Monday, 28 May 2018 ~ Week #44

Hey folks! How was your week? I don't think I have talked to so many people in my life this 

past week, it was definitely something to remember. We did some contacting in the bus, which 

I usually have lots of fear doing.

But for now I would just like to share a short message about family history, because last night 

I had the pleasure (and the permission) to participate. We logged in on familysearch.org and 

found some spectacular things. I was able to print some memories from the aunt and grandmother 

of my grandpa Dredge, and, recognizing that these relatives of mine are just on the other side with 

my Heavenly Father, I decided to pray to him, before reading the documents, to feel the Spirit of 

Elijah and to learn from their examples. Though I didn't finish reading these biographies, I 

experienced a wonderful flush of the Spirit. These were wonderful woman who lived the Gospel 

to such a level. And reading about them, I feel like I can too.

I would encourage any one of you to do the same. Do it in the spirit of prayer. Think of your 

ancestors looking down upon you, just hoping you would learn of them. Then read some 

scrapbooks of them. Pull out even one scrapbook, and read one diary or biography written 

of them. Think of your relationship with them, and what they would want you to learn from 

them, as if they were with you in the moment.

I testify that families can be together forever, and that our loving Heavenly Father has made it 

possible by restoring the power and authority necessary to seal them together for the eternities 

in the name of Jesus Christ. He has given us our families to keep, and we can keep them and 

be eternally happy with them if we live the ordinances of the Gospel and rely on our Savior. 

He has an amazing plan for us of which we are all a part, as His family. I know that one day 

we will all meet again, and that if we do our part in God's plan for us, we will meet again and 

in the presence of our Father and His Beloved Son. I say these things in the name of Jesus 

Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week, brothers and sisters. Be always aware of the hand of God in your life, 

and pray to Him that you may be more conscious of it.

Elder Dredge

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

A little family history research!

Friday, 25 May 2018 ~ Photos

Just a couple of pictures from Guatemala that didn't get into the weekly blog post.  Enjoy!!

Elder Sinto -- Mission complete

A simple game with new companion

New companion -- Elder German from Dominican Republic

The joy of sharing the gospel with the people of Guatemala

Monday, 21 May 2018 ~ Week #43

Hey folks! How's your week been? No, really, how has your week been--these last seven days, that is? Did you enjoy every moment of your week, or have you been going through a routine? Did you learn something new, or did you only struggle? And don't tell me there wasn't at least one thing you struggled with this last week, because we all struggle. 

I imagine as you reflect on your week, you perhaps didn't have the best attitude 24-7, and you may have had some difficult things going on. But allow me to ask now, did you remember to read? That is, read your scriptures?

There are many different books and manuals that we have to help us in the things we do. Textbooks for our studies, and manuals to understand the tasks in our work. And we have teachers who supervise our schoolwork to assure that we comprehend the material we learn, professors who help us prepare for the career we desire to pursue, and managers or executives who desire that we do our part in the company of which he is in charge. And so we read the book and ask the man for help to do his work and enjoy it.

Now perhaps we haven't thought so much of the very life we live as a school or a workplace. But it is, and there are teachers and professors. And there are is a great Master whom we serve as his apprentice. And if we suffer so much in life, and yet we realize that we have a Father in Heaven who is ever so willing to help us, perhaps we should communicate with Him, and read His book.

Let's put this in an example: Bill Gates has written many books on how to be a billionaire, I'm pretty sure. And I'm pretty certain he knows how to do it. So how can we learn from him to be a billionaire. Do we read his book? Or could we just ask him in person? Trick question: we simply do both. You could gain the knowledge from the book and learn from the experiences Mr. Gates has had, but you can also ask him for help to analyze your situation and help you have your own experiences with the things he explains in his book, and learn even more from him as you allow him to help you.

Now what are the attributes we relate to Bill Gates? Smart, diligent, efficient, good leadership.

And the attributes we relate to God?

I need to end now, but I hope that we could all read the Scriptures, that we might be able to be more like our Father in Heaven. I know that He lives. I know that Christ lives. I know that He helps us in every effort we consecrate to be more like Him. I have seen His hand in my life. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week, and "remember to read."

Elder Dredge

P.S. I have a new companion Elder German, and this has been the manner in which we have helped everyone with whom we have talked to read the Scriptures and pray. I hope this has helped.

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Monday, 14 May 2018 ~ Week #42

Hello my friends! Why it looks like I only have a little bit of time to write but here we go.

This week I learned a lot from Elder Sinto, who will be going home early in the morning this Wednesday. He has taught me a lot about being a man. Taking iniciative, not blaming circumstances or others for our failures to complete tasks, facing fears, acting in spite.... things like that, I got a lot from his example, and learned a lot from his experiences in his 24 months of being a full-time missionary and servant of the Lord.

I just want to remind you all that there are lots of things which we can do from our own free will and desire for our own salvation. Because of our agency, our ability to choose right and wrong, we are all equally capable of choosing the right, and experiencing the fulness of joy which our Father in Heaven wants us to experience. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." I give this as a reminder, because I think it is too easy to fall into the habit of praying to God for the things we want, yet without realizing how much we can do on our part to obtain the blessings we ask for.

And so I will speak a little on prayer. I would advise every one of you to ask yourselves this week, "What am I praying for when I pray? How much can I do to assist in the obtaining of my answer? And what is the answer which I expect from God?" You might be struggling to find an answer to a question. You might have a very hard decision to make. You may need to do a difficult task. You may need a boost of courage or strength to do these things. But remember to first have faith in God, and take a moment to consider the love He has for you, and His anxiousness to help you and strengthen you and encourage you. He might hold back a certain blessing to teach a different lesson, but just remember that there is no such thing as a delayed blessing from God. God only asks that we do our best. "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

I know that our Heavenly Father is mindful of us, and is willing to answer our prayers. I fully trust in His plan for me, and I know that there is nothing that could impede Him from directing His glorious work, of bringing to pass the "the immortality and eternal life of man." I have seen His hand in my life. I have heard His voice quite loud teaching me the things which I have so desperately needed to hear. I have felt my heart burn as I have learned from Him to be more direct, having received the strength to do so; to be more responsable; to be more courageous; to learn the importance of the things I do as His servant. He loves us so dearly, and He desires that we learn to love Him, so that in the end, when we see Him face to face, we will be without guilt in His presence, and rather happy, happy above any and every other source of joy, to see Him before us, finally reunited with Him as an important member of His eternal, celestial family. I know that one day, if we have faith in our Savior and Redeemer and follow Him, He will accept us into His arms in that wonderful and glorious day. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week, my friends. Don't forget to count your blessings.

Love,

Elder Dredge (or Dread-hay, that is totally fine with me)

.

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala-Guatemala City East Mission

Monday, 7 May 2018 ~ Week #41

My beloved brethren of the West, it's a pleasure to speak to you again.

I just realized that, in all my time being here in Zone 18 in Guatemala, I haven't reported

anything about guns... but I don't bring any news of worry. I've been in some very tranquil

parts all of my mission. I am not encountering any mareros (gangsters) around here,

thankfully. I have seen many sick and poor dogs... and I have seen a great few drunkards

walking around who happen to know a great lot of English, one of which who we met this

week, and we will baptize him by July, but for now, Guatemala has treated me well. My

dog bites basically don't leave any scar now, and the scar higher up on my leg from my

paintball accident is still apparent and itches from time to time but it's all good. So there's

that. And I am often still encountering interesting people, but not toooo interesting. We've

been meeting with a middle aged man who is incredibly intelligent and has studied the

Bible quite a lot, but has a great doubt about recognizing impressions from the Spirit. He

thinks that there isn't a way to discern the Spirit of God from an angel of light (the devil).

So we'll see how it goes the next time we meet with him!

This past week I also reached a high point of the strength of my companionship with Elder

Sinto. He has just 9 more days left in the mission but he is nonetheless "echando fuego"

(throwing fire, or in other words working super hard). And he helped me explain one of my

biggest doubts during my mission. He asked me why I wanted to serve a mission, and be

sincere in my response. I told him that I honestly felt a responsability as a member of this

Church to serve as a missionary. It is a type of service that only those who hold the restored

Priesthood of Christ could take on. I want to at least show my Heavenly Father, as well as

my family, that I could be His servant and share the blessings I have received thanks to His

Gospel to my brothers and sisters in whatever part of the world. And I would like to say

with the fulness of my heart that it is because of my love for the Lord. But I come to ask

myself, how much do I truly love the Lord? And if I don't love the Lord as much as I desire

to love Him, how can I learn to love Him more? Elder Sinto affirmed my desire to serve by

duty, and helped me understand how to learn to love the Lord more. So the question is: how

does one develop greater love for God?

It is similar to how one develops a muscle. You can increase its size upon using heavier

weights in coordinated movements. But increasing the size of the muscle should not be the

end goal, but rather enjoying the process of becoming stronger. And how does a muscle

become stronger? The muscle is strengthened when it is exerted to its limit. It experiences

opposition. It performs its best. It takes on the weight heavier than weeks before to be able

to experience pain. And what I personally noted from the metaphor is that increased strength

does not come before exertion of strength, but afterward.

So how does that apply to developing greater love for God? The key is to not receive the

love first, but to seek opportunities to increase it. This comes by, first, expressing the love

you already have... and I often don't take this into account. And I think the grand majority

of us already love others quite a lot. Let's not forget that every time we are serving our

brethren, we are doing our Father a favor (Mosiah 2:17). And then we seek more

opportunities to love, perhaps to love more than perhaps we are capable. And we pray for

the ability to do so (Moroni 7:45-48).

Now, my friends on the other side of the hemisphere, I encourage you all to think upon

this metaphor as you personally strive to love God more. Seek to strengthen your heart

in the same way you strengthen your muscle. Ask yourself if you are doing your best.

Ask yourself if you are serving others as you would like to be served. Ask yourself if

your very presence helps another person understand what it is like to be in the presence

of our Savior. We can learn from the example of our Savior himself, as He had the highest

degree of love for us, and, by suffering the greatest heights of pain in our place, showed

us that love. Even in the process, it was hard for Him; and why was it hard for him?

Because He had never sought to give such a high expression of love, an expression of love

which was even the most painful of all. But we know that Christ himself, in paying the

price of our sins, has exerted himself to the highest of limits, has experienced all the

opposition we would face in our lives (Alma 7:11-12) and has performed His best.

My friends, I know that Jesus lives, and He loves us, and guides us to come unto Him. I

know that His plan is perfect, and is better than our own. I know that if we exercise faith

in Him and allow Him to change us, doing everything we can to follow Him, we will be

forgiven of our sins, and even our very natures will be changed. "For we labor diligently

to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be

reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do"

(2 Nephi 25:23). The grace of Christ has played a large impact in my life, and I know

that by it, even though at times I struggle to recognize it, I realize now that I have come

to love my Heavenly Father more than ever before. Jesus is the Christ. I say these things

in His sacred name, amen.

Have a wonderful week, and might I remind you to count your blessings too.

Your friend and your Elder among the Mayans,

Elder Dredge (or you could say Elder Dread-hay, I'm still fine with that)

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

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Monday, 30 April 2018 ~ Week #40

Hey folks! How's it going?

I will try to be short this week. My comp Elder Sinto and I had lots to do because he won't have

a lot of time the next week, coming to a close on his mission. I have seen blessings of faith in

Christ this past week, and this is something which I would like to speak on.

Faith in Christ means we believe in Him. We recognize His desire for us to come back in live

with Him. We recognize that the has a plan for us to achieve that. We also know that we are part

of that plan, and that He wants us to help him. We are the family of God, and are here to help

each other to come back to Him. When we are learning about His plan, studying the scriptures

and looking for His hand in our lives, we are exercising faith in Him, and strengthening it. When

we are acting upon what we learn from the Scriptures and strive to be more like our Savior, we

are offering our hand to help in His plan and following it ourselves. It is a wondrous plan which

our Heavenly Father has set for us to live. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As a missionary, I am here to testify that whoever studies the Gospel and learns it, and seeks to

apply it, will indeed feel a sense of happiness and meaning that none other source can provide.

