Elder Brigham Blake: June 13th

Hahaha well, I am assuming that mom hasn't updated my weekly blog in a long time because what I have to write really isn't all too important anymore. I'm really sorry that I'm not a creative writer. (Julia here- NO! I'm just super busy and a bit lame). However I want you all to know that the work is pushing along and we are doing well here in Dajabon. Honestly, I'm soo greatful to be in this part of the country because I dont think I will ever again in my life exprience heat so so brutally blistering.

Anyways briefly, this week has been good. We are eating a lot of mangos. Rita knows that I love them, and she has 4 mango trees in her patio so she gifted me a huge bag of about 20 mangos. Every morning and night I sit in my hammock feasting on fresh DR mangos!!

Rita and Sauol are doing well. They came to our ward activity on Thursday. They watched the testaments and Rita said it helped her understand a little bit more about Christ's ministry in the Americas. Sauol just played basketball. We were also able to teach her about the Word of Wisdom. To our surprise she has no problems with coffee, or alcohol!! Shes awesome! Sadly she didn't go to church so we pushed her date back a week. Keep praying for them!!

Stevenson is AWESOME. He is loving the gospel and is now participating in instituto. He left for Haiti today& he gets back on Thursday. We just need to get him prepped for the 25th!! If all goes well, he, Rita and Sauol will all be baptized that day!!

Cool moment. We were walking home on Friday night, and just joking around I contacted a younger woman in English. It's a great contacting tactic I picked up from Elder Preston to break the ice with people. Dominicans are SUPER out going. Anyways she is a good sport about it and invites us to come back the very next day. We show up on Saturday and teach her a bomb lesson one, invite her to church and she showed up yesterday in sac meeting!! Pray for Sonibel!!

I started reading the BoM over again this week. I love love love this book! I'm trying to finish it again before I go home. I was reading about Nephi's voyage to the promise land, trying to analyze the book in a way that I never had before. We know that the Lord had sent many afflictions upon their family. A gospel theme that I have found many times states that we come to receive blessings from God, after our faith is probado. I was struck by a verse that talks about HOW and WHEN Lehi's family would come to know God.

1st Nephi 17 verse 14 says, 14 Yea, and the Lord said also that: After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem.

This verse hit me because it reads, AFTER you have arrived in the promise land. I have tried to understand what this means. Once Lehi's family had arrived in the promise land they could understand fully that the Lord had been with them always, and because of their faith the Lord would bless them, even to KNOW him. I don't claim to know God, but I do know that as I try to live His commandments He will bless me. I know that this is His church and that Christ suffered for my sins. I know that as we are diligente the Lord with deliver us from our personal destruction. I love you all and wish you a prosperous semana.

Elder Blake