Elder Ballards second area

Hey sorry it’s been a couple since I’ve done a group email, the whole writing emails thing is super hard for me lol 
So many experiences have happened and lessons have been learned over the last couple weeks. A guy named Hector that we are teaching shared a crazy story with us a couple days ago. He used to be on all sorts of drugs and he couldn’t control himself. He had committed some serious crimes and police looking for him for a couple weeks. He was able to evade the police for a while, but about a year later he wanted to change his life and turn himself over to God, so first, he turned himself over to the police. As he tried to tell the people at the police station his name and the crimes he had committed, nothing ever came up on his record. His life was changed from that point on, he said, God was giving him a second chance. Now, lots of lessons can be learned from our friend Hectors experience, but one rings very true to me; as we are honest in all our doings, the lord will direct ours paths for good. I am not saying that as we commit crimes, we will never be punished for them because police will lose our records, I am saying that as we truly turn our lives over to God and strive to be better in all things, he will provide a way for us, all of us, even Hector. He could not control his drug habits, was homeless, had a horrible relationship with his family and neighbors, and thought he could never find happiness again. Now, just a couple years later, he is completely sober, takes care of his mom and siblings in a house that he worked to get, gives everything he can back to the community, has a homeless man living with him that he takes care of, has refound hope in Jesus Christ, and cannot wait to finish learning about the church so he can be baptized. This man is such an inspiration to me. The grace and atonement of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all individuals, however far off they have wondered. If Christ loves us perfectly, he wants us to be perfectly happy, as he is. Do you think he gets sad, when we are sad? Oh course he does. He knows how difficult challenges and temptations are in this life because he experienced all of them. He knows exactly how to comfort us in the midst of our trials, however this requires us to be humble enough to realize we need his love and redemption everyday in our lives. 
I am praying for everyone back home everyday, thank you for the support, please be an example of righteousness this week. “Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and giveth light to all that are in the house; Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (3 Nephi 12:15-16) 
Love y’all, be safe Elder Ballard 
Mormon 9:21