Job's Not Finished

Happy Thanksgiving!! People are always talking about the pumpkin pie, the jello, the potatoes, the turkey. But I'm all about the Rice!! Lots of rice this Thanksgiving and I'm very grateful to be eating!! This was also a rather fast week. There are only two more domingos in this transfer so I really can't believe how fast this thing is going! I will say I didn't realize how deaf I would become to the outside world living in a little farm town in Ecuador! We are now friends with a family who likes keeping up with the celebrities, and I heard something big happened with a lot of celebrities, and another thing about One Direction. Crazy what you just don't know! The only thing I'm a little salty about is that BYU sold the bag to Arizona St. Can't let that one slide. But there's always next year. 

We are finding people all over the place! I've been in this area for a long time now and thought that I knew all of the places. I was so so so wrong. It feels like some streets didn't exist, that just all of a sudden appeared and now we gotta go contact every single person over there. I can't help but think it's God giving us new levels. Different terrain, wild dogs all over, very stinky, but very chosen. We had to gain more experience and become better to move on to these streets, because they just didn't exist! The Lord is doing everything right now! Very grateful ! 

We have been teaching a family at a rice store and I have been able to use the Ecuadorian phrase “Sí se puede” in every lesson! It is influential for everyone here. “Hermana you can definitely keep this commitment”, Sí se puede! Yes you can! Dylan the youngest in the family wanted to be baptized and go to the temple this week with the ward! He and his older brother Sebastian are now all on board for the Guayaquil Temple. I'm very excited for them! 

This week I have really been thinking about Celestial glory. How can I help people achieve Celestial glory and Joy in their lives? I remember having a discussion with my dad about when we feel the spirit. It's something different and you want to have it with you! I think that is what Celestial glory is going to be like. The same feeling of having the spirit, but all the time! I recently listened to the talk “His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox, and it was very interesting to me when he mentioned a kid that didn't make it through the first day of EFY because he just hated the spirit there. He explained that if we don't want to live in heaven on earth, we are not going to want to live in heaven up there either, we won't be comfortable in the presence of God for nothing! The kid said “Get … me …out … of here.” If we aren't comfortable keeping the commandments on earth, we won't be comfortable with the same Heavenly standings with God. How do we receive the spirit, how do we get comfortable? Through our covenant of baptism! If we take upon us the name of Christ, if we remember our Savior, if we keep the commandments, he'll always give us the spirit, Celestial glory. I testify the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints is the Kingdom of heaven on earth. I love the work I do, it's the work of the Lord, the work of Celestial Glory! Selah! 

“Job's not finished. What's there to be happy about?” - Kobe Bryant 

In case I don't see yah, Buenas Tardes, Buenas Noches, y Buenas Noches 
Élder Sheppert


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