Jesus Christ loves us, and our Heavenly Father loves us. I have felt that love in my life, and I

hope to every soul I know to come to feel that love even more, even unto the perfect day. I say

these things in His sacred name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week!

Elder Dredge (or Dread Hay)

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Monday, 23 April 2018 ~ Week #39

Looks like it's another letter from your friend here down in Mayan land! How've you been this week?

This week was pretty crazy. My companion got very sick and had some appointments with the doctor. He's been handling everything awesome, just has been vomiting a bit.... One day we actually had to go to Taco Bell right after leaving a hospital so that he could do his own exam.... and then go to a different hospital. That was wild, and I hope I never have to see him do that again. Or any of my future companions. It is a bit too easy to get sick here in Guatemala, especially when you're a North American, so you really have to be careful.

Because of that, we did not have very many appointments. Many appointments fell, which was hard to bear. But we did meet with a family whose father-in-law is ready to be baptized and has been ready for a while, only he needs to get married legally with his wife. Elder Sinto has been helping me with being more direct, a wonderful attribute he has to share with me, so I took his counsel, and I set the situation clear with this man. He recognizes the blessings of the Gospel, but he has been wanting his parents to give permission to be baptized. His parents live 4 hours away and only speak Kekchi, and have not had much chance to come here to Guatemala City in Zona 18. It is hard, but I was regardless sensitive to that at first, but I didn't take into account the eternal consequences until Elder Sinto explained to me. I realized that it is eternally more important to first procure the Salvation of one's own, then one's own family, then then "los demas" (everyone else). It is noble that he wants to be in accord with his parents, but it is more important that he is in accord with God. And as the head of his family, he has the God-given duty to preside over them. He already has the desire and worthiness to be baptized and to receive the Priesthood. He just needs to do what is within his ability to make it happen. And that was the decision we made clear to him.

What we need to remember is that we don't have to perfect in this life. However, we should never sit satisfied with being imperfect. We can be happy in this life even though we are imperfect, but we cannot be happy if we do not have a sincere desire to take into account our mistakes and to learn from them and to act so. We have a constant decision to draw us nearer to God or to estrange ourselves from him. We are always doing one of the two, in our actions and in our thoughts and desires.

But I do not speak of these things to make you feel culpable. I want to remind you that everything we do which is pleasing unto God will bring us more happiness, including sincere repentance of the things which are not pleasing unto Him. The prophets have always been strict and clear on the manner in which God's children need to repent, because if they do not clarify the things of which we need to repent, we do not know the things which we do which we need to change to be able to feel the abundance of God's love for us. And we are truly blessed in every effort we make to follow the teachings of our Savior.

And I just want to bear my testimony that, by the atoning blood of our Redeemer, we can become clean and pure. We can experience the blessings of possessing a changed heart, changed by the love of Jesus Christ. We can experience a happiness which no other source can bring but Jesus Himself. And we might at times be alone in our efforts to follow Him, but we can feel a sweet and assuring peace from our Lord, because He is pleased with those who follow Him even when others do not. I have felt this sweet and assuring peace in my life as I have strived to live His Gospel. The Gospel has given me a sense of meaning of joy which I have never found in anything else. I love what it feels like to forgive the faults of others, to notice my own weaknesses, to serve friends and strangers alike, and to minister unto them, because these are the things which our Savior has taught us to do, and are the things which, if we do them with real intent and love for our fellow men and for God, our Heavenly Father is pleased that we do. And we find the highest kind of happiness, a kind which is eternal, evergrowing and never-ending, when we are trying to strengthen our relationship with Him. I know that these things are true, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week. See the hand of God in your life, and count the ways in which you see it.

Tu amigo aqui en Guatemala,

Elder Dredge

P.S. I might have to change my last name to "Dread-hay."

Elder Braden K. Dredge

Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission

Elder Dredge and Elder Sinto (Guatemala)

Baptism of Otto