Tuesday, 23 April 2019 ~ Week #91

Weekly Letter 91

Hey everyone!!! Happy Easter!!!

I hope that we were able to just take a moment to reflect on perhaps the most important week in history, which was the last week of the Savior's mortal life. That is a week that affects every week and every day of our own lives. 

Can we all just meditate in gratitude at least 5 minutes, just thinking about the Savior's sacrifice, and what the Savior had done for us today? Can we do that every day? Because, when we think about it, if we really think about the short term and long term impact of what the Savior did on a regular daily basis, and we think about what we would be without it, we would have no reason to not be grateful!

This week was a week of miracles, as I had just accepted an assignment as a viajero (traveler), in the which assignment I go with my assigned companion to do divisions with the elders in an area for just one week to help the conditions of the area improve and give the missionaries some experience, and then to another area for another week, and then another area another week, etc. And there were so many miracles as a result. We started with a "desanimado" ward, with missionaries who were not having success. We took some members with us, taking an inventory of all investigators, members and less actives and converts that they knew, and we wanted to increase it all, helping the investigators develop friendships with the members. Overall it was an awesome week, with lots of spiritual experiences. President Christensen was impressed. So now I will be going with a different companion, to an area in which I already served, which is Gualan. It's been struggling a lot in the last couple months. But I'm excited! I'm excited because I now have more experience in the mission, and so I could try some new things, and help the missionaries at the same time. It will be another rewarding experience.

I didn't think I would get an assignment which would allow me to establish the Church literally wherever I go, and now that I do, I will do my best to inspire faith in the Atonement in as many missionaries, investigators and members that I can. I love this Church, I love this Gospel, and I love the Savior. I know that His Gospel is true, and that His Church is here on the earth. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have a wonderful week! And don't forget to count your blessings!

Elder Dredge

Monday, 15 April 2019 ~ Week #90

Editor's Note:  Braden was transferred on April 15th, and given a new assignment.  Here is a portion of his letter referring to his next adventure.  Braden should be resuming his regular posts next week.

Week #90
These next 6 weeks, I'll be taking on a special assignment, as one of 4 elders and 2 sisters who will be traveling to different parts of the mission to help younger missionaries and strengthen their leadership abilities and help them improve in every aspect of the mission work, going to a different area each week of the transfer to help those missionaries. This will only be a couple transfers, because we are losing around 40 missionaries these next couple months, and only few will be coming in, so we need to share our experience with even more missionaries. Instead of doing splits for just one day, we will be doing them all week with a select companionship each week so that they can learn even more. It will be tough, but I am confident that this is what the Lord needs me to do for this transfer. I'm a bit nervous, but really excited.

Monday, 8 April 2019 ~ Week #89

Weekly Letter #89

Beloved brothers and sisters,

How is everyone doing? Elder Dredge is doing great. I am so glad for the oppurtunity to be serving here, in Zacapa, Guatemala, at this time in my life. We are starting to see many miracles as a result of our efforts to delegate responsabilities to the members and therefore build the kingdom here in Zacapa. We are able to bring many investigators to this general conference as a result, which was, by the way, a spectacular conference. And yet, I feel humbled. The more people we allow to engage in the mission work, the less we need to do out of all that must be done, and yet more lives we bless. In the end, it is the Lord that does His work.

I love this Scripture in Moroni 3.

1 The manner which the disciples, who were called the elders of the church, ordained priests and teachers—
2 After they had prayed unto the Father in the name of Christ, they laid their hands upon them, and said:
3 In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a priest (or if he be a teacher, I ordain you to be a teacher) to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end. Amen.
4 And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.

This is how the Church is established; by ordaining worthy men to receive power from God to do His work. This is how the Lord blesses all of His children. He gives us the chance to do His work, and as a result, the people we serve become more converted to the Gospel, we become more converted to the Gospel, and the Lord is pleased.

None of this would happen, nonetheless, without the example of our Savior, and His Atonement. It is His ministry to do the will of the Father in all things, and allow for all mankind to return to the presence of God, by exhorting them to follow Him. How beautiful, and how wonderful is the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us. We can particiate too, if we choose to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. I know that this is His Gospel, and His Church. I know that Jesus lives, and is my Savior and Guide. I love him. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week!

