The Scriptures Are My Girlfriend

From: Seth Gifford
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:07:03 -0600
Subject: The Scriptures Are My Girlfriend

¡Hola Todos!

Like I promised in last week’s email, this week’s email is shorter…..a bit…. I apologize if my previous email caused any headaches or gave you an aneurysm (If it did, then please file a formal complaint to my parents. Gracias).

This past week went by faster than a cheetah can run. I blinked my eyes a few times and now suddenly here I am writing another email! Crazy how that whole blinking thing works.

My Week:

I have been learning SO MUCH! As Elder Bowen from my district put it: “It feels like we are trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant.” Every day we learn new grammar in Spanish, and we are expected to memorize super long things in a short amount of time, which has been pretty tough. But the Lord is so good. He has given me so much strength beyond my own and my Spanish is slowly getting better! The only hard part is to be patient with myself as I try to learn. But when I am learning with the intent of bringing others unto Jesus Christ, that’s when I learn most effectively, which is another witness to me that this is the true church! It still doesn’t feel real that I am a missionary, but I am so grateful to be able to bring others closer to Jesus Christ. I love Him, and want others to be able to feel the peace, love, and joy that comes from following Him!

Teaching:

We have also been practicing our teaching skills as well. We usually practice teaching a lesson in Spanish every day. It has been an interesting experience! We have even taught one of Hermano Nieves friends who is not a member of the church. We learned later, after everyone got to teach her that she knows the church is true and wants to join! How cool is that? Even though all of us are gringos, she was able to feel the truthfulness of our message. Me and Elder Pendleton have taught lots of lessons in Spanish, and once we did it in English. It was SO EASY to teach in English, but when we do it in Spanish, we have to rely on the Spirit because our Spanish is trash. It is easy to feel inadequate, but one thing I have been able to remember is that this is not my work. This is the Lord’s work. All I am is a tool in His hands. It doesn’t matter if I am bad at teaching or speaking in Spanish, because the Lord will carry our message to the hearts of the people we teach, through the Spirit.

The Book of Mormon:

I want to testify to all who read this, that I know that the Book of Mormon is true! The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It has so much power and can change lives! I’ve seen it change my life. The promises in the Book of Mormon are true: if you read the Book of Mormon with real intent and with a sincere heart, and then pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to know if it is true, you WILL receive a witness of its truthfulness. So, if you want to know if the Book of Mormon is true, don’t take my word for it. Instead, follow that course of action and I promise, along with Moroni that you will get an answer and receive your own witness of its divinity. I can make you this promise because I have done this myself many times and received many witnesses of its truth. Reading the Book of Mormon gives me so much strength, peace, comfort, and love. I know it can do the same for you. I invite and encourage you to read it daily and I promise that you will be able to see the effect it has on you.

Funny story:

During our morning class the other day, Hermano Mercado and Hermano Durán were chatting in Spanish during our 5 minute break. They didn’t think we’d understand them or even hear them but Hermano Mercado said something like “I’m in a relationship with my scriptures. It’s the best.” We tried asking him about it but he avoided the questions and instead asked all of us if we left behind a girlfriend or boyfriend to come on a mission. After we all answered, we asked him if he had a girlfriend and Hermano Durán said: “The scriptures,” and Hermano Mercado admitted: “The scriptures are my girlfriend.” My telling the story does not do it justice. It was the funniest thing! It was hard to get back on track because everyone was laughing so much. We still tease him about it.

Anyway! I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy and that you have plenty of toilet paper.

-Elder Gifford