The Gospel's Awesome!

Hello, everyone!

   So what´s everybody up to right now?  Savannah, congrats on going to dental assisting school, 

that´s awesome!  You´re so dang smart!

   This week was pretty crazy because we were tying up all of the loose ends for the transfers, and we had the Mission Leadership meeting.  That took up almost all of our time so it was really tough to visit our investigators, but we did our best.

   Neither M. or W. got baptized this week.  M. was called to work on Sundays, so we´re praying for a miracle so that God will somehow provide a way for her to come to church on Sundays.  This could be softening the heart of her boss, or providing her with a job that doesn´t require her to work on Sundays.  I´m not sure how he´ll do it, but I know that God always provides a way for us to keep his commandments. 

 We had a very interesting experience with another investigator this week.  He simply disappeared during the week, and try as we might to call him and visit his house we weren´t able to get in touch with him.  Then, he showed up at church on Sunday.  After the gospel principles class, We taught him about the atonement, and how Jesus Christ has put himself in between each of us and justice, and through him we can have the force that we need to truly repent of our sins and that we can be forgiven.  

   This was a real eye opener for me.  As my companion and I talked that night about how our visit with him had gone, I realized that before my mission I would have been lost in that situation.  But now, it was like arithmatic.  I didn´t even have to think about what to say, which scriptures to use and what doctrines to teach in order to help this investigator see how much hope there really is!  I just followed the spirit as he showed me how to use the knowledge that I´ve acquired up til now.

   The gospel really is beautifully simple, and I´ve gained a slightly better appreciation for Christ´s role in our salvation.  He made it possible for the gospel to work.  Without his atonement repentance would not be possible, it would never change our nature.  Without his atonement, baptism would just be one person giving another a bath, but wouldn´t wash us of our sins.  Without his atonement, all of the faith in the world be be of no use; rather it would be a vain hope in a power that doesn´t exist.  But that power does exist.  I have seen it in my life and in the lives of so many others.  This is why Christ chose to establish a church in ancient days and in our day, to help the children of his father access and apply his atonement.  Ours is not a religion based on one of the many interpretations of the bible, nor on the pursuit of wealth or power.  Ours is a religion based upon the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the cleansing and enabling power that comes thereby.  This is a gospel of becoming, and through the power of Christ and only through that power can we fulfill his commandment to be perfect.  

   The mission is an exercise of learning to apply the atonement in our lives, and I´m loving it!  It´s so

hard at times, but from time to time the fog clears and we gain sight of the vista, of where we have come to.  I wish that I had a sufficient grasp of the english language to convey with all of the power that I feel the importance of serving a mission and the importance of the lessons that we learn during the mission!  It´s 2 years of one-on-one tutoring with the Lord, the creator of the Universe!  It is so important, so take advantage of it.  Don´t let this opportunity pass by, but do everything that you need to now to serve a mission and learn the lessons that God needs us to learn.

   I love you all, have a wonderful week and I look forward to reading your emails next P-day!

Elder S.