Spencer's Adventures: Lessons in Repentance, or "I'm a Goofy Goober"

Adios, Tatiana! She's headed out for the mission this week!

You can see why this place is called Valle Escondido (The chosen Valley)!

Super beautiful views.

Fun fact, cocowate (not sure how it's spelled) means something like goofy in Spanish. So in the Spongebob Movie in Spanish, the song is Soy cocowate si, Eres cocowate si, Somos cocowates si, coco-cocowate!
Things you learn from Latino companions :)

This week has taught me alot about humility and repentance. Elder Guirola and I aren't two peas from the same pod, and we have a lot of differences. We had to settle a lot of those differences this week, because they were causing problems in our companionship. As we both, mutually, humbled ourselves and set goals, we've been able to gain confidence in each other, in the members, and now we know that the spirit's with us.

I'm not really going to write about Monday through Wednesday, because they were not good days, and not important.

Jessica's baptism!

Thursday was a strange day. After a long, long talk with my companion, we went to the baptism (Jessica was baptized!!! =D ) and then to an activity in the church. everything felt better after talking, but not exactly joyful. But then, as we put goals together Thursday night, we felt the unity that we should feel as a companionship. As we started to work towards those goals, we became less and less two companions and more and more one companionship, how it should be. We're getting along beautifully right now, and for our repentant hearts the Lord is blessing us with success.

I was studying today in Alma 5, and I found some things that I really loved that related to this experience. In this, the prophet Alma (the Younger) is talking about what how we need to be ready to meet God.

27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?
28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.
29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.
30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doeth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!
These verses really hit home to me. He noted 4 things specifically. He asked if we are humbled, if we are stripped of pride, if we are stripped of envy, and if we mock or brothers, or persecute them.

All 4 of these things are things that are frequent problems here in the mission. Comments like "Oh I wish I was in that area, that area is so much easier" or "Have you heard about so and so when he did this and that"? Are frequent.

Pride strips away our accomplishments, making us lust after more instead of realizing the good works that we may have done.

Envy makes us dissatisfied with the many blessings from God that we have.

Mocking our brother, or, in more modern terms, Gossiping, destroys our faith in them, takes the spirit away from us, and lowers the chances that the recipient will be successful in whatever they might be doing.

We should be quick to repent. I realized, as I was reading this chapter, the significance of repenting of our sins today. When is says in verse 29 that the hour is soon at hand, and he knoweth not when the time will come, it puzzled me for a second as I thought about how this was written more than 2000 years ago. But then, I realized that in our personal timelines, the hour is close at hand. We never know if we'll be here tomorrow. Often times we take this time of probation, this life that we've been given so that we might repent, way too lightly. It's a gift of God, and we ought to be taking advantage of it to repent of all our sins. If we're not repenting, we're not progressing. Repentance is our (literally) god given right to improve our own situation. It is our chance to achieve Eternal Life. It is our only hope of salvation from our sins. I have felt the joy of repentance this week, and it's a feeling which I would like to feel every week for the rest of my life. I know that as we repent, we will all feel better, and so, for that, I invite all of you to accept Christ in your life, and give him your sins.

I love you all so much. I really hope you all have great weeks!