5-31-2010

Familia,

I truly felt the spirit as I read all of your words today. Before I came on the mission I had the fear of not being with you all of the time and watching you all grow and learn and walk through life. But just reading your heart felt words every week truly keeps me going throughout the week and I feel as if I am there watching everything take place. The city life is a lot crazier and a lot more different in Chile. As the Chileans say, Chile isn’t Santiago and Santiago isn’t Chile because they are two different worlds. Lol my first day here (Monday) I almost died and received my best compliment I have ever received.

My new assignment is truly amazing. To be able to work with all of these amazing missionaries is a blessing especially to feel their love for the Lord and their mission is great. Also challenging as we have already had to deal with a few things but it truly is a blessing and I am honored to serve.

How crazy dad is going to have a meeting with Elder Bednar!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol you have to bring a recorder and hide it or something...lol jk don’t do that. But tell me all you can! And thanks for all that advice on being a leader. It is greatly accepted and if you can find a good book written by the church it would be much appreciated!

Anyways I don’t have anything of time now so my letter is a little short. But of course I can’t leave you without a spiritual thought, it is actually what our president wrote us this week but I really liked it:

Dear Sisters and Elders,

In the introduction of Chapter 37 in Alma, it says the “plates of brass and other scriptures are preserved to bring souls to salvation.”. We have been called to preach the gospel of repentance and we have been entrusted with the greatest tool for conversion, the Book of Mormon. The Lord expects us to use it powerfully and effectively in all of our proselyting efforts.

In Chapter 37 Alma is teaching his son Helaman of the importance of keeping the sacred records containing the Holy Scriptures. Perhaps he sensed in Helaman a lack of understanding of how important and powerful the scriptures were in God´s great and eternal purposes when he said, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise” (Alma 37:6).

Alma teaches Helaman why he should preserve the scriptures. “ And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls” (Alma 37:8).

The study of the Book of Mormon truly does “enlarge the memory” of investigators, members, and missionaries that we do have a Heavenly Father who knows us, answers our prayers, and has a plan of happiness in which we can achieve eternal life through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. President Boyd K. Packer has said that “the gospel will have a familiar “ring” to an adult or a child”. The power of the Book of Mormon greatly increases that familiar ring as we use it regularly in our teachings.

To impress upon Helaman even more the power of the Holy Scriptures, Alma cited the example of Ammon and his brethren in verse 9:

“Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer”.

He then poses a very powerful question about the potential of the Holy Scriptures in bringing many thousands of others including their unrighteous Nephite brethren to a knowledge of Jesus Christ, their Redeemer (Alma 37:10).

Alma reminds Helaman that God has entrusted him with these sacred records and that if he keeps the commandments of God, prays for inspiration to know what to do with these sacred records, “He will show forth his power in them unto future generations, therefore they shall be preserved” (Alma 37:16-19). What a great reminder this is to us as missionaries to trust in the Book of Mormon as a powerful tool for conversion. It continues today to play an essential role in the conversion of many to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us use it powerfully and effectively in our daily teaching here in the North mission that we may bring thousands and thousands to a knowledge of the truth and salvation through baptism of water for a remission of sins and a baptism of the Spirit for the precious gift of the Holy Ghost.

I testify that the Book of Mormon does “enlarge our memories” in reminding us of our purpose here in this life and of the great plan of salvation that our loving Heavenly Father has provided for us in which we can achieve eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, receiving the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.