Week 35

January 13, 2023

January 11, 2023

Cribbage, baptismal dates, and a big whopping mall. So we were visiting with a member and they pulled out this game called Cribbage, and the instructions were in English. They told us to take it home and learn how to play it so we could teach them. So now we know how to play Cribbage. We also now have 2 baptismal dates for the 21 of this month, and this awesome 9 year old girl named Keiry said she wants me to baptize her, and that about filled my little missionary heart. Little girls like Keiry are what make the world go round. We love Keirys . We also went to a huge mall today and I got a sick shirt to match my hammock.

All is well in Guatemala City.

Spiritual thought:

We've covered a lot about being 100% responsible as a mission recently, and I would like to toss my 2 cents at the rest of ya.

As a missionary, it's my responsibility to, word for word, invite others to come unto Christ. Ways we measure our success is by recording weekly

- How many new people we find

- How many investigators attend church

- How many recent converts attend church

- How many lessons we teach with members present

- How many baptismal dates we have

- How many baptisms we have

Sometimes our numbers are high, sometimes our numbers are low.

I learned that if our numbers are low, and I put the blame on anything other than myself, I'm explaining that this other factor has power over me, and that I can't do anything about it.

This is a cop out.

If it's your job to deliver the pizza, it doesn't matter if it's raining, hailing, snowing, the world is ending, if the pizza doesn't get there, it's your fault, and you're responsible for that.

Some people would say that isn't fair, and one week ago I would have said the same thing. But I've learned that there is a large power behind taking responsibility upon yourself.

If I don't have a lot of new people this week, I haven't knocked enough doors

If investigators aren't going to church, I've got some important lessons I should've shared

Same with recent converts

If I haven't taught lessons with members present, I haven't made enough phone calls

If we're not seeing baptisms, I haven't been working hard enough

Here's an example. A popular excuse for not doing something around here is the rain. If it rains, everyone goes and hides.

I can do one of two things.

I can hide and say "the rain kept us from working, the rain is more powerful than I am."

Or I can put on my rain coat and say, "get out of my way rain, I've got more important things to do than hide."

In case you forgot, WE ARE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF A LIVING GOD WHO CREATED ALL THINGS. By birthright we claim dominion over all that He has created. Unless of course we chose to allow the rain to have dominion over us.

We can't control the rain, but we can decide to look past it, and move forward regardless.

We can't control our circumstances, but when we fail, who's in charge. You or your circumstances.

Take charge of your life. Give a crap. If you don't like what's going on, do something about it. Start a freaking riot or something (not actually). You are the only thing CAPABLE of holding yourself back. When you succumb to the circumstances around you, you become the salt of the Earth that has lost its flavor, which is good for nothing other than to be trodden upon by the feet of man. Take control, rather than allowing yourself to be controlled.

The first 3 weeks I worked in this area I'm at, our numbers weren't great, and I blamed it on the fact that both my companion and I were new to the area, and we didn't have a lot left to work with. Well this last week I said wow, that's a lame excuse, let's fix that.

By taking responsibility for my shortcomings this past week, our numbers improved

500%

Five hundred percent...

You are in charge of your destiny. Live up to your potential.

You

Are

Powerful

Now act like it.

This I share in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you ever have questions, shoot me an email.

~Elder Owens~

Cribbage