some of you are thinking that im going to be like well i elder allred am living proof that this is false! however its the opposite! I DONT KNOW ANYTHING! haha i started asking some more questions to my teachers this week thinking that i was ready to sort of move past the point im at in spanish and we got into some tough difficult topics and i realized that im not even close to where i need to be! its not that its even that sad or depressing it just goes to show that learning a language is not easy and is going to take time and work and prayer and lots of other stuff. like i said before patience and diligence with the language is key, but is not what im focused on in the ccm.
yesterday was mexican indepence day and they know how to party. the fireworks and music quite literally did not stop all night. it was a legendary day though because we watched latinos dance in the auditorium for like 2 hours and then something happened that i never believed would.... the entire ccm sang the national hymn of mexico beautifully AND in unison which makes me take back my words from last week! singing the national hymn every day did help us get better and there was hope all along. but the great part is that all day me and elder frampton were planning to get on top of the roof when we got back that night and watch the fireworks for a little with our comps. little did we know that 45 people from casas all over the ccm would see us and want to join haha!! there was honestly at least forty people on top of the roof of the house and we had a roof off it was crazy. get it? roof off? its from pitch perfect when they have a riff off. gosh you guys never get any of my jokes. one kid jumped up with a bottle of martinellis and shook it up and then popped the cap off haha it was classic! funny guys here in the ccm.
in other news just when i thought that the devotionals could not get any better or spiritual i had three this week that blew me away!!! like seriously every single one of them life changing. ill never forget some of the things that were said!! last tuesday after i emailed we watched a video of elder holland in january of 2013 addressing the provo mtc and man the guy is just a spiritual stallion. ive heard quotes from it but never heard the full thing... his main message was that if i only convert one person on my mission it better be myself!! im hoping that comes along with these next 24 months.. actually i know it will! then on sunday afternoon the first counselor in the MTC presidency and former general authority Octaviano tenorio spoke about eternal families, marriage, and salvation. which youd think would be an awkward topic to address to 1000 elders and sisters who are not even supposed to think about that for two years, yet he was so masterful in putting an eternal perspective into everybody´s minds and explaining the importance of temple marriage it was incredible!!! i would recommend everybody to watch his 8 min and 16 second talk in general conference of 2007!! it is wonderful. such a good guy! then sunday night we heard from elder cates who is about 34 years old, went to timpanogos and orem high, and is now the director of the mexico ccm!! he talked about forgetting our homes, friends, and everything we´ve left and trusting that the lord will make our future better than what we had! i 100% believe this and have already seen small signs of it in the short amount of time that i have been here! remember lot´s wife. second shortest scripture in the bible yet it contains lots of meaning Luke 17:32.
im super excited for the devotional tonight! tuesdays are just so great. i get to email, play cage soccer for 2 hours, take a power nap, eat costco pizza for dinner, and listen to a devotional in the night. my time here is going by so fast and hearing from everybody and their experiences out in the field is getting me really excited to get out and start teaching real people! i love teaching my teachers everyday as fake investigators and all, and im learn something new in every single one, but needless to say im getting anxious to get out of this place and head to the vineyard of the sea (viña del mar).
the spirit is awesome, the scriptures are filled with truth, and prayer has and always will be the simplest, yet most underutilized tool to communicate with our father in heaven for guidance in our lives. i have a testimony that God wants to hear from us and is waiting to grant us blessings, and as is the case with a lot of things in life ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ASK. my grandpa that i never knew once said you can accomplish anything if you have a phone and know the right people to call. well the first person you should call should be your heavenly father.
i love the gospel and every single one of you my friends, family, and whoever else receives these emails. i believe ive thought about every single person that has come into my life at least once in these three weeks. sometimes youre mind wanders, its hard to control, but im working on it :)
write me if you get a second of time to spare. anything is very much appreciated.
-Elder Allred
here´s some pics including the rooftop party, cage soccer court, and the boys from our district!
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