A New Challenge (Week 54)

Elder Hernandez and Elder Herman

      This week was pretty good. I felt the spirit a lot. I have been focusing a lot on bearing my testimony and promising blessings and it has helped me a lot to feel the spirit more. This week has kinda been a week of goodbyes cause everyone knew I was gonna leave, and I am. I am going to Prados! It’s the most dangerous Zone. There are only Elders and they always get robbed. I am really excited! I am going to open the area again and I’ll be with Elder Passeri, from Argentina, as a Zone Leader and District Leader. Elder Passeri was my Zone Leader when I got to the mission field and he is one of my favorite missionaries. He is super funny and I am really excited to be with him! I’ll miss Chilpa for sure. I have been here a fourth of my mission and I love the ward a lot. I am ready for a change and ready for the new challenges!

 Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      This week I would like to talk about the power of a testimony. It is so important that we can gain our own testimony that God is our loving Heavenly Father who wants the best for us. And has sent us a big brother in Jesus Christ who paid for our sins so we can repent and progress in this life. And who died and was resurrected so we too can overcome death. Also in Joseph Smith, that he really did see God the Father and Jesus Christ in a vision and that he restored the same church that Jesus established. And that through the power of God, Joseph Smith could translate the Book of Mormon, so we have a proof that he really was a man called of God and has given us more knowledge about the Gospel. If we have a testimony of these things we can be firm in the gospel and find happiness in this life and in the life to come. But just gaining a testimony isn’t enough, we must share our testimonies frequently with everyone! The best way to grow a testimony is to share it. That’s why I love that we have time every fast Sunday to share our testimonies at church. It is a time where we can grow the testimony we already have. I am so blessed to be a full time missionary and testify everyday! But you don’t have to be a missionary to testify. My challenge for you all is that you can share your testimony as much as you can. You can go up and talk this fast Sunday and post a testimony on social media and help others around you that might be struggling with their own testimony, and help your own at the same time. I hope you can all post something little for all to see and to share the gospel! I promise that if you do you will be filled with happiness and the love of the Lord, because you are testifying of him. We have so many opportunities everyday to serve our God by serving his children. I love you all so much and I love being a missionary! Que tengan una Buena semana! Les amo!

Con Amor, Elder Herman

1 Ano! (Week 53)

Celebrating one year of missionary service by burning ties and writing on a white shirt!
Look at that happy face!!

      Wow. It’s official! I have been out 1 year! One whole year of eating eggs every breakfast, being away from my family, friends, sports, getting rejected, using the same clothes, being out of my country, talking a new language, and just living life up as a missionary! I love being a missionary and being able to put on my name tag everyday as a representative of Jesus Christ. It sure has been a crazy experience and I wouldn’t change it for anything! I never thought I could progress in life so quickly! I love being a missionary! So I burned some ties and wrote on a shirt to celebrate. This week has been kinda long honestly. The sun has been beating down and killing us. We worked a ton and found some awesome people, but not many showed up to church, so that was a bummer, but we will get them next week! We also got to have an activity with President 'cause our District achieved the standard for new investigators found, so we went bowling. It was super fun!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Well with one year down as a missionary I think one of the biggest things I can take so far is that we have to have tests to progress. There was a point in my mission where I was a little down and wondered why I wasn’t happy. I thought to myself “I’m a missionary, I live the gospel everyday, it is my life! Aren’t I supposed to be happy when I am living the gospel?” Then I quickly realized that I am a child of God and came to this world to be tested. Abraham 3:25 “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” And if we don’t have trials we can’t prove ourselves. It’s like a tryout. You have to be tested in many things, not just your specialty or easy things. You have to prove yourself. We also have to have trials so we can see where we are at in life and to be humbled. Every trial is an opportunity to progress. It is also an opportunity to measure ourselves. To see if we really have obtained more patience, or faith, or anything. We can find weaknesses and make them strengths through humility. I am so grateful that my mission hasn’t been easy. I am also grateful my life hasn’t been easy. It has given me so many opportunities to become more like Christ and to be able to help others when they are in hard times. I love this gospel so much and I know that when we live and understand the gospel we are happy. I love you all, thanks for the support!

Con Mucho Amor, Elder Herman

Happy about being a missionary for one year!

Bowling with the Mission President and Elders in the District.

Life's Good (Week 52, One Year!)

Elder Hernandez, Dante, Elder Herman

      This week has been a very great week. Its been pretty cold and I like it! I miss the cold a little. J Well this week we have seen a lot of progress with the family Gonzalez Zarco. They still haven’t had coffee and the parents came to Stake Conference with us and are really excited! We might go to the temple with them this week! Then we had a baptism! His name is Dante, he is Ana Isabels grandson and he’s a little crazy, haha. But the baptism was special. Before we got in the water we kneeled down and said a prayer so that Dante could feel the spirit, and he did! But like I said he’s a little crazy and after he started swimming in the font, hahaha. But this week has been a week full of progress! We have been setting good goals and achieving them!

