June 3rd, 2013

Okay so this week is going to be a bit crazy for me and I will tell you all why. So I knew for a fact that I was going to be a DL, Elder Ellsworth was dying so that meant that I was getting a new companion. Well, come Thursday evening during coordination we get transfer news and lo and behold I am giving birth. They are giving me a greenie and president made it a point to keep it a secret even though you usually go to new trainer training at the same time as District Leader Training. I don't know what I am going to do, I feel as though I have no idea how to be a missionary and now they are giving me an hijo. That's kind of a huge deal because your trainer kind of lays the groundwork for your whole mission...I don't know who he is or how his spanish is or his name or if he is a visa waiter or not. Ojala que no es un visa waiter because that could mean 6 in Mercedes. Pray for me.

Other than that this week has been pretty good, Sunday was a good day for us because Maria Lopez finally freaking came to church and she loved it. Her and Quetzali came and it was a relief I gotta say. I think a huge part of it was the fact that we had an FHE/Church tour at the chapel last Monday and taught about the Restoration again because we felt the understanding of it and it's importance was a little weak. In her prayer Quetzali thanked Heavenly Father for guiding her to the truth and it was such a powerful statement the spirit just bathed the room it was awesome. She is still a bit iffy on Baptism but we will just have to drop another Goku style spirit bomb on her and change that. Maria is all good, she has decided that she wants her whole family to join her in God's church and that means that she is going to be great for referrals. Which is good because our President just announced no more door knocking which means more member work. Problem is, with the exception of like 2 families all of our members are recent converts, which means they are like infants in the Gospel but this will give them the opportunity to find joy in missionary work. We are super stoked.

Juan Arriaga our friendly neighborhood permagator told us we could baptize him Tuesday morning before Elder Ellsworth leaves. If he had been coming to church regularly I would say, "Plug the tub and Fill'er up!" But he hasn't so we can't. However the time is nigh and if we can get Juan to go down Mercedes will end up being taken like the city of Enoch. Then they will have to move me.

So, this last week we had a few really powerful experiences that caused me to reflect a lot on the Gospel and families and what is required of each and every one of us. There is a sister in the area, Sister Martinez who has been very inactive due to her mother who has been in constant care and is bed-ridden and just very ill. This has been the case since before I got here to Mercedes so at least 6 months. Well we received a call the other day to go and give this sister  Maria Carmen De la luna Martinez Gabriel a priesthood blessing because she was in immense pain. We did as we were asked but I couldn't deny the feeling the spirit gave me that this sister was soon to go.

A few days passed and we received a prompting to go to the house and so we did. On the way to the door, Alex the grandson came out and talked with us for a while about the situation. Carmen was no longer responsive and was basically just in a coma. The family had gathered and they invited us in. They asked us to sing a hymn for their Mother and Grandmother, one of las pioneras de Mercedes so they called her. As we sang they asked us to sing another hymn, then another, soon we had the family or at least part of it gathered together, joining us in singing this sisters favorite hymns. When the time came for us to move onto our next appointment the spirit had surrounded us and I could feel the love of God.

Last night we had the priviledge as the missionaries to sing at the memorial service of this Sister. She was prepared for her passing and had her service all planned. It caused me to think about the plan God has for us and what it is we must do to return to our Heavenly Father. Through the words of his son Jesus Christ he has laid it out very clearly for us. We must have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the holy ghost and then endure to the end. If we don't do these things we can't return to our Heavenly Father or be with our families. Alex, the grandson caused much of this thinking because he is admittedly not living the Gospel. If we don't do these things the outcome is simple. We forfeit our place in the Celestial Kingdom with God and our loved ones. This week I just want you to think about that. Think about what you would give up to be with your family forever. What things still need to be given up if we want those blessings. I will repeat with the same admonition the words of Alma the prophet in saying not to procrastinate the day of your repentance. The Gospel is true, the blessings that come as well as the consequences. This I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ, even the holy one of Israel. Amen

Elder Bassett