Monday, 8 October 2018 ~ Week #63

Hey folks! I don't have lots of time, but I just want to share something with you all. We are starting to see more miracles in our work, and in a manner quite gradual and step by step, but the miracles are there. Here was an experience that I shared with my mission president.

"As we were contacting one day in a portion of our area called La Cienaga, where the chapel sits, we suddenly received a call from an unknown number. The voices on the phones introduced themselves, and apparently were sister missionaries who work in a mission in Mexico Mexico City. Needless to say, we were quite surprised. They told us about an investigator of the Church who received the missionaries in Puerto Barrios and moved to a different place, having lost communication with any missionaries since then. Then some things happened in his life, and he decided to talk to the missionaries again. He found an online program on which he could receive the missionary discussions via video chat; and so he came to know these selfsame sister missionaries. He told them that he lives in Gualan and works in La Cienaga on a ranch. (We were super spooked, because we were contacting right there, on a ranch, when they called, so we were convinced this was no coincidence.) And so they called us! And they told us that they would give us information on his address and when he's available when they could, and already helped him commit to watch general conference. This was very exciting, and my companion and I offered a prayer of gratitude.

Now, the next day was even more astounding. We were walking on a street there in La Cienaga again, and all of a sudden a man walking in our direction calls out to us from a distance saying, "Elderes! Yo necesito un Libro de Mormon!" (Elders! I need a Book of Mormon!) We thought to ourselves, How could this not be this man? We introduced ourselves and he said that his name was Jose Amilcar Luis Guerra... exactly the name we received on phone. He told us about his situation and all about how he encountered the missionaries and the friendship he had with them, and the jab life gave him at one point, and his alcoholism and his separation from God. And he recounted to us his finding that online program on which he could talk with missionaries. This was the most spectacular thing. The Lord truly directs His work, and His plan is perfect. I still marvel at this amazing encounter. We offered yet another prayer of gratitude. We hope to talk with him again!"  

I really am amazed at how the Lord guides His week. I am humbled to be an average 19 year old young man called as His servant. I am far from perfect, and I think I often forget the talents which He has given me which He desires that I use, but I know that He is able to use me as an instrument in His hands. And I know that those who actively take upon the name of Jesus Christ experience this blessing, even without knowing. Truly, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are all shepherds if we follow the example of the Good Shepherd, our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He is guiding His work, and that by way of His glorious plan of redemption He is allowing us to repent and come unto Him, and inspiring us to call others to repent, and in this process gathering His sheep. Truly, everything that is good is of God. I know that these things are true, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week! And continue to notice the little things that the Lord does in your life by counting your blessings!

Elder Dredge

P.S. We got some really good views of our area, Gualan, my companion and I. We climbed a hill today and we were able to see everything from a hundred foot view. I hope we all get the opportunity to do that every once in a while so that we know what things we need to change to put our life in order and in consistency with our eternal perspective (paraphrasing from General Conference).

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Gualan, Guatemala

Elder Dredge looking over his area and loving it!

Elders Dredge and Antunez

Monday, 1 October 2018 ~ Week #62

Buenas tardes, mis amigos y mis seres queridos! I'd just like to share some stuff with you guys from this last week.

There is less active member of the church in our area who has been struggling a bit with his identity as well as worthiness, but who wants to come back to church and make it a part of his life again. And what we shared with him is what I will share with you.

What is your relationship with Jesus Christ right now? In any point, did you feel like you have disappointed him? Do you feel like you have weaknesses, and errors which you make constantly, even after repenting many times? Do you feel like you have exhausted His patience? Allow me to share a passage in the Book of Mormon, which can remind us of what He thinks of us. In 3 Nephi 11, the resurrected Christ comes and appears to the Nephites, the inhabitants of the Americas, and says the following.

8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descendingout of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:

14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

Imagine the hands and feet of the Savior, in that moment, right before your eyes. Imagine what He suffered... He bled from every pore and died so that we might not have to suffer in that way for our own transgressions and sins. All that He asks is to come unto Him, repent of our sins, and have faith in Him, being baptized by water and by fire and by the Holy Ghost. He offered His body and His blood, and asks in return our sins, our fears, our pride, and our hearts. It is gentle but bold invitation, to come unto Him, and to follow Him.

I have never seen a painting so beautifully and clearly painted of my own weaknesses and my fears in any other part of my life than the mission. I recognize all the things I lack. I want to be a better son and brother and friend, and I want to make sure that in the future I can be the best father and spouse and leader that I can. Nonetheless, it is all in vain if I don't do it for Christ. I realize that when I begin to fear and worry in my personal improvement, I begin to have low self esteem, and I grow tense, and I make excuses, and I stop trying, and I don't feel happy in the end. But when I pray, and I bring these things to my Heavenly Father, recognizing that I am in a fallen state, and remembering the divine mission of the Savior which He committed to accomplish since the beginning--to save us from our fallen state, I gain hope, and I don't lose self esteem, but rather I humble myself, and it is all put in perspective. In the end, I am happier when the things I am trying to do is dedicated to the Savior, and no one else.

Is this something I remember constantly? No. I am still very human. I might even almost be the same person I was before the mission. But I now know what it means to make it all about Christ.

Now, I hope that this reaches you, whoever it is that reads this, whether you are a member of the Church or not. I hope that what I write helps you in your own personal conversion to Christ. It is personal, and it is between you and Him. And when you pray, it is between you and Him. When you do service, it is between you and Him. When you have fears and personal struggles, make it between you and Him. When you have anger towards another person, or pride, or any sort of feeling which would not be pleasing unto Him, make it between you and Him. After all, and when we are presented before our Father to be judged of our deeds, it is He who will be our judge. I know that He is the Savior, and I know that His Gospel is true. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week!

