Other than him, the rest of my district (District Mateo) is super cool. We all get along well, and the brotherhood is strong. I think I'm the odd one out a lot of the time because I'm from Oregon and kinda the more musical type, while most of the rest of the guys are from Utah, and they're into sports and whatnot. But it's been fun to kinda compare our lives, and I've certainly had a lot of fun talking about Portland and the weed dispensaries. We don't have anyone who is too strict about rules, no one too awkward or anything. If anyone's too awkward, it would be me, but it wouldn't matter because everyone is accepted in this group of 10.
One of the most touching scriptures that I looked at over this week was in Alma 26:31 (27-31). I've seen it before but it's gonna have more meaning for me. In the scripture, Ammon shares his attitude about his missionary work. He shares about how he's been mocked, scoffed at, stoned, spit upon, but that didn't stop him. He came for the purpose of bringing a few into the Church, and he did so. The people who accepted the Gospel became a friend of his and have become changed people. They have gone out and served people, and they are always of smiling countenances, always happy to help. I'm looking forward to the friends that I'll make through the work, I'm going to love to talk with the families and just love them. I know that there are many who are waiting just for me. Before we came here, we knew who we were going to be in families with, and we knew who we would meet. I know that there are entire families out there who are dying to come to Christ. I can't wait to find them. And in the process, I can't wait to just share this amazing message. God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us, and we can communicate with Him through prayer. There was a plan set before we came here, which would ensure that we could return to His presence if we follow Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ took upon our sins and experienced spiritual death for us so that we would not have to. He experienced all of our suffering so that He could help us throughout life. In our life, we have experienced many trials already, and we will experience many more. But this is what we agreed to before we came here. We are here to gain experience and prepare to meet God. And God gave us a Savior so that we would not have to do this alone, and so that we would have a chance. Jesus Christ truly is our Savior, and he is here to help us through everything. I know that my Redeemer lives. And I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and is written by inspired prophets who wanted the best for their posterity. When we read it, we can gain a witness that Joseph was a prophet, that the Church was restored, that the Priesthood is back on the earth, and that we can gain modern and personal revelation. We can gain a testimony that Jesus is our Savior and that He lives and continues to bless us and perform miracles and heal our own blindness. And we can strive to be like Him through faith unto repentance. And when we are baptized, we can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, which will tell us all things which we should do. And through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can have not just any happiness, but eternal, everlasting happiness. What a message this is. The Church is true.
I'm just super thankful right now. I cannot even remember all the things to be thankful for but I know that a lot of why I've been able to strengthen my testimony is because of y'all's support. I wish I could come back to give one more hug, but I know that there are so many things that I'm going to learn here that I need to learn before I come back. For now, I am going to concert my efforts to be less worried about the things that I can't control; the things that I can control and I need to control is already quite the demand. I want to share my happiness because of the Gospel with the folks I meet. I hope to be filled with the joy I need in my heart and the experience in my head to share. I know that Heavenly Father will provide these things. I will try extra hard to be humble. I will be obedient. I know that there are blessings in store if I do what I am supposed to (thinking about what you've told me, Dad).
I will keep you all updated in weeks to come! I love you guys so much!
Elder Dredge
Elder Braden K. Dredge
Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission
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