Johnny Rockets

Exactly 4 weeks left to serve as a full time missionary!

Today is a P-Day we have got to rest up quite a bit and it has been nice. Driving around and doing a few things we have wanted to do for a while. Just so you all know I was thinking about coming home a day earlier and surprising you, but now I won't just because you all already knew it somehow.....hmmmm.  I fell really weird today because there is exactly one month before finish up the most important goal that I have had up to this point in my life.  I find myself reflecting often about many things that have happened here and even before I was a full- time missionary. I love that I have the confidence to share this gospel wherever I am and whoever I am with. Each day is very different for me some days I wake up and I am super excited to start the day and other days I feel really drained and have to work hard to be able to wake up and see all  of the great things going on and participate in them. I realize things and understand things now that I didn't know before I knew about them, but I had experienced them and been enlightened. there is much work to do to be obedient and stay obedient in this life. If we are obedient the the Lord will always seem close to us it will feel as if he were walking with us. When I look for the best in others and see the best in myself I can see the Lord's hand in all things and how he has prepared us for each trial as we move forward with faith. Trials don't end there will remain always in front of us the next step and our choices and reactions and attitudes will determine our happiness not our circumstances. Today I read Doctrine and Covenants Section 88.  In particular I enjoyed  the following verses and I want to think about them some more so that these words can influence my choices

 62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near—

 63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

......67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

 68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.

 49 The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him.

 50 Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound.

I want to learn to drawn even more unto God when he is already near. I would like to be filled more with light and be prepared to comprehend what God will allow me to comprehend according to willingness to trust in Him and be obedient. Many inspired thoughts can come to our minds as we read this section and I feel very influenced by these verses. I hope they are uplifting for you all.

Love, Elder Bell

 

Moving Forward in Faith

Moving Forward in Faith

Shortly after President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was called as a General Authority, he went to Elder Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) for counsel. President Packer recalled:

“He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay [1873–1970]. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.

“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you.’”²

As children of our Heavenly Father, we sometimes want to understand in detail the things that we must accept or accomplish in faith. However, we don’t need to understand all things. We just need to step forward as the Lord has asked us to do and as the priests of the Israelites did in entering the overflowing River Jordan. Although we cannot see or understand all things, the Lord will help us walk on dry ground if we are “strong and of a good courage.”

We will have the power to stand strong as we live by His words—seeking and following His guidance in the scriptures and from His servants. Yes, we live “in enemy territory,”³ but the enemy cannot conquer the Lord, our Savior, who was sent to help us and to save us.

I know we can be true disciples of Jesus Christ by “standing obedient and strong on the doctrine of our God.”⁴ As we exercise the courage to do so, we stand in holy places, no matter where we are.

Dominican Slang

I was wondering if you could understand any of this dominican slang and phrases we wrote on the board with the missionaries that were leaving last week

August 18, 2014

Mom I am praying for you and your job and I am so happy that you have been blessed with these options and with a gift to talk with people and understand them. You and Dad are the most important support in my life I am grateful for the sacred divine nature of families and parents nurturing and raising their children. I love that Disneyland picture because I remember how grumpy all of the children were the only one that was excited to take pictures was Brittan and I have no Idea why. I love that Brea is sticking out here tongue like that it is so stinking cute! classic picture.

This week Leonidas went to church again and three other investigators went for the second time they probably won't be able to get baptized before I live but that isn't important anyway what matters is the joy they will have and the progress they will have as children of God as they make that decision. I am trying to read the Old Testament in english I figured that since now I understand the Book of Mormon in spanish then I might be able to understand the old testament in english now. :)  I am now in Exodus starting chapter 19.  It is a very high priority for me to understand the scriptures now because I see how the prophecies are being fulfilled and I also find that I feel less confused as I relate the scriptures to my life and I understand more of what is going on around me. When I can relate myself to a scripture sometimes I feel I have to look until I find one that I can relate to myself.

 

This week wore me out because we went to the airport way to many times one day we went there five times in a row. Lots of flights were delayed too and then we had problems because all of the mission's cards that we use for gas and the hospital and the airport expenses stopped working while I wasn't at the office and that was a headache. So many Elders and Sisters are getting here and they are super young haha my comp is really young to it is funny you can tell a difference. I am going to write more tomorrow. I love you all a bunch. By the way I do always get Dad's emails and I love them they really encourage me so make sure he knows that!

Some local food

A good looking bunch of Elders

Sending them off to the islands

Graffiti

The first one made me laugh it is of people smelling a food called sancocho and floating to it

08/11/2014

The last week went by reall fast! we haven't been able to teach very many lessons because of all of thethings we have going on with transfers, but we did have a little miracle last week. we were fasting and walking home on Sunday night and we had had some good visits, however we hadn't found anyone new to teach. which has been a problem for us lately for the last three weeks we haven't found anyone new to help. At nine a clock last sunday night our stake President saw us walking home and stopped and started to talk to us. He then remembered a friend of a family in the ward that he was being taught a couple of years ago he had seen her earlier that week and she was very excited to tell him about what she had been reading in the gospel Principles book she had been reading about tithing and fast offerings. we went directly to her house with him and began to get to know her and she was very interested and shared with us her testimony about how she wants to pay tithing. Well we put an appointment to go back and visit her. which had to be cancelled because she went to the hospital with a niece of hers that day and was with her all week. We still kept in contact with her and she said it would be hard to go to church this week, but that she would try. She went yesterday and It was amazing because the Ward welcomed her so well many of the members were already her friends and she went to and enjoyed all of the classes.  It was a blessing when we went and taught her that she had been studying about fasting which I believe is the very thing that blessed us and the stake president to find ourselves together and he was reminded by the Holy Ghost the we needed to visit her. Besides that We went to a family that was referred to us by the bishop and they have gone to church once in the four weeks we have been visiting them. the mother tells us that she doesn't have alot of interest and she is honestly very nice to us, but doesn't sincerely pay attention to what we are saying. However, her children do and are progressing.  In our last visit with them we had an impression to share in 2 Nephi 31 about the doctrine of Christ and we did, but they believe in orginal sin and that if we are not baptized even as babies that we are condemned for the transgression of Adam and Eve.  We read in that lesson with them the entire chaper of Moroni chapter eight and the mother and daughter began to pay alot of attention and as we finished began to weep. we did not know this, but the mother whose name is Mellisa. Gave birth to a third child who had died three days after being born.  It was a very intense moment because she expressed alot  anger and bitterness she had  kept in her heart for all of the years and repented and explained that she had cursed God and decided he didn't exist  and know she just wants to be forgiven. I hope that  they can receive more comfort as they think and pray about. It . It must be hard to go through trials like that and I know that jesus Christ can help them. I believe that God is just and merciful and all things that are pure and clean will go into his kingdom in his own proper timing.  

