Hello, happy Monday everyone!
I hope you all are doing well! These past two weeks have been pretty good so let's get into it!
Fernanda
Fernanda is the mom of one of our friends Mihael who was baptized a few months ago. She actually has been going to church for almost a year, but because of some complications she wasn't able to be baptized with her son. She was one of the first people that I visited when I came into this area, and we were always asking one another, “What do we teach her?” That question over a period of many visits led us to an answer. Elder Gonzalez began to ask her questions and we found out that what was stopping her in the past had been resolved for a while. With that news we helped her everyday up until her baptism. The whole Ward was so excited and happy for her. I had the opportunity to baptize her and it was a very special and spiritual moment. It will be a baptism that I'll never forget.
Temple Trip!
We have been taking our recently baptized friend to the temple every week! This week we had the chance to bring 10 people! Now let me tell you that it wasn't easy. We don't have too much time in our day to go to the temple, but we make room. The Temple sits on the other side of Curitiba, which is about an hour drive by car. Imagine if we took a bus over there and back? So because we don't have cars, nor the time to take everyone by bus, we ordered Ubers for everyone. That was the biggest headache of all, but it all went well and everyone loved it! It was super awesome to help so many people go to the Temple and enter as well. There are all excited to back and we will be marking another time to take them all again.
Temple? Worthiness?
Do you know what a Temple is? Have you ever seen one with a golden angel on top? Have you ever stepped foot on the Temple grounds? How often do you go to Temple? Well the Temple is the house of the Lord. Imagine if you take a piece of Heaven and put it on the Earth, that is the Temple. It is a sacred place where members of The Church of Jesus Christ may make special promises with Heavenly Father and in return He promises to bless us and protect us forever as long as we stay worthy. It is also a place where we are able to help our ancestors as it says we should in 1 Corinthians 15:29. However, to enter into the Temple you need to be at least 12 years old and you need to have a Temple Recommend, or in other words you need to be worthy to enter. Because “No unclean thing can dwell with God” (1 Nephi 10:21) neither can it enter into His kingdom. In order to be clean the first step is having Faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is not having a perfect understanding, but it is believing in Jesus Christ, that he loves and will forgive you. It is not only believing because it requires action. I can believe that I can be a successful doctor in the future all I want, but if I never get off the couch and never go to school that is impossible. It is the same with faith, we need to believe and trust in the Lord that he will help us and save us after all we can do. Second step to being worthy is repenting of your sins or errors as I like to put it. Repentance is not a bad thing, though it is commonly thought that way. It is the process of doing better. That is the simplest way that I can put it. Repentance requires that you recognize your errors, feel sincere desire to change, confess to the Lord, and promise/strive to not do the error again. For the Lord has said “But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.” (Moroni 6:8) Everyone can make a change. You can turn your life around. You can have the presence of the Lord constantly with you and helping you. I know and promise that it happens. When you have repented fully this makes you ready to be washed clean both spiritually and physically, and that's where the third step enters. Baptism is when we are cleansed from our sins, well kinda. I say this because multiple times in the scriptures we find where it says “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5). So baptism by water is half of a baptism, or in other words, without receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost you just took a bath. The scriptures are clear on this subject because the water cleans you while the Holy Ghost purifies you constantly. “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 31:17) “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.” (3 Nephi 27:20) Now I could go on and on about this, but I'm talking about the Temple! When you are baptized, you covenant (or promise) with God that you are willing to take upon yourself the name of Christ, serve others, stand as a witness of God at all times, and keep His commandments throughout your life. These steps are what makes you worthy, and those promises are what you need to keep in order to remain worthy of entering into the Temple. I invite all to go visit the Temple nearest to you. You don't have to be a member to walk around and look at it. If you go to the Temple, I know you will have peace unlike anything else. That peace is the presence of the Lord. Try it out one day.
“Oh! You're almost done”
That is the most annoying thing to hear. I am at a year and 4 months on the mission and everyone keeps telling me that I am going home soon. I still have so much time and so much to do. I have had people talk about doing things after the mission like watching movies, playing games, going to college, and etc… Basically so many distractions and “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down” (Nehemiah 6:3). Many people have said that I have changed…good! I am doing a great work and I will not stop! The things that I have learned, the spiritual experiences that I have had during this short amount of time has changed not only my perspective, not only my life, but also my final destination. I am a child of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ, and a missionary called of God to help all people come unto Christ. Miracles do happen and will continue to happen according to your Faith. Heavenly Father hears and answers all prayers. All people can be cleansed and have a new life, you just need to follow the steps of the Savior.
The whole world could stand against me, threaten me, hurt me, but I am doing a great work and I will not come down. I bare my testimony that this work is the work of the Lord. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the True and Living church today. I know and I leave these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amém.
