Family and friends,
Another fantastic week!
It's been really great. At our stake conference our zone was invited by our stake President to do some musical numbers so we all got to sing and it went really well. The Elders from Teotihuacan stayed the night with us to be there on time. They live pretty far away. So we had two nights in a row with having other Elders stay the night since we also did exchanges with the assistants. That was a lot of fun too! One of my former companions is actually an assistant so we got to catch up. He was my companion last year back in January, a while ago. Every night besides Monday we have to either give or receive accounting so it's always really late before we're able to get to bed. But the mission is working on it now to make it more simple and efficient so we can sleep on time. We also need to attend some technology meetings and I don't really know Facebook that well so for the most part I'm just trying hard to keep up haha. The Huicholes area is awesome. We have two people on baptism date and another that we're teaching asked to be baptized. So we're working on getting a date for her as well. Our stake is the stake that is most open at the moment so we're able to do more activities. This weekend we are actually setting up an activity for the youth. It will be kind of like a missionary devotional. Our Bishop says that lots of the youth are excited to serve missions so we're gonna be having some moments to share our mission experience as well as make time for questions and answers. We're having the youth come prepared with questions. And then we'll also give time to them to share their testimonies and then play a missionary themed jeopardy! At the end we're giving them copies of the Book of Mormon and pamphlets to share with their friends. It's gonna be great!! Just this last weekend the stake young men group had a camping activity, without the actual camping. But we got to roast marshmallows and hang out with them for a bit so that was fun.
It's been a quick first couple weeks here! But it's awesome! I love it! I feel my testimony grow stronger with each passing day.
I've thought often about conversion lately and what it implies to all of us. I like to think of it using part of President Oaks' talk "The Challenge to Become." Using what he teaches, I decided to make a comparison with us and temples. The beginning foundation of the Temple acts as our faith and where we also start. Our faith in Christ is what is developed first before we can continue to progress. It is the foundation of our testimony. Then the construction of the building acts also as our testimony. The standing building of the temple is our testimony. According to President Oaks, to testify is "to know and to declare." The object or the building itself declares a message to the world. President Oaks continues, "Jesus taught [His disciples] about conversion, which is far more than testimony." In his talk, President Oaks explains differences with conversion and testimony, partly by explaining how Peter had a testimony but still needed to become converted. So, how would conversion be placed in this comparison? Maybe you already figured it out, but that would be the same as the Temple's dedication. That is the process; foundation, building, dedication - faith in Christ, testimony, conversion. If the Temple is not dedicated, it cannot fulfill the Lord's purposes. Just as necessary as the dedication is for the Temple, it is with our own conversion and dedicating ourselves to the Lord. Testimony is good, but not enough if we only declare without becoming converted. Another idea you might be able to use is from Elder Bednar when he teaches that with the gospel we learn so we can do which allows us to become. Even though becoming is far more important than what we do, we must understand that if we forsake doing then we can't become. I have a testimony that the gospel helps us in every aspect of our lives. I know it's true and I love living it! Just remember though, even though this is the Lord's pattern, it should not be treated as a formula in every situation. Just as all things are gathered together as one in Christ, we ought to give attention to all these things of the gospel and not only obsess about one aspect; whether it be our faith, testimony, or conversion. Even though Temples are completed step by step in that way, we are different in giving consistent attention to all three of the steps at the same time. All things gathered together in Christ.
Take care!
- Elder Markham
I'll send pictures in a minute!
Here are some pictures of our activity with the young men as well as missionaries in our zone. Then one with Elder Osorio and I with our Bishop
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