Thank you for your messages and support I love you all a bunch. when I  have the pictures with me from Saturday I will send more.

Love, Elder Bell

21st Birthday

Today the Senior couple here took us to a really cool Dominican restaurant for my Birthday. Lots of fun!We even saw a traditional dance. They could dance so well and she spun around hundreds of times on that bottle they do all sorts of things in the dance with it! I may not get to write a whole lot today because we have to deliver some stuff and take a few missionaries to take some tests at the hospital. Love you!

New pictures!

08/03/2014

First off, I love you all a ton. I am sorry I haven't written a whole lot lately, I should take more time out to do that. I am having lots of mixed emotions about when I go home. Clearly that is still a ways off, but I still get nervous about it. Nothing has been a bigger blessing for me than the periods of time that I have been able to forget myself and my worries and what I want and just work and learn. Just thinking about how that will change when this is over gives me a headache. When we think about ourselves tooo much we worry about the future. If I would just live and try my best without thinking too much about what I want I would be much happier. I know now for sure that I am going to be finishing as a secretary. Which is not to easy for me to hear. I feel very tired and sometimes I have difficulties because I want to preach and then when I get the chance for an hour I feel like I don't know exactly what to do with that one precious hour. I am larning so much, but the end of my mission has been much different from what I thought that it would be like. It has been more of what I needed than what I thought and has tested me  and pushed me very much to be bettter. Not just with spiritual things, but also with goals and learning and using my time right. Patience is important. When we aren't being patient we often tend to treat other people differently than how we normally would want to treat them. Whoever has true patience they will be happy because they have hope in the Plan which God has prepared for us. If we find ourselves unhappy or overly worried I would say that it is probably because we are questioning too much if everything that happens to us, that really is out of our own control, is part of what we need to become and that god allows it to happen not to make us suffer, but to help us open our eyes and understanding so that they are more than what they were before.

I love fast Sundays. and this was the second to last that I will have to be here and testify as a full time missionary. I Just want to let you all know that I believe that Jesus Christ created the earth and that he can control all things except for us because Heavenly Father will never take away the agancy that we have always had. Hopefully we use it well because if we don't we will probably wish we could do this whole life over again. However, if our decisions were well made for the most part, for they shall never be perfect, then we will look back on this time of probation and be grateful for everything, every second that we have been allowed breath will be a moment for which we shall be very grateful. I feel comforted knowing that I have you as my family and that I was born into this family for a reason. I feel that each one of you has been an example for me of some Christlike attribute. You are all amazing I know that you are special and being part of our family makes me feel very blessed.

7/30/2014

Well that whole internet thing was a mess and now we are really behind with some payments and things like that, but at least we have it now. Last week wasn't any different than the other ones besides the trip we got to take to El Seibo  to bring a companionship here to the capital. It was a very cool area to drive through I just wish it could have been day time to actually see everything. I had a really cool interview with my mission president. I enjoyed it alot. I am pretty sure that I will be finishing here in Gazcue helping with finances and helping prepare for the 28 missionaries that come in the day that I leave. I am wondering when school starts for me when I get back and when I can start to work. I don't think about that much, but it just came to mind. Transfers are the twelfth of August which I think is going to be absolutely insane because even without having an actual transfer almost more missionaries have been moved in the past few weeks than I have seen get moved in most of the transfers of my entire time serving here. I play soccer every once and a while, but I wouldn't say that I am very good at it.  I mostly just defend well and if anyone uses body to fight it out for the ball I do that alright ha ha some of the Elders get pretty fired up. Especially the ones from Mexico and Argentina. Then a few Columbians and a Panamanian that just play so agressively. So Anthony is almost home.... wow.. and Stihl is long long gone haha Riggs has  eight months or so left Cole is going to have a child Josh has around ten months left I think and Justin might get married ( or he could decide to serve a mission)  I mean he is pretty young I know missionaries that are 28 years old in my mission.more that a few of them are that old. I don't know what to think about Baylin going into college before I go...... weird. that is really cool about Sierra. Wish I could go to the Luau good food will be there. I know it. right now we have afamily and two individuals that are investigating  the gospel and progressing. Everyone here works alot so it is hard to meet with them very often. But when they are alone they at least take time to read and ponder a little bit. The thing is that they seem to be afraid or too doubtful to pray about it directly. Which is hearkening unto the evil spirit it and just reminds me of second Nephi chapter 32 verses 8 and 9. If we don't pray we really just value our own opinions more than God's truths.Love ou! Have a great night. Eat well enjoy your warm showers in the morning ;) haha