The Power of Love (Feb. 19, 2024)

Hey everyone, this was an unforgettable week from my mission! We were all over this week, but there were some very good moments and I probably learned more this week than any other week I can remember in the mission. Tuesday we went to Conti so I could do a baptismal interview, Thursday we had Zone Conference in Curico, and then we had some unexpected exchanged with the Elders in Conti Friday-Saturday. A lot of fun parts of the mission packed into 1 week! A lot of stuff has finally started making more sense to me!

Some quick highlights from the week, Brandon came to church in a white shirt and tie and passed the sacrament for the first time! I got to see a lot of great friends and previous comps at zone conference including Elder Holman, Elder Wendel, Elder Messier and a lot more!! I also got to have another exchange with Elder Call in Constitución, and it was really good!

So this week during zone conference as the missionaries who are going home were giving their testimonies I finally started thinking and reflecting about my mission and how it's changed me and impacted my testimony. It hit me really hard what's changed about me and what power made that change in me, and the simple answer is love. My love for others, for God, for the gospel, for Christ, for my family, for Chile, for the prophet and apostles, and so many other blessing in my life has grown. I've also learned that loving gives us Godly power. It makes so much more sense to me now what the first great commandments are to love God and all his children. As we do so, we receive his power and become like him, he loves everyone perfectly and as we love others more perfectly, his power is given to us and we become more like him. God is perfect, and God is love, Jesus Christ is perfect, and he loves everyone perfectly, I believe that their pure love gives them their great power. 

I learned a lot about love this week and the best part about it was working to apply it and seeing it being applied to me by others. My exchange with Elder Call was amazing in this aspect. I prayed a lot for love and charity before the exchange and realized the entire time with him that the best way we can help someone is by loving them. He taught me a lot in our exchange, he is a great example to me of humility and having desires to become better. He helped me see my weaknesses as blessings and opportunities to receive Christ's power in our lives instead of only seeing weaknesses as burdens that we have to deal with. It was really awesome!

This week a lot didn't go as planned, but it was okay because I knew I gave my best and I felt the spirit each and every day. My testimony was strengthened and I was able to gaining better understanding of things. I'm so grateful to be in the mission and I know that as I strive to love others and share what God has given me, that he will give me unlimited energy and power to serve!

Elder Micheli