Words of Living Prophets

Hola Todos,

 

The highlight of this week was Wednesday, when Elder Anderson of the 12 and Elder Callister of the presidency of the seventy, came to our mission.

 

It was a joint conference with the Dallas mission, so there were 560 missionaries present.  We filled the whole chapel, all the way to the back of the overflow and the stage at the Colleyville Stake Center.  It was wonderful to see so many missionaries and it was great to shake the hands of Elders Anderson and Callister.  Here are my notes from the conference:

 

Elder Callister

Jeremiah 20:9

God's gift for this generation is the power of the 1st vision, but if you don't also teach the aposty, the people won't understand the significance of it for them.

 

The apostles kept the doctrine pure, it started to change, so they would send an epistle or go back and reteach it.

 

Like a beautiful garden with 12 gardeners.  When all the gardeners were dead, the weeds overtook the garden.  Heresy overtook the doctrine of Christ.

 

Asking, "Ok, so when exactly did the apostasy occur?"  Is like asking a grandpa, "Ok, when exactly did your hair turn grey?" I don't know, but it got there.

 

God had a master plan to restore the gospel as soon as he safely could, so that it would nevre again be taken from the world. It is like an airplane, the soonist that you can get it to the ground is to go into a nose dive.  But if you want everyone to live through it, you are going to have to be a little bit slower.

-Moveable type

-Reformers

-Columbus

-Colonists & the constitution

 

Before his matyrdom, Joseph Smith did all that he was called to do as the prophet of the restoration.

-Book of Mormon

-Priesthood

-Missionary Work

-Ordinances

 

Elder Anderson

There is no corruption in the leadership of the church.

 

You have to be patient with yourself, you can't always know all the answers.

 

Never compare yourself to someone else.  Just work on yourself and on helping others.  Time takes care of itself.

 

Be great missionaries, but become great disciples of Christ.

 

Don't just be effective as a missionary, but prepare for the rest of your life.

 

On our mission we learn how to share the gospel, but more importantly, we should learn how to plant our souls in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

1- Firm testimony of Christ

• understand that He is the Son of God
• understand that He lives
• understand that He was resurrected
• all humanity is surrounded by His work

2- Understanding and unshakeable belief in the Book of Mormon

• Learn the importance of the Book of Mormon
• testifies of Jesus Christ
• The Book of Mormon is a "unique and singular testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Be patient.  The Lord's work in happening. It grows.

 

"Never, never judge the effect of your mission based solely on who you baptize."  This is important, but this shouldn't be the measure of your success.

 

Don't ever underestimate the power of your testimony.

 

If you don't know what to speak about, speak about Christ.  If you've spoken about Christ, then tell them about Joseph Smith and the Restoration.

 

Do it with a smile, and don't offend anyone. 

 

Thank all the good Christian people here for their testimony.  Be kind and gentle.  Speak of Christ and the restoration.  Give them a copy of the Book of Mormon.

 

A Missionary and the Atonement

"If you can spiritually learn these principles put them in your heart and review them on a constant basis, then you will be in the celestial kingdom."

PMG, page 2 "as your understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase."

 

How do you grow in your understanding of the atonement?

-repentance

Why does that help you grow?

The biggest way we learn about the atonement is to experience it.

Is there anyone here who has not had a need to repent?

As we plead to have our sins forgiven, we feel the peace.  The guilt gets swept away.

A lot of times, it is not just one act, one experience.  You keep moving and keep acting.  As you look back you can see the growth.

Just go to work and focus on others.

 

You have to move beyond yourself or you will never understand the atonement.  Cuz its about what everyone else.  It is about what Christ did.

Alma 5:13

2 Corintians 4:18

You are the deliverers of the Unseen.  You see the Unseen.  You talk about the Unseen.  The Atonement is Unseen.  You can see the manifestations of it. 

Everything speaks of Christ and his wonderful gifts.

Mosiah 3:5, 7-11, 13, 17

Be familiar with the new testament, especially here.

 

Memorize scriptures in the Book o Mormon and the New Testament

 

Pick out the great sermons of Christ.  Make them part of your soul and carry them in your heart for the rest of your life.

 

2 Nephi 2:6-8

Merits, mercy, grace

Don't you ever sell yourself short.

You cannot compare yourself with other people; that's not the way it works.

You set your course, and keep going.  And there will come a time when you will say, 'I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and I can do all things.'

The merits are give to us because of what Christ did.

He creat worlds without number.  He was the greatest of them all.

He lived a perfect life.  He was tempted but he did not yield.

Only a person with a divine soul could take the atonement without giving up his mortal life.

We don't know how he did it, but he did it.

 

(The atonement isn't a one-time event in our lives.  It is a process. -- Sister Anderson)

There will be times in your life when the atonement will come to play in a very real way.

There is a power in being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

John 11: 25-26

The atonement overcomes the world.   It gives us absolute certain vision of what is real and what is make-belief.

D&C 58:42

We teach faith and try to move people quickly into baptism that sometimes we move past repentance.

If you feel someone has not repented, then wait.

"If a person hasn't suffered, he hasn't repented." -- Pres. Kimball

Learn about the atonement.  Put it in practice.  Teach it.  Be honest with yourself.  Move yourself inch by inch to another level.  Don't worry if there is someone far ahead of you.  We all move at different rates.

Ether 12:27

Enos 1:5-6

Alma 27:32, 28:3

At the end of the conference, Elder Anderson bore an apostolic testimony of Jesus Christ.  It was very similiar to other testimonies from the apostles that I have heard before, like in General Conference. 

 

But it really struck me, and I thought:

It's true.  It's true.  I know it's true.  Listening to Elder Anderson testify as a special witness of Christ, I felt the Spirit strongly testify to me.  I felt waves of love, and this is true.  Jesus is the Christ.  Joseph Smith was his prophet and the Church that I represent is God's Kingdom on the earth today.  I know it!

Hurrah for Israel!

Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez

 

P. S.

 

It is transfers week, and I am ...

 

staying in Fort Worth!!!

 

Yippee!  I am so excited.