ALMA 26;12

I would like to start my letter off with a quote that has helped and is changing my vision of the mission and my life.

´´The best antidote for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is to help someone even more tired.´´ - President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Before I talk about my week, I would like to testify that the way to be happy in this life is to forget about ourselves, our desires,our selfishness, and pride, and start to focus our attention on the many people close to us that need OUR help. If we can learn this lesson, we can learn ´´when we´re serving we´re happy´´ Every time I read Alma 26 I feel humbled to remember where the power and authority comes from, and that God leads this work. We will be cured as we cure others. As a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I´ve been called to be a representative of Jesus Chirst and not a representative of myself.It´s amazing how it works! If you focus on yourself, you will never reach what you think you should be, but if you focus on serving others and God, He will mold you into what you were meant to be. 

This week, we´ve been preparing Sandra and Winny for their baptisms in two weeks. They are excited to be baptized, but this week they showed us a few concerns that they had. They said that they´d been going to a few other churches before, and almost got baptized in them also, but never felt ready. They said that they feel that the church was true, but also feel that the other churches are good. We explained that all churches are good, but if they wanted to know if this was Christ´s true church on the earth, they´d have to ask God. They´d told us that they thought the church was true before, but had never actually prayed, so they´ll be praying to know with confidence that this is the Lord´s church. As for Maria and Abel, we´re progressing with their marriage papers and they´re planned to be married and baptized in May. 

I´ve grown to love the people here in Puerto Maldonado, and am not sure if I have a transfer or not! My companion and I are so nervous for next week where we will recieve the news who stays and who goes. So, I will let you know next week what will happen! I love you MOM and FAMILY and FRIENDS and am VERY glad to be able to serve because I know if I didn´t serve I would never be able to feel the happiness I feel every time I help someone that´s even more tired than I. 

Elder Jeffery