Message from Blake to Elder Raven

Hi Kyle,

this is Blake, I just finished the park city cup I did well. one game I had three opportunities to score but I didn't score any of them I just hit the ball with the wrong side of my foot. I am now playing a holding center mid or left mid I am really happy about that. my team got to the semi-finals and then the ref was bad and we had a PK in overtime to tie the game we shot and scored but one of our players stepped over the line so instead of letting us get the kick she gave the other team a goal kick. 

It was fun.

 I wish you were here so we could practice soccer together and you could help me get better at shooting.

From Blake

Message back from Elder Raven

Ok love you bud! That is tough, but I am glad that you are still playing! I would love to practice with you, and don´t worry, when I get back from the mission I am going to spend a lot of time helping you out with whatever you want!

That is so cool that you changed position, you are much better midfielder than defender!

Your big bro!

Elder Raven

Voce fala portugues? (Do you speak Portuguese?)

Elder Chavez saying goodbye to Castro Familia!!! 

Wow!

Crazy news with Presidente Isaguirre giving us special changes so that I am now going to be with Elder Santana from Brazil who doesn´t have much time in the mission but I am so stoked to apply the portuguese that I have been studying these past two months!  (Its a long story but many weeks ago I had the feeling after talking with some Brazilian Elders that I would need to learn portuguese as well in the mission so I began asking them for grammar books, doctrinal things, and then I went and bought a book of mormon in portuguese to be able to learn here in the mission because even though we are in Mexico I have found 3 families here that speak Portuguese and it was so crazy how this small impression is going to help me so much with my new companion!

Another crazy thing is that the investigators from last weeks email, Cristi, Mari, y Alejandra all came to church on sunday with their kids and the members just enveloped them in their love and I they are progressing and it is so wonderful to see the light come on in their eyes as the hope of Christ and his Atonement takes a greater part in their lives. 

We also had to postpone the baptism of Marcos to this week, but that´s alright because it also works out better for the ward! And now it is so great because the members here are giving a lot more references now and this change is going to be so incredible!  It is sad saying goodbye to Elder Chavez but I know that we will be able to keep in touch after the mission!

Anyway there are a lot of exciting member activities coming up to include the ward even more in the spirit of Missionary Work and everything looks to be going up from here!

Anyway for a spiritual thought we were studying a lot this past week the importance of opening our mouths as misionaries and we decided to have a chant, or motto of Romans 1:16-17 (sorry you will have to look it up)

The Wonderful CASTRO FAMILIA!

Sorry I ran out time to explain it better, but I know that we can be a light to help others come into a fulness of the blessings of the gospel but we must never be ashamed or hide our light under a bushel, but in sharing our light, our own personal darknesses or difficulties will also be illuminated!

I know that Jesus Christ is the light of the world and He can guide us through whatever challenge we may be facing if we can but trust in His Divine Love, and know that He Lives and can Resurrect Us from our past selfs then comes the Joy of the Gospel!

I love you all!

Hope you have a great week!

Elder Raven

Anahuac Stake Mission

 

This past week was phenomenal in so many aspects but a really amazing opportunity was given to me this past week to be able to visit my past area in the Alianza Real due to a stake missionary activity that we had last Saturday where we united all of the missionaries in the Stake and with all the Stake Presidency, High Council, and Several Other Stake Leaders. We divided up and had a member from the Alianza Branch accompany us to be able to know our way around the area, but after 6 months serving in this wonderful branch, it was like coming home and it was a wonderful experience running into the Hermano Uriel and his family who started coming to church again after our visit, and even though we were given a specific route, the Elders in the branch kind of let me go as a free agent to find all the people that I felt needed the invite which was so wonderful! 

It was also a funny experience because in the activity I was talking with the Stake Presidency and Stake High Council, and they all recognized me by name without having to look at my nametag which is awesome, because I am going for a year now in the same amazing Stake, called Anahuac, and it has been a wonderful learning opportunity because I feel like I know this part of Monterrey incredibly well and I have grown to love this little part of the Lord´s vineyard a ton! and even some members and recent converts from the other wards have gotten to know me which sometimes makes me feel like a celebrity, haha!

But anyway on a little more spiritual side of things we had a really amazing experience with some Member references this past week named Cristi, Mari and Alejandra.  They are three single mothers with several teenage children and they have had very complicated family relations.  We began teaching them by getting to know them a little bit and sharing our purpose as missionaries, and these women just broke down crying because they had passed by us in their car before the appointment where we had walked from the other side of the ward to be able to reach their house, which was an hour walk in 100 degree weather, and they asked us why we had come walking in such extreme conditions to help them, and I was able to respond to them, Because you are that important to God, and we hope to teach you about your worth and the potential you have in His Eyes. With this simple recognition of a principle I think they had known a long time ago, but now were not so sure after such difficult marriages, it opened up a beautiful spirit in the Room, and these sweet sisters told us, what can we do to learn more, for which we began to tie in principles of the Plan of Salvation with the restoration, and after we finished teaching about the Book of Mormon, I brought out a copy of the Book of Mormon and Elder Chavez did as well, and with a humble tone of voice we said that we would like to share with you the key to everything that makes us happy and lets us know more of God´s plan, and we committed them that if we gave them copies of the Book of Mormon, that they would read them to which the Hermana Cristi literally snatched the Book out of my hands and basically said, [I am not only going to read it, but I am going to study every aspect of this book!

This beautiful experience made me wish to share with everyone of you that truly this Church is so wonderful because when investigators, members, or contacts on the street,  who have been beaten and torn up by life and feel like they have little left to contribute or accomplish in life are able to recognize the divine plan of Forgiveness, of Happiness, and of Peace, everything changes! The light in their eyes begins to return, and time and time again I can testify that I have seen the Light of the Atonement revolutionize everyone from rebellious teenagers to sweet, arthritic, grandmothers, and in every situation they begin to sense this greater Redeeming force and that they are not alone!  I can truly share just like C.S. Lewis declared, I believe in Christ as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.  I love the mission, I love this gospel and I love our Savior because through His Loving Sacrifice all things are possible!

I would like to invite each of us to reflect upon the many blessings we receive at the Hands of our all-loving, all-knowing Heavenly Father, and His Son Jesus Christ and resolve to set a few goals to express our gratitude for Their never-ending Grace and Goodness!

I love you all!

Hope you have a phenomenal week!

1. Activity in Alianza

2. and 3. Elder Chavez and I passing Abandoned Railroad lines

Finding the Deeper Meaning of Shoes!

Hey Everyone!

This past week has been phenomenal because we were able to see several miracles with the Hermano Oscar blessing the sacrament with his son Daniel passing the sacrament and with Hermano Gerardo as well all taking part of the passing of the sacrament yesterday my eyes were filled with tears of gratitude in seeing how little by little the Lord has changed these young men and father into worthy bearers of the priesthood of God!  It´s the little daily moments like these that make the mission the most valueable gift one could ever receive!

This past week as well was a little tough because they took out an ingrown toenail for a second time (because they didn´t cut it very well the first time) and I had to take several days of rest which can be quite maddening but it was a wonderful experience because I was truly able to reflect and study and apply myself with goals that weren´t exactly connected with preaching, but that still will help us improve our efforts in Felipe Carrillo! It showed up in our results this past week because of the many families we have had that have been attending church, none of them came which I feel is due to our lack in being able to travel the distances to visit them, and we sent members to them, but in the end only a young man named Marcos made it because he is amazing! But on the flipside I was given the chance to be able to talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday about one of my favorite topics; MISSIONARY WORK! 

I really tried to invite a spirit of prayer and study to be able to discern what the ward needed at this time, and after a great deal of reflection and several drafts the spirit helped me remember a story I had heard a long time back about the Town without Shoes

Even though many of you may have heard this story I would just like to paraphraze it rapidly so that you can get an idea of the main message I was sharing;

Several years ago a man went to a very far away city on a buisness trip.  He came to this town in the middle of December with a climate that was completely frigid and rainy.  After a very short period of time looking at the busied people passing to and fro he noticed two very distinct things:  1. Every was dressed in very rich clothes (fur pelts, diamonds, pearls and the like) and 2. Everyone was hobbling along because they lacked shoes

and due to the lack of shoes they all had cuts and scrapes and bruises that limited the quality of their lives.

This discovery intrigued the man and he began asking everyone if they knew about shoes or if there was a place where someone could purchase a pair.  This lead him to find a shoe factory on the outskirts of the town which had many people leaving in and out of the building but everyone still walked barefoot.  

So the man asked a nearby worker, [What do you do in the factory over there? to which the man responded, oh well we talk about shoes, we sing about shoes and we even pray about shoes.  This left the man completely bewildered and said then why won´t you put them on.  The worker reflected for a moment and said, What an interesting idea! but never answered his question.

So this man then looked high and low for a pair of shoes and was able to find a humble shoemaker, purchased a pair and approached the same worker and said would you like a pair now?  To which the worker heaved a deep sigh and said, If only you knew that shoes are only used by the fanatics. And left the man reflecting about the fallen condition of this town in complete confusion.

Here it is pretty simple to make the connectiont that the shoes in this story are the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He really is the Great Physician, Master Healer that can not only heal our wounded soles (souls, pun intended) but as well give us the protection and ennobling power of his grace (a functional pair of shoes!)  And this is our duty as members to not get so caught up in our fleeting pleasures, such as the nice clothes, and really focus on the basic principles of prayer, scripture studying, and standing in holy places.  And as we go about tightening up our laces, we will be less likely to fall, and more likely to testify of the ways in which the shoes (the Gospel) has changed our lives.  I know that God really will magnify our simple efforts if we but look to him and strive to open our mouths, and share our simple testimonies of the blessings of the gospel, in deed, word, and thought and through our love and guidance the church will continue to grow and our capacity to minister as Christ did will expand!  I truly loved this analogy because it helps me think about my calling as a full time minister (Mosiah 18;8-10) and how to help heal other that even though they may not appear too effected from a first glance are truly pleading for the blessings of the gospel in our lives.  For this reason I invite each and every one of us to strive to be more bold, yet not overbearing in the ways in which we share the gospel, that we love as Jesus loved and that we seek to live up to the gratitude which we have for the many blessings of the gospel!

Even though I never became a great soccer player, I know that the cleates I used affected my quality of contributions to my team, and we should equally strive to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace as stated in the armor of God in Ephesians!  

But anyways, you all are very intelligent and can make similar applications in your lives and I know that if you seek to make the missionary work a priority in your life you will have more: peace, understanding, revelation, access to divine grace, happiness, joy, unity with your family and fellow men, and the Lord will make you holy, He will forgive your sins as you help others obtain this forgiveness, and you will have the power to overcome the temptations that are waying you down! Of these things I testify because I have seen each and every one of these blessings in my life, and as well in the lives of every member that has seriously applied to call to be a Savior on Mount Zion!

I would like to turn to a final scripture about feet and shoes 

16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!

17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!

18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the ^afeet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of ^bpeace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;

I love you all and till next week!

Keep Praying, Keep Believing!

Elder Raven

Priesthood Power is Real...Oscar Castro Ordained to Aaronic Priesthood

Wow! I feel bad that I am so low on time every week, but I promise that next week will be better!  So we were able to confirm the Castro family yesterday, and as well Hermano Oscar received the Aaronic Priesthood which was absolutely wonderful experience seeing how this brother who at first was incredibly resistant to us teaching him had the Spirit soften his heart and now he is a worthy bearer of the priesthood of God.  I felt so strongly in all these ordinances that truly God has given men the capacity to use His power if we are living our lives according to the principles of the priesthood. 

In being able to take part in this proccess I felt the words in Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-46 come to my mind which states:

D&C 121

 41 Ningún poder o influencia se puede ni se debe mantener en virtud del sacerdocio, sino por ^apersuasión, por ^blonganimidad, benignidad, mansedumbre y por amor sincero;

42 por bondad y por conocimiento puro, lo cual engrandecerá en gran manera el alma sin ^ahipocresía y sin ^bmalicia;

43 ^areprendiendo en el momento oportuno con ^bseveridad, cuando lo induzca el Espíritu Santo; y entonces demostrando mayor ^camor hacia el que has reprendido, no sea que te considere su enemigo;

44 para que sepa que tu fidelidad es más fuerte que los lazos de la muerte.

45 Deja también que tus entrañas se llenen de caridad para con todos los hombres, y para con los de la familia de la fe, y deja que la ^avirtud engalane tus ^bpensamientos incesantemente; entonces tu confianza se fortalecerá en la presencia de Dios; y la doctrina del sacerdocio destilará sobre tu alma como ^crocíodel cielo.

46 El ^aEspíritu Santo será tu compañero constante, y tu cetro, un cetro inmutable de justicia y de verdad; y tu ^bdominio será un dominio eterno, y sin ser compelido fluirá hacia ti para siempre jamás.

(Mom inserted)

Doctrine and Covenants

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterward an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

I truly felt a strong desire this past week to be able to change the way in which I treat and teach others about our access to this sacred power.  We were able to see several people this past week change their lives forever because of the influence of this priesthood power in their lives and specifically I can state that we found a man named Jose Guadalupe that contacted us in the street, who after having been around several ex missionaries in Utah, decided that he wished to be part of The Church, and when he came back to Mexico on his last week in our area, we passed by him and he yelled out to us saying Elders, vengan para aca (come here) and began to share his life story with us and long story short he is a very chosen man who loves the Lord and wants to live in the right church!  He told us he would like to become a member of the church and bring his family with him!  The Lord truly prepares people and due to the righteous exercise of the priesthood in the life of Jose Guadalupe he is growing to have an incredibly firm testimony of these principles! With this miracle and so many others I believe that I can testify that God really wishes to bless us through our righteous conduct and I felt a call to personally be the best I can be in order that others can receive the blessings that sanctified priesthood holders bring, and I know that God loves His Children Infinitely, that priesthood blessings truly can give us the capacity to be healed physically and spiritually, and that every act of worthy priesthood service is rejoiced over in Heaven.  This was my little thought this week and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Raven

Oscar, Alejandra, Mavi Castro Family Baptism 6.30.19

Daniel Castro's Dad, Mom, and Sister were Baptized

 (Sunday 6.30.19)

On Sunday, June 30th Oscar-dad, Alejandra-mom and Mavi-sister of Daniel were baptized. Every once in a while we truly can´t control everything on our plate, but that´s alright because God's grace is sufficient for every one of our shortcomings!

Really, today has been absolutely hectic and I only have time for photos but I hope you enjoy the baptism photos of Daniel's family from yesterday!  It was truly an amazing experience to see this beautiful family get baptized a few weeks after their son Daniel was baptized. 

Today we went on a hike to Chipinque for our District Activity!

I will explain better next week!

Keep praying and smiling!

Love you all!

Elder Raven