Look first for the Kingdom of God and everything else will be added upon you!

This week was chalk full of craziness. The highlight was this Friday, when the Archaga family dressed up all in white and entered into a covenant with the Lord in the waters of BAPTISM! What a miracle and a blessing it has been to work with this family from the start and help them come to this step in their eternal progression together. The Lord really cleared the skies for this family. 

Their little girl also wanted to be baptized soooo bad but she is only 6 years old and doesn't really understand the difference between good and bad. For example, while we were changing, she barged in the room and just sat there chillin' in the boys bathroom haha. In our church, we baptize people 8 years and older, as baptisms must be proceeded by faith and repentance. Children under 8 are not capable of sin so do not need to repent and be baptized.

The greatest lesson that the Archaga family taught me is that of looking first for the kingdom of God, and everything else will be added upon you. It is one of the most important lessons we can learn here on earth, and really is at the heart of true faith -- putting God first and everything, and I mean everything else (sin, temptation, popularity, work, studies, physical needs and desires, prosperity, even life if needs be) second. If we manage the faith to really live this principle, we will be blessed beyond our expectations and we will inherit the greatest gift of all -- eternal life. From tithing to the law of chastity to the code of physical health in the word of wisdom, this awesome father put in practice each commandment as soon as he found out about it. Literally, he has changed his life and his family will be forever blessed for the righteous example of this dad. So grateful that I have an amazing dad as well, who is such an example to me of the man I want to be (just with a little more hair).

 

This Sunday, I broke just about every rule in the mission rule book. Let me explain. We where in the middle of church services when Elder Brimley and Elder Lopez left the meeting. We followed them out to see what was wrong in time to catch Elder Lopez as he fainted completely. We loaded him up in a church member's car and drove him to our house, but he didn't regain consciousness. We then took him to the nearest hospital, 30 minutes away in the bed of the car (for lack of any other option). Elder Lopez was still unresponsive and for brief seconds would have convulsions. Before leaving, we bought water from the pulperia for Elder Lopez. Then sped to the hospital where Elder Lopez was just as unresponsive until they stuck a needle in his hand to draw blood -- then he came back to the real world. It wasn't exactly the typical Sunday morning experience, but the good news is that he is okay and that we were protected in getting him to medical care. Missing church, buying on Sunday, riding in the truckbed, leaving the area, leaving the zone, pretty much the only mission rule I did keep was getting up at 6:30 am that morning! 

Today is Independence Day here so there was a band marching by and made me remember the best marching band in the entire universe (cough, cough) -- the USC Trojan Marching Band woot woot!

Anyways, the church is true, it is led by our Savior Jesus Christ, the authority to baptize has been restored to the earth from divine messengers to the prophet Joseph Smith, and only in being baptized by this authority can we be saved.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Moffitt


And some more fun baptism day photos with the Archaga family: