A Simple act of Service....these great missionaries!

In Preach My Gospel we read “the starting point in building strong relationships with members is the bishop. Offer to help and serve in any righteous way that he asks. Regularly ask yourself, “Am I a blessing or a burden to the bishop (or stake president)?” Develop a “How can I help?” attitude. If you will look for opportunities to love, serve, and teach, the bishop and ward members will be more likely to trust you with their family members and friends” (PmG pg. 161)
I want to share this message I just recently received from a stake president:


"A FEW WEEKS AGO MY WIFE WAS OUT ON THE PATIO AND SAW TWO YOUNG MISSIONARIES SWEEPING OUR SIDEWALK, THEY WERE MISSIONARIES FROM OUR WARD. SHE CONTINUED TO WATCH THEM AND DID NOT WANT TO INTERUPT WHAT THEY WERE DOING ... SHE OBSERVED THAT THEY NOT ONLY CLEANED OUR SIDEWALK BUT ALSO THE SIDEWALKS IN FRONT OF THE HOMES OF MANY MEMBERS OF THE WARD. THIS SERVICE WAS NOT AN ACT OF ADVERTISING, IT WAS SO SIMPLE AND FULL OF LOVE THAT MY WIFE REMARKED TO ME "I FELT AS IF JESUS CHRIST WAS WASHING MY FEET” (TEARS WERE RUNNING DOWN HER FACE)”
“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass…

And by very small means the Lord … bringeth about the salvation of many souls” (Alma 37:6-7).

Thank you for who you are, true disciples of Jesus Christ.

We love you always,
President May
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Holy Ghost is our Spiritual Guidance System

One of the challenges that Sister May and I had when we first arrived in Chile was to be able to find the different chapels to attend meetings such as zone conferences, zone classes, Sunday meetings, etc. We had the blessing to have Elders Stewart and Rodriguez as assistants when we first arrived. Elder Stewart had studied arquitecture before the mission and was talented at drawing. He was able to draw maps that were very helpful to get to where we need to go.

In anticipation of the arrival of President and Sister Essig, we decided to purchase a GPS to help them as they find their way to chapels and the various places that they will need to visit. For those of you who do not know what a GPS is the following is an explanation:

“The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth”

To use a GPS, you must turn it on before you start on your trip. You must enter the name of the place where you want to go. As you begin to travel, a voice from the GPS will give you instructions along the way to guide you to where you need to go. It will indicate to you where you need to turn, how close you are to your final destination, etc. An interesting aspect of a GPS is that if you do not obey the instructions given by the GPS, it will automatically recalculate a new and alternate route to your final destination based on where you are as a result of not following the original instructions. Another interesting aspect of the GPS is you can adjust the volume of the voice of the GPS to different levels which remain constant regardless of whether we follow the instructions given.
One of God´s greatest gifts He has for us, His children, is the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is our own GPS and it “will show unto you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:5).

Being lost is not a pleasant experience. One of the definitions of lost is “unable to find one´s way.” Sister May and I experienced this quite often in our first couple of months here in Santiago as we travelled to different points in the mission. Our hope is that this GPS will save President and Sister Essig valuable time as they travel and more importantly, minimize the stress that comes from being “lost.”
It will be the source of power for learning and teach. It will comfort us in time of trial and sorrow. The Holy Ghost will warn of us of both physical and spiritual danger. It testifies of Jesus Christ and helps us recognize truth. We can feel God´s love, guidance and direction in our lives. Faith in Christ includes having confidence in the mission and power of the Holy Ghost and that we can receive answers to our prayer and personal revelation and inspiration to guide us in our lives.

There is one very big difference between the gift of the Holy Ghost and a GPS. The volume of the voice of the GPS does not fluctuate according the degree we obey it´s instructions, the volume remains constant. When we use our free agency to choose to disregard the promptings of the Holy Ghost, it´s influence will diminish. In other words, the volume by which the Holy Ghost prompts us and influences will gradually decrease over time. It can be like a sunset, gradually decreasing until we are in darkness. We then become subject to another influence, “and the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one” (2 Nephi 9:39).

The good news is that if we fail to following the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we have a way to recalculate our course as does the GPS. It is called repentance. Repentance includes forming a fresh view of God, ourselves, the world and others. It brings our will in line with the Lord´s will. It brings the forgiveness and peace of the Lord into our lives. Our guilt and sorrow are swept away. We will be able to qualify to return to live with our Heavenly Father and His Son. We will feel the Spirit in greater abundance.

