Another Week

Dear All,

First of all, I'm going to tell you about the big news that's happening in the Central Mission tomorrow. Tomorrow are the changes. My companion and I will be staying together, but we received permission to go, because this will be a historic change meeting. We will be receiving more than 30 new missionaries, and the mission will open about 5 or 6 new areas, including two here in my zone, Escuintla. And due to the fact that three of the stakes in the capital were shuffled around a couple of months ago, we will be creating a new zone. Areas (wards and branches) were taken from the Villa Nueva, Villa Hermosa, and Amatitlan stakes, to create a new stake called El Frutal. So, the mission will have 10 zones, and will get a lot bigger tomorrow. And I'll get to be there to see it all happen!

As for the mission, we have some high goals we're working for. In November we had the goal of 50 families baptized. In September we had the goal of 300 baptisms, and we accomplished 314, with much thanks to our Heavenly Father for helping and allowing us to do so. This all started this January with the goal of 204 baptisms. This coming year, the January goal will be 350 baptisms. In my area, we should be having at least 8 baptisms during the month of January here in Puerto San José. It's really an exciting time to be participating in the Lord's work.

Also, on Saturday, all the future missionaries and returned missionaries from the Escuintla district came to contact people in our area. We split up to be able to work a little harder and find some new people. It was a really cool activity and we have about 48 references to contact now, to find some great new investigators.

They also told us today that Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be coming to speak to the missionaries here in Guatemala in January, and our zone will be allowed to participate!!! I'm SO excited!

The thing we really need to have to be able to accomplish any good thing is faith, and exact obedience to God's commandments. The Lord has made several promises about these things:

"And Christ hath said: if ye have faith in me, ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." (Moroni 7:33)

"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10)

In other words, if we have faith and obedience, we can do whatever we want, which is right, and according to the will of the Lord. Even when it's hard, we have to keep the faith in him, and he will ever help us.

I love you all. I know that this is the Lord's work, and I love it, and I love him.

Take care,
Elder Banks