Hola Everybody!
Another lovely week here in Zacatecas. We had one investigator at church again. Abraham came to church for the second week in a row and is really starting to get excited for his baptism in December. We're really hoping that everything will keep going well. When we went for our second visit of the week with Rigoberto, he had been drinking. Eva (his "wife" to whom he is not married) was very upset and I don't think he realizes that he actually has a problema when it comes to alcohol and that he is hurting her with his actions. But we're going to keep working with them both. Eva is very firm that she is not going to change religions but... I don't know. I just have a feeling about her. But either way, pray for them all.
I've been thinking about some of the sayings that they use here. One of the most interesting is when people say "Primero Dios." What's interesting about it is the difference in the way the members use it and they way everyone else uses it. When everyone else uses it what it really means is "I'm going to do whatever I want and if there is time left over I'll read my scriptures or pray or go to church" Usually we hear it when we invite people to come to church. And then no one ever comes. But when the members use it, it means that it might be difficult or maybe it's something that they don't really want to do, but they know it's some that God has asked them to do and so they are going to do it. I prefer the way the members use it. Haha.
I've learned a lot about the reasons that God asks us to do certain things. I always viewed obedience as how we got into heaven. If we were could, we could come in, if not we couldn't. But as I have learned more about God, about His plan for us and our purpose in this life I think I've found the real reason that God asks us to be obedient and gives us commandments. It's not some type of arbitrary set of rules that He uses to test how badly we want to "get in to Heaven." It's because this life is a time of preparation. When we can progress and become more like our Father in Heaven so that when we have to stand face to face with our God we will be ready for what He has planned for us. It's not a matter of loving us enough to let us into Heaven, even if we weren't perfect. It's a matter of whether or not we will be prepared to handle to responsibility. It's like if there was a person who started medical school and never showed up for class. It doesn't matter how good of a person they were or how much the teacher loved that student who never showed up for class, come graduation day they wouldn't be ready to be a doctor. I think it's the same with us and being ready to be in the presence of God.
All my love!
Hermana Schmidt
PS there is a talk by Tad Callister called "Man and What He May Become" Look it up. :)
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