Yours truly,

Elder Dredge

Monday, 1 April 2019 ~ Week #88

Weekly Letter 88

My wonderful friends and family,

What a crazy week! We started off with a leaders' meeting and a doctor's appointment in the capital, and that was already three days of our week. But we were still on the Lord's errand. There were lots of things talked about in the meeting, things which we are already applying to change the mission to help it improve and renew the "animo" that our missionaries have to follow the counsel of our President. Many have said that every week we fall into a pattern and that the things we really want to improve in the mission are not improving as much, and why? Because of giving the same counsel, in the same way, expecting different results.

I'm not sure what more I can say about the work, really. Right now we're in the same process, working with members, sharing messages with them in their houses, sharing devotionals at meetings and activities, going out with them to visit, asking for referrals whenever possible. I worked in my actual area three days, and worked in another area two other days. The other two were getting there to the capital, and getting back from it, including the meeting and the doctor's appointment. It's been pretty wild, but now I feel accustomed to get to work wherever I am to help establish the Church. I love being a missionary. I'm never going to stop being a missionary.

I just want to share something that my wonderful companion Elder Marino has been teaching me. We have had a good deal of our own personal afflictions, struggling with sickness, stress, loss, and other pains, and we have both learned from each other a lot. Our companionship has molded the two of us to make him a more patient and peaceful person, and me a more focused and firm man. A lesson that he taught me this week was very valuable. I had done a lot of things to help myself with my stress, and yet my companion told me to do just one more thing: to talk to the stress psychologist. I realized that I had justified myself, telling myself that I was okay, even after everything I have been doing, and yet he told me that I need to do not just what I want to do to resolve my problem, but everything else that I need to do. I had talked with the psychologist before, but I did it because my President invited me to do so and gave me her number. Now it is a different person, and I was in a different situation, but nevertheless I was in need. Turns out, in the end I was taking care of my stress well, and that I just need to keep doing what I feel like I need to do, whether it is walking for a moment, taking a breather, talking with my companion, etc. Elder Marino was right. This was an experience that helped me to mature a lot.

Apart from that, I have been striving to be more engaged in the moment. Elder Marino always says, "We have to learn from the past, plan for the future, and live in the now." He had a hard trial too, and lost something very valuable. It was a source of great stress when he realized he lost it. I made sure that he could at least relieve himself of the stress, and he was getting a lot better. I helped him to see how the advice he had given me applied to him. That is the summary of the way we strengthen our companionship, and it is awesome. So I have been trying to live more in the present, and it has been awesome. It is something that has to be practiced, but in the end it is the way to be more happy.

I am thankful for the Gospel in my life. And after all of these lessons of life I'm learning, it is the grace of the Savior that allows an imperfect person like me, to become like my Heavenly Father one day. It requires patience. It requires effort. It requires lots of prayer, and a good deal of scripture study, with a strict daily routine to receive different impressions. In the end, it is worth, because the Gospel works. And by that, I mean, Heavenly Father's plan is perfect, His church is growing and led by inspiration, and His Son is actively engaged in our salvation every day. The Atonement is not just something that happen 2000 years ago. It was brought to pass by the Son of God - a living, breathing, perfect and resurrected being who is also a spiritual son of our same Father - who continues to grant us pardon and strength every day. Let us remember these things, and take some time, even 5 minutes, every day, to think about what He's done for us. I can promise you - yes, you - that He has done many things. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week!

Elder Dredge

Wednesday, 27 March 2019 ~ Week #87

Weekly Letter #87

My dearly beloved brothers and sisters,

This week was a wild week. This Wednesday we talked with Aura, our investigator whose son is on the mission in El Salvador. She said she wanted to go to the temple this following month. We talked with the bishop and we found that we could make it possible. And thanks to the wonderful help of those who worked with us to help her have spiritual experiences with the Gospel, especially the amazing sisters from the Relief Society, she was ready to be baptized, and the service was held just this last Saturday.

I feel very relieved, after several weeks of working in Las Flores, now that we could finally baptize -- but not only baptizing, but establishing the Church in the process. We have tried so many different things, and we were finally able to get different results. We are not alone in the work of the Lord, and because of that the Lord can bring to pass more miracles.

Over everything, I cannot give very much credit to myself. Elder Marino and I have thought about different things we can do, and we have been trying them, but it is the Lord who directs the work and inspires us. We are nothing in comparison to Him. It is His plan, not ours. We exercise our faith and make our plans, and then the Lord does His own. That is the beauty of the mission work, and that is the beauty of being a follower of Christ.

