Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat!!! I think I understand people! Last week I talked about the gift of tounges working miraculously as the Lord speaks through me. That still happens alot. Usually I have no idea what to say, so just go for it and watch the Spirit take over. But there were quite a few times this week when they would say something back, and it actually made sense! While sitting in Sacrament Meeting, I almost jumped when I realized that the speaker wasn't mumbling gibberish for 15 minutes then sitting down. I was so excited, that I didn't even fall asleep in Gospel Principles or Preisthood Meeting! (I can't tell you how hard it is to stay awake in a hot, humid room for two hours when you have no idea what's going on.) I keep learning more about the gifts of the Spirit the more I seek them.
So let's talk about the obvious high of the week. The multi-mission conference with Elder Holland. It ended up being a meeting with the West and South missions as well, and also the Argentine CCM. Elder Christofferson wasn't in attendance, but instead Elder Suavez, one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy, Elder Gonzolez of the Seventy, and each of their wives. They all were incredible. The first five speakers kept telling us to take special heed to the words of Elder Holland. I've always had so much respect for the Apostles, and I don't think there was a single missionary that came that wasn't expecting to be inspired. But one of them told us that we had the opportunity to hear from one of the "fifteen living prophets on the world earth today." We know that the Apostles and the First Presidency are indeed set apart special witnesses of Christ, but I think that we sometimes forget that they are all prophets of God as well. Called to speak His word just as Thomas S. Monson is. They hold special authority and power to help guide us and continually recieve revelation to do so. Although Thomas S. Monson is the only prophet who holds all of the Priesthood keys for the Church, it was a good clarifier to all of us that we were indeed about to hear from a prophet of God.
And then we did. It was incredible, every minute of it. I wish I could just get his talk and send it to you. Every sentence was inspired. He expressed his love for us, and also conveyed the urgency of this work at the same time. One thing in specific that he said was comparing the work that we do to his. He said that the Greek definition of an apostle is "one sent by God, with a message", then assured us that atleast for the two years that we are set-apart, we are engaged in the same apostolic work that he is. Stressing that he wasn't calling us to be a part of the Quorum of the Twelve, he told us that "from the minute I get up in the morning, until the minute I go to bed, I try to figure out how to save a human soul." We're doing the same. He spent the next part of the talk speaking of the way we do this. He told that the only way that this is possible is by God's way, and by strict obedience to it. He also stressed the importance of true, deep, profound conversion in every member. They must understand and live all the principles of the Gospel, because "nothing short of it will bring them salvation."
Finally, he shared some thoughts on Doctrine and Covenants section 50. In there, the Lord is essencially telling us of our grand potential to recieve all that He has. Elder Holland told us that everyone on the Earth is living below our potential, because we all have need to repent. I think it was verse 35 that the Lord assures us that we are still loved and cherished by God. Because of the Atonement, we are still capable of achieving this glorious potential, that is still now infinately beyond our comprehension.
I don't know if my summary made any sense, but I want to add my simple testimony to that of Elder Holland's by saying that it is true. Every single person still has the opportunity to recieve this Celestial Inheritance. Some are more elect than others, and it's evident that not every one will accept it, but it's important to know that everyone of them is capable. Never let the thought that they will probably reject it, or that letting them know about it is the job of someone else, like a missionary, or someone with a higher calling keep you from trying. Every single member of Christ's Church is one of His disciples, and His call to bring His Gospel to all the world is directed at all of His diciples. As far as I'm concerned, my official ministerial calling is only a formality. The setting apart as a member missionary occurs for everyone under the laying on of hands during their confirmation as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.
His Gospel is transcendant above anything else that we can obtain. It's our responsibility to declare it to every soul for one last dispensation. This is it. We're preparing the world for when He reigns upon it in all of His glory. Not just the missionaries. All of us.
God bless us in our efforts.
Hasta la próxima semana,
-Élder Goff
------Pictures-----
First one, some weird Aaladin's palace rip off that I'm sure is violating all kinds of copy right laws, but is still kinda cool.
The second: Elder Hicks from Arizona and Elder Parichaua from Peru. They're re-capos. I'm not kidding, I love these two.
Then all of the Elders on the bus to see Elder Holland.
No comments:
Post a Comment