Firm in the Faith

This week was a week of new beginnings and renewals. New transfer, new goals, and a renewed desire to be better and serve with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.

This week in particular, I have been reminded time and time again of the truth of the song Firm in the Faith. "Firm in the faith that our paretns have charished, true to the truth for which martyrs have perished.. faithful and true we will ever stand." 

I have been learning a lot this past week about how great my heritage is. I have been blessed with a family that is predominantly members of the church,and I have been blessed to have ancestors that were among the first members fo the church after it was restored to this Earth, who joined the church in those first early years and then trekked to join the other Saints and were among the Pioneers. Others of my ancestors have been pioneers in their own family and their stories are equally as marvellous, but I am ashamed to admit that I did not appreciate this blessing until now. I've had a lot of people ask me in the few months I've been in Mexico if I believe just because my parents believe or if its a traditional thing like some people here will says their Catholic or Baptist or Jehovah's witnesses becasue that is the religion they grew up in and that's the