Pray Always (4/11)

We had an amazing baptism this week! Javier and Guillermo (I know I've mentioned them before) were baptized on Saturday, and it was so great! We had tons of support from the branch, and everything worked out smoothly (turns out the more baptisms they have the better they get at planning them... good to know!). Javier and Guillermo shared their testimonies right after they were baptized - it was so awesome to hear their simple, yet powerful testimonies of how they felt, and why they chose to be baptized. Again, I am so impressed with the strength of the youth in this area... they do things I'm not sure I would have been able to do when I was that age. The boys return to Mexico in a few weeks, but hopefully they will be back here in the fall with a student visa. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to know them and teach them.

We had a training on prayer last week, and although it seems like a simple concept, I feel like my prayers have been taken to a whole new level. We have made a conscious effort to pray more often (I counted once at the beginning of my mission - we pray at least 15-20 times a day). Anyway, as we have been doing this I have felt that each prayer is literally a continuation of the one it follows. My conversation with my Heavenly Father is not one that stops and starts throughout the day, but it never ends, as I sometimes vocally express myself, but carry a prayer in my heart through the rest of the day.

It brings a whole new meaning to the commandment to "pray always". I think of Amulek's testimony of prayer, and how he exhorts us to pray in our houses, and in our fields (mission field!), morning, mid-day, and evening. "Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually..." (Alma 34:27) As I have increased the power and frequency of my personal and companionship prayers I have felt my relationship with my Heavenly Father grow. I'm not just checking in with him every morning when I wake up, or at night before I go to bed, instead I have a consistent TWO-WAY conversation throughout the day. As I strengthen that relationship it helps me understand His love, and I see answers to my constant pleas, I know that he really does hear and answer us according to our faith, just as any loving father would.

I challenge you to carry a prayer in your heart at all times this week. And as often as time allows, take the time to kneel down and express to our Heavenly Father gratitude for the little things. I know that you will feel a closer bond to Him and that your lives will be blessed because of that.

I love you!

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

PICTURES

TOP: Baptism! Hermano Manjarrez, Pablo, Guillermo, Javier, Hermana Adams & Me!
BOTTOM: Our adventure to the park this morning... we found a turtle! We named him Tim, which is short for "timido"... he was pretty shy :)