Obedience

Hi Everyone!

This week was really good. We had exchanges again and for the second time in my mission, I got to stay in my own area. It went really well, we had a lot of success that day, and Hermana Carrillo is super sweet.

I want to tell you all about Rodolfo. Rodolfo is one of those golden investigators that just kinda fell out of the sky. That happens a lot. Usually the people we contact in the street and try to find on our own aren´t the people that progress, but when we are working hard and doing all that we can, the Lord gives us some of His investigators that He´s already prepared. Rodolfo is the son-in-law of a member, and his daughter is also a member and served a mission, but later moved to another area. Rodolfo just out of the blue decided that he needed to find the truth, and decided to start coming to church. He had already attended two times in another ward before we even knew he existed, and once more in our ward before we could have a lesson with him. In our second visit with him, he told us that he was already reading the Book of Mormon, that he had already prayed to know if it was true, and that he had already received an answer. He also had already started living the Word of Wisdom (for any of you who don´t know, the Word of Wisdom is the Lord´s law of health, and part of it includes giving up all alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, which can be a little difficult for many of the people that we teach). Rodolfo has accepted a baptismal date, and we´re hoping that he can get baptized the end of this month. I honestly am shocked by how ready and willing he is, and how much work the Lord has already done with him. But I am also really excited. Rodolfo is really really special.

So I said a couple of weeks ago that I would talk a little bit about obedience, and what I´ve learned about obedience and consecration. I was blessed to come to a mission with a strong culture of obedience, both to God´s commandments, and to His rules for us missionaries, which He gives us through our mission president. This past week we had a zone conference, and my mission president asked me to talk really briefly on obedience. I definitely did not feel qualified for that assignment, but I have learned a lot.

First, a quick story. I heard this story from another missionary, I have no way to verify if it´s true or not, but I like it. The story goes that once, President Packer presided in a special leadership training for the leaders of about 50 stakes. The training was going to be held in the BYU Marriot Center, which is absolutely huge. There was no way that they were going to fill the Marriot Center, so about 15 minutes before the meeting started, President Packer invited one of the members of the seventy who was there to go to the microphone and invite everyone to move closer. Hardly anyone moved. He invited them a second and a third time, and still, almost no one moved. Finally the meeting started. When it was President Packer´s turn to speak, he went up to the microphone, and said, "You are not prepared to receive the message that I have prepared for you today," and sat down.

Like I said, I have no proof if that actually happened. But it teaches a powerful lesson. Obedience has everything to do with faith and humility. If we have faith that the Lord speaks to us through His servants, and if we are humble enough to accept His will, we will strive always to be exactly obedient. 

More than once during my time here, my mission president has asked us to do things that have been really hard. But I know that the Lord doesn´t give us commandments without preparing the way for us to follow them, and I know that He can only bless us with the Spirit to be our constant guide if we are willing to heed His promptings and strive always to be obedient. 

But it´s also important to remember that obedience in and of itself isn´t the end, but the means.

Anyways, that´s my lengthy spiritual thought for you all this week.

Love you all!

Hermana Herron

Ps. pictures 1) us with our capacitadoras after the exchanges we had this week, 2) I made deviled eggs this week ;)