Hey everyone!!! I must say this
is a record for me this year. I don't think I have written twice in two weeks
in a VERY LONG TIME!!! I might give you every excuse in the world, but nothing
will work, so I won't even try. Let's just say that I got a little chastening
from Jesus Christ as I was reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Verse
14 He says: "Let your light so shine before men that they may glorify your
father who is in heaven." I thought back on some of the past emails I sent
earlier in my mission and remembered how spiritually uplifting they were. I'm
sorry that I got too "busy" to let my light shine, but I promise that
every week for the next 14 weeks I will write something good to put up on the
blog and go out to friends and family. :P
First things first about how my
life is going, then something to share with you...We are now in a new transfer
and I have been assigned a new missionary to train during his first transfer in
the mission field. As I hope you can see by the picture he is TALL!!!
I have not doctored that picture in any way. He measures in at 6' 6'' and
compared to my puny 5' 7 1/2'' we make quite a pair. Haha ;P He is awesome
though and I wouldn't trade him for the world. We've had a great time talking
about home, and also how to adapt to the rigor of mission life!!! We had an
incredible Sunday yesterday with 15 investigators at church, now to just help
them KEEP COMING so that they can prepare themselves for baptism!!!!
Okay...on to the spiritual moment of the week. 1 of 14 to come...;D
I've been reading in the book
of Alma and came to a really inspirational story of an incredible man. Chapter
48 speaks of a man named Moroni and says this:
"If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni,
behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil
would never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (vs.
17)
The first thing that popped
into my mind when I read that verse was "What makes Moroni such a great
guy?" I decided to read all the verses that spoke of Moroni and find the
different qualities he had which made him so highly spoken of. The following
verses will be taken from Alma chapter 48.
1. He was Strong and Mighty (vs. 11):
Moroni was physically and
emotionally healthy and powerful. If we want to have more power over ourselves
and Satan, we must also become stronger physically and emotionally. To help us
achieve this, our Heavenly Father has given us commandments. In the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have a health code called the Word of
Wisdom. It counsels us to abstain from taking: Alcohol, Tobacco, Coffee, Tea,
and other harmful or addictive substances. (Doctrine and Covenants Section 89)
We are promised by God that if we follow this counsel we will have "Health
in our navel, and marrow in our bones" We are also promised the ability to
"Run and not be weary, walk and not faint." As we as members of the
Church of Jesus Christ and even human beings all around the world follow and
obey these words, we will be able to become as Moroni was, Strong and Mighty!!!
2. He was a man of Perfect Understanding (vs. 11)
I imagine that Moroni was a man
who had a love to learn. In today's society we see that a majority of young
people feel like school is a task to be "finished" someday. If we
want to increase in our understanding of all things, we must develop in
ourselves a "LOVE TO LEARN!!!" This will create in us a desire to
continue to learn throughout our lives even after the days of formal education
have closed. Spiritual learning is just as important as temporal education. For
those who have it available, we should attend the church's Seminary and
Institute programs, as we do that we prepare ourselves for mission and life. If
we do these things, we will develop as Moroni did, a perfect understanding of
the purpose of life and what we can do to make our lives a success.
3. He did not delight in bloodshed (vs. 11)
We live in a world where wars
and rumors of war abound every way we look. The violence of words and action
are reported in the news and we even get updates on our nearest mobile device.
Moroni, though a hardened general for his nation's military DID NOT delight in
bloodshed. He looked upon the responsibility to fight and protect not as
entertainment but something which unfortunately needed to be done. In the world
today however, we have glamorized war and violence to the point that even
children of age 10 and younger feel nothing to see human beings fighting and
killing each other. We have contributed to this by the movies and video games
we have created. In a handbook of standards given to the youth we read:
"Satan uses media to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look
normal, humorous, or exciting. He tries to mislead you into thinking that
breaking God's commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for
you or others. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar,
immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything
that presents immorality or violence as acceptable." (Strength of Youth,
11 [2011]) If we want to become more like Moroni and have more power against
the temptations of Satan, we would do well to remove the overly violent media
whether movies, books or video games, from our homes. There is no reason to
bring violence into the home, inviting ourselves and our children to partake in
such spiritually destructive material. As we remove these negative influences
from our lives, we will have a greater capacity to recognize the Spirit and we
will have a greater love for our families, friends and neighbors.
4. He did Joy in Liberty and Freedom (vs. 11)
Each of us is born with certain
unalienable (God-Given) rights. Such rights as cited in the Untied States
Declaration of Independence are, but not limited to: "Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness." Moroni was dedicated to maintaining these
freedoms and liberties for his people. As we become more devoted to our civic
duties and take the time to research the various candidates and issues voted
upon each elections we will be better able to preserve the freedoms which by
right should be ours. One way we limit our freedom is by supporting ideas,
groups and leaders who desire to remove these rights from our lives. We can't
do this, when we do we will lose everything we know is good. Another way we can
promote freedom and liberty is by sustaining the law and obeying it. Laws as
small as a highway speed limits are important. Let us obey the law, sustain our
leaders and promote freedom more in our lives!!!
I think that will have to be
all for now, I wasn't planning on writing a novel, maybe we'll have to make a
part two to come out next week with the last 3 items...haha I just want you to
know that the scriptures are full of powerful role models for us to FOLLOW!!!
As we do, our lives will be improved and we will be blessed.
Love you guys ALL OF YOU!!!!
Have a great week!!!!
-Elder Winters
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Crushing G-Nuts to make Peanut Butter |
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Me and my new Comp |
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Roast pork, and fried casava |
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Service Project- Harvesting Casava: See it on the end. |
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Signata Water Pumping |