"Thou Art Still Chosen"

Imagine walking around a garden and picking up all the snails and putting them in a cup. You've just prepared a fairly popular dish from Spain. Here in Spain you'll see a couple sharing a cup full of snails and conversation. Not exactly my idea of a perfect date, but to each their own. 

This week we had lots of progress with our friend Silvia. We met with her in the house of her good friend from elementary school who's a member and it went super well. She is super ready to be baptized and if everything goes well, will be baptized this Sunday. She has had many spiritual experiences and after much time searching, has finally found her faith. She recently has expressed some doubts about paying her tithing, so please pray that she may be able to find an answer soon. 

This last week I also enjoyed 2 exchanges with other missionaries in the zone. It's awesome to explore different areas of Spain and meet new missionaries. The 2 missionaries I did exchanges with both have the same time that I do on the mission, but it was really cool to see how they had both grown in very unique ways. They were completely different, with different strengths and weaknesses. They're both extremely needed in this mission and their perspectives are both an addition to this zone.

I have begun listening to a podcast course by John Hilton on the Book of Mormon and he brought to my attention this verse that I had forgotten. It was written in section 3 of Doctrine and Covenants in which Joseph Smith is quite directly corrected, or even could be said punished, after his mistake of losing the 116 pages. After losing a child, and having sacrificed so much on a project, to have lost those pages must have felt like the world itself closing in. But that's not the end, we read of God's response to Joseph even after his terrible mistake...

Doctrine and Covenants 3:10

"But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work"

We have all made mistakes: done things we regret and things that make us feel that we do not deserve to continue to do God's work. But he chooses us, calls us, and then qualifies us, offering us new chances to use His power to do His work.

Elder Dougall