It is so worth it! 4-14-14

Hermanas Hewitt y Pinto with an investigator

(not the one discussed in the following post)

ALRIGHT this week I would like to share with you a journal entry of mine from Saturday the 12th of April. Just a disclosure: sometimes I write to my posterity in my journal. But I think I was writing to whoever needed to hear this. We'll see.

"Yesterday (and all this week) "L" was seriously doubting the idea of getting baptized. We received divine inspiration to have him interview with our district leader, Elder Alvarez. Due to an unexpected service activity, we came to the conclusion late last night that the interview would be held at 8:00 this morning (sidenote: April 12th was "L"'s baptismal date. So this all went down the day of.) And so it was. Hermana Pinto and Elder Montesino chatted and I played hymns and prayed my guts out for my dear friend Luis for the hour or so that lasted the interview. When I finally heard footsteps entering the door to the chapel, I was afraid to look up. My companion made a weird gasp-squeal noise and called my name. The elders and "L" were walking out of the room.

" 'Él quiere bautizarse AHORITA!' Hermana Pinto yell-whispered. So we made some phone calls, did some cleaning, found some white clothes, and "LR"  became my seventh convert. He didn't explain much in that moment, only that if he wanted to make a commitment to God, why should he have to wait? When he bore his testimony after being baptized in front of 4 elders, 4 sisters, the 1st counselor in the Bishopric, and his friend from the ward "J" (not to mention his Heavenly Father and concourses of angels), he said simply that he was going to give this his very best effort.

"When we understand how to apply the Atonement, all we need is our best effort. Jesus Christ has already paid the price for what we lack. He has paid the price for all. He now asks that we show our love and appreciation for Him by working hard to follow the guidelines offered us by our Heavenly Father. We are so blessed to be given commandments! Where would we be if we didn't have instructions to lead us back Home? I'll tell you. We would be lost.

"The blessing of seeing "L's" humble decision to follow Jesus Christ and choose the right, even when he knows it will be difficult and he will very likely fall from time to time, has inspired me to be more grateful for the commandments of God and rules of the mission. They protect me and lead me upon the straight and narrow path which God has prepared for me. This path is rich with growing experiences and profound blessings. It is the path on which I will be found close to the Savior, and it is the one path which leads me to everlasting life in the presence of my Father.

"If we want to be happy, we must keep the commandments. Deviation from that path leads only to sadness and sin. But I have tasted of the fruit! I know that God loves me! And I know that the things He has prepared for me according to my faithfulness exceed my mortal comprehension. It is up to me to trust enough in that promise to press forward, anxioulsy engaged in the greatest cause: that of bringing others to their Redeemer.

"Don't give up! There is more waiting up ahead! Give thanks for your Heavenly Father's kind instructions and choose to follow them over temptation to do evil. Find the best things you can be doing and go about doing them. Abandon sin and ask your Savior to life you up once again. You don't have to linger in darkness.

"I testify that God knows the hearts of every one of  His children. He knows our weaknesses because He gave them to us for the purpose of our developing godlike humility. Jesus Christ suffered immeasurable pain and because of it, He comprehends perfectly how we feel and what we require to succeed. He can succor us if we let Him, and through the power of the Holy Ghost He can guide us safely back to the path of righteousness. God's promises do not expire the moment we mess up! In fact, they never expire. We simply have to put forth the effort to open the door and partake. Sometimes it's harder to get rid of the distractions and we need extra help, but truly it is never far from us (Acts 17:27-28). 

"Even if sometimes the cool darkness grows comfortable, I bear witness to you and to myself that the warmth of the sun will ever overwhelm the shadow of sin. Let us not settle into the dust to perish, but awake and arise and live at a higher and more glorious level. The law of inevitable opposition requires that the more extensively our hard work taxes our will, the more profoundly we may experience true joy and heavenly peace as results. In simple words, it is soworth our best effort."

Put forth your best effort this week. Love God enough to listen and obey. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and trust in your Savior to forgive what you lack. I testify that this is true! And I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.