Understand

Buenos Dias todos! I hope you've all had a great week! So we got some exciting transfer news, surprising for sure. So in Brescia there are two units, a ward and a branch, and we have 4 Anziani here. We are over the ward and the other two are over the branch. So next transfer, my companion, Anz. Horne will stay in Brescia as a zone leader and get a new companion. I will also be staying in Brescia... Not as a zone leader but going to the other companionship over the branch. And I'll be training... So I'll definitely be finishing the mission in Brescia and training a new missionary for these last two transfers. I'm honestly really excited. It'll definitely be fun and a great way to end the mission.

So things from this week. Let's see. So on Saturday we had the baptism of Andrea, one of the people in this incredible family. Holy humble people. They just leave me in awe every time I'm around them. They understand the Gospel so well, so quickly and they just put it into practice in everything they do. It's awesome. Pictures are at the bottom. Andrea also asked me to baptize him and that was incredible too. That was just a blessing for me personally, being able to see what being truly humble does in someone's life. Incredible people.

Besides that, we've been able to see a couple member families this week. That's always a nice blessing, just being loved hahah. I don't think anyone really realizes what it does for missionaries by simply allowing them into your home for even 20 minutes. It makes our day.

So I've been watching all of the Bible Videos that the Church has made and during one of them, I learned something really significant that had always confused me. It has to do with Matthew 16:21-23.

21 ¶From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 

22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 

23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

So as I was watching this video, the same question came to my mind that always does when I read this passage. Why did Christ react as He did to Peter? He called him Satan, referring to the Hebrew word meaning tempter or adversary. He wasn't literally calling him Satan. I realized that Christ reacted as He did because Peter did not understand the significance of what would happen if Christ did not suffer, be killed, and raised again the third day. Peter did not fully understand what he was trying to protect Christ from.

Christ understood His mission and purpose and He was not going to let anyone stop Him from fulfilling the will of His Father. When Peter said what he said, Christ could not help but defend His divine role as our Savior. That is why He reacted the way He did; because He understood who He was and what He needed to do.

This is something we all have to do. We've got to understand who we are and what we are to do. That's really important for all of us, vital I'd say.

I hope you all have a good week!
Love you all and thanks for all you do!
Anz. Benjamin Guthrie