John and Christine's Adventures: May 25th through May 31st

I wonder who was the 33333rd visitor to our blog. I happened to open our blog this last week and I had to capture this historic event.

May 25^th through May 31^st: Monday, after mom finished physical therapy we did our grocery shopping and then we went with all the temple missionaries and the temple presidency to the home of the Parra’s for a barbecue. The Parras are the shift coordinators on both Tuesday and Friday nights. They are truly faithful and the best of the best. They served some of the best food I have eaten here in Oaxaca. They marinated beef overnight and it was so tender and seasoned so well that I was in love. They sent home all the meat that wasn’t eaten with us and I remained in heaven for almost the whole week.

The group at the Parra's home for dinner.

The three wives of the presidency and mom.

Yum, can you say barbecue?

Table 1 at the barbecue.

Table 2.

Deseret time.

Mom enjoying cake.

Tuesday, I had to teach the lesson in Presidency Meeting. Part of Presidency Meeting is that we take turns teaching the Sunday school lesson for the previous week. I taught on the parable of the unprofitable servant found in Luke 17:5-10. It is interesting that the unprofitable servant is one who has done all that was commanded of him and yet is an unprofitable servant. I then talked about the verses in D&C 58: 26-28 where we are told that we should not be commanded in all things, but should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do good things of our own free will and choice. Elder Bednar is always teaching that we should be agents that act and not objects that are acted upon. I’m starting to understand that the Lord wants us to be agents unto ourselves and do good things on our own and not do just the things we are commanded to do. It is in doing the things above and beyond what we are commanded to do, that we become profitable servants. Then as profitable servants we start to learn by the Holy Ghost what it is that God wants us to do, what it is that He needs us to do to help Him in his work to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all of this children. I learned a lot through our discussion. Wednesday we had a group of missionaries from the Monte Alban zone come to the 7:30am session. I got a picture of them as I was leaving.

The missionaries from the Monte Alban zone visited on Wednesday.

Thursday, 2 buses from Cuautla Palmas came to the temple. This group stayed through Saturday and really worked hard. They arrived early and left late. In addition to this group, we had 4 other buses come on Friday. The temple was completely full all day. We did over 3500 ordinances and there was a wonderful Spirit in the temple.

You can see all 6 buses parked in front of the temple.

Saturday evening I went with President Atkinson to train 2 ward councils. I spoke briefly on the music of the gospel. Elder Wilford W. Anderson’s talk in the last general conference really resonated with me. “We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires. The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music.” I then talked about how for me in the temple I am able to feel joyful spiritual feelings and it is where I really hear the music of the gospel. It is where I experience the union of the dance and the music. President Atkinson is a master teacher and it is always fun to be with him.

One of our coordinators and her twin grandsons.

Sunday we went to church in the Ixcotel ward. It was nice to worship with faithful saints. Sunday evening we spoke with most of our children. Oh, how we miss being with them, but how we are blessed for being here. It was a good week and a great month. We set a record for the number of ordinances completed in May, over 31,500. We have never been over 30,000 before. It is evident to us that the work is accelerating and is being hastened by the Lord. We are lucky and blessed to be a part of this great work of salvation.