MOM DAD RACHEL JOSH CALEB AND CALIE!!!
and friends family and all others who care about my life lol
surprise! i a half an hour to email everyone instead of getting to call you, so i will use it as best i can :) christmas, is absolutely unbelievably amazingly spiritual, i've never quite felt anything like it. last night we had a huge program of songs and a acted nativity, it was really sweet, we sang and there were solos and duets and music of all sorts. then we got to watch a christmas carol with (?) george s scott lol not sure exactly, but it was pretty fantastic, and if you have seen the movie or will now see it and remember the ghost of christmas present, know that i have a wonderful robe of my own, and i wore it in fantastic fashion the rest of the night. :D lol we sat as a district in my companionships room, and read through luke two, the story of the birth of christ, and we could feel the spirit so strongly, it was unbelieveable. we loved it so much.
this morning, we woke up early and had our district leader come into our room, we all brought our presents and opened them together, he's been having a rough time and we hit it off pretty well with him, he's leaving this wednesday so we wanted to spend some real time with him. it was a fantastic morning and i can't wait to send you all the pictures. :)
anyway, after that, we hit up breakfast, then a motab performance broadcasted, music and the spoken word, pretty sweet. :) then came sacrament. lol 2100+ missionaries.... we had thirty two elders passing, and sixteen elders blessed on four tables around the gym, it was kind of nuts to think about, but amazing how quiet and peaceful it was. :) great experience, probably the only time it will happen to me in my lifetime. :) huge. lol
so anyway, we kinda had a general authority at sacrament,
it was kind of an apostle.....
ELDER BEDNAR!!!! AND HIS WIFE!!! lol excitement up the wazoo just so you know. lol it was amazing! mind blowing even lol. here in the mtc you saw him in such a different light, lol in gen con he is funny, but he is also being broadcasted to the world, se he has to be fairly dignified, lol but here.... this is another story. lol :) he spoke of learnig to come unto christ, to learn of him and not just about him. it was an amazing talk, about shirking off the natural man, which he in very visual terms put the natural man similar too cookie monster, wanting everything now, wanting it to happen to him, always impatient and turned inwards. when he gets a cookie, instantly stuffing his face with it, crumbs flying every where and gone in a matter of seconds. He said that we must get rid of the desire of what we want, and learn of christ, to turn outwards and to constanly give to otheres. it was an amazing lesson, and i wish you all could have been there. the spirit testified with every word, that our purpose at a missionary is not to baptize people, we must not say, "i want baptism, i want investigators, i want i want i want, and i want it now...." we must learn that through christ people will chose that and they will want it. we must convert them, not just get them testimonies.
he spoke about how we must be converted, giving three points,
we must know that God exists and has a plan.
we must come to learn of the attributes, and the characteristics of Jesus Christ
we must consistantly act upon what we know to be true
in alma it said, in 23:6, as many as had testimonies and were converted did not fall away. elder bednar promised that if we became truly converted to the lord and turned away the natural man, we can not fall away. that with conversion, which is more than testimony, we will never be able to leave the example of Jesus Christ. and that is the message i want to leave most of all, the example of Jesus Christ and the importance of following him. whenever he turned outward and thought of others, when the scriptures say repent, they imply that you must leave the natural man in you behind and turn your thoughts outward, as Christ suffered on the cross, he thought of the soldiers, forgive them, he thought of his mother, take care of her, and he thought of the thieves, that they may dwell in heaven with him.
My purpose as a missionary is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. Inviting you to come closer to Christ, to leave behind the natural man which is an enemy to God, and instead of turning in towards yourself when things are hard, turn outwards, to others and helping them. life is tough, missions are tough, and leaving behind the natural man is hard. but all of these are reasons all the more why we should do them even more. that because we are sacrificing time and pleasure and world riches, we will be blessed forevermore. the son who returns service for the blessings which his father has given him, is all the more likely to recieve more in return for the gratitude, God wants to bless us, we are his children and he loves us every one. we have only the need to show that we love him back and are willing to listen to him. I ask you all that this season, not because i ask you too, but because God has blessed your lives, that you will do your best to shirk off the natural man and come unto Christ, remember him, and give thanks. there is no greater gift that God wants than our gratitude.
There isn't really much more than i can say, i've been typing for a half an hour straight and i think i'm beginning to bore you ;) I sure hope not, i may not say it all that well, especialy in spanish, but i have a message for the people of mexico, and i want to share it with you as well. I know that God lives, i know that he sent his son Jesus Christ to sacrifice and atone for the sins of his children. I know that Christ is my savior and my redeemer, and that i have the desire to return to him and praise him all the days of my life for giving me the joy and happiness i feel when i follow his example. I know that this church is the church of God, that we have the plan of happiness and that through our diligence and service, through how we come unto Christ, we too may be saved.
this work is my life, and i pray that when these two years are over i may continue on in a path of righteousness and following my brother and my salvation, the example and testimony of Jesus Christ, I pray i may be converted unto the Lord till the end of my days.
I love you all, and with the sincerest emotions i can express, i am so grateful for you.
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