August 3, 2026

As missionaries we typically teach one of four lessons. One regarding The Restoration, another The Plan of Salvation, another the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and another the commandments. It seems that each friend we teach has one lesson that really touches their heart and answers their questions. I remember teaching the Restoration to a friend in Jerez and watching her be moved by the truth that spoke to her heart. This last week it was very gratifying to watch the same thing while teaching a rather expressive friend about The Plan of Salvation. Often, as missionaries, we worry our friends don't fully understand or comprehend what we teach. This last week, we taught a friend named Andres about what happened before we were born, sharing a verse from the Old Testament:

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." 

Jeremiah 1:5

He contemplated the truth that, as spiritual children of our Heavenly Father, we existed before this life on earth. He was struck by this concept and truly began to understand it. It was fascinating and gratifying to see the reality of answering a question so dear to the heart, explained by simple drawing, rudimentary Spanish, but powerful doctrine. May we not be shy in sharing the powerful, yet simple truths that answer the questions of the soul.

This last Friday, we had a Zone Conference in Madrid. One important principle was that of sacrifice - that really compared to the grand blessings we are given, we are sacrificing very little. Also last night we went to a concert with Marvin Goldstein at the temple which was quite cool  

My companion continues to grow quite quickly and we are enjoying together the busy work here in Parla! 

Elder Dougall