I Love This Kid! (okay, Mom made up this title, not Daylon!)

So I learned this week that we have absolutely no investigators :( Not a single soul is currently being saved :´( BUT Elder C. and I had a GREAT Weekly Planning session on Thursday and we came up (obviously with the help of the Holy Ghost) of a plan to work with the members so that we can have more references which will turn into investigators. We´re going to have a "Noche de Hogar" (a.k.a. FHE) with one family every other night this week and next. Then, in about two weeks, we{re going to have another NdH with the same families, but this time they´ll have a non-member friend (that´s the challenge we plan on leaving them at the end of the first visit). Hopefully it works because we are in DESPERATE need of motivation to work!

E´ C. goes home August 27, or thereabouts, so we still have a while together :) In our Weekly Planning session, he put two goals that, to me, shows he has a desire to change. He´s already changed a few things to follow my example, so no worries about this being difficult. As long as I "play to my level" everything will be wonderful :)

The campo (I´m never going to remember what that means haha) is much safer than the city! There aren´t any gangsters out here haha :)

Mom, I´m sorry I keep forgetting to say this, but yes the Dino Eggs arrived safely and now they´re all gone :)

The lesson for this week is from "Jesus the Christ", under the chapter "The Sermon on the Mount" (specifically pp237-242):

In these pages, it talks about prayer and analyzes the model given in The Lord´s Prayer. This lesson, I{m going to leave you to study that part, but I will make note of a few good quotes.

Near the beginning, it talks about the "saying of prayers in place of praying". The word "prayer", for me, is most relatable to the word "conversation". Also, when I think of it in that sense, before I pray I like to recall a certain memory of my late-night talks with dad about how my day went. I try to imagine Heavenly Father in place of dad, kneeling across the bed. This helps me think of it more of a conversation.

Also, there are some moments when I just have to say "Tú sabes de lo que estoy pensando, Padre" (Thou knowest that which I am thinking, Father) because more often than one would assume, I can´t put into words what I want to say to Him. "Prayer is made up of heart throbs and the righteous yearnings of the soul...".

My favorite quote from this section is: "God without our prayers would be God; but we without prayer cannot be admitted to the kingdom of God". Therein lies the neccessity of prayer. We CANNOT receive Eternal Life without prayer.

"True, the Father knows our needs before we ask, but by asking we...are made hubmle, greatful, {and} contrite..." thus, the very action of asking our Heavenly Father for a rightous desire makes us more humble and more able to receive His blessings.

I would exhort you with the same exhortation as gave Moroni in his final chapter of the Book of Mormon that you read those pages from which I have noted and seek to improve your prayers. Before the mission, I though mom was crazy for saying 30 minute prayers, but now, I don´t want to only get to talk with my Heavenly Father for anything LESS than 30 minutes. Prayer has become, for me, a treasured and sacred time.

That is becomes so for you as well is my hope and prayer,

in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

- Elder Daylon Crider

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