Dear Sisters and Elders,
I would like to share the following with you that illustrates how much the Lord trusts each and everyone of you in your callings as missionaries:
“In a Priesthood Leadership Meeting with Stake Presidents held right before a General Conference, President Harold B. Lee addressed the brethren in the Tabernacle. He called on one brother in the congregation, who was seated next to a big pillar that held up the balcony, to stand up. Then he asked him to push as hard as he could against the pillar and see if he could knock it over. The brother did as he was asked, and pushed, and pushed. But obviously he could not push it over. Then President Lee taught the following lesson, ‘Most of you think that the pillar is there holding up the balcony, but it is not. It is the other way around. It is the balcony that is holding the pillar firmly in place. The weight of the balcony stops the pillar from falling over. Our young missionaries are like that pillar. When they are out in the mission field they have the weight of the Kingdom on their shoulders, and they remain firm and faithful.”
Thank you for being faithful in maginfying your purpose to help many people to come unto Christ y bring many souls to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. You all are an inspiration for many people including Sister May, Sarah, and myself.
We love you and we are grateful for each of you,
Presidente May
Read more!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tender Mercies of the Lord
Dear Sisters and Elders,
This morning I was studying 1 Nephi 1:20 and have some insights I would like to share:
20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
In a talk give by Elder David A. Bednar entitled, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord” from April 2005 General Conference we learn why the Lord sends “tender mercies” our way. He does it because He loves us and promised he would send the comforter and He himself would come unto us (John 14:16, John 14:18). His tender mercies are one of the important ways He shows us how much He loves us. We know that He atoned for the sins of all mankind and overcame physical death. We know that when we apply the atonement in our lives we can be freed from the burden of sin (PmG Chapter 3-Lesson 1 pg 32). But there is a second part to the Atonement which is “we can develop faith and strength to face our trials. I believe the Lord sends tender mercies in our life just at the right time to help us develop the faith and strength when we need it.
Elder Bednar poses the following questions:
What are tender mercies?
Elder Bednar defines them as the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
To whom does the Lord send His tender mercies?
In verse 20 its says that tender mercies are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith. In other words, He chooses us because we choose Him because of our faith unto action in obeying Him and serving Him.
My question for each of us is the following:
What are the tender mercies that the Lord has sent to me during my time as a missionary here in Santiago?
One of the greatest tender mercies the Lord has sent to me is the opportunity to learn from each of you as well serve alongside you. I gain great strength, assurance, and support from your great examples of faith, obedience, and diligence.
I invite each of us to pray and ponder and reflect to recognize the tender mercies that Lord has blessed us with. I invite you to share some of the “tender mercies” the Lord has bless you with during your time as a missionary here in Chile.
I know He love us all and is mindful of each of us. He knows what we need and when. It is my prayer that we can always ask ourselves the following question, “What more can I do for Him?”
We love each of you and are so grateful for you.
Read more!
This morning I was studying 1 Nephi 1:20 and have some insights I would like to share:
20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
In a talk give by Elder David A. Bednar entitled, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord” from April 2005 General Conference we learn why the Lord sends “tender mercies” our way. He does it because He loves us and promised he would send the comforter and He himself would come unto us (John 14:16, John 14:18). His tender mercies are one of the important ways He shows us how much He loves us. We know that He atoned for the sins of all mankind and overcame physical death. We know that when we apply the atonement in our lives we can be freed from the burden of sin (PmG Chapter 3-Lesson 1 pg 32). But there is a second part to the Atonement which is “we can develop faith and strength to face our trials. I believe the Lord sends tender mercies in our life just at the right time to help us develop the faith and strength when we need it.
Elder Bednar poses the following questions:
What are tender mercies?
Elder Bednar defines them as the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
To whom does the Lord send His tender mercies?
In verse 20 its says that tender mercies are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith. In other words, He chooses us because we choose Him because of our faith unto action in obeying Him and serving Him.
My question for each of us is the following:
What are the tender mercies that the Lord has sent to me during my time as a missionary here in Santiago?
