The Constitution for a perfect life

Me and my new companion, Elder Harbour

 Hola a todos!

What a week! We have just had some transfers here in the islands, and for some reason I got to stay another 6 weeks! I truly loved working with my companion Elder DeGroot, we had lots of fun together and I will never forget my time with him. My new companion's name is Elder Harbour. He is from Texas, and we are super excited to continue working in Palma!

I have to say, I felt the Spirit very strong as we listened to the Prophet's message this past week. Truly he is a Prophet of God, and he knows exactly how to help and guide us during these times. I have absolutely loved seeing Facebook and Instagram blow up in the 7 day challenge, and I know that it truly is a flood, and it is awesome and I love being apart of the gratitude flood. If you havent been able to listen if watch the message, I would exhort you to do so.😀 Here is a YouTube link to it, but you can find it in many places online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i51gcWCs-Ho

This week I have been spending some of my study time in the Bible, specifically in the Gospel of Matthew. And I was using the Insitute manual to guide me with my studies, and Harold B. Lee shared some insights of The Beatitudes, which are found in Matthew 5:1-12. The Beatitudes is the name commonly used to refer to the Savior’s declarations of blessedness, and in this part of the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior teaches us several things, with each one starting with "blessed is he..." And this is where the title of my email comes into play, which is these verses form The Constitution for a Perfect Life, according to Harold B. Lee. And you all know me that when I find something of American relevance I get excited. So the "amendments" we may say, to this Constitution are:

1. Be poor in Spirit

2. Be willing to mourn

3. Be meek

4. Hunger and thirst after righteousness 

5. Be full of mercy

6. Be pure in heart

7. Be a peacemaker 

8. Be willing to be persecuted for righteousness sake

9. Be willing to be persecuted for Christ's sake

And as I thought about these, it came to me that these 9 things, and honestly so much more that we find in this sermon, but with these 9 things, they will only help us become more like the Savior. And He is perfect. Therefore, these are 9 things we ought to do if we want to enjoy a perfect life. Understanding that nobody is perfect, it is difficult to follow these 9 things with perfection 24/7. However just as in the Sermon Christ says be ye therefore perfect, I don't think he meant you have to be 100% perfect, or it's not good enough. But rather, strive to be. Strive every single day to be better than yesterday, try to do good, and in the grand scheme of things, try to be perfect. And if we do these things, relying on the Atonement of Christ when needed, we will be blessed, and have a very enjoyable life. 

I hope everyone has a week full of gratitude, and a great Thanksgiving. Until next week!

Élder Van Wagenen 

Fotos:

1. On the way to Castell d'Alaro

2. At Castell d'Alaro

3. Hiking down at El Toro

4. El Toro

5. El Toro

Victory through Christ

Paradise!

 Hola a todos!

Another great week in Paradise! I hear that in Nevada it has snowed a little bit! Not to make anybody jealous, however here in las Islas Balareas, the weather has just been perfect. Bright sunny days with the temperature hovering around 60 to 70° Fahrenheit, with a slight sea breeze, it has been pretty nice living the island life. 

But even though the weather is great, sometimes the mission can be tough. Sometimes you have 5 visits, and every single one falls through. Sometimes you will be teaching a strong amigo, and then one day they send you a text, saying religion isn't for me. Sometimes you are not seeing any fruits from your labors, and sometimes staring at a screen for hours can drive you insane and maybe gives you a headache. But that is just how it goes sometimes. Life isn't always lollipops and roses, but that's okay! This week was for sure a little tough, however, it has helped me appreciate the small tender mercies of the Lord. Things I may not notice before were actually huge blessings and has helped open my eyes. Even when we feel that God isn't there, or has stepped further away, I promise that he never is far from us. He gives us trials to build us up. I feel like I have talked about this topic a lot in my emails, but that's because my testimony of it has grown so much. And when you feel that the challenges you face are too much, or you're not strong enough to continue on, throw that mentality out the window. God never gives us a challenge we can't overcome. So no matter what situation you have found yourself in, trust in God. Trust in His plan, and I invite you to look for the tender mercies, which when paired with the right attitude, can be found everywhere. One of my favorite scriptures explains this principle quite well. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Victory in all things is found through Christ. So move onward with faith, and we can overcome all!

And a friendly reminder of Veteran's Day this Wednesday. So go fly your flags and thank a vet!

Until next week!

Élder Van Wagenen 

God Bless America, Viva España

Fotos:

1. Foto with our recent convert, Mabel

2. Inside the Palma Cathedral

3. Outside the Palma Cathedral

4. Palma de Mallorca 

Fall in the Islands

Me and my companion loving this work

 Hola a todos!

And another great end to another great month in the missionary life! It's kind of crazy to think that its November already! We had a crazy week with lots of things going on, but as always it has been a great week! And since the weather has warmed up a little bit, we have been enjoying evening strolls every once in a while. 

This week we have found ourselves teaching lots of new people. And there is nothing I love more than teaching a new person the lesson of the Restoration for the first time. The Spirit is always so strong as we testify of the love God has shown by calling a modern-day Prophet, Joseph Smith, to restore the church of Jesus Christ to the earth again. Many of you know that I love mountain biking and lots of other things, but the Spirit felt in these visits, and how I feel after these visits and the rest of the day beats any adrenaline found on the trails. 

This week we have enjoyed drawing to President Nelson's talk from the last General Conference from a few weeks ago, for spiritual messages. In his talk, the Prophet talks about letting God prevail, letting him take priority in our lives. And whenever the Prophet invites us to do something, he always promises blessings. We as missionaries do the same, but I really love the promise he gives us in his talk. He said:

"When you are faced with temptation—even if the temptation comes when you are exhausted or feeling alone or misunderstood—imagine the courage you can muster as you choose to let God prevail in your life and as you plead with Him to strengthen you.

When your greatest desire is to let God prevail, to be part of Israel, so many decisions become easier. So many issues become nonissues! You know how best to groom yourself. You know what to watch and read, where to spend your time, and with whom to associate. You know what you want to accomplish. You know the kind of person you really want to become."

As a missionary, I strive to put God's will ahead of my own, and I know that He is pleased with my efforts because I have seen every single one of these blessings in my life. If you haven't given the Prophet's talk a read, you should do so, it is a great talk, and I know that God loves us, and when we love him, our lives are better. Issues become nonissues.

Until next week, but do watch the days because October snuck by me, not sure where it went!

Élder Van Wagenen 

God Bless America, Viva España 

Fotos:

1. The Palma Cathedral

2. Deia, a beautiful pueblo on the northwestern coast

3. Deia