 Spiritual Thought Of The Week

       Something I have seen so much in my mission are the blessings that come from enduring to the end and having faith. I can’t tell you how many times we have been contacting and everyone rejects us and some are kinda rude, but we keep pushing along, with faith that God has prepared people for us, and then boom, we always find people! I have learned that we must work to achieve blessings. Especially in missionary work, we must gain the trust of the Lord so that He helps us find the people that He has prepared. One of my favorite scriptures says “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things;I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for but not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” Ether 12:6  We must act first with faith. We must pass the test then we will see the results. We do our part, the Lord does His. I love this gospel so much and I love learning and understanding God's plan for us here on Earth. I love sharing the gospel and seeing the change in peoples lives! And I love you all  J

Con Amor, Elder Herman

Dante's baptism.

Time Just Keeps Flyin' (Week 51)

      Another great week in the books! This week was good we really saw a lot of progress in some investigators. We taught the family Gonzalez Zarco about the Word of Wisdom and they have a lot of difficulties with that haha. But the lesson went great! They all committed to stop drinking coffee and we took the coffee and sealed it up with tape, haha. So that was really good and then they went to church yesterday too! And the family Torres Cello got confirmed! I have just been filled with joy being able to be in the service of the Lord.

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Well I have been listening to a lot of conference talks and also reading them lately. And also with the passing of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, I have been thinking a lot about prophets. We are so blessed to have prophets in these latter days. As we follow the prophets we can be closer to our loving Heavenly Father. President Eyring said in his talk “The Lord Leads His Church”, “Jesus Christ is the head of the church in all the earth. He leads His church today by speaking to men called as prophets and He does it through revelation. He gave revelation to his prophets long ago, still does, and will continue to do so.” How cool is that. This church is directed by Jesus Christ. We are the church of Jesus Christ. We must listen and appreciate the prophets and their teaching because it is from Jesus Christ! It makes me so happy and so sure that this is the true church of Jesus Christ because we have a prophet and 12 apostles. I know with all my heart that Jesus talks to his prophets so that we are happy and know what we need to do to return to live with our Heavenly Father. The authorities of the church are people prepared and called of God. I love listening to them and learning more about our Savior Jesus Christ. I love you all!

               

Con Amor, Elder Herman

p.s Sorry I don't have pictures :(

One of the Best, Hardest Years of My Life (Week 50)

      Wow, wow, wow, how crazy 2017 is over! This year has been one of the best, hardest years of my life! In 2017 I left my family, friends, and home for 2 years to serve the Lord here in Mexico! And man it has been a crazy ride. I have become familiar with a new country, learned a new language, and the best part, I have grown so close to my Heavenly Father. I have had the best time of my life helping other people come unto Christ. I have been pulled out of my comfort zone and have relied on Christ more than ever and I testify that he does live and loves every one of us. I am so grateful for all the ups and downs of 2017 to help me be a better man and an instrument in the Lords hands. I have met many amazing people and seen lives being changed by the true restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This year has been tough. It has been a time of tests and challenges and a time of improvement. I can never thank God enough for the life and opportunities He has given me. Also some achievements of the year. Haha, I used the same toothpaste, shaving cream, shampoo and soap the whole year! Making everything last baby! Also the other day I was wrestling with my comp and got a rug burn on my eye..whoops!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Well the Bishop here sent me a text Sunday morning to see if I could give a talk. He asked if I could speak on the Plan of Salvation. It is honestly my favorite thing to talk about. I love being able to know this great plan that God has given us. We need to always remember that our purpose here on this Earth is to be tested and to progress, with the goal to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Our Father in Heaven shares the same goal as us. He wants us to return to His presence. We accepted this plan and are now in the time of trials. When we talk about the eternal life we need to remember we are already in the second stage of this life. We have already passed through the pre earth life. We must prepare to meet God again and now is a perfect time to be setting goals and seeing what more we need to do in this life. What do I lack? We must help God so He can help us. Set goals and later show them to God so he can help you achieve them. Just like the Brother of Jared did. He had a problem and asked the Lord what to do and the Lord said “What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?” God wanted him to figure it out. He wanted a plan and then the Lord would do his part. The Brother of Jared went and prepared stones and asked the Lord to touch them so they could have light in their vessels. That is what we must do. We must present God with a plan and He will later give us light in our vessels! I love you all so much, thanks for everything! QUE TENGAN UN PROSPERO AñO!!

               

Con Amor, Elder Herman