Monday, 26 March 2018 ~ Week #35

Hey! How was your week this past week? I hope it was straight-up blessed.

This was a rather normal week, but I have been noticing changes in mentality. One, if you wake up very tired, or if you are tired in the middle of the day, you do not have to feel or act tired. A little bit of lost sleep or lack of energy does not have to restrict you from a change of mood. I won't lie, I'm not a not-weird person, but I personally like to sing the Mr. Rogers theme song. Two, it is always good to count your blessings. It can give you a bright attitude towards the day. You can see the good in the course of events of the day, the things that you see, the things that you have in your house and in your neighborhood and in your town, the people that you know and the things that they are good at, the things you are good at, the trials that you have in your life, and the wonderful life that you have. Because let's be real here... if we have so many reasons to be happy, why not we be happy? Let's continue to count our blessings!

Anyway, I would just like to share an experience I had yesterday. To introduce these things, allow me to say that I know that the Lord watches over His children. He is the Lord over our lives. He knows our struggles. He gives us our lives to be able to progress, and it is the difficult times which help us progress the most. He knows what we need in the very moment we need them. We all need to learn dependence on the Lord. We all need to learn trust in Him. We all need to learn how to come unto Him, and allow His atoning sacrifice to bless our lives. Regardless, we may experience things in which we think, "How could there be another living being who knows exactly what I am going through? There is absolutely no one that I know. How can I be comforted? Is this the way life is supposed to be?" But let it be known that when Jesus Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He took upon himself our pains, each and every one, that He might know how to succor us (Alma 7:11-12). He knows us perfectly and is anxious to bless us. And that which Jesus Christ did for us, His great atoning work, He still does, and does it because He loves us.

"We visited with a mother of a less active family who has been struggling with work and has had marital problems earlier this year. We shared with her and her family an activity which is called Cristo el la Razon (Christ is the Reason). The Spirit was very strong in the room as the family sat imagining Christ in front of them. The mother particularly was touched. We were inspired to say that even in times when we think absolutely nobody understands what it is we are suffering, Christ knows perfectly. In her prayer, she thanked the Lord for 'sending us in the most opportune time, the moment when she needed us most.' We were humbled to be instruments of the Lord in that very instance.

"We also visited with another mother of a less active family, who has been struggling with marital problems. Her house is right under the house of other family. We were about to say goodnight and goodbye to her too, but we decided to walk right on over. We found her weeping by the door of her house, being comforted by a couple of her children. When Elder Reyes (my companion) asked if there was anything we could do for her, she said, 'Pray, just pray for me, Elders.' We were just about to leave but then I asked, 'Is it okay if we sit down and stay for a little while with you, sister?' She sent her kids into the house to have just her eldest son out with us. As we listened to her, we discovered that her husband, whom we visited just a week back, has been physically and emotionally abusive to her. We had seen absolutely no sign of it, we were quite shocked. Elder Reyes was particularly able to relate with her and share his counsel because he has gotten out of that family situation, and he told me, 'Me duele tanto que una otra familia sufre eso' (It hurts me so much that another family would suffer that). We reminded her of some truths wrought by the Atonement, that 'we can faith in not just our own change, but in that others can change too,' and that 'there are things within our control which we can do to be able to bring a spirit of love and peace in your home.' We referred her to the bishop and invited her to sing with us a hymn, and create a practice with her kids to read scriptures and pray together and sing hymns. She was very thankful that we came. Elder Reyes remarked that night, 'In those two moments, we were where we should have been'."

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week, and don't forget to spend a moment every day counting at least a good lot of the blessings which our beloved Father in Heaven confers unto you.

Your friend,

Elder Dredge

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Monday, 19 March 2018 ~ Week #34

Hey! I hope you had a wonderful week this week. This one was pretty cool for me.

I just want to share a little something. Over here we put an emphasis in our work on those who are already of the faith but are falling in some way. Elder Reyes and I had a couple experiences with this.

One was with a young lady Karol who has not gone to Church for some time. She has not related very well with the other young women her age because of her different lifestyle. She is the only member in her own family who is a member of the Church, so she really doesn't have a lot of support. Anyway, her main hobby is graffiti painting. We saw some of her works and I must say she is very talented. However, this talent of hers comes with a lifestyle--a certain type of people you get to know, a certain message you express with your art, and the such. Now, this led to an interesting conversation. Graffiti painting is a talent which indeed leads to a lifestyle that is perhaps one a bit apart of the way of the Gospel of Christ. But at the same time, I don't believe our Heavenly Father would give us a gift to put away, but rather let it shine. What came to mind is that graffiti is an art form, thus it is not about what exactly you say, but how you express it, thus you can express what you want. I offered my perspective on theater and of music, as those are two art forms I really have come to like. You can express what you desire with a theatrical performance just as well as the song that you wrote, so why not with the murals you paint on the cement walls on the streets of Guatemala?

