Has it really been a week?

I can't believe how fast time has gone this week! It has been another crazy one but we feel like the smoke is finally beginning to clear and that in a week or two things will be back to normal. I think I've said that a few other times around here and it hasn't ever happened, so maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. But that is what makes being in the office so darn FUN!

This week Elder Teixeira (our area president and a member of the first quorum of the seventy) came to do a small mission tour. It has been awesome to have him here. On Tuesday and Wednesday we had zone leader concilio a week early so he could be at it and then we had a huge zone conference in Málaga on Thursday. Since he has a very limited schedule, we are only having 2 zone conferences instead of the normal 3, which was been quite the logistical puzzle for us here in the office. We also got the special opportunity of ordering 50 pizzas for the Málaga conference, which freaked out the Málaga Dominos pretty bad, haha. And Ï learned that bringing out pizza in a room full of hungry people brings out the worst in them and generally turns them into wild animals hahaha. In the end everything went great with the conference. He'll do another one in Alicante on Monday, so we're busy preparing everything for that. Fun stuff!

In the conference, Elder Teixeira began by speaking about repentance and gave some really interesting thoughts about it. He spoke about how repentance is the process by which we improve. Anytime we change any sort of behavior to become better, we are repenting. When we truly repent, our view of the world changes and we do things differently because we see that there is a better way to do them. When we look at it like that, repentance stops having a negative connotation - as many people feel it has - and becomes something positive and desirable. That's why we must repent of something everyday! I'm so grateful for a Gospel of progress that allows us to become better.  Whether it be in missionary work, family life, work relations, or anything else, following the Gospel of Jesus Christ and putting our will in line with God's will blesses us and makes us better.

Pray, read the scriptures, go to church, and strive to repent and live the commandments always - that is the opportunity we have. Let's do it!

I love being a missionary!

Have an awesome week! Love you so much!!!

Elder Mockler