Mi querida familia (my dear family),

This week has been loaded with learning! I love it! This week Elder Callejas and I went to Villahermosa for the Council meeting, and boy was it a great experience. Not to mention it was the birthday of Elder Callejas, and his dad gave him money to take us to dinner. We went to Chili's! I have not eaten a good hamburger in over 17 months, until this last week hahaha. But seriously, it was delicious. I never knew how much I missed good hamburgers...

Oh, and I got your package! I'm pretty sure it got robbed though. Elder Callejas's too. It was all retaped shut when I got it. I guess you need to be more specific about what you put in the package when you fill the package description slip. Because what you wrote on there was the only thing left. 3 shirts and church magazines. Haha. Well now we know for the next time, if there is one. A good load of tape might scare them away from opening too, I suppose. Who knows. God bless Correos de Mexico. Post service that I love. =)

And 'Canicular' season has come in. Where it is super hot all day, and rains in the afternoons for a bit, and then gets super hot again. Its pretty fun, because Elder Callejas and I use it as a conversation starter alot haha "Hey how are you? Yeah its hot right? This Canicular, its crazy right? Well we're missionaries..." haha

Also this week, we stopped teaching Jesus, a 12 year old boy who is best friends with a member. The other day we went over with his mom and talked with her about our purpose as missionaries, and how her son wanted to follow the example of Jesus Christ. She understood and consented permission for her son to get baptized this week. The next day, we went by and got ran out by his grandma who kepy telling us that their family is Catholic, and always will be. Afterwards, I guess his dad got mad and now nobody in the house even listens to us. Jesus's mom told us that there are a lot of problems in their family since Jesus started listening to us. We tried to explain to her why, because of the differences in what we teach obviously, but then she wouldn't even listen to us. In the end, I came to truly understand what Christ meant to say, as told in the gospel of Lucas (12:51-53)

"Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division"

Christ came onto the earth when there were already alot of different religions and beliefs existing. And of course, when He came and began to teach what was really THE TRUTH, the people were stubborn and didn't want to accept his "new" (yet existant since before the world began) gospel and commandments. He brought a fresh way of viewing the world, and taught those who themselves were mangled in the trenches of sin. His message is one of light and life. The path to the eternal life. He taught, preached, and invited all to come unto Him. But He did never force them to, for He respects the free-agency of the people. Quite frankly, He did bring a lot of disharmony and division with His message to the world. If we only choose to accept the message, we can then find the peace that He offered us.

Imagine if somebody is in a dark room for a long time, and then someone else enters and turns the lights on. Sometimes, the person who was in the dark room gets mad that they turned the lights on, because they were accustomed to the dark. But they fail to understand the blessing of having light so that they can REALLY see.

This is somewhat what Jesus Christ did, and does, with His gospel. When He came, the whole world was in the dark. Sure, they had the scriptures and knowledge of what the ancient prophets had taught before; but they could not come to a full understanding without the help of the light that Jesus offers.

And the message that Christ had shared with them, not entirely a message of peace, is the SAME message that we share TODAY. Sure, the message brings peace to those who look and search for it, those who accept and live according to the principles of the gospel. But to those who do not accept it, well of course they will have to see the other side of things. That is when we see the division of which Christ spoke.

But that shouldn't keep us from sharing this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone we can. NEVER let the fear of this 'division' keep you (or others) from receiving the blessings of the Lord. I know that He lives. I know that He loves us. And His promises extend to all those who are willing to receive and live His true gospel, such as it has been restored by His hands on the earth today.

Keep moving forward family!

Love, Elder Knight

My companion Elder Callejas at Chili's for his birthday