over and out

 Qué onda?

This week was my compa's birthday so we got to eat lots of cake. He is awesome.

GOOD:

- The weekly exchange report... here we go. This week we did 2 exchanges! The first one was with Elder Powell in Rockport. This was a fun exchange because I used to live with Elder Powell in Hidalgo and we get along super well! We taught some great lessons and I got to meet their amazing friend Neal who is progressing towards a baptismal date! Later in the week I got to work with Elder Frei in my area. We took out the bikes and saw a lot of success in finding new people to teach. Elder Frei is a hard worker and a good kid. I love exchanges because I really get to know all the Elders in the zone and learn from them! 

- While biking this week we met a new family and invited them to church. One of them, named Felipe, surprised us by showing up to church! We later got talking to him and found out that he was actually baptized into the church like 10 years ago and had been looking to return but was just waiting for someone to reach out to him. He had just moved to Corpus Christi and was excited to be back in church! It also created an opportunity for us to teach more people because we are going to share the gospel with his family!

- If you have been following my emails you should know who Alicia is by now. She is literally hilarious. One of my favorite people in all of Corpus Christi. We invited her to join us for Mike's baptismal service this week. She responded with a text that said "I, Alicia, will be there. Over and out" and then she did come! Showed up in bright pink pants and a classic Alicia smile on her face. 

BETTER:

- One of my favorite experiences this week was teaching the restoration to Brent! Brent is the husband of an inactive member that we met while knocking an apartment complex. This lesson was so cool because it was completely normal and natural. It didn't feel like I was presenting material to him, but instead we were just talking and in the conversation, I was teaching him. 

- We began teaching a cool new friend named Ruben. He just moved here and was talking to missionaries over in Laredo before coming to Corpus. We had some great lessons with him at the church, he came to Mike's baptism and he took us to dinner with him on Saturday night. Such a homie. Ruben is what I like to call "an honest seeker of the truth." It's so nice to teach him. 

- My amazing friend Mike was baptized and confirmed this week. I felt such joy watching him make promises with his Heavenly Father. Mike has truly been prepared for the gospel and was so ready to receive it! Crazy to think that we met him in a Whataburger just a few weeks ago and now he is a committed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love watching the joy people experience as they bring their lives into better harmony with God's will.

BEST:

Last Monday evening we had a tough lesson with one of our friends who was having a hard time understanding the doctrines of faith and works and how they work together. This interaction led me to study in the book of James this week and I wanted to share 2 of my favorite verses from these scriptures.

JAMES 1:22

"But be ye doers of the word, not just hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

JAMES 4:17

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

I have come to understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about repentance, or change. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He expects us to grow in faith and repent each day and if we love Him... then we will. We simply cannot move through life proclaiming that we have been saved by grace and so it doesn't matter what we do. 

The gospel is about becoming. It is about reaching our full potential. While we are indeed saved by the grace of Jesus Christ we need to show that we love God and His son Jesus Christ by living life to the best of our abilities. 

I know that my Redeemer lives and I know that my Heavenly Father loves me! I promise that as you make a mindful effort to repent each day and align your will with that of Heavenly Father - He will bless you with increased joy and a closer connection to Him.

"Work Hard, Keep the Commandments, Have a Positive Attitude and Show Gratitude."

Be a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

- Elder Stringham