One of the greatest tender mercies the Lord has sent to me is the opportunity to learn from each of you as well serve alongside you. I gain great strength, assurance, and support from your great examples of faith, obedience, and diligence.
I invite each of us to pray and ponder and reflect to recognize the tender mercies that Lord has blessed us with. I invite you to share some of the “tender mercies” the Lord has bless you with during your time as a missionary here in Chile.
I know He love us all and is mindful of each of us. He knows what we need and when. It is my prayer that we can always ask ourselves the following question, “What more can I do for Him?”
We love each of you and are so grateful for you.
Read more!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Out of the mouth of Babes….November 8, 2009
This morning we had our ward Programa de la Primaria en la reunion Sacramental here in downtown Santiago, Chile. What a miracle it is to see the work of the gospel as demonstrated by the Primary in each ward of the church. Our ward had about 30 Primary age children on the stand, not to mention a few babes in arms out in the audience who were dealing with stage fright to have to perform in front, and also a few too young to be included in the nursery age too. It was still delightful.
Our ward in LaDesa is made up by about 45% single women, 20% of North American families who live in the area, work either for the church in various capacities, or mining, copper, or gold companies, or the husbands are mission presidents in the 3 missions here in Santiago, and the other 35% Chilean families, single men, or youth. With the mixture of children on the stand, it is easy to see what a melting pot our ward really is, including different cultures, countries, languages, and skin color. But they blend beautifully in this ward, thanks to the gospel and the Lord’s teachings of loving one another.
Today the theme was F-A-M-I-L-I-A-S, spelled out on individual darling big letters glued onto someone’s prized scrap booking papers, being held by the nervous and fidgety hands of the 8 chosen children to stand in front. Little “A” in the front of the line could never get his paper to stand up from holding it by the bottom, but as a young 5 yr old, he wasn’t too concerned either. After the Santa Cena, the theme was introduced by one of the adult Primary leaders, and then the program got underway, and it was the children stealing the show the rest of the time. They had beautiful primary songs, that we are familiar with; “I’m trying to be Like Jesus, (Estoy tratando de ser como Cristo) Love one another, (Ama a otros) Army of Helaman, “Where love is,” (Donde esta Amor) and “I feel my Savior’s amor” etc. They did sing one verse in English to everyone’s smiles!
Then as we listened to them give their parts, I thought it was the same in every ward. Parents craning their necks to get a better view of their darling son; with his hair slicked over, tie on crooked, but grinning ear to ear, or the precious little daughter with cute pigtails and ribbons, hair braided or down, or stuck up in a special-prepared ‘up do’ just for this BIG occasion! The children looked nervous as they would whisper and talk between themselves until a teacher within reach could tap them quietly to whisper the universal symbol of ‘Shhhhhhh” which they instinctively all know. However, it was also great to see the parents whispering and nervous too, “I hope little Juan doesn’t forget,” or “Maria, you’ll be great”—showing the thumbs up sign, or “Why is Silvana fiddling with her hair ribbon…Silvana, put your hands down, don’t touch your hair anymore!” It was a Primary sacrament meeting anywhere in the world.
However, what touched me most, as the meeting went on, was the simple doctrine that was being taught to all of us, by these innocent and knowledgeable young members of the church. These are some of the truths they taught so powerfully:
• Jesus wants us to love one another
• Jesus was baptized by immersion
• John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
• Jesus rec’d the Holy Ghost
• I can be forgiven of my errors if I really repent
• Our home can be a place to learn to love and forgive others.
• Heavenly father wants us to have eternal families
• Our family can be together forever if we are married and sealed in the temple
• Heavenly Father has a plan for me on this earth, to be happy
• We can help the Holy Ghost be in our home be showing love to others
• If we repent of our mistakes, the Holy Ghost will be with me to help me make right decisions.
• I want to have an eternal family when I get bigger like my Mami’ y Papi’
• We can all be baptized and have the gift of the holy ghost in our lives
When the program ended, I felt that we were truly nourished by the good word, that we had been fed by the spirit, and taught doctrine and truth. This was by simple testimonies from those who trust in their good parents, feel the Holy Ghost, and are not afraid to open their mouths and tell us about what they know. Great examples of wonderful missionaries, and I can picture them in 14, 12, or just 6 yrs, out serving full time missions sharing the same truths, and declaring bolding of the things they had been taught by goodly parents and shared bravely today. What a privilege to be in such a setting with these great young children and future leaders of tomorrow.
Read more!
Our ward in LaDesa is made up by about 45% single women, 20% of North American families who live in the area, work either for the church in various capacities, or mining, copper, or gold companies, or the husbands are mission presidents in the 3 missions here in Santiago, and the other 35% Chilean families, single men, or youth. With the mixture of children on the stand, it is easy to see what a melting pot our ward really is, including different cultures, countries, languages, and skin color. But they blend beautifully in this ward, thanks to the gospel and the Lord’s teachings of loving one another.
Today the theme was F-A-M-I-L-I-A-S, spelled out on individual darling big letters glued onto someone’s prized scrap booking papers, being held by the nervous and fidgety hands of the 8 chosen children to stand in front. Little “A” in the front of the line could never get his paper to stand up from holding it by the bottom, but as a young 5 yr old, he wasn’t too concerned either. After the Santa Cena, the theme was introduced by one of the adult Primary leaders, and then the program got underway, and it was the children stealing the show the rest of the time. They had beautiful primary songs, that we are familiar with; “I’m trying to be Like Jesus, (Estoy tratando de ser como Cristo) Love one another, (Ama a otros) Army of Helaman, “Where love is,” (Donde esta Amor) and “I feel my Savior’s amor” etc. They did sing one verse in English to everyone’s smiles!
Then as we listened to them give their parts, I thought it was the same in every ward. Parents craning their necks to get a better view of their darling son; with his hair slicked over, tie on crooked, but grinning ear to ear, or the precious little daughter with cute pigtails and ribbons, hair braided or down, or stuck up in a special-prepared ‘up do’ just for this BIG occasion! The children looked nervous as they would whisper and talk between themselves until a teacher within reach could tap them quietly to whisper the universal symbol of ‘Shhhhhhh” which they instinctively all know. However, it was also great to see the parents whispering and nervous too, “I hope little Juan doesn’t forget,” or “Maria, you’ll be great”—showing the thumbs up sign, or “Why is Silvana fiddling with her hair ribbon…Silvana, put your hands down, don’t touch your hair anymore!” It was a Primary sacrament meeting anywhere in the world.
However, what touched me most, as the meeting went on, was the simple doctrine that was being taught to all of us, by these innocent and knowledgeable young members of the church. These are some of the truths they taught so powerfully:
• Jesus wants us to love one another
• Jesus was baptized by immersion
• John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
• Jesus rec’d the Holy Ghost
• I can be forgiven of my errors if I really repent
• Our home can be a place to learn to love and forgive others.
• Heavenly father wants us to have eternal families
• Our family can be together forever if we are married and sealed in the temple
• Heavenly Father has a plan for me on this earth, to be happy
• We can help the Holy Ghost be in our home be showing love to others
• If we repent of our mistakes, the Holy Ghost will be with me to help me make right decisions.
• I want to have an eternal family when I get bigger like my Mami’ y Papi’
• We can all be baptized and have the gift of the holy ghost in our lives
When the program ended, I felt that we were truly nourished by the good word, that we had been fed by the spirit, and taught doctrine and truth. This was by simple testimonies from those who trust in their good parents, feel the Holy Ghost, and are not afraid to open their mouths and tell us about what they know. Great examples of wonderful missionaries, and I can picture them in 14, 12, or just 6 yrs, out serving full time missions sharing the same truths, and declaring bolding of the things they had been taught by goodly parents and shared bravely today. What a privilege to be in such a setting with these great young children and future leaders of tomorrow.
Read more!
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