Area Presidency lead the work in Chile

I had the great privilege recently of attending a mission president´s seminar in which we were instructed by our Area presidency. I testify that Elder Amado, Elder Corbridge, and Elder Zeballos are called of God to lead the work of the Lord here in Chile. They are inspired leaders who receive divine guidance and instruction to bless the lives of all who live in this blessed country. The seminar was a spiritual feast for all who attended. I personally felt uplifted and edified and left the seminar with a greater feeling of enthusiasm and urgency to improve my efforts in carrying out the work of the Lord.
----------------------------------
Elder Corbridge shared a wonderful message about the Book of Mormon as the key to conversion. He taught that theBook of Mormon responds to two key questions of the soul:

1. Does God know me? (Alma 5:38, 58)

2. Does God answer prayers? (Enos 1)

The Book of Mormon contains many accounts of individuals receiving personal revelation from God for both themselves and for their families. It provides convincing evidence that God does know His children and He does answer their prayers.

Elder Corbridge stated the following:
“The Book of Mormon teaches us that we are able to receive personal revelation not only in regards to the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon but also in any other aspect of our lives. The heavens are open, waiting for us to ask.”

He emphasized the importance of asking questions to our Heavenly Father and not simply asking for things. The prophet Joseph Smith gave us a perfect example of asking questions:

In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” (Joseph Smith—History 1:8, 10).

In regards to the great promise found in Moroni 10:3-5, Elder Corbridge emphasized that missionaries need to teach investigators that not only can they receive an answer that the Book of Mormon is true but also that God knows them and will answer their prayers.

Preach My Gospel teaches important principles of prayer:
Although prayer has a role in many religions and cultures, rarely is prayer considered to be a two-way communication between God and man. Help those you teach understand that they can speak the feelings of their hearts in prayer. Demonstrate this in the way you pray when beginning or ending a lesson. Use simple language that they can also use when they pray. Help them understand that our Heavenly Father will answer their prayers, typically through the feelings of their hearts and thoughts in their minds. If they are sincere and really want to know whether God is there, He will answer them. Invite the head of the household to offer a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson.

I testify that the Book of Mormon is true and it teaches us that God knows each of us and He does answer our prayers. We are doing the Lord´s work and we are here to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). As we ask Him in our prayers questions such as, where shall we go?, what shall we do?, and what shall we say? to find those that He has prepared, the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.(D&C 112:10)

We love you and thank you for your efforts in doing the Lord´s work,

Presidente Michael E. May


----------------- Read more!

Gaining a greater understanding of the Atonement

As we seek to gain a greater understanding of the Atonement through our personal study of the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel, let us not forget the importance of our own personal learning by faith. This we not only study and read about the Atonement but we must apply in our lives. We must be doers of the word and not just “readers” of the word. The following is a powerful recipe that comes from Preach My Gospel for becoming more like our Savior Jesus Christ:

“Even after we have accepted Christ and repented of our sins, we may fall short and sin again. We should continually try to correct these transgressions. In addition, we should continually improve—to develop Christlike qualities, to grow in knowledge, and to serve more effectively. As we learn more about what the Savior expects of us, we will want to show our love by obeying Him. Thus, as we repent daily, we will find that our lives will change and improve. Our hearts and our behavior will become more Christlike. We will come to feel great joy in repenting daily. Preach My Gospel pg 63

In other words, in order for us to be doers and have the Atonement take effect in our lives, we need to repent daily and often so that we humbly turn to the Lord to become what He wants us to become and not rely on our own merits. In Mosiah 4:5-6 we read:

5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—

6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—

In Alma 26:12:

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

May the Lord bless each of you that you may be instruments in His hands. It is my prayer that you may be worthy to exercise the power and authority of your calling to invite all to come unto Christ through faith in Him and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

We love you,

President May

Read more!

"WORK!" or "TRABAJAR!"

This is the message for the change that all of the missionaries
are memorizing in their own, first languaguage.
Found in PMG, under Christ-like attributes,
in Chpt 6, talking about Diligence:
WORK!
“I have often said one of the greatest
secrets of missionary work is work!
If a missionary works, he will get the
Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will
teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches
by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts
of the people and he will be happy.
There will be no homesickness, no
worrying about families, for all time
and talents and interests are
centered on the work of the ministry.
Work, work, work—there is no
satisfactory substitute, especially in
missionary work.”--PRESIDENT EZRA TAFT BENSON
THE TEACHINGS OF EZRA TAFT BENSON (1988), 200
PMG: pg 121


TRABAJAR!“Muchas veces he dicho que uno de
los mayores secretos del trabajo
misional ¡es el trabajo! Si el misionero
trabaja, obtendrá el Espíritu; si lo
obtiene, enseñará por el Espíritu; y si
enseña por el Espíritu, llegará al
corazón de las personas y él mismo
será feliz. No sentirá nostalgia por el
hogar ni se preocupará por la familia,
pues todo su tiempo, talento e
intereses estarán concentrados en la
obra del ministerio. Trabajo, trabajo,
trabajo; no existe ningún substituto
satisfactorio, especialmente en
la obra misional”.
Read more!

