Learning

I love learning. God has given us the incredible ability to learn and progress and grow. Here are some things I learned this week.

1. Little caterpillars can sting you.

There are caterpillars here that have a bunch of spikes along their body. They live in the trees and sometimes drop off of the branches. On Saturday, we were teaching a lesson on Mabel`s front porch (a lady we had just met). As I was sharing the experience of Joseph Smith and the first vision, I felt a little prick. Then I felt my skin burning. I looked down and saw a friendly little caterpillar cuddling with my forearm. It hurt. 

2. God guides you when you plan

Every morning we set goals and plan for the day. On Wednesday we made plans to teach the Gutierrez family and felt like we should teach them about eternal families and how we can live with our family members forever if we make and keep promises with God in the temple. When we got to the lesson there were two new people, Gimena and Fiorela. So, we made a last minute change and taught about Joseph Smith and the restoration of Christ`s church. 

After sharing our lesson about Joseph Smith, I felt like we were missing something. I remembered what we had planned to teach and decided to talk a little about eternal families. That was the right choice because Fiorela broke down crying (side note, she`s 15). Her mom explained to us that Fiorela`s dad passed away 2 years ago and she was devastated. Fiorela had attempted to commit suicide (unsuccessfully) to be with her dad and for doing so was abandoned by her previous church. 

I am grateful that we planned and followed the plans that God helped us make. I know that God is interested in every one of His children and will guide us if we seek Him.

3. I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON

This isn`t completely new information but my testimony of the Book of Mormon and its purpose grew this week. I am currently studying the BoM with the question "What does the BoM teach me about Jesus Christ?" This morning I read in 1 Nephi 11 and was amazed as almost every verse taught me something about Christ, His plan, His power, and His divinity. 

I love how complete the Book of Mormon is. I know that it is true. 

I hope that you all have a great week and that you can invite someone to church this Sunday. There is no better way to show gratitude to the Lord than by sharing the blessings we`ve been given.

Love,

Elder Smith