During the transcourse of this week, there were additional loads of stress added to my back, things which I could not say, but I was able to find consolation and peace in the grace of the Savior Jesus Christ, and I was able to find perspective in the plan He has for us. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve as a missionary, helping others to find the peace and perspective and joy that I can find as a disciple of Christ. I would like to share a song which I wrote, which for now will be a poem.

Heavenly Father Has a Plan

The world is designed so carefully under His hand;

Its motion is timed in ways I can't understand,

And nothing can move without His wise and tender command.

Surely my Heavenly Father has a plan for me, Heavenly Father.

People pass on away to the other side.

Messengers come and welcome them to the light.

Preparing their hearts to match the type of life they desire.

Surely my Heavenly Father has a plan for them, Heavenly Father.

We make mistakes to learn how to choose the right.

Corrected and chastened, He wants us to be like Him.

Through voices and books, He teaches how to live like His Son.

Surely my Heavenly Father has a plan for us, Heavenly Father.

He wants to forgive us and guide and protect us,

But couldn't accept us without using justice.

But only a God could take on all the weight of our blame;

Only the Christ could bleed the blood required to save us.

Only the Christ could die and live to lead us and love us.

Only the Christ could comfort and comprehend us.

Surely my Heavenly Father has a plan for me;

Heavenly Father has a plan for us, Heavenly Father.

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

My brothers and sisters, have a wonderful week!

Your friend,

Elder Dredge

Tuesday, 19 March 2019 ~ Week #86

Weekly Letter 86

Brothers and sisters,

How you have you all been doing? This week definitely was an up and down week. There were the moments in which we had special spiritual conversations with our investigators, and there were many in which we were in the street praying and thinking "What would be the best thing to do right now?" following impressions and acting with faith. I still have bronchitis, coughing almost every minute, and my companion Elder Marino still has his stomach troubles; the missionaries in the zone too have their sicknesses and their trials and their standing still in the street figuring out what to do, and their moments visiting with investigators and members; but we thrive on, and we strive to build the Church here in Zacapa.

Aura is our biggest focus right now to help her get baptized in April, but seeing her progress and her desires to go to the temple the first week of April, and seeing that she already has enough knowledge of the Gospel, enough attendances to Church, enough spiritual experiences and enough support from Relief Society, she may be baptized by the end of this month. We are very proud of her for her progress. She used to be very timid around the missionaries, and now she is becoming a happier person, as she participates in service activities with the Relief Society. She is becoming an even more spiritual person than she was before. And might I mention, she has a son who is serving in El Salvador, who she is gaining more contact with, also thanks to the Relief Society, and through him he is learning even more about the Gospel. Her change was miraculous. I'm so thankful that Elder Marino and I could help her come to know the Gospel for herself after so much time having just enough faith to let her son be baptized and go on a mission. Missionary work is one of many ways in which the Lord uses to unite families.

As to other investigators, Maria Fernanda unfortunately has not received permission from her parents, or so we know up to this point, because she went on a vacation with them this last weekend. Neither has Vanesa received permisison. But Alejandra, who we taught for the first time this Sunday, says her father might allow her to be baptized, because they did for her older sister. Both Alejandra and her older sister Amarilis have received the missionaries and have gone to church at least 5 times, and yet after December just stopped getting up early, and because of that they stopped progressing. This will not be too difficult, to help them make promises with God they really desire to make. We just have to make sure they have support from the rest of their relatives who are active in the Church and make sure they have other friends in the Church too. Coming to know the Savior is a process that often doesn't just require a personal drive to do so, but support from friends and family to do so too.

Now, in the end, what can I say for myself? The spiritual impressions we follow, the words we say, the things we do, it is all the Lord. The Lord is doing His work through us, His missionaries. He wants Aura to have a happy life and a family sealed in the temple. He wants that blessing for Alejandra and her family. And He wants that blessing for many more people. Yet it is all according to His plan, and His timing. Just like Alma, I can say the same:

Alma 26:12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.  

And I have realized something. Missionaries are not just instruments in the hands of the Lord. We are sons and daughters of God too, learning to want to do the will of the Lord, and not just do it. We are not learning to become servants, but rather we are learning to become Gods too. The Savior himself submitted himself to the will of the Father, and made himself as a servant, and as a result, He became perfect, and He became even as God is -- all through his obedience and his consecration.