"I love Jesus Christ"

This week Sister May had the opportunity to speak to a women named Terrasita who is not a member of the Church. The women asked Sister May why she was here in Chile. Sister May told her that she was a missionary here with her husband to teach people about Jesus Christ, and that she work with 175 missionaries in this area. The woman got emotional and said, “I love Jesus Christ.” Then she went on to tell Sister May that she and another employee at her work talk about the Savior constantly as they are both believers. Then she told Sister May about being raised Catholic, and then being converted to Jesus when she was about 16. She and her husband have been married 28 years, and have one son. She said that her greatest love is Jesus Christ, and that He guides her daily in her work. She said most people don’t want to talk about Him, but she was so happy we believe in Him. Sister May gave her a pass along card that has a picture of the resurrected Savior on the front. She said, “Wow, that is the same Jesus Christ that I believe in too.”

Sister May told her that there is only one Jesus Christ who can save us, and He is God’s real son. Sister May shared with her some of the doctrine of the Godhead. This women also believes that the Savior has a body of flesh and bone. Sister May then asked if she would like our missionaries to come and teach her about the gospel, and she was so excited. She said she would like to go to our church, and Sister May told her there is one in her neighborhood. She wants the missionaries to also bring her a new bible, and that she would go to church with them and read.

The women then said, “Jesus is the most important person in my life. When I was about 16 I wanted to quit smoking, and I made a promise with Jesus, because I knew he could help me, that because I love him so much, I knew he could take it from me. Then I told Him, that every time I smoked it showed that I didn’t love Him enough. I know he helped me, and I never smoked again. He has helped me to change.” Sister May was so impressed by her simple faithfulness. This women is a disciple, and wants to follow Him. She is really in search of the truth but does not know where to find it. (D&C 123:12)

Like this good woman Terrasita, we can show our love for the Savior every time we choose to be obedient to His commandments and the mission rules, every time we choose not to do something that offends the Spirit, every time we decide to do something that the Savior would to do bless and serve others. This is really why we are all here as missionaries of Jesus Christ. We all need the Savior´s help to change our lives and become like Him. We can NOT do it without His help.

We love you and pray for your success,
President May

Read more!

Article about Isla Juan Fernandez, Espanol

From the Chile Church Website
lds.cl
-
Misioneros en Isla Juan Fernández

Fernando Ocampo B.
Comité Publicaciones Chile

El archipiélago Juan Fernández es un conjunto de islas ubicadas en el Pacífico Sur a más de 670 km del continente, siendo parte del territorio de Chile. Lo componen las islas Robinson Crusoe (antiguamente conocida como Más a Tierra), Alejandro Selkirk (Más Afuera), el islote Santa Clara e islotes menores.





La madrugada del 27 de febrero de 2010 las islas se vieron afectadas por un maremoto con olas de hasta 15 metros de altura provocadas por el terremoto de 8.8 grados Richter que sacudió a la zona centro sur del país.

Los misioneros de ese sector, los élderes Juan Pablo Marín de San José de Costa Rica y Jaden James Mitchell de Portland, Oregón, Estados Unidos, relatan lo vivido el sábado 27 de febrero del año en curso:

"Cuando despertamos supimos que algo andaba mal; salimos de la casa y nos dimos cuenta de que el mar estaba embravecido, los sonidos que se escuchaban no eran normales, sentíamos que era una emergencia o una catástrofe. Tomamos nuestras cosas apuradamente (los aceiteros, las escrituras, una linterna), oramos y salimos. Entendimos que lo mejor era tranquilizar a las personas, había un poco de incertidumbre. Nosotros estábamos tranquilos, había algo que nos ayudaba a seguir y preocuparnos de ayudar a la gente que había sobrevivido al desastre.

Fuimos a visitar a los miembros para dar bendiciones de consuelo a algunos y mensajes a otros. No supimos de miembros fallecidos pero sí de un nieto de ocho años de una familia que estaba investigando la Iglesia. Después de ayudar, en la noche nos comentaron que en la oficina de Aeronáutica uno podía enviar correos electrónicos; tuvimos que hacer fila y -por fin como a las 9:00 pm -enviamos un correo a nuestro presidente Michael May de la Misión Chile Santiago Norte. Posteriormente nos señaló que, cuando lo recibió, quedó muy aliviado y feliz porque estábamos bien y no éramos parte de la gente desaparecida o fallecida en la isla. Sabíamos que había mucha gente ayunando y orando por nosotros, debido a que después, en la noche, sentimos mucha paz."
Read more!