2017-5-28 Mendoza Baptism

2017-5-28 Mendoza Baptism

This week was very special. We held a baptismal service for the Mendoza family, and we have shared in so much joy with them. I suppose if you didn't really understand baptism, it wouldn't make much sense, or mean as much. But, when you begin to grasp what this opportunity really is, it is life-changing. The talks and testimonies at the service were so spirit-filled, my favorite part was when the youngest of the 3, Bea, gave her testimony. It wasn't very intelligible, but it was the most touching. Me and my companion love this family so much, it is very neat indeed that we will neither forget nor be forgotten, that these past few months with them have made a significant portion of all of our stories.

One story I really like is found in Acts 19:1-6. Paul travels to a city where he meets some disciples of John the Baptist. John was a prophet and his teachings were true and essential, but only preliminary to the doctrine and ministry of Jesus, his cousin. 

The clear-minded and humble of John's flock immediately rallied to Christ when His ministry rolled forth, which of course was John's purpose and even his teachings: (matthew 3:11) "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire"

Despite this, some disciples of Johns stayed as disciples of John and not accepting the Messiah. There were, at one point, Pharisees who allied with disciples of John to try and find mistake or sin in the Christ. But the disciples of John that Paul runs into seem to just be out of the loop, for Paul asks them: "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" (acts 19:2) they respond "we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost". I liken that to those I teach, who have faith in Jesus Christ, and have beliefs, but sometimes we teach them something critical from Christ's teachings, and their response is "what in the world is that? No one ever mentioned that to me"

Paul's response is perfect, citing the teachings of both John the Baptist and Christ Jesus (acts 19:4) "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people,  that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus". And from the next verses we learn they were obedient to the teachings and Paul "laid his hands" to baptize them with Christ's baptism, that is of fire or of the Holy Ghost. Maybe we are surprised to learn that people are baptized first by complete immersion in water, but then are also baptized by the laying on of hands. As the the doctrine suggests, and as Paul's ministry indicates, baptism by water is incomplete without receiving the Spirit of God. On Sunday as we laid our hands on the heads of the 3 Mendoza family members, I could feel the impact of the moment, that they had been made clean and worthy enough to have the Spirit of God become their companion. And unlike the Lamanites who were baptized with the Holy Ghost and "knew it not" (3 nephi 9:20) these new members know exactly what happened, and are more blessed for it.

Thanks for reading! Love you all!

Elder Fish

2017-5-21 - Pictures!

May 21, 2017 – Pictures!

Just some pictures this week!

Family home evening at the Lito Family! They were recently baptized and the Mendoza Family will be baptized next week! We have been lucky to help build a center of strength in this area where neighbors will feel the effect of the gospel of Jesus Christ and interest will continue to be generated. #wacky

We got to help clean up a high school!

Love Elder Fish

2017-5-15 - Painting

May 15, 2017 - Painting

I hope these pictures send! We painted our apartment and put a little linoleum down so it's less like a prison and more like ward 9 or a hospital. No but really, I can't believe how different the atmosphere is now.

You can't start of a home rennovation project without some pizza! My prayers have been answered: A store here called S&R is literally just Costco from America. The senior missionary brought us a large pizza and I couldn't thank him harder.

FHE with the youth! 

My message today is inspired by what I do every day. Talk to people about Christ. I often ask people, with no malice of course, what they believe about Christ, and what has He done to change your life? I've gotten very different responses. And I really respect all the things I've heard. We aren't here to change people's beliefs, rather help them increase the light and knowledge they have already accumulated. With that in mind I want to talk about the different views about God.

In the book of Moses we learn that God's purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39) and the Savior teaches: "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent" (John 17:3) When we have such clear scriptures defining what God is trying to do, and what we have to do to have eternal life, I sometimes wonder how opinions on religion vary so drastically. It's no wonder that the first article of our faith is about who God is. By the way I thought about making this into a kind of One Fish Two Fish poem, but I'll restrain myself.

Here are some of the ideas about God I've encountered:

there is no god

many gods based on elements or passions (mythology)

invisible god

he's just a big eyeball like on the dollar bill

or, he can be whatever he wants

he is everywhere

he is nowhere

incomprehensible (which is a shame, since life eternal requires we know Him)

salvation, another topic entirely, differs almost just as much in opinions. Some believe everyone is saved to the utmost, we don't have to do anything, some believe 144,000 will be saved and anointed. I think the best way to understand salvation is to understand our Savior. But, that means things are going to get more complex. So far we only have one variable, 'x'. Now we are making the equation even messier by throwing in 'y'. If there are 1000 different views about God, there are 10,000 different views about God and Jesus Christ, how they relate. Another list of what I've heard:

The Father became the Son and had a mortal body (Christ), when He died He became the Father again (Christ and the Father are one being in this idea)

The Father is Jehovah of the Old Testament, Christ is just a special son who was chosen to be a sacrifice for sin

Christ is just a man, we ought to respect Him for His great teachings and philosophies

Christ was a prophet, but a greater came later

or the miracles in the Bible aren't real, Christ is just a philosopher 

There are countless opinions on this subject. I'm not even going to start on 'z' today, which is the Holy Spirit. So how do we know what is right? Well, God has restored this knowledge. I find it insightful that when God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to a boy Joseph Smith, God introduced Himself and His companion. This makes sense if we realize that Joseph Smith would not have recognized these personages that appeared above him in the air. Before that First Vision, Joseph couldn't have known who God was because it had been so mixed up (kind of like what I'm experience here). 

I hope I have helped you realize how many views there really are about God (I only realized it since my mission), and how we need to take personal time to wrap our heads around it. Comparative Religions in high school was one of my most interesting classes, but we can't just think "religion is neat, look how many religions man has made, that's neat" then not pick something to believe. Because like Jesus said, this is eternal life. Everything else, every commandment, every challenge, becomes doable once we have our own knowledge of God.

 I leave my testimony and knowledge that God the Father is the father of our spirits, and His great plan for us is to become like Him. Christ is the Firstborn of all spirits, and volunteered to be a sacrifice for the rest of us. He is the Creator of the World through the direction of the Father, the Great Jehovah who guided chosen Israel, and the son of Mary who lived and died so that we would understand God better and so that Christ can plead to the Father for us. Christ now has a immortal body, just like the Father, and we can join Them in Their perfection if we but learn what God means and follow every good thing that comes from that knowledge. I love you all, thanks for reading! This is just my thoughts on this, but much better, smarter, more guided men have already made this much easier to understand. If you have time, read or listen to these:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/10/the-grandeur-of-god?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/seeking-to-know-god-our-heavenly-father-and-his-son-jesus-christ?lang=eng&media=video

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-way?lang=eng&media=video

https://www.lds.org/manual/the-life-and-teachings-of-jesus-and-his-apostles/section-1-the-great-jehovah-comes-to-earth/section1?lang=eng

These are in my opinion some of the most powerful talks given about God.

Also, Happy Mother's Day! And Happy Birthday Kaid! Got to talk to my family on Sunday, that was the best :)

Love, Elder Fish