Hey folks! Your buddy from south of the border just reached his ''bump day'' this past week, January 25 (beginning in July 25 of last year)---six months in the mission, woo!!!
But I must admit, this is quite the bump. It has been a hard week. Elder Martinez and I have been struggling with enduring to the end. I have been experiencing a little more depression. Elder Martinez admits that the area in which we are working is his Gethsemane. Our spirits have been low many times during the week.
However, we have seen some blessings this week. I had a phone call visit from a very helpful lady, Sis. George, with whom my mission president arranged for me to talk. President saw my need for some mental counseling, so she called this past Friday, and she reminded me to breathe and to not stress so much about what I am not doing, and accept my work as it is. She was so caring, I couldn't help but tear up as I called. I was urged by the Spirit to give a long prayer to my loving Heavenly Father after this.
We also saw some a miracle, witnessing the complete reactivation of a man with whom we met a month ago, who has been busy with work, was burdened with the near death of a family friend, and teared up upon hearing our Christmas message. He is now an amazing example of a converted disciple to Christ. It truly was a spiritual experience for me to see him come back to the faith. In the same meeting we saw a whole family experience something similar, coming back to the Church for the first time in years, including older brothers who have received tattoos and been addicted to smoking, coming with their children. I couldn't help but smile. I was amazed to be able to see the hand of the Lord in this instance.
So, I just want to share a word on prayer. I think it is very easy to fall into a routine with prayer. You, my friend, may be the type of Christian that blesses every meal. You may say a prayer every morning and night. You might be praying for some special blessings every now and then in certain difficult circumstances. I know you know how often you pray.
However often you pray, I would exhort you to, whenever you can lay aside a good 20 minutes or more, just have a conversation with your loving Heavenly Father. Kneel at your bedside, in your home, in your quiet place during the day, and tell Him about how you are doing. Tell Him about what is occupying you, what you are looking for, what you are stressed about, what you need help with. Be open and sincere with Him, because after all He is your literal spiritual Father. You may find that as you talk to Him, you find things to be thankful for. You might realize what it important in your life. You might be asking for help, but at the same time He might be speaking to your mind that which you are capable to do. You might feel like it is a conversation you will need more time to finish.
I was at my bedside this afternoon with a little notepad, a pencil, and a copy of the Book of Mormon. As I offered my prayer, I looked in the scripture guide at the back of the book under the topic of Thought, and 2 Nephi 32:8-9 came to my interest. It reads as follows.
8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.
9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.
The Lord grieves as well when we continue to ponder in our hearts, pondering the things that we can really turn to Him for help. Another scripture came to mind, which reads as follows.
36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
We can receive counsel and support for literally anything we do throughout the day. We simply just need to pray. We can pray at any time, and any where. We can keep in constant communication with our Heavenly Father. Though a little ''appointment'' with Him would always be lovely and resolve many of our problems, which we can still do if we set apart the time, we can always say a little prayer in the heart for every thing that we do. The moment of prayer is any moment before, after, or during a moment in which we need His help or simply want to talk with Him.
I testify that our Heavenly Father loves us and is always listening. I can also testify that He answers our prayers, whether it is months after the prayer or upon utterance of the words spoken. He is our spiritual Father, always willing to listen to us. He is willing to help us. He will guide us and protect us and aid us if we simply ask His help. We can gain a close and personal relationship with Him. We can see His hand in our lives. He has a plan for us, each and every one of us. He knows us personally and knows what experiences we need to improve. And these things are made possible by the marvelous expiatory sacrifice voluntarily and willingly fulfilled by our loving and divine Savior Jesus Christ. I say these things in His sacred name, amen.
I love you, I pray for you, and I hope you have a wonderful week!
Elder Dredge
Elder Braden K. Dredge
Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission
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