Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well! Today was transfers, and Elder Rodrigues and I are still together! This week and 2 weeks ago has been a ton of traveling. I went to the city the furthest away called Telemaco Borba. It was a 5 hour bus ride and that felt like forever. This whole week I traveled by bus to the small cities. Went to Castro, Tibagi, Telemaco Borba, and Rio Branco do Sul. Honestly, both a lot and not a lot happened. It was fun to divide in those areas with those missionaries as well. I actually wanted to use this email to get a few points across.
Over this past year and a half I have learned so much and I have had many spiritual experiences that my testimony has grown to the point where I can not deny that which I teach and live. As an assistant to the President you meet a lot of missionaries and hear about other missionaries who all have different reasons for being on the mission both good and not so good. I would like to express my point of view plainly and clearly as a testimony to all who don't know, who aren't serving, who are serving, and who will serve in the future. I will speak boldly and to a vast audience, but know that if you feel remorse or have the feeling to repent, then this is for you. Know that God loves those who repents and returns to the fold.
Called to Serve
As a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you volunteer to serve. Then you are called by the living Prophet and his counselors to serve Jesus Christ and to help others in a specific area in the world.The purpose?
Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
You are not forced nor obligated by any means. Maybe your parents will want you to serve or even push you to serve, but take my advice. Go when you feel you should go. I stand with the group of people who say Serve a Mission! However, I also say go when YOU desire to go or at least feel like you should. If you go because someone forced you to go, or because you want to be better than someone else, or because it's what everyone does, then you truly don't want to be serving and you truly don't love the Lord. Serving a mission is a full-time devotion to God.
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” Mosiah 2:17.
So what service will you do? Will you truly serve the purpose of spending a year and a half or 2 years of your life focusing on the Lord and helping others find peace and joy in this life and eternal life in the world to come? Will you be the angel that appears in the life of that person in need who has been praying for help? Will you be able to provide comfort and love to those in need? Or are you here because you are trying to show off or to brag that you served a mission? Or maybe you are the type pursuing the “guy or gal of your dreams” in the hopes that the mission will bring you two together.
Doctrine and Covenants section 4 states, “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.”
All that embark in the service of God, all of us on a mission and those who will serve, serve him with all that you have. This mission is for others. To help others. To love others. It is not a vacation nor is it a holiday or an excuse. It is the Lord's time that He uses to bring his children unto him. We are his tools. To help others means we must be humble and that we must be like Christ. We care for others no matter their circumstances or their problems. We are in no position to judge others. We represent Christ.
The Badge
As many may know, missionaries wear a black badge or name tag on which you will read Elder or Sister and then the last name of the person. Why do we use such a title? The title Elder and Sister signify ‘Representative of Christ’. While we use our last names to represent our families. So we never represent ourselves; it is always Christ first and our families second. When we were baptized we took upon us the name of Christ and the responsibility to be an example to others and to represent Jesus Christ at all times and in all places. When we wear the badge we are representing Him and our families who taught us. I always think what would Christ do because if I represent Him then I need to act like Him, think like Him, talk like Him, in the end I need to BE LIKE HIM. There are no exceptions. 3 Nephi 27:27 “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”
We need to serve faithfully with, "our eyes single to the glory of God." D&C 4:5. Our focus should be Him and we should be striving to be like Him.
Underneath the name there is also the name of the church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We represent the church as well. People look at us on the streets. They listen to our conversations. They watch how we act. We are billboards for the church. When people who don't know the church see us or meet us they will judge the church based off of our comportment. Whether we like it or not it happens and will continue to happen forever. If we truly want people to know what the church is like then we need to show them!
Obedience
The mission is a sacred time, as I have said a few times now, and because it is sacred we must be obedient. The Lord is clear on this point that it isn't just the mission, but it's our lives. We must live the higher law of obedience. The Lord is not asking us to not have fun nor is He asking us to be robots. He asks us to keep His commandments and to listen and obey the living Prophet. Over and over again in the scriptures the lord talks about keeping his commandments and his Standards.