What I want to convey with this is that our Heavenly Father knows us personally, and does not give us gift the which we cannot use unto Him. We are all blessed with gifts, speaking within the realm of the arts or not. Nevertheless, as sons and daughters of Him, just as of our parents on Earth, we carry His qualities. The Lord God made the Earth, aparted the land and oceans, and created His many different species, even the birds, the bears, the fish, and every thing in between... and He created all of the stars and the galaxies as well. And all of these things testify of Him, testifying to His wisdom and glory. Thus, why would we not ourselves, as His beloved creations, His spirit children, testify of Him?

And another which I will share in short was with a businessman who married a member of the Church and shared his conversion story along with his business. He shared how at one point he was in the "career rat wheel" until all of a sudden, one night in the hotel room where he stayed at the time, he prayed with all of his heart, asking what he can change so that he can have joy in his career and provide and support his family. And that was 16 years ago. He described his experience part by part, each having begun with a prayer. I reminded him that that is how revelation from God works--we don't receivee the entire answer in one moment, but we progress part by part until we reach the promised land, question by question, precept by precept.

In the Book of Mormon, there was a man who was known as the brother of Jared, or Mahonri Moriancumr. (Ether 1-3). He eventually had to flee from the tumbling tower of Babel, to reach the promised land. But that wasn't how the revelation was. He had to flee to the wilderness, then find wood and materials and everything to build barges to cross the sea, then find a source of air, and a source of light, so that he could reach the promised land, which happens to be here, on thee American continent. At first, he didn't even know of such a land, let alone that he had to flee to the wilderness until He asked the Lord. And Mahonri always knew exactly what he needed. Each part of the process, as he prayed for more counsel from the Lord, his will was more in tune with that of the Lord. Thus came the question which the Lord posed on him when he asked for a source of light for the boat.

23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.
24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.
25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? (Ether 2:23-25)

And this is the way the Lord is with us. He knows our needs, even before we pray. So why do we ask? It is not because the Lord wants to bless us, but rather because the Lord desires that we come to be more like Him. More wise, more diligent, more humble, more faithful, more holy. The construction of barges, as our own personal pursuits, is perhaps temporal, but nonetheless we need to seek the counsel of the Lord. Perhaps in our own life's decisions we don't know where to live, or what kind of home, or if we should rent or buy, or what job we need to pursue, what classes to take, how much money to spend, all the such. But in all these things we are reaching the promised land. I imagine this letter only reaches those who lives in the States, or at least on the American continent, so allow me the freedom to say that God truly consecrated the land on which we live to experience liberty and blessings directly from Him as far as we obey His commandments and depend on Him.

Ether 2:12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.

My main message here is that we should remember to depend on God. We should always consider that which is within our strength and that which isn't. And when we recognize that which isn't within our strength, we should pray. And we should pray even before thinking about it. And then we should pray after thinking about it. And then we should pray even if we are still thinking about it, the thing which concerns us, or the problem wee cannot solve, or thee aspect of our lives that we are trying to fix. We are always dependent on God, for He always gives us something that we need to overcome. And I testify to you that He never gives us a trial or problem or decision harder than we can handle. He will help us in every step of life. The answers do not come all at once, but rather precept by precept. I know that if we continue in consistent, fervent and sincere communication with our Heavenly Father in prayer, He will give us the answers, and He will provide us with His strength to hold us up and to do that which He asks us if we find it beyond the strength which we already have.

Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week! Always count your blessings.

Elder Dredgee

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Monday, 12 March 2018 ~ Week #33

Hey folks! I could not write much because I said so much to say to my family and to my
mission leaders, but needless to say it was a crazy week. We listened to the words of an Apostle, we went to the temple, I got moved by emergency to a different area in my zone, Pinares 1, an elderly couple got married and baptized, and it was my birthday. That is the summary of my week, which is crazy but wonderful and faith-promoting week, and now I
just need to share a word with you.

I reflect on my experiences living particularly in Newberg, Oregon. There are many
different churches and many different faiths and philosophies within just that little suburb
which I love, and because of this, all of my friends have many different unique beliefs, the
which I have had a pleasure to converse with many of them. And what I reflect on this is
that everyone that I knew had a disposition to share their beliefs in one way or another.
You absolutely knew who the Christians are in my school because they are so anxious
to share the wonderful news of Christ with others. And you knew who wasn't, but I have
never seen a bitter soul among at least my own friends who do not believe in Christ.

And so I would just like to encourage whoever is reading this letter to share your beliefs.
There is something that everyone has which gives them hope. There are something
important for everyone. If you have not had many conversations this past week stepping
beyond small-talk and talking about what makes you you, I would urge you to do so. Put
your church into your conversation. If you are talking about the disasters or the conflict
that is going on in the world, explain what you think is really, really going on, and ask
your neighbor what they think. Talk about your family. I could continue the list, but
these are things that perhaps we already do. So I would encourage you to talk about
what is important to you, and listen to what is important to your neighbor.

