calexico

COMO ESTANNN????

Still down here in the Mexican border preaching away haha this was a good week! Every Tuesday night we teach English classes and so many people come!!! We're trying to figure out how we can get them to come Sunday's too haha so we're going to sing I am a child of God to them tonight and keep sneaking in little gospel hints hopefully they will all turn into investigators and get baptized!!!!

As a missionary I feel like I've heard a lot of excuses and justifications as to why people aren't obeying the commandments of God. I think some people convince themselves that they are exceptions or that their disobedience is forgiven because they are going through a significant challenge with family or health. For others it might just be laziness or worldly distractions. This behavior or way of thinking is more common in some then others but I know that we have all probably found ourselves guilty of it at some point or another. The truth is however that God and His commandments are the same yesterday, today, and forever, they don't change. As disciples of Jesus Christ and members of His church it is our responsibility to be a light to the world to hold God's standards high and to help others repent and come unto Him. Yesterday we were teaching a woman who lives here in Calexico on the weekdays so that her daughter can go to school and then every weekend they go to Mexicali and that's where her husband is so she only sees her husband 2-3 days a week and one of the days is Sunday. So we taught her about the Sacrament and the importance of church and invited her to attend church this weekend in Mexico. She began to try to convince us that Sunday is one of her only days with her husband and that she didn't need to go to church to have God and was kind of trying to receive a confirmation from us that she was excused from church attendance because of her circumstances. Our response was a little bit different then I think she expected when we testified to her that going to church is a commandment of God and that we need to obey out of love and respect and that He blesses us when we go to church. Something that I've learned significantly on my mission is that we can't please the world and God at the same time, while that woman wasn't very happy with our response, I know that that's what God wanted her to hear and that He wants her and her family to be in church on Sunday. In preach my gospel is says that we need to declare the gospel with a voice of warning and love, because if we truly care about the people around us then we will lift each other to a higher level of commitment and obedience to the Lord. I know that if we "do always those things that please him" and help others do the same that we will be blessed and find true happiness as servants of God. 

This week I have seen progress in this area thanks to the guidance of the Spirit. As I walked around in the 120 degree hot sun I just prayed and prayed that the Lord would help me fulfill my purpose and guide me through the spirit, and He put people in my path that were ready to hear the gospel and prepare for baptism. Im so grateful!!!!!! I love and miss you all! Your in my thoughts and prayers!!! 

Xoxo Hermana Koelliker

PS we had some Jehovah's witnesses knock on our apartment doors this week haha we had a nice conversation with them and then they walked over to the elders apartment and started getting into a little argument hahah so we had to go brake that up and thank them for coming by.  

PPS our cars have little babysitters called TIWI. it tells me to "check my speed" every five seconds haha oops hopefully my driving privileges don't get taken away. 

the border 2 minutes from my house