Elder Zachary Gehring: The Time Machine

Hi there my family

Well this week was insane. I learned a ton. I laughed a lot. I got stressed out a lot. And well it was full of adventure none the less.

Let me begin by saying that when you think you've heard all the doubts and excuses and different beliefes about the Gospel is when you realize you were very wrong. We have been teaching a wonderful family who loves listening to us. They invited us over for dinner and we had "Majadito"(I think thats how you spell it). Its a food common to Bolivia. Its a rice based plate with chicken and spices and its served with fried walele y fried eggs. Tan rico. Anyway they invited us over, we talked during dinner and then we had a chat about the Gospel. They hadn't read their part in the LDM so we read the first chapter in 1 Nefi. At the end of the chapter, everthing was going really well until one of them asked us an awesome question. "Who is Christ for you?" We explained that He is our Saviour, that He is the Son of God and the only way to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Then he asked us if he could share his belief about Christ and we told him of course! He explained to us that Christ is from the future. That he is a man that lives hundreds and hundreds of years in the future and he created a time machine. He then went back in time (to the biblical era) and taught about what was going to happen becuase he knew because hes from the future. And the three days between his death and ressurection that Christ returned to the future, and then returend again to the past as a new and healed human.

It was one of the hardest things to respond to. I had no idea what to say, I had no idea if he was being serious, and I had no idea what to teach him next. We thanked him for his explanation and thats all we could do. We invited them to church, and then took out a time to return and visit them. I have a lot of studying to do.

Other than that is was a pretty calm week. My training is going well. I think. Its so hard and I've realized how much I have to learn. My comp doesn't take criticism very well and I'm learning how to teach not so directly because I think at times I'm a little too straight forward. We are very very different people. But its all good! We are both missionaries with the same purpose. We are getting better everyday and he is teaching me a lot.

My thought for today is from the Book of Mateo and is about the pure and unending love that the Savior has for us. In Mateo chapter 26 verses 36-46 we read about the atonement that Christ performed for us. In 39 we read of his first time to suffer and in 40 Christ says to his apostoles who were sleeping " Could ye not watch with me one hour?" Then in 42 and 44 prays and suffers a 2nd and 3rd time. But the perfect love is seen ever more perfectly in 45. After all his unending suffering, bleeding from every pore, and taking on the sins of the world he finds his disciples asleep again. He could have been upset but no. He says "Sleep on now, and take your rest..." And as Jeffery R Holand said "..though there would be no rest for Him.." In these moments when Christ was uterly alone, he had perfct compassion on His humble followers.

We need to strive to have this perfect humility and love for those we come in contact with. We need to develop this love more every day and we can do this by prayer and service. Like is says in Moroni 7 we need to pray to the Father with all energy of heart to be filled with the pure love of Christ. I know that as we do so we will experience an endless joy and happiness. I love you all. I love my Saviour. I love the work of the mission. I pray for you all, I miss you all.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Gehring
PS...The video is the streets when it rains hard!