I talked with my companion Elder Reyes about these things. We discussed as brothers
and sisters brought together in mortal life, we already share the things that we love. The
food we eat, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the places we like to go, all of
these things so that our neighbor can enjoy this life a little bit more. Well, why not we
treat our faith the same way? Does it not make our own time here more special? Does
it not affect the way we look at life and the things we do?

My brothers and sisters, it is my pleasure to be one of many to share with you that this
restored Gospel has made a significant difference in my life. It has given me the strength
to be the kind of person that I know I could not be without the divine teachings of my
Savior Jesus Christ. It has helped me to not only know that I have a Father in Heaven,
but also to know how I can strengthen my relationship with Him and become more like
Him. The love of God manifest to me in every day in my life motivates me to wake up
and to got to bed with a heart full of thanks to my Lord, and inspires me to share this
love with others. I am so thankful for this wonderful Gospel, and I hope that everyone
who I meet comes to at least learn of it. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and I know that
Joseph Smith is a prophet of the Lord. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of
God, and that whoever reads it and prays to God about its teachings may find another
way to strengthen their relationship with God. I have experienced this for myself, and I
absolutely love the fruits that come as a result of it. I give this solemn witness in the
name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week my friends!

Elder Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

New Companion - Elder Reyes

New Area - Pinares 1

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Monday, 5 March 2018 ~ Week #32

Hey folks! How go things on the other side of the world? And have I expressed to you all how joyful and grateful I am to the Lord to serve here in a particularly trying and difficult area to serve? I have been asking myself many questions, just because of the things that I have seen, and these questions have been helping me to grow spiritually as I study them with prayer.

Here in Las Ilusiones, I see a grand majority here who tend to be much too busy to spend very much time with their families, in the very process of providing for them. And certain families do not fully cease the time that they have together to spend it together in wholesome activities. Whether they are Catholics, Evangelicals, or of some other creed, or even members of the Church, they seem to have a lack. Looking through a Gospel perspective, there is something that they are lacking, and they may or may not be aware of it. They have found themselves in a routine.

And perhaps this may have been the same from what I have observed back home, and I never noticed! Are you in a routine? Are you sensing a lack and you are not sure why? Now this is a question that applies to all faiths. I remember being very tired and busy and stressed and depressed at the same time at certain points in my high school career, trying to keep grades up, perform well in all of the different projects with which I was involved, simply trying to do all things right and good but at the same time seeing my own weeknesses and not feeling like I could keep up with everything. But my friend Robert Bohall (my beloved jazzer, whom I mention in many of my conversations about the piano with the folks here) reminded me in an email of the optimism which I had even in the midst of these things. Perhaps there were times in which I didn't notice I had optimism, but other times in which I really needed to push myself and keep the attitude. And I think about these things now and I must admit, optimism is very important. We cannot do anything without optimism. I certainly needed optimism in such times. I think I was perhaps even compelled to think that things ought to be alright in the end!

Now why do I mention the concept of a routine, and the concept of optimism? It is because I want to extend a reminder, a reminder from that which we have learned from the life before, that we are here so that we may eventually return to God. There are smaller tasks and smaller objectives everywhere, and we have many of these smaller tasks and objectives filling our entire days and our entire lives. Studying for this amount of time, attending classes for this amount of time, learning and understanding this much, earning and spending this much money, having this amount of time with family, and this amount of time to sleep. Folks, this life is short. I think we need to consider what the reason of it all is. Let us remember the teachings of Christ to His disciples, in Luke chapter 12.

22 ¶ And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 ¶ But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ in these Latter Days, I testify that our Heavenly Father has given us our lives that we may learn these things, and have faith in Him, that we may have a chance before that final day, the time in which no labor can be performed, to experience the joy of His Gospel. There is a type of joy, of peace, of happiness, of feeling complete, and of feeling that life has a reason, that nothing in the world can replace. Truly, we are complete if we strive to live the Gospel--in gaining a stronger testimony of this Gospel and living it. And we can let our own testimony of this Gospel guide our decisions. And I know that if we strive to follow the example, the counsel, and the influence of Christ, we will never have to worry about having enough of the "things," but we can be completely focused on the kingdom of God. And if we do all that we can, and not put anything aside of said purpose, to earn the praise of our Heavenly Father, and listen to His counsel, and love Him with all of our heart in doing these things, not to mention loving our fellow men, sharing this great love that God has for us--I say, if we do these things, we will have eternal life, and we will experience a good portion of it even in this life. I strive to keep this joy with me each day. And even if things get hard, and I struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I will always have hope--that constant optimism that keeps me going. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week! Count your blessings!

Elder Dredge

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

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