Let us remember, my brothers and sisters, that if we really examine ourselves, and examine our lives, and see how much we have done, and see how much the Lord has done, we would indeed say, "Wow, I really am nothing. Everything I have belongs to the Lord."

I am so grateful for my calling as a missionary, and for the opportunity to serve the Lord. I have surpassed my expectations as to who I would become on the mission, and it is because of the Lord's mercy and grace. I desired to do good, and I desired to do it more, and the Lord has changed me. I am still an imperfect person, but surely the Lord has changed me more than I expected I would. I testify that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and that He died for all of my sins. I testify that He has redeemed me, and continues to change me. I testify that such change comes through diligent prayer and study of the Gospel, and consecrated service and striving to follow Christ's example -- indeed, choosing to do what He would do as if it were the only way to do it. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have a wonderful week!

Your chapin friend,

Elder Dredge

Monday, 11 March 2019 ~ Week #85

Weekly Letter #85

My dear brothers and sisters,

I'm just happy to say, that every week over here is better. Every day I am seeing a little bit more of what I expect of our work. I want this side of Guatemala to have a well established church. If there is anyone who had made covenants with the Lord in Zacapa, I want to remind them of that promise, and encourage them to live it, and find others to encourage them to live it too. If there is anyone who is happy living His Gospel, I want them to work with us, and share their experiences with others. If there is anyone who is not doing their duty, I want them to comply it by doing their part of the work we do. What do I want in the end? I want everyone to be happy living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, helping others to do it too.

What I have been learning a lot about in the mission is the value of making goals and setting plans, and I hope that this is something that all of us can do. And not just make goals just to do things we want, but to do what the Lord wants. I would like to share a Scripture that talks about that:

2 Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.
3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.
4 And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.

What is the ship that we need to build, like Nephi did? We need to build the home we want. We need to build the life we want. Most importantly, we need to build the kind of person we want to be. Why is that the most important? Allow me to share a quote from a talk called the Fourth Missionary.

"Your greatest work: your most important creation is and will ever be you. What kind of person will you become? By this I do not mean what role in life will you take. I don't mean will you be a cowboy, lawyer, surfer, homemaker, engineer, computer programmer, accountant or the like. I do not refer to what kind of car you will drive; what kind of clothes you will wear; what kind of house you will live in; what kind of spouse you will marry or what kind of family will you raise. I mean, when all of that is removed and there you stand alone, who will you be? I mean, you.

"What personality will you have; what strengths; what knowledge; what character; what emotional state; what presence; what qualities; what virtues? What will you look like? What will you sound like? What will it be like to be around you? Who will you be?"

I would encourage all of you, if you haven't already, to make goals that are relevant to all aspects of your life. Your home, your career, your hobbies, your family, but most importantly, you.

In the end, Jesus Christ died for you. He, being the Only One who is blameless and perfect and most obedient and most happy, suffered the penalty for all our faults, and thereby taking away all of the guilt of the sins for those of which we repent. That is the great message of the Gospel. It is learning to be like the Blameless to be free of blame; to be like the Sinless to be free of sin; to be like the Jovial, who is free of sorrow. He has goals and plans for you, so that He can make you more than you can ever dream to be -- a God, if you desire. But the question is: Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe He has a plan for you? Are you willing to listen to His prophets so that their words might help you learn what He wants you to do? And are you willing to change your life so that you can be like Him?

My brothers and sisters, I have never been more focused on His work. Granted, I am still somewhat distracted sometimes, and I make jokes, and I play some piano in select moments, but I am more concerned with the welfare of others, and I use my gifts which otherwise might distract me, to be a light in the life of those whom I serve. I am constantly trying to cheer my companion up in his afflictions, as he is going through some bad health. I joke around with my missionaries to help them feel relaxed and not stressed as they do the Lord's work, trying to see it more from His eyes, because I believe that the Savior has a sense of humor. I try to get along with the members, and to bless our investigators. I correct others in a constructive and firm manner, reminding them of what they know is true, so that they can feel the Savior's love and feel edified to do the right thing. I am having a lot of fun on my mission, and don't get me wrong because it doesn't transmit well through the usual tone of voice in my letters, but it is fun to do His work. It is the best way of life, because I can laugh perfectly free of remorse of conscience. I hope anyone could feel that way. It is made possible only by way of sacred promises we make with the Lord and that He makes with us.

Have a wonderful week, and remember to count your blessings. I love you all. :)

Elder Dredge