Conference

Hey there

This week we had a great Zone Conference. The topic was bread so I'm sure Ethan would have loved it. But it wasn't just any type of bread. We talked about the bread of life, the bread that we receive daily through the Atonement, and the type of Mana that comes to us as we develop and strengthen our lives with that of Christ's. We talked about how we need to share the bread we receive daily and just like in the story in Ex about the people of Israel. I hope this helps you understand what I mean.

1. The Mana or bread is what we experience day to day with the Atonement of Christ. (we have to go out and collect it daily) 

2. And if we try to use our bread (or experience with the Atonement) from yesterday its already gone bad (with worms and bad odors) just as the Mana did if they tried to collect enough mana for 2 days.

3. We need first collect enough for us and then we need to help our families (or those around us) collect their own mana (Or have their own experiences with the Atonement)

In our area we tried a little bit of what we talked about during the Conference. We went to a lot of our CR and told them we were going to come by but not to teach, but to be taught. by them. (Have them share their bread or mana with us) They were excited! They all studied hard and I think read the scriptures more diligently than they ever have. We came to the appointment and listened to them. They each individually bore powerful testimonies. We testified of what they said and closed with a prayer. Ambos salimos edificados. I learned this week there are so many better ways to teach than to just do it with a lesson plan like always. They taught themselves, we testified of their words, and the spirit testified to them and to us of the truthfulness of it all. 

Read John 6 and Exodus 16. It will all make more sense after reading it. 

This week I have been studying about how every miracle that Christ did has something to do with the Atonement. Every miracle, every teaching, every everything points to the Atonement. I started with his first Miracle in Cana. He turned the water into wine.

 

1. We in our lives are like the guests and the wedding and the wine we could say is the way to get back to the Father. 

2. In the wedding they lacked wine for everyone. 

3. Christ then provided wine sufficient for everyone there. 

He provides through his atonement, his own blood, his own wine, his own mercy and grace so that everyone who chooses to drink of it will be filled or will make it back to the Father.

 I then also studied when Christ cleaned the temple. John gives the account in chapter 2.

16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

 18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

 21 But he spake of the temple of his body.

I learned that he cleansed the temple to show the coming days of his atonement when he would be resurrected and overcome the powers of death. There are so many more that I have yet to study. I know he lives and is in all things. 

Hurrah for Israel. 

Elder Gehring

Jesuscristo

Dear Family,

This week was full of ups and downs. Every day by seeing and evaluating what we did wrong to not reach our goals we have been humbled and have seen miracles. 

Funny Story

On Friday we woke up happy, studied, and were talking about how easy the mission was. We visit people all day long, we help and serve, we live in a great house, etc. We had the worst day ever. No one was home, the family who we had previously found did not want to listen to us, we were yelled at, and walked so so much. I learned a little about humility that day. We repented and had a miracle filled weekend. I will never be so prideful again. 

Oh and a miracle. 

This week we met a man named Carlos. We started to talk him. He had a lot of questions about the Pearl of Great Price, The Book of Mormon, baptism, what happens when people don't want to listen to us, and a lot more things that made us so excited to teach him. We invited him to be baptized and he said. ''I lied to you both.'' We were confused and asked him what he meant. He explained that in 2001 he met the missionaries and was baptized into the church. He explained how he then fell away. We expressed our excitement and asked why he didn't mention this in the beginning. He told us of the shame he felt, the guilt he felt and the desires he had to come back. He told us that several time he had walked to the chapel doors and run away from the fear he had. We were so sad for him and felt his deep pain. We then told him of Christ. The pain he once felt was in an instant given eternal hope of being washed away. We explained the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the power of the sacrament, and the love Christ has for him. He came to church yesterday for the first time in years. 

I learned this week so much of Christ. He lives and loves us. He is the Son of God and the Father of our souls. He and His Father are one in all ways and will ever be one. 

I read in Mosiah 15:2-9. I learned about the power that God had to break the chains of death and by doing so give the power to His son to become our Father through the Atonement and through our repentance. 

2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—

 3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

 4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.

 5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

 6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

 7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

 8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—

 9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

I love my Savior. He is our Master and Redeemer. We can become his children as we repent and receive the blessings of our baptismal covenant. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Lots of Love,

Elder Gehring

 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: (FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR FAMILY)

Bolivian customs have changed, and the rules for incoming packages are more strict.  Let your families know to NEVER send packages that weight more than 2kg.  (4.4lbs.)  Anything that comes into Bolivia with a higher weight will be very hard, if not impossible to receive.  Also remind them that they shouldn´t send packages via FedEx, DHL, or any other private mail carrier.  USPS only.

Please forward this to your family even if you don´t receive packages frequently.

 

Sincerely the Bolivia Santa Cruz mission offices

We had an activity with our zone with another zone.

