Transfer Week! (Mar. 25, 2024)

Good morning everyone! I hope you've all had a great week, my week was awesome down here in Chile! I'm definitely missing March Madness and the start of track season, but there's nothing I'd rather miss it for than being here in the mission helping the people and making memories! 

Things are going very well right now in San Javier, and I'm so happy to be serving here! Transfer news came this week and Elder Biggs got separated, we had an awesome 2 transfers together, made a ton of awesome memories and were able to help a lot of people! I'll miss him a lot, but he's got a bright mission ahead of him and a lot of bigger and better things coming his way! So my news is that I'm going to train for my last 2 transfers here and stay in San Javier. I love this area and I'm very excited to end my mission here! My new companion is Elder Tellez from Nicaragua, he is a recent convert of the church and the only member of his family, his story and testimony are incredible and it's an honor to be his companion! He's been a member for about the same amount of time that I've been a missionary and he's already teaching me so much! I'm super excited for this companionship for these next 2 transfers!

As for San Javier, the branch is doing very well! Yesterday was our branch conference and there were 116 people at church, the chapel was so full we didn't even fit! We had to open a room in the back and do a lil zoom for the people who couldn't see the pulpit from back there! It was so awesome! The Stake president was there and said they'll start the process to remodel the church and make it bigger! It was so amazing to feel the spirit of the members in the church, everyone was so excited to share the gospel and invite more people next week! In the meeting, Dylan, Renatta, and Mathilda were all confirmed, it was so amazing to see how happy they were to recieve the holy ghost. Last night we went and visited a less active part member family and were able to put their daughter on date to be baptized in April! We've been finding a lot of people that have a lot of potential and most of it is thanks to the members who are willing to help us now!

A scripture I love from the Book of Mormon is 2 Nephi 5:27 that says, "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." I think its safe to say that we all seek to live in a "manner of happiness" but sometimes it's tough to really achieve that. I love the reasons shown why Nephi and his people lived in happiness. First of all they we're striving to be just and keep the comandments. They had built a temple and were worshipping God, and they were working towards worthy goals. They were striving to prosper as a people and not as individuals. They loved one another and worked for and with one another. Their love for God and for others gave them the strength that they needed to prosper temporally, but the love and motives that they had also helped them prosper spiritually, it helped them fullfill their purpose of "...men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25). I know that as we seek to help bless other people and to love, we will live in a "manner of happiness." It's also important to seek what we can do for others and not wait for what others can do for us, because if we determine our happiness by the behavior of others, we're going to live very disappointed. We have power, we have control, and God wants us to be happy! 

I know God lives and this is his church, I love sharing this message every day, it fills me with joy. I know that our savior Jesus Christ knows and understands us perfectly and will always be there to help us as long as we allow him to. I know he lives. I hope you all have a great week! I'd love to hear from y'all!

Elder Micheli