My dearest family and friends:
What a week! it was super busy with visits and lessons and we have never
been so busy in our lives! there is so much here to do and so many people to
visit and help progress and give service to...it is so hard to try and fit
everything in the schedule! i just keep praying the heavenly father gives us
more time to get everything done!
Well let me tell you about the week.
We are working with some amazing investigators who have accepted to be
baptized and really all of our investigators are wonderful. so prepared to hear
the gospel and come unto christ and make the decisions they need to to recieve a
remission of their sins. We did have a baptism this last week!! Yeah!! Her name
is yandery and she has been struggling for a long time about entering into the
wasters of baptism due to fear and a bunch of other stuff that satan was putting
in her path. but she did it! she made the decision despite the resistance of her
parents and family and took the step of faith and couldnt be more happy. it was
truely a special baptism service. i got to play the violin really for the first
time here in 15 de agosto and..........i think i will be playing everyday from
now on. :) the members loved it and have been asking for me ot play at every
moment. that and to teach them all how ot play football americano. i think it
should be a great elderes quorum activity :) It was actually pretty funny
because we had the baptism service where i played and the relief socitey was
doing their annevesary party in the other room and afterwards asked if i could
come into the activity and play while everyone was eating and chating.....haha
so i did. turned out great but nobody ate or talked....they all just watched and
videotaped. but if the lord made it possible for me to bring the violin on the
mission, i will play for him and for others as often as i can.
As for other things....i have really noticed one thing these past couple of
weeks. How important the family is. no im not crying for you guys....i mean the
family in general. i have seen satan trying to destroy the family more than ever
here. so many of the ward members are going through divorces or spouse problems
and the kids are hurting more than ever and it just kills us. because we love
them and seeing them in pain and suffering for the want of a father or a mother.
I have come to realize that this is the battle we fight everyday. satan IS
trying and doing all he can to destroy the most precious thing that we have. our
families. because if he can succeed, and we dont have our families, we in turn
really have nothing. We are here to learn and grow in this lifetime...and the
only effective way is in a gospel centered home. centered in christ, for if we
put chirst as our rock and our fundamento we cannot fall....no matter how hard
satan will try to destroy us and all that we have dear to our hearts and minds.
these are the last days. god is hastening his work to save the souls of
men...becuase satan is trying more than ever in th ehistory o fthe world to stop
the work and bring souls down to hell. it is no wonder why the prophet called
for more missionaries. it is no wonder why we recieved the family: a
proclomation to the world, years ago. it is no wonder the scriptures give us the
details on our responsiblilties as fathers, mothers, children, to have a firm
and close family! of all the things that i have seen and dealt with here in peru
is that satan is constantly attacking the family. we need to be prepared. we
must read the scriptures individually and together as a family. we must pray
together and in secret as the scriptures say. we MUST HAVE FAMILY HOME EVENING!
we may not see the attacks, we may not see the tactics that satan uses...but he
cannot destroy us or our family unity if we are doing the things of the lord and
if we are living the gospel of jesus christ. Daily.
To those who have families.....strength them. do all you can for them to
protect them physically and spiritually. please, please, PLEASE, read the
scriputres, feast upon the words of christ and they will tell you all that you
need and must do to survive in this world. Please, please, PLEASE pray, go to
church, share your testimony with others, serve faithfully in your callings, and
give service!
To those who have been affected negatively by a spouse or who have gotten a
divorce: remember that you are a child of the most high god, who loves you and
will take care of you. you can find the peace that you need through the
scirputures, througth prayers and through the atonement of jesus chirst. you can
find the healing that you need and will be strengthened and given the means in
which you can progress and perseverar to the end. trust in god. give him all
your heart and soul and mind and he will protect you. be examples to your
children. continue in the ways of the lord. just because you have had trials and
tribulations this is no excuse to leave the standards that you once knew. it is
no excuse to not keep the commandments or your covenants with god. it is no
excuse to leave god and do your own thing. this is the time in which you must
turn to the lord to help yourself and help the family that you have. try to make
things right with your companion and forgive them.
To those who are having problems in the home and are fighting with your
spouse: in order to have peace once again....you must drop your pride! repent of
your ways and forget yourself and your problems. turn to the lord for guidance
and do all you can to make things right with your spouse. do not allow satan to
win the battle. we must come together and be unified and have the united family
that god wants us to have. again, forgive. god will give you the forgiveness
that you will need to make things right again.
To my beloved family, i love you. i am so grateful for you and your example
to me. we must continue in the ways of the lord so that satan can have no power
over us. we do the basics and strengthen each other. and satan will never break
us. we are an eternal family.
To all of you, i love you. thank you for your love and support. god loves
us. he will strenghten you and your families if we but turn to him and do all
that he asks of us. let us get rid of our pride, forgive and put christ as our
rock and we will never fall.
i know these things to be true. i testify that god the father lives and his
son jesus the christ. my savior and my redeemer. the great jehova. the first and
the last. I testify that through him and only through him we can have our
families together forever. I cannot imagine living in heaven without you Dad,
Mom, Justin, Kacie, Nate, Faith, and Jacob, and to all my cousins and aunts and
uncles and grandparents.
I cannot express my love for you in words. you are always in my prayers and
my heart for always and forever more.
Les Amo con todo mi corazon,
Weston
1-4-3 For Always and Forever
--
Elder Birtcher
Perú - Arequipa Mission
