Monday, April 6, 2009 -- The Greatest Battle Ever Fought

Conference was amazing. This time, I watched it in Spanish, as the English translation isn´t available in my current stake center. But it was just as good. I did miss hearing their voices, but several of the speakers, including Elder Scott and Elder Cristofferson, pre-recorded their own talks in Spanish.



Mom asked which talks were my favorite and my answer is two many to count, but I especially liked the talks of Elder Scott and Christofferson, President Eyring in the priesthood session, and President Uchtdorf on Sunday. Unfortunately, I wasn´t able to see the Sunday Afternoon session because I was trying to save a baptism, so I missed Elder Oaks and Elder Bednar, two of my favorites.



Like I said six months ago (which seems like just yesterday), the prophets and apostles always seem to know just what I need to hear. In the five sessions, my companion and I had four investigators and several recent converts who came and who were very impressed. It seems like every conference is more spiritual and edifying than the last. But maybe it is me who is becoming more spiritually mature.


* * *
Our three baptisms that were going to be on Saturday turned out to be one baptism on Sunday. (Don´t worry, the other two will be baptized this Sunday). The Person who was baptized is Manuela Saldaña Aguilar, a neighbor of el Hermano Zavala. The gospel has brought peace and happiness to Manuela, who was a very sad woman when we started to teach her. Like all of us, she still has a long way to go, but she has taken a very important step. Her baptism was a very spiritual experience.


My companion Elder Dominguez and I are working really hard and loving every minute of it. Thanks to good members like el Hermano Zavala, we are practically working only with member-references. It is amazing how much better it is. I encourage all of you to talk to your friends about the gospel. And not just talk to them, but invite them to talk to the missionaries.


Like I said, one of my favorite talks was that of President Eyering in the Preisthood session. I was greatly impressed by his words about the ¨man down.¨ We are truly involved in a great war. And the stakes are even higher than life and death, because we are dealing with eternal life and death. When one of our comrades fall, it is not an time to judge him, but to do everything we can to rescue him. I am not just talking about those who are not members of the church. When I was listening to the talk, a vivid image came to my mind of one of the less active recent converts we have been working with (who was baptized a few days before I arrived here.)



We are all enlisted. Happy are we, but we are also serious in the respect that we understand how very important this fight is. Obedience and diligence are key as in any war. But unlike most wars, we know which side will win. The Lord will be victorious, without a doubt. The question is which side will we be on? And how many of our brothers and sisters will be with us? It may be that in your situations you are not in the front of this great battle, but as in all wars the work at home is just as important. Keep up the good work and keep striving to be better.