Christ the Redeemer Lives!

"I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, He lives who once was dead! He lives, my ever living head! He lives to bless me with His love! He lives to plead for me above! He lives, my hungry souls to feed! He lives to bless in time of need!" (I Know That My Redeemer Lives). I know Jesus Christ lives to wipe away your tears and heal you from the inside out. As you develop your faith in Him you know and love Him. As your faith grows, your desire to become like Him will also grow. As you exercise repentance and rely on Jesus Christ and the strength and healing He gives, you are able to come closer to Him. Through baptism you are cleansed of your sins. With the guidance of the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you are able to always have heavenly help any time you need it. As you take the sacrament worthily you get the privilege of having your sins washed away and get a fresh start to the week, just like being baptized and confirmed all over again. I know that as we do these things that the Savior and Heavenly Father will be proud of us and will support us in everything we do. I know He is the only way. I know that you can always come back, no matter what you've done. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Your works are noticed!

I've learned a lot about relying on the Lord and how blessings do come and your work is always noticed by someone, even if it is just the Lord. He knows and loves you so much and no matter how far you think you've sunk, no matter how incomplete and ruined you feel, Jesus Christ can heal you. You just need to come to Him. I love how in Isaiah a phrase that is repeated over and over is, "mine arm is stretched out still." After all this wickedness and crazy stuff people are doing in rebellion against the Lord, he still loves them and you! In the name of jesus christ amen.

The importance of Members in missionary work

This week I have learned a lot about "teamwork". Sharing the gospel isn't only the responsibility of one missionary. It isn't only the job of one companionship. It isn't the job of the companionship and the ward mission leader. It is the whole ward working together to bring to pass the eternal life of man. You members are super important! As you share the gospel with your friends, you are fulfilling your baptismal covenent ("...willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in..." Mosiah 18:8-10). If you don't know how to do that, or it's hard or scary, guess who you can ask. The missionaries! (And I can email you individually a recording of a fireside with bunches of grand ideas :D). I know that through being one in heart and mind, we can share the gospel and baptize converts. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that as we follow Him, we will be happy and we will want to share that happiness. So go and share it! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. followhim.mormon.org

God Blesses Optimism

Always always always be optimistic. The Lord is willing to do anything and bless you numerously if you obey him with a happy and grateful heart. In order for us as missionaries, to teach about faith in Jesus Christ and to help people believe that he will help them, we have to be that way too. If we look at every door as a gamble rather than every door is going to let us in and be baptized, we won't have any baptisms.Our meeting talked about not only having and strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ, but having faith and optimism. Walking up to every single door with the attitude of, "This family will let us in! We will baptize this family!" It completely changed us and our perspective and the Lord has been pouring out His blessings on us since. We were able to have a wonderful lesson with two formers (former means someone who used to have an interest in investigating the church but for some reason stopped) (Jenny and David and Carolina) and they are wonderful and we have a return appointment with one of them (David and Carolina) and the phone number of the other one who loves us (Jenny).  If we look at every school project, test, interview, presentation, job, whatever, as a gamble or if it is doomed to fail, than it will fail. We have to have faith that if we just go and do believing the Lord will pick up the rest, He absolutely will. I testify that through Jesus Christ we can do all things. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Importance of Teamwork

Love your companion like you know you would love Christ. Be open with your companion. Work together as a team. The Lord expects us to work as a team, much like a family and the Godhead (Three separate beings, one purpose and one goal=Bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man). The Lord doesn't expect perfection, but he does expect love and compromise. The windows of heaven will pour out on you and your area and everything will work out for the best. I promise. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

God has Good Timing

Lately I've been reading in the book of Mosiah as part of my personal study. I read Mosiah 23-24 this morning and it is about how Alma (a prophet and recent convert to Jesus Christ and refugee leader because the king of his city kicked him and the other Christians out) had found a land where everything was fine and peaceful. They built a city and were relatively happy. And then there was an army that came and conquered them and made life very hard for Alma and his people. They prayed and prayed for help. Alma received word from the Lord and the Lord promised He would make their burdens light as they relied on Him. The people continued to pray and maintain hope in the Lord. A few days after Alma received this first revelation, he received another that the Lord would help his people escape that night. They did and as the left the city and were fleeing the army that had originally conquered them, they made it to a safe city with a kind and wise king.

I love this story because it shows how obedient these people are and how much they trusted God. We don't know God's timing and we don't know the purpose of many of the trials we go through. Every transfer is hard in some way, and they always seem to fall apart and come together at the beginning of each transfer. I know that the Lord is going to pour out the windows of heaven in the next couple of weeks and I know that the gospel is true. As we rely on Jesus Christ and his atonement, we have strength and hope. We are able to get through the day when it is hard. He loves us so much and I am so grateful to know and love Him too. I know that He lives and because He lives I will too. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

You Will Never be Alone

 "10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

 11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.

 12 And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.

 13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

 14 Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" D&C 18

You will not understand these verses until you have truly been able to see how much another soul is worth to our Heavenly Father. I know a shred of this with Laura and it is astounding. She is so wonderful and I love her so much. I testify to you that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you! They love you so much that Jesus CHrist was sent to earth to live a perfect life and then feel all that we feel so that he can help us. He then died to conquer death and rose again so that we may also. You are never forgotten and you always have a Savior who love you and knows exactly how to help you. You need to reach out to him and he will do the rest. And you do this through faith in Him, repentance for our sins and shortcomings, baptism to wash away our sins, the gift of the holy ghost to help and guide us always, and endure to the end in righteousness and love. I know that these things bring joy and will always always always be there for you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.