"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." Mosiah 2:41
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." John 14:21
"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." Mosiah 4:30
If you are not receiving the blessing that you want, or if you are not feeling satisfied or happy. Then you should do an auto-evaluation on your obedience to the Commandments of God and the mission standards and see if there is something you could be doing better? Maybe you shouldn't be staying for hours in a person's house, or shopping the internet for unnecessary items or clothes, or watching movies/series and listening to music that are not permitted. If one or more of these things are occurring, then the Lord cannot abide with you and He will not accept you.
"...for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." Alma 45:16
"And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." 3 Nephi 27:19
My Advice
The Lord knows whether you are all in, half in, or not even trying. He is aware of your thoughts and your desires. He knows why you truly do the things you choose to do, as well as the things you choose not to do.
"Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him." Alma 5:41
If you want to have the best year and a half or 2 years of your life, then forget yourself. Forget your old life, forget your desires, and give yourself fully to the Lord. He is not asking for you to not have fun nor is He asking you to not care about yourself. He is asking that for this time that you serve Him that you do your very best, that you love all people, that you keep His commandments, and that you remain obedient to all that He asks. His promise to you is that you shall find success, joy, and that you will see and be part of miracles. He also promises that all that you desire will be given unto you. I have had so much fun and have learned so much that I am very grateful for the Lord and for everything that I have passed until this point. The mission is not easy, but it is becoming the best 2 years of my life.
Matthew 25:42-45
My Testimony
I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that it is He who is leading this work. I know that serving a mission faithfully with integrity, obedience, and diligence will strengthen your connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that He hears and answers all of our prayers and that He always permits things to help us and to strengthen us. I know that we have a living Prophet today who speaks face to face with God and gives us direction in these latter days. I know the Book of Mormon to be truly another testament of Jesus Christ and I know it provides answers to all of life's questions and by reading it one can come to know all the mysteries of God. I stand as a witness of the miracles that come from following Christ and living righteously and repenting daily. I bare my testimony that I can never and will never deny. In the name of the master teacher, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
- Elder Cutler and Elder Loertscher taught and baptized a Jewish man! I got so lucky to be apart of his conversion and to become friends with him! Max is one in a million!!
Watch the Video! It's awesome!
Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well! Today was transfers, and Elder Rodrigues and I are still together! This week and 2 weeks ago has been a ton of traveling. I went to the city the furthest away called Telemaco Borba. It was a 5 hour bus ride and that felt like forever. This whole week I traveled by bus to the small cities. Went to Castro, Tibagi, Telemaco Borba, and Rio Branco do Sul. Honestly, both a lot and not a lot happened. It was fun to divide in those areas with those missionaries as well. I actually wanted to use this email to get a few points across.
Over this past year and a half I have learned so much and I have had many spiritual experiences that my testimony has grown to the point where I can not deny that which I teach and live. As an assistant to the President you meet a lot of missionaries and hear about other missionaries who all have different reasons for being on the mission both good and not so good. I would like to express my point of view plainly and clearly as a testimony to all who don't know, who aren't serving, who are serving, and who will serve in the future. I will speak boldly and to a vast audience, but know that if you feel remorse or have the feeling to repent, then this is for you. Know that God loves those who repents and returns to the fold.
Called to Serve
As a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you volunteer to serve. Then you are called by the living Prophet and his counselors to serve Jesus Christ and to help others in a specific area in the world.The purpose?
Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
You are not forced nor obligated by any means. Maybe your parents will want you to serve or even push you to serve, but take my advice. Go when you feel you should go. I stand with the group of people who say Serve a Mission! However, I also say go when YOU desire to go or at least feel like you should. If you go because someone forced you to go, or because you want to be better than someone else, or because it's what everyone does, then you truly don't want to be serving and you truly don't love the Lord. Serving a mission is a full-time devotion to God.
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” Mosiah 2:17.
So what service will you do? Will you truly serve the purpose of spending a year and a half or 2 years of your life focusing on the Lord and helping others find peace and joy in this life and eternal life in the world to come? Will you be the angel that appears in the life of that person in need who has been praying for help? Will you be able to provide comfort and love to those in need? Or are you here because you are trying to show off or to brag that you served a mission? Or maybe you are the type pursuing the “guy or gal of your dreams” in the hopes that the mission will bring you two together.
