Week 7: Getting the Mail & Directing Traffic

This has been another solid, great week in the MTC.

First off, I want to thank everyone for the mail! It was a great to get two packages (Family & Cassandra) and lots of letters!   Thank you for that, it really makes my day.

This week was very eventful for our District. First, the district older than us left so we are now officially the oldest district in the zone. As a result, Elder Juker and Elder Reynolds were called to be the new Zone Leaders. Elder Reynolds was released as District Leader and I received the call as the new District Leader. So, that's pretty exciting. I get to check the mail, go to Branch Council, conduct class and so on and so forth.

As far as teaching goes this week, our task was to give directions to church, talk about the Word of Wisdom and teach the Plan of Salvation in Spanish. I thought it went really well. I thought we did a better job of adapting to our investigator's needs instead of just saying the same things we always do. The investigator's wife had just died so the Plan of Salvation is VERY applicable in that situation. Also, this week we contacted our progressive investigator Julio--finally. We taught him the Plan of Salvation in Spanish and we laid down the law of how he neeeeeds to keep commitments or we have to stop teaching him. If he doesn’t keep commitments then there is no way he will gain a testimony for himself. We stopped by and visited him again yesterday and gave him a pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation and told him to read it before our next visit on Saturday. So yeah, everything is going good with teaching.

This week our district also got to HOST. I know, right?  We're pretty experienced now I guess. Elder Jacobs and I got the privilege of directing traffic instead of hosting, so we got to direct all the cars where to park and things like that. It was very interesting to see the reactions of various parents while dropping off their kids from an outside perspective and as one who just recently did that a few weeks ago. Some were gleaming with pride, others couldn’t stop crying, others seemed just mad, and some seemed like it was no big deal at all. I thought it was very interesting and I'm glad that you (my family) showed love, pride and sadness all at the same time and weren’t mad about it like some others were. I also remember that it all happened so fast, we were all laughing because Elder Spiker was my host, and then we were sad saying goodbye, and before I knew it Elder Spiker was leading me too my room. It happens very fast. Ohh, and while I was directing traffic, I got to wear an awesome orange vest thing...no big deal haha.

As far as travel plans go we still haven’t heard anything. There's rumor that we might hear something tomorrow because tomorrow will be 10 days until we leave, but nothing is for sure. So I will keep you posted next week if anything happens.

My spiritual thought for the week is Alma Chapter 5. Awesome, amazing, inspiring chapter that I really love. I especially want to point out verses 45-46.

45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I ^aknow of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

  46 Behold, I say unto you they are made ^aknown unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have ^bfasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of ^crevelation which is in me.

Alma is talking about how he has sacrificed and worked very hard to know that what he is teaching is true. But the point is that he does KNOW, through the Holy Spirit. I want to testify right now that I know this church is true as well. Just like Alma I have worked for my testimony, but through the Holy Ghost I know with all my hear that it is true. That's why I'm serving a mission right now. I also want to testify that if you have questions or are unsure if this church is true, you can know. You can know by praying and reading the scriptures. As you abide by the scriptures teaching in your life, you will feel that you are coming closer to Christ. If you show faith and do these things, you will know that they are of God and that they are true. In 3 Nephi 14 verses 15-20 it talks about how their fruit ye shall know them, whether they be good or evil. The Book of Mormon is the fruit of this church. If you test it for yourself you will see that it is good....I promise you because I have seen it in my own life.

Ok so I'm running out of time as usual so here's my testimony:

Yo sé que Cristo vive hoy. Él es mi Salvador y Redentor.

Hay solomente una manera podemos tener la vida eterna y esta manera es a través Jesucristo.

Esta manera es el Evangelio de Jesucristo. Este Evangelio es un gran bendición en mi vida y puede cambiar las vidas de todas personas.

Yo testifico que este mensaje es verdadera con todo mi corazón. Digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

Les amo

Y este es mi gozo

Elder Peacock