Your friend,

Elder Dredge

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Monday, 24 September 2018 ~ Week #61

Hey everybody! It's Elder Dread-hey, and boy am I excited to share my week with you all.

I'm now working with my new companion, Elder Antunez. We hit it off super well this week, he's

 already like a brother to me. He's from Honduras, and has 10 months in the mission. And I am 

apparently his third companion from Oregon! He is a super playful guy, likes to joke around, but 

he is also very dedicated and humble. We have made a good team as we have worked together this 

week, I'm going to enjoy this transfer with him.

We are also sharing lots of spiritual experiences. We have been really dedicating ourselves to focus 

on the most important people and their most important problems, loving them and serving them, 

while in the process talking to as many people as we can and blessing them, befriending them, and 

serving them. It really hit me this week, to remember to just lose myself in service. It has been

 much like a mood for me throughout the mission, as it has come for long periods of time, and has 

gone for periods of time as well. And I have been so much happier and content with the things I 

have been doing every day with my companion. I would like for it to be a way of life and a way of 

being rather than a mood so that I could feel this happy for the rest of my life.

Here a couple experiences I would like to share with you all, the first which I shared with my 

wonderful mom, and the second I shared with my mission president.

1. We visited the Pascual family for the first time, who are relatives of the Ramirez, and this visit 

was wholly led by the Spirit. Everyone who was there gathered and directed us to the mother who 

was laying sick in her bed, and she asked us to give her a blessing. We weren't sure if she was 

member in the way that she asked, so we showed her a scripture in James 5 about calling the elders 

to give an anointing and a blessing. And so there we were, my companion giving the blessing, and 

everyone in the family gathered, witnessing the blessings of the restored gospel. It was awesome.

 And right after, we spoke to all of them, establishing our relationship with them as missionaries, 

messengers of the Lord to teach His gospel, and desirous to help them understand and experience 

its blessings again (almost all of them were baptized as children in the Church). There was one, 

Estuardo Pascual, who was talking with us about what he remembers from going to Church, and he 

told us he wants to come back again, and bring his wife too (she is not a member). He told us he 

wants to find a new job however, because his boss will not allow him Sundays off, and if he 

attempts, he may lose the job, and not know where else to go to find employment. We asked him to 

bring up the My Path to Self-Reliance packet on his phone (--a packet provided by the Church that 

helps members to be self sufficient--), and helped him to understand the purpose, and we even 

returned to bring him a triplet of the Scriptures so that he could read it and follow along with the 

Scriptures. He was committed to do it. We will see how's he doing, but we were so glad to be able 

to help him.

2. We were able to have an unplanned afternoon as a family yesterday with a young boy (10 years 

old) named Christopher. He has already gone to church three times and likes it, but he didn't go 

these last three weeks because of sickness in the part of his family who has been bringing him, and 

this last week he didn't go because all of a sudden his father didn't let him go. We had the first 

chance to really have an appointment with him yesterday and we observed that he wasn't able to 

decide firmly to get baptized because of this division in his family; he lives with his father, but his 

grandmother, his two older sisters, and his uncle live in a different house. But when we came, we 

were able to talk with him and his grandmother, and we began to teach the Restoration. Right when 

we were about to talk about Joseph Smith, his sisters came and joined us. And when we talked 

about the Book of Mormon, his sisters bore to him such heartfelt testimonies. His older sister 

apologized to him for her hard personality, and expressed to him that he wanted to know how much

 she loved him and wanted him to feel the joy that the Gospel brings. He was crying, both sisters 

were crying, the grandmother was crying too... we were all kind of crying right there, because the 

Spirit was present, and his heart was opened. We hope he remembers this experience, and takes his 

sisters' commitment to read the Book of Mormon every day.

This was the main scripture that moved me this week to serve these families.

17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may 

learn that when ye are in the service of your fellowbeings ye are only in the 

service of your God.

Is there any one way in which we can learn to develop a stronger desire to serve God and to love 

him and to obey him? Yes, and it is being the ray of sunlight in the life of another person, in small 

or big ways, every day. We develop more love for God as we develop more love for His children, 

and we develop more love for His children in the way that He loves them when we follow the 

Savior's example and serve them, blessing them and helping them using our God-given talents, 

gifts, experience and abilities. This is, indeed, the essence of Gospel-living. I know that this Gospel 

is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I say in 

the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week! And think to yourself everyday, in every situation, What would the Savior 

do if He were in my situation? What would I do if He were standing beside me? Pray unto Him to 

guide you and help you and comfort you, remember these things, and thank Him for the blessings 

you experience, and in this manner will you come closer to Christ.

Elder Dredge

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

New companion ~ Elder Antunez (Honduras)

Monday, 17 September 2018 ~ Week #60

Hey folks, how's everything going on the other side?

It's been a bit of a tough week over here, but that's okay. And I am sad to say that my beloved companion Elder Cifuentes will be leaving. He has been an awesome companion, and I learned a lot with him. He showed me how to be have fun on the mission while still being an obedient disciple of Jesus Christ, and how to laugh at myself when I made mistakes. I'm going to miss the guy a lot.

Something that has been pressing on my mind is remembering the way Jesus Christ treated others. I try to remember this as I pray and read the Scriptures and live the Gospel. I think that in times I have been hard with myself, striving to repent and be more like Him. But when I turn back to Him and remember the manner in which He treated those who had a sincere desire to improve and to follow Him, I realize that I could do the same, and go back to work and serve. And I have learned that the Gospel is indeed true, because I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life, making little and slight but noticeable changes in me, as well as in the lives of those whom I teach and serve. I know that He is the Savior, and that He has restored His Church. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week, and continue to count your blessings!

Elder Dredge

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Scenic Gualan ~ Taking a moment