1 Corintios 13 (in Mexico CCM)

Family, friends, hermanos en Cristo,

This past Tuesday, something amazing happened: we got to see an internationally-broadcast devotional for MTCs in which Elder Holland spoke! He said so many awesome things, and one of my favorites was when he talked about following exactly the rules in the missionary handbook, when he said, "Please don't feel obligated, at age 18, to reinvent this wheel." He also said that we have already been given everything, so obedience is the least we can give in return. It was a wonderful devotional, and the first one where I didn't sleep at all (I have sleep problems, remember).

Ever since I got here, I have been fascinated by the fact that I can see Venus and Mars in the mornings. It's also been fascinating that, when I got here, Venus was directly above Marte in the sky, but even during my short stay they have rotated so that now Venus is to the lower-left of Marte. It's so beautiful. But, yestermorn, a miracle occurred: the planets aligned. I just walked outside and looked up at the planets, and I knew that Luna would be there too, but I got a view more miraculous, perfect, and wonderful than I have ever seen with my own eyes in the sky. Venus aligned in a near-perfectly straight line with Luna and Marte, and it was breathtaking. (No, las planetas no estaban respirando; it's a figure of speech.) I took a picture of it and attached it below. Just look at it and try to imagine the real thing, because my camera is not good enough to capture it well. Beautiful.

Now I get to the point of the title I gave this letter, 1 Corintios 13. That has really hit me hard this week, as Elder Ricks and I have been torn apart a couple of times by one of our maestros. He firmly told us that we were not preparing well enough for our simulated lessons, and I know he's hard on us because he knows we legitimately can do better, but it still hurts being humbled for the twentieth day in a row. Welcome to the CCM, Elder Hill. It was very good to hear honesty, though. I would have hated running into that brick wall right as I get into the field and I'm failing with real people. I'm glad I'm failing in a controlled environment, at least. In that chapter of Corinthians, Paul says:
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

That's really rough. But I have noticed that I do need to develop more love for the people, and according to this scripture that is the key to being able to teach with power. I keep being humbled every day by my stupid blunders, so I don't think that's my issue. I just need to love, and truly care for the people. Even the Spirit will bring no benefit if I don't care about the people, and the tongue of angels will fail me without such care. If I have not charity, all my eloquence (which, mind you, I don't even have, because this is Spanish) will be worth nothing, and I will be as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, just making noise and hoping for the deaf to hear it. I'm still praying for humility ever day, but now I'm also praying for charity, because I am nothing without that. Even Elder Holland said something very similar. He told us to study John 15:5, which says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Nothing. Somehow, that's both depressing and comforting at the same time. (Moses 1:10: "and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.") I have a heaping long way to go.

On a similar point, I want to say something about humility. I keep hearing people say that you should be careful praying for humility because you might be given something extremely painful to humble you. That. Is. Stupid. Especially humility, of all things, we MUST pray for, because even if we have charity but not humility, we are STILL nothing. I wish I had seen this sooner, because it's a bit late to be coming to that conclusion right now. Better late than never, though. I want to be praying for humility for the rest of my life, because if I am stabbed through the heart and brought to my knees, what is wrong with that? Nothing will ever be sent my way that I cannot handle in one way or another, so what is there to fear? Don't ever shrink from praying for blessings, especially attributes of Christ, just because you think it will hurt to receive it. That's life. Get over it. Becoming your perfect self will be the most painful thing you will ever experience, but also the most rewarding, by far. So pray for humility always. There may be pain, but there is nothing bad that can come from such prayers. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4).

By the way, I had to email early today because we're going to the Temple today!!!! We were just informed at the beginning of the week, so that's why I haven't mentioned it before. But I am so excited! I'm excited to see what changes have been made since I went last, and I'm also excited to visit my first Temple outside the US, and participate in an Endowment session for the first time outside of the Gilbert Temple. I am SO excited!

Anyway, that's about it. My Spanish is stunning me, because the gift of tongues is really real, and I can almost say everything I would ever need in everyday life, and I'm approaching fluency already! This is a miraculous work, and it will not be stopped by some petty language barrier.

Love,

Elder Hill

Fotografías:

Élderes Davis (arriba) y Christensen (debajo)

Elder Ricks (¿Necesito yo decir más?)

Mi fotografía mala del milagro