We as missionaries are called to teach by the Spirit “and the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach” (D&C 42:14). It is my prayer that we will do all that we can to have influence of the Holy Ghost into our lives so that we can be powerful instruments in the Lord´s hands to bring many of His children to the knowledge of the truth.

We love you and we are grateful to be serving with you. You are great and faithful servants following the Lord´s path,
President May
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What is our motive for being Obedient?

Our love for the Lord should be our motivation for all that we strive to become and do as missionaries and in particular, our obedience. We learn from Laman and Lemuel that their motivation for repenting and being obedient was not there love for the Lord for they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them (1 Nephi 2:12). Only when they were caught, reprimanded, chastised, shocked, corrected, etc. did they humble themselves and desired to obey. Three reason for obedience:

1. Avoid punishment (Good Reason).
2. Receive blessings (Better Reason).
3. Love for the Lord (Best Reason).

We have many examples of Laman and Lemuel repenting and being obedient to avoid punishment (Good Reason):

“And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them” (1 Nephi 2:14).

“And it came to pass that the Lord was with us, yea, even the voice of the Lord came and did speak many words unto them, and did chasten them exceedingly; and after they were chastened by the voice of the Lord they did turn away their anger, and did repent of their sins…”(1 Nephi 16:39).

We also have many examples of repenting and being obedient to receive the blessings (Better Reason)

“And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands” (1 Nephi 2:20).

Nephi is a great example of being motivated by love for the Lord (Best Reason).

Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works…

My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.
Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen”(2 Nephi 4:16,17,20-23,30,34-35)

May our love for Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ be our motivation all that we seek to become and all we do.

We love you,
President May
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Our Hearts are "TIED" together with love

There is a quilt being made in the Chile Santiago North Mission. It consists of ties from each missionary as they have left the mission, and sleeves from the hermanas, since they wear their 'hearts on their sleeves.'This also has memories of Chile, names of Pdts of Estacas, Zonas y the Islands. Mosiah 18:21, "Our hearts are knit together in unity." But what about those serving presently in the mission?.....


We asked any of the missionaries who also wanted to be included in the 'mission quilt' to donate the smaller, short, tiny tip of one of their ties of choice. They made it up with quite the fanfare, and had tie-cutting moments that were hilarious to see. We realize that our lives will ALWAYS be 'tied' together, after serving and loving one another here in the Chile Santiago North Mission. See the fotos also attached.

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Am I ready and qualify to teach at the MTC?

I recently received a request from the MTC to fill out a recommendation for a former missionary to he hired to teach missionaries in the MTC. In the recommendation it made mention of the qualifications that one needs to have to be considered to be hire to teach in the MTC:

The MTC needs teachers that:
- Love the Lord and sincerely testify of Him
- Have a vision of missionary work and demonstrate the principles of Preach My Gospel
- Are humble, teachable, and receptive to feedback
- Are responsible, dependable, and truly obedient
- Can effectively teach and help missionaries fulfill the purpose of their call.

Please ask yourself, "Would I want this missionary teaching the missionaries who will come to me from the MTC?"

We can turn these statement into inspired questions to ask ourselves:

Do I love the Lord and sincerely testify of Him?
Do I have a vision of missionary work and demonstrate the principles of Preach My Gospel?
Am I humble, teachable, and receptive to feedback?
Am I responsible, dependable, and truly obedient?
Can I effectively teach and help missionaries to fulfill the purpose of their call?

I invite each of us to evaluate ourselves by reviewing these questions and setting goals and making plans to become the missionaries the Lord expects us to become so that we can bring many souls unto Him. Please feel free to share with me your goals and plans and your progress in your weekly letters in the future.

We love you always,
President May.
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What great Example in Jacob from the Book of Mormon

What a great example we can learn from Jacob in regards to the importance of magnifying our calling and of being fruitful in our efforts:

For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day” (Jacob 1:18-19)

Are we accomplishing what the Lord has sent us here to accomplish as missionaries? Are we asking ourselves, “What more can I do?”

In our prayers at the end of the day, do we give an accounting of our work to the Lord? Do we feel personal responsibility for the sacred trust the Lord has given us?

“Your faith will be manifest through diligence and work.” (Preach My Gospel pg. 116)

What is our work?

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)

It is my prayer that we will be fruitful servants of the Lord in bringing souls to Him through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.

We love you and we know that you have been called of God,
President May
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