Feliz Navidad a todos! I hope y'all have a great Christmas and can take some time to think bout the Reason for this Season! My grandpa wrote a document about what the Premortal World could have been like the night before Jesus Christ descended to earth and was born in the manger. My grandpa is a spiritual giant fr (for real), he has got me thinking! We must have been next to him wishing for one last embrace and final moment with Him before He was to start his mortal life. Jesus would have recently revealed to Nephi that he was about to be born (3 Nefi 1:13) So sick. There are so many cool parts of the Plan of Salvation that we probably don't know or think about.
Elder Nathan Ditto Email Address: nathan.ditto@missionary.org
Elder Nathan Ditto Email Address: nathan.ditto@missionary.org
Monday, December 23, 2024
Merry Christmas Baby!
We started out the week in Salamanca, Espa帽a. A super cool city close to Portugal (shoutout padre). The work is going well down there, we had some fire hamburgers on Tuesday night. We met two ladies from Paraguay as we helped them carry a bed frame up four flights of stairs to their apartment, they gave us Sopa Paraguaya (it's not soup, it's like breakfast casserole). Then we shared about the Book of Mormon.
My comp Elder Sharp and I had to wake up at 6am on Wednesday to catch our train to come back to Alcorcon. Then we had District Council, and then we had lessons the rest of that day. It was PACKED, and I definitely felt it. I was pretty stressed y tal. I think I am gonna make a song that starts out, "I woke up at 6am in Salamanca!" It could go hard lmk.
Juan got baptized It was a quick baptism service. His friend Santiago baptized and confirmed him. Juan is a G man, and has been SO blessed for growing his faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and now Enduring to the end. He is a big Spaniard man, but super kind, after the ordinance of his baptism we were waiting for them to change clothes and were singing The First Noel and as we were singing the "nooooooel, nooooel" part he and Santi walked in, it felt like an epic part of a movie. And Juan had a sincere smile on his face, that really touched me tbh.
Even though it requires so much faith, work, and more work and rejection and prayers, a baptism program is about 45 min, and the actual baptism is like 10 seconds. I always want to feel the spirit super strong at some point during the baptismal program, and sometimes that happens, sometimes less. I am very grateful for all the times I felt the Holy Ghost with Juan as we taught him and as he smiled after his baptism.
Cooper is a missionary!!! Felicades mi hermano! He is at the home MTC then going to Mexico MTC shoutout my brother.
Love, Elder Ditto
Monday, December 16, 2024
Peace in the Gospel
Big news fellas. i have a neice ☺ Alysee di贸 la luz el 11 de Diciembre to Nora, foto abajo.
Alysee and baby Nora |
Jonny Appleseed (codename) is awesome. He is a Spaniard man who is receiving so much peace and confidence in himself and in Jesus Christ thanks to many things but mostly the spirit he feels when he reads the Book of Morm贸n. His bautismo is planned for this Sunday. Pls pray for him
Plan of Salvation |
This week we were teaching him the plan of salvaci贸n and he randomly goes "Wait a minute, I just had a little thought pop into my head, when we partake of the bread and the water is it to remember the body and blood of Christ? And is it a moment to remember His sacrifice and try to be closer to Him?" It was so cool because we were not talking about that at all in the lesson, the Holy Ghost totally taught Jonny Appleseed that. It was very special to witness that.
2 Nephi 20:15"Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith?"
Uf It's so true.
After being used to cut down a tree, an axe is obviously not going to boast and be like, "I am so awesome for cutting down that tree."
As a missionary, I can't think, "Wow, I am so cool for saying that or for going to talk to that person."
Because if I believe that God guides us to people, then I am like the axe, which is useful but is the instrument or tool needed to get the job done. God is grand, and I am grateful that He has let me participate in His work.
Today we went to Segovia, and tonight we are going to Salamanca. I took some cool pics.
Love, Elder Ditto
Spreading Christmas Cheer |
Kendama fun in Segovia with the castle in the background |
Monday, December 9, 2024
Christmas
Hey t铆os, my email list is getting shorter because a lot of my friends are done with their missions already. If I were a girl, I would be chilling at home right now, quite goofy.
President Nelson invited us to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ once a week. This week, I studied about it almost every personal study, and the more I tried to understand it, the more magnificent and grandiose it became. One thing I have noticed recently(ish) is that probably 95% of people know "Jesus died for my sins," but like nobody has thought about it recently or really even understands what that means. So I am on a quest to teach all the importance of our Savior Jes煤s, but:
"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed..."
So hence, I have been studying it and trying to come up with several analogies to use for teaching, I would love any analogies you have used in the past for teaching the importance of Jesuscristo.
Key points:
Law of Justice/God
Law of Mercy/Grace
Sin (some context)
Agency
I just want to say that I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I am so grateful for Him. A lot of people don't understand that yet, so I'm gonna tell them, you should too!
Love, Elder Ditto
Monday, December 2, 2024
Come December
Come December! Fire song. I want to listen to it right now. This week, we got sick. My comp got sick on Thanksgiving, so we were in our apartment basically until 7 p.m. It's chill, though. I am grateful for when we do have health. I am sick now. I feel pretty good, but my voice is gone, lol. Tomorrow we have a zone conference. I am supposed to give a presentation, so we will see what happens.
On Thanksgiving, we taught English class. At the beginning of the class, I had everyone do a little presentation, saying their name, how long they have lived in Spain and one thing they are grateful for, all in English. Tony said, "I am grateful for getting to know the church." So awesome.
Tony got baptized and confirmed yesterday, he gave his testimony at church and at his baptism. When we first met Tony (a little more than a month ago) he was so very depressed and was not living a few of the commandments. We have met with him a lot and now he is way happier, filled with peace, and lives all the commandments. He still has some earthly needs and his life is pretty similar to when he first met us, but he is a completely new person. I really hope that he gets blessed up by our heavenly father with a nice job and lo dem谩s.
I am so excited for Christmas! Let's go boys, we gotta grind this Christmas and preach the good word. Aight, hasta luego, gonna go play in the turkey bowl
One more cosa. We are teaching a Spaniard fellow named Johnny Appleseed (codename) he has some mental problem thing that makes him depressed a veces (at times) and it is really sad. Three weeks ago his friend (who is a member) invited him to learn about the Book of Mormon and how it could help him. Johnny has read from Come Follow Me for 3 weeks straight now and says that he hasn't felt depressed once! Even better he feels a joy that he has never felt in his entire life. Johnny came to the baptism yesterday and said he liked it.
I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Jesucristo restored the church through the prophet Joseph Smith. If you want to read the Book of Mormon, let me know!
Love,
Elder Ditto
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