Temples are the best!

Why hello there one and all! How have we been this week? It has been a pretty swell week for me here in Tijuana. Not a whole lot too exciting happened. But it sure had some good ups.

The best part of the week though I must admit was when we ran over to San Diego for a few hours. Presidente took myself and two other elders to go shopping for some stuff for the mission. We went on thursday at first went to Frys electronics store and they didnt quite have what we were looking for, so I just hinted to President that we should go up to the Best Buy that is right up by the temple to look for it. I was so excited when he said yes to that and we all got in the car again. We first made a little stop off at Panda Express where I enjoyed so much some orange chicken, honey glazed walnut shrimp, and chow mein with some root beer (It was incredible). We bought some brownies and took them on the way up to Best Buy. So we are just driving down the freeway and all of the sudden I just felt like we passed through this wall of warmness or something and I look up and what do I behold? The most beautiful temple just right in front of my eyes. Like really, have you ever seen the San Diego Temple? It is incredible! It has been far too long since I have seen a temple though. I have been so incredibly blessed growing up to live so close to the temples. I have honestly felt so much the absence of them in my life since being here, but once again I found myself close to the House of God. I was just so happy to see it! We ran over to the Best Buy and found all the stuff we were looking for and spent lots of money, and then I was about to take a picture from the parking lot where you can see the temple, but then I asked President if we could just go over there and he said yes! It was like the most celestial thing ever! So we got out for like 5 minutes and hurried and took a picture. It was really cool. 

I have had just so much fun here in this ward. It is a very... interesting ward. We are working well and trying to work a lot with them. We are trying to teach all of the missionary lessons to all of the members so for one they get excited about sharing the gospel and for two, they learn the real doctrine and stop being a little apostate... There has been some pretty fun comments :) 

So honestly, I have loved the chance for these last couple months to be a district leader because every week I get the opportunity to plan a lesson, or as I like to have them a conversation on a certain topic of doctrine or something to help us out as missionaries. This week I felt a lot the need to just talk about why we are really here. Why is it that God commands His church to have missionaries and what can we do to help us stay more focused and dedicated to this work. As I was studying Preach My Gospel, I found some really interesting quotes;

      "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase.        You will feel, as Lehi did, the "great....importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth" (2 Nephi 2:8).  
      President Ezra Taft Benson taught: "We are commanded by God to take this Gospel to all the world.  That is the cause that must unite us today.  Only the Gospel will save the world from the calamity of it's own self-destruction. Only the Gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the Gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family" (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 167).

That is so true that "only the gospel" will save this world that we live in. For that it is so important that we share this gospel with those around us. It is "only the gospel" that can help out the families. And as we read in that first paragraph, "as our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." That isnt just a statement, but a promise. I know that if we come to understand better the Atonement, we will blessed with the strong desire to share the gospel and to take it to all the world. I invite all to better understand the Atonement through the incredible powers of repentance. There is a reason that Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah were such great missionaries, and that is becaue they really understood the Atonement. 

I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and all that He did for me. It is for Him that I am here. I love this work.

I love you all! Take care and have an incredible week.

Elder Tommy Anderson