This is a missionary who left from our ward.

I made devilled eggs.

 

 

 

 

Week of Cambios

Hello

This week we had transfers. Elder Mamani now is home. My new companion is Elder Strong. He is from Utah and has about 8 months in the mission. He's a great missionary and I'm excited to work with him. He's a little worried and stressed about teaching zone meetings and doing the finances of the zone but it will all be good. 

This week was good. I'll tell you a couple things.

1. I ate 6 hard boiled eggs this morning.

2. My pants have not gotten here yet but I did get lots of letters from all the cousins. That was a surprise.

3. We changed the zones around. Now we have 12 sisters and 6 elders in the zone.

4. The Severiche family. They are a new family we met this week. They accepted baptism and are excited. They recently moved there about 2 months ago and are a young couple with high family standards. The gospel is just what they need.

This week I studied about the first miracle that Christ performed. John chapter 2- changing the water into wine. I studied why he did it, what we learn from it and I'm still learning from it. I learned the importance of listening to your mom. He, in the end, performed it at request of his Mother. He obeyed. Its amazing that Christ is the perfect example in ALL things.

Jesus is the Christ, the perfect Son of God. 

Lots of Love,

Elder Gehring

Hurrah for Israel!

Mad dogs and General Conference

Good Morning Family,

There were many things that happened this week. 

1. We went to the lomas de arena.

2. Elder Mamani and I were almost killed by a dog named Kaiser.

3. It rained hard.

4. We watched General Conference in a flooded chapel.

5. It rained some more.

6. We met Abundio and Gladis.

1. So this past monday we had an activity. My comp and I decided to ask permision to go the local lomas de arena (sand dunes). We took a micro (a guy in our ward has a micro). We ate salteñas on the way and crossed many rivers in a non-river-crossing micro. We had to push a micro that got planted in a lot of sand and we played beach futbol in the hot sun. These dunes are very big. They are very sandy. They are just huge piles of sand. Ill send fotos so you can understand. It ended up being a really fun activity. We were dead tired afterward but we had a blast. 

2. There is a family of recient converts that has a dog that hates the missionaries. His name is Kaiser. He is always locked inside their front gate and usually just barks a lot at us when we pass by. This week we stopped in to say hello and right when we got there, another family member also got there. We tried to talk but Kaiser was barking so loud we couldnt hear anything. We decided to leave. After walking down the street about 3 houses we heard screaming from the family and the faint barking got louder and louder. We realized that as the family member tried to enter the front gate that Kaiser had escaped. We ran for our lives but he ran faster. He almost chewed our legs off and thanks to our scripture bags, we were saved. We hit him in the face several times with 8 or 9 lbs of scripture and materials but it didnt do much. My comp sacrificed his bag and Kaiser almost ripped a hole in it. The mom of the family came running and finally got him to run back to the house. I have always been thankful for the scriptures, I know they teach doctrine that leads us to eternal life. I also know now that they save lives from large, angry, dogs.

3. It rained really really hard.

4. We got to the stake center while it rained really really hard. The patio outside then started to flood. The water then started to enter the hallways and then into the chapel. Its not a huge deal beacuse its all tile (not carpet like the EEUU). We just had to sweep all the water out. It was a wonderful conference. I learned a lot about love, marriage, repentance, the Second Coming, and the role Adam and Eve played in the Plan of Salvation. I loved it all. I was able to watch in English and then when the 2 spoke in Spanish, I was able to go to the other room and watch it in spanish. Its such a blessing to be able to hear their actual voice. 

5. It rained really really hard again.

6. Let me tell you about Abundio and Gladis. About 2 weeks ago the ward had an activity where todos salieron de la capilla and went to go talk to everyone they could. Recibimos muchas referencias y contactamos casi todos. Gladis fue una de las ultimas que tuvimos que contactar. Esta semana lo hicimos. Les hablamos a ella y a su esposo. Nos dejaron entrar y enseñamos lo que el Espíritu nos decía. Fue una lección espiritual y en el fin aceptaron la invitación de bautizarse. We are now working with the so they can make these sacred covenants with the Lord.

The Church is true. Jesus is the living Christ. I love Him and sustain His profets and apostoles. Happy Easter to all. #BecauseHeLives we too will live again. 

Hurrah for Israel! 

Elder Gehring

 

By the lake

Cactus in the field

Elder Mamani, Jesus, and Yo

First river crossing

I jumped and got stuck

In the air pose

In the air shots

In the Micro on the way

Sumamente grande las lomas

It was sunny and windy

Las Lomas

Little houses

Me by the sign

More in the mirco

My comp and I

On the top of the dunes

Sandy dunes

Selfie in the bus



The Sign

This was a huge huge field in the middle. You don't even know how huge!

Zona Pirai