Special Changes Coming Up January 21, 2020

Family and friends,

It's been pretty crazy these past couple weeks! Sorry I haven't been able to write in a while but here is the newest update!

And really quickly, I will be responding to personal emails next week! I went to the Temple this morning, which was absolutely incredible, so I haven't had much time for things today so I'm sorry! But I appreciate hearing from everyone!

I'll get right into it! It's been crazy for many reasons. But first, we are getting ready for special changes and that's been happening for the past week now. There is a missionary in our district that is lacking a companion at the moment so Elder Mendez and I have been going back and forth every other night to fill in and work there. And we don't know for sure yet when it's going to end. We got word from President Parry the other night about how we may have to wait until after interviews, which are Thursday, or just until the end of this cycle which is at the end of next week. So I am in a trio of missionaries half of the time and then working in a different area for the other half. It has been very chaotic but I do enjoy the difficulty! It always makes everything worth it. And on a lighter note, I did get to help with a baptism last Saturday! That leads me into a quick story...

So Elder Mendez and I ( this Elder Mendez is actually in the other area. Both him and my companion have the same name) we get to the chapel to get everything ready for the baptism and we make a horrifying discovery! There was no water going through the building! Absolutely none! It was just the two of us and we are running around trying to see if there was a problem we could fix. The baptism was in two hours from the time we arrived so we knew that we at least had some time. We of course called the bishop and told him what was going on. He said he couldn't be there for another half hour to 40 minutes. So in that time, Elder Mendez and I are looking around to see if there were problems. This was all AFTER going outside to figure out how to get the gas on. It's weird because every other building has a different way that the gas works for warm water. But anyway, the water for the building never ends up coming back on. By the time things were really getting intense, a member had shown up with his family because his son was being baptized along with our baptism, who has the name America by the way. Then not long after, the bishop arrived. We had less than an hour and a half until the baptism started. Thankfully, here in Mexico, people show up to events only 5 minutes before or 30 minutes after they start. So we were in luck because that gave us more comfort time. But time was still on the line. There was no way we could reschedule this baptism because we had invited at least 15 people to attend and they all said they could make it. Including an investigator! So we were going to fill that font somehow. Then the bishop had an idea! He knew of a rope that was stored away that he went to go grab. Then we got some buckets! The water tank sits outside this chapel, in the ground. So he throws open the cap, ties the rope to a bucket to fill others, and we start filling the baptism font with buckets of water by him lowering the bucket he had on the rope to collect the water and pour it in our buckets. We had this system going pretty well. Eventually it started raining too. So we were getting drenched. But we were eventually able to get the font filled just in time! And there ended up being nearly 40 people at the baptism! Most of them there for America, the others that were there for the little boy being baptized were only 5 others. So that was a nice miracle to see so much support for a new convert! Then Pantitlan also had a baptism that night as well. 

   Many blessings unfolded that weekend and they continue to do so! And now, that investigator who attended the baptism has her baptism scheduled for February 15th! Which is actually her birthday! Then tomorrow in the other area, I get to visit a reference that we sent to that area. I met him and talked to him for a while before we sent the reference. He actually knows pretty good English! So I'm looking forward to that. Amongst all the chaos, I'm able to find a very sweet peace through this service and I appreciate each and every moment! The Lord continues to bless us with trials to strengthen us. I am more than happy to take each and every one of them that He sends my way. This is what the mission is about! Having a good attitude while doing the will of the Lord!

I give thanks to each and every one of you for all the love and support you share! You all play a part in this gathering going on in Mexico because of the examples you have been to me so I hope you all know that! It's a blessing to work with so many wonderful missionaries out here and to also have a wonderful mission president. And his wife is just as wonderful with her love and support. These are very noble and honorable missionaries that I get to work side by side with! So many humble and kind missionaries make it all that much better! I will share more next week! 

-Elder Markham

A Final Testimony of 2019

Family and friends,

This week was a blast! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was great! After waking up, the Elders in the house and I went to do a small service for some members that live behind our block. We swept up, pulled weeds, and painted lamp posts! Afterwards they invited us in for a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast! Later, we had lunch with some incredible members and I got to talk to my family which was awesome! I think that was the first time I got to talk to all of them at once since being out here haha. 

Well now we have 2020 coming up and I'm excited! We were invited by two different families to join them for dinner tonight so I'm looking forward to that! But now I would like to share a special testimony. It's the end of 2019 and we are entering into the year of the 200th anniversary of the first vision which lead to the restoration of the church and the fullness of the gospel! I know this next year will be amazing! Just recently in an email, our mission president's wife shared how that 20/20 vision means perfect vision. She explained how we can apply that to this upcoming year with it being 2020. As we become more acquainted with the church and its true doctrine in this next year, especially with it being the 200th anniversary of the moment Joseph Smith conversed with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, we can have a better vision of ourselves and the truth! So now, I would like to talk about some things and share part of my testimony, specifically of the Book of Mormon. What I want to do in the upcoming year is share my testimony more often of the Book of Mormon so now is a good start to do that.     

   I would like to begin by explaining that a testimony and knowledge of the Book of Mormon always begins very small. And yet, that doesn't mean it's insignificant by any means. Because that small seed that is planted in your heart is the very core of your foundation of your testimony and where it all began. Whether it began by learning of the incredible stories of Captain Moroni's army and the cunning strategy that Teancum used to bring down the kings of the Lamanites, or the incredible journey of Lehi and his family to the promised land, or Jacob's articulate allegory of the olive tree, or the fulfilled words of the prophet Ether who prophesied the destruction of millions of the Jaredites, or the sweetness of the story of Jesus Christ in the presence of the Nephites, or even the testimonies of the eleven witnesses, this can all bring about a wonderful beginning for each individual. Every one of these stories brings about profound testimonies. One recognizable one is that of President Joseph Fielding Smith's, who had already read the Book of Mormon twice from cover to cover by the age of ten! His testimony and knowledge of the Book of Mormon is incredible! The Book of Mormon is incomparable to any book for numberless reasons. One of which is because it is the only book that has the power to touch the hearts of the children of men the way it does. No other book has its sealing power and no other book contains the love of our Savior that we can feel which has the intensity to bring any person who reads it close to tears. I testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I also echo the promise of so many prophets that have testified that those who read the Book of Mormon completely and with a fullness of heart will come to the truth and know for a surety that Jesus is the Christ and our Savior. That is the purpose of the Book of Mormon, to convince the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior and that He will come again. Remember the teachings of Alma! If you read the Book of Mormon with real intent, if you pray to know of its surety, you can know that it's true by what you feel. The feeling is exactly like a seed. And if you feel good inside, if you feel the purity of the book and of its works, you will know that it is good. Like Alma said, if this seed brings about good things, then you may know that this is good. By that, you may know that the Book of Mormon is true. Never forget, every piece of knowledge is gained little by little. Just as 2 Nephi 28:30 teaches. We learn precept upon precept. It's not everything all at once and that is a reason why we are told to read the Book of Mormon many times over. We won't learn it all after reading it once, nor will we learn it all in this mortality. 2 Nephi 28:30 also teaches that if we think we know enough then we lose what we already had, we get our knowledge taken away. If you can take anything from what I have written, I would ask you to know of my everlasting testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it's true and I will constantly testify of that. It's also our promise to read and pray and then the mysteries of God will be unfolded to us. I promise that the Book of Mormon is true and I lovingly testify of it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Markham