Hola a todos!
It has been such a good week! We really were able to see some success this week. This week, we challenged 2 people to be baptized! One of these people has had very difficult times in his life and has recently found God as a source of healing in his life. The other amigo we teach has been struggling with the concept of baptism for a very long time, but we sat both of them together, and we taught them and listened to their concerns. And there was certainly a point when I was thinking that maybe it would be better to wait to invite them to be baptized, but that thought was quickly replaced with a much stronger DO IT. So, I said okay these amigos need a date, so when I talked to them about the sacredness of baptism, the covenant we make there, and the blessings we receive from making and keeping that covenant, the Spirit was in the room. When I offered a date in the future to be baptized, they both willingly accepted it without any issues. So we are super super excited to keep working with these 2 awesome people!
This week I have continued my studies in the Gospel of Matthew, a great book, and learned quite a bit. One thing I particularly liked was what I learned from the Parable of the Laborers. To give a brief explanation of that parable, a landowner hires a bunch of people to work in his vineyard, he hires people at the beginning of the "shift," towards the middle, and right at the end. At the end of the day, every single worker was paid the same amount of money, whether they worked 12 hours or 1 hour. And so, as one may expect, the worker who was there all day was a little frustrated. Why did the other guy get the same amount as me even though I worked 12 times as long as he did? And so what I learned isn't about money, or working, or anything like that. But rather that all the workers, no matter when they started, got the same reward. Likewise, people may find God in different times in life. For some people may be not even in this life, yet, it doesn't matter when you found God, but that you did. And as long as we are obedient and faithful, we will all receive the same reward at the end, that being eternal happiness in the Celestial Kingdom.
And on a sad note, something I just found out in the middle of preparation day, I will be leaving the island and going to a new area. I am super sad, as the island has been very good to me, and I have loved every day of it. But I suppose God needs me somewhere else, that somewhere else being Bilbao, in Pais Vasco.
Until next week!
Élder Van Wagenen
God Bless America, Viva España
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