Day 36

Hola Familia!

 

everything is going great here in the ccm the same old stuff learning tons about spanish, the gospel, and myself. i do have to tell you about wed this week though! we decided to have an all spanish day.  i mean all.  we were supposed to speak spanish, read spanish, and think spanish.  it was amazing how much i learned and i can say that i, more or less, didnt say more than 10 words in english all day! i know that all of our teachers keep talking about how real the gifts of tongues is in the ccm and on a mission, but i didnt realize for myself how real it was till wed.  i could say and remember things that i only read through once in my book.  the lord knows how hard i am working and he is blessing me greatly for it.  last time i wrote i talked about how much i love the BoM and i cant express how much love that is but i LOVE the BoM! if you havent sat down and just started reading from the beginning and keep a scripture marker in front of you, you will now be able to stop reading!  although i havent been going through it very fast because i am trying to look for certain things.  in my new mini BoM that i have been carrying around i have created a marking guide with various things such as prophecies, lessons to be learned, symbols & meaning, If...Then... statements, and awesome stories.  i would like to share a few things that i have learned while reading.  i would like to talk about the story when nephi was bound by his brother when they were on the ship heading to the promised land.  i hope you know the story but if not read it and then read this, but the part that helped me the most is the last part of verse 15 "Wherefore they came unto me and loosed(but didnt remove) the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly;(it had been 4 days since they put on his bands) and also mine ankles were much swollen and great was the soreness thereof." but yet even after this pain and suffering in the verse it says "nevertheless, i did look unto my god, and i did praise him all the day long; and i did not murmur against the lord because of mine afflictions." I am not sure everyone that is reading this but whoever it may be family or friends, please let us be like nephi.  let us "Praise" the lord all the day long for he has given us so much.  and like joseph smith heard while in liberty jail "thine afflictions are but a small moment...and are for thy good" i know the ccm is hard work but i have been so grateful for it because of the the lord "i can do hard things" and i know that you can too.  if you need help get on your knees and ask. for i know that he answers your prayers, for he has answered mine.  im grateful for the atonement of jesus christ and i know that he wouldnt have went through those things if he didnt love all of us soooo much.  i also know that our father in heaven wouldnt have given up his perfect son for all of us unperfect ones if he didnt love us as well. yo se que jose smith es un profeta de dios, y el tranducir el libro de mormon por el poder de dios.  yo se que thomas s. monson es un profeta de dios en este ultimos dias.

 

       Love,

            Elder wilkinson