Doctrine and Covenants section 4 states, “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.”
All that embark in the service of God, all of us on a mission and those who will serve, serve him with all that you have. This mission is for others. To help others. To love others. It is not a vacation nor is it a holiday or an excuse. It is the Lord's time that He uses to bring his children unto him. We are his tools. To help others means we must be humble and that we must be like Christ. We care for others no matter their circumstances or their problems. We are in no position to judge others. We represent Christ.
The Badge
As many may know, missionaries wear a black badge or name tag on which you will read Elder or Sister and then the last name of the person. Why do we use such a title? The title Elder and Sister signify ‘Representative of Christ’. While we use our last names to represent our families. So we never represent ourselves; it is always Christ first and our families second. When we were baptized we took upon us the name of Christ and the responsibility to be an example to others and to represent Jesus Christ at all times and in all places. When we wear the badge we are representing Him and our families who taught us. I always think what would Christ do because if I represent Him then I need to act like Him, think like Him, talk like Him, in the end I need to BE LIKE HIM. There are no exceptions. 3 Nephi 27:27 “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”
We need to serve faithfully with, "our eyes single to the glory of God." D&C 4:5. Our focus should be Him and we should be striving to be like Him.
Underneath the name there is also the name of the church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We represent the church as well. People look at us on the streets. They listen to our conversations. They watch how we act. We are billboards for the church. When people who don't know the church see us or meet us they will judge the church based off of our comportment. Whether we like it or not it happens and will continue to happen forever. If we truly want people to know what the church is like then we need to show them!
Obedience
The mission is a sacred time, as I have said a few times now, and because it is sacred we must be obedient. The Lord is clear on this point that it isn't just the mission, but it's our lives. We must live the higher law of obedience. The Lord is not asking us to not have fun nor is He asking us to be robots. He asks us to keep His commandments and to listen and obey the living Prophet. Over and over again in the scriptures the lord talks about keeping his commandments and his Standards.
"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." Mosiah 2:41
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." John 14:21
"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." Mosiah 4:30
If you are not receiving the blessing that you want, or if you are not feeling satisfied or happy. Then you should do an auto-evaluation on your obedience to the Commandments of God and the mission standards and see if there is something you could be doing better? Maybe you shouldn't be staying for hours in a person's house, or shopping the internet for unnecessary items or clothes, or watching movies/series and listening to music that are not permitted. If one or more of these things are occurring, then the Lord cannot abide with you and He will not accept you.
"...for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." Alma 45:16
"And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." 3 Nephi 27:19
My Advice
The Lord knows whether you are all in, half in, or not even trying. He is aware of your thoughts and your desires. He knows why you truly do the things you choose to do, as well as the things you choose not to do.
"Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him." Alma 5:41
If you want to have the best year and a half or 2 years of your life, then forget yourself. Forget your old life, forget your desires, and give yourself fully to the Lord. He is not asking for you to not have fun nor is He asking you to not care about yourself. He is asking that for this time that you serve Him that you do your very best, that you love all people, that you keep His commandments, and that you remain obedient to all that He asks. His promise to you is that you shall find success, joy, and that you will see and be part of miracles. He also promises that all that you desire will be given unto you. I have had so much fun and have learned so much that I am very grateful for the Lord and for everything that I have passed until this point. The mission is not easy, but it is becoming the best 2 years of my life.
Matthew 25:42-45
My Testimony
I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that it is He who is leading this work. I know that serving a mission faithfully with integrity, obedience, and diligence will strengthen your connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that He hears and answers all of our prayers and that He always permits things to help us and to strengthen us. I know that we have a living Prophet today who speaks face to face with God and gives us direction in these latter days. I know the Book of Mormon to be truly another testament of Jesus Christ and I know it provides answers to all of life's questions and by reading it one can come to know all the mysteries of God. I stand as a witness of the miracles that come from following Christ and living righteously and repenting daily. I bare my testimony that I can never and will never deny. In the name of the master teacher, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
- Elder Cutler and Elder Loertscher taught and baptized a jew! I got so lucky to be apart of his conversion and to become friends with him! Max is one in a million!!
Watch the Video! It's awesome!
