Did you Think to Pray?

Hello all of my lovelies!!

So a cool thing happened, but I don't quite know what to do with it: we have an hour to write again! That means that you (madre) can write me more (if it is that you have more to write) and I can also write more. However, I don't quite know what it is that I'm going to be writing. I'm sure more silliness will jump in there now and probably more spiritual thoughts as well. So just a bit more of the regular.

Today we got to play soccer and volleyball, which was pretty fun. My body seems to have changed a bit because I didn't use to get sunburned at all. Well, after 19 months under dress pants, my legs have lost all ability to resist the sun and are now a nice shade of crimson. They are quite lovely indeed.

Things are going well with me. This morning I woke up feeling quite silly. I proceeded to narrate all of my morning activities out loud. I don't know if my companion heard me much, but if he did I'm sure that he thought I had finally lost it, and it's most possible that I have. Anyway, I am doing very well. Heavenly Father definitely helps me a lot in my life. When I lack diligence, He shows me people who are much much much less than diligent, which makes me want to be as diligent as I can. When I feel like it's hard to be obedient, He shows me people that are less than obedient, and I can immediately see the blessings of being obedient, so I try even harder. When I feel trunky, Heavenly Father shows me missionaries who are "dying" in the mission and have allowed themselves to die, and that makes me want to go out fighting, running through the finish line. ["Dying" as in not giving the mission their all - getting bored and/or lazy.]  Heavenly Father is a very wonderful Person, and I am so very grateful that He is my Father.

We had Stake Conference this weekend, and this time we got to see it! It was very wonderful. President Ghent and President Grover (the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple president) gave talks that were very good, but I liked most a talk by one of the stake president's counselors. He talked about the importance of prayer and helped me realize that my prayers are sometimes lacking. I say many prayers during the day, but I think they are a bit lacking. It's hard to ask for and give thanks for everything that I want/need to in a prayer because there are just so many things that I need/want/am grateful for in this life. I can do better though and I want to do better. Prayer truly is something infinitely important in life. Prayer isn't something we should do just to do it, but rather is a way to establish a personal relationship with Heavenly Father. He has commanded us to pray to Him, but that doesn't mean that we can do it without feeling anything. He wants us to tell all that is troubling us so that He can strengthen us. He wants us to ask Him what we want so that He can bless us for our righteous desires. If we just need to cry to someone, He's always there listening. There isn't one prayer that escapes Him. It's truly something amazing that we have this wonderful opportunity to communicate with God, our Heavenly Father, in any time, any place, and for however long we want to communicate with Him. I'm going to be trying to be better in my prayers now because I do have a testimony of prayer's effectiveness. I came to know that the Book of Mormon and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are true because of prayer. I have received answers to all of my biggest dilemmas through prayer. I have received comfort in trying moments because I have prayed. I know that anyone can have a very spiritual experience praying, even those who are very unfamiliar with prayer. If you're unfamiliar with how to pray, here are a couple of tips.


1) Prayer is not a memorized list of words nor anything like that. Prayer is a communication with a perfect parent, so you can feel free to say anything you want.
2) To start, you should direct yourself to whom you are speaking, in this case Heavenly Father.
3) Give thanks for...anything! If you're thankful that you have a family, tell Him that. If you're thankful that Mom made spaghetti for dinner, tell Him! He has given us everything, so you can thank Him for everything.
4) Ask for anything and everything (righteous thing) that your heart desires. If you really need to figure out what is the best path for you to take in life, ask Him that. Be sure to ask for specific things. For example, if you want to know in which subject to major and want to major in electrical engineering, ask Him if that's the major in which you should major. Specific questions or desires will bring specific answers and blessings.
5) Be sure to say your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ", as Jesus Himself told us that we should do. At the end when all is said, say "Amen."


I know that if someone prays with a sincere heart, real intent, and with faith in Christ, even if that faith is because of someone else's faith, you will receive answers and will feel that God truly exists, that He is your Heavenly Father, and that He loves you very much. I would invite everyone to say a prayer from the heart today and have a spiritual experience.

We're still trying to get Cristian Gamboy and the Piñan family confirmed, but Cristian is only 9 and his mom has turned less than supportive (even though she didn't have any problems with him attending Church for 4 consecutive years before). The Piñan family is ready to get confirmed and now understand the importance of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We're trying to find new people and get some people married so that they can be baptized, and all is well with them. We will find new people, and those who have baptismal dates right now will be baptized. I have faith! Now I'll go and show it by my actions.

Well, I must be off now. I love all of you very much and am very appreciative of your support. I'm sorry if I haven't shown you all how appreciative I am, but I truly am very appreciative. Thank you all for all that you do. I hope that you will do your best to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. I know that as you do, you will experience that change in your life that you've been looking for and will find true happiness, happiness that fills every part of you. I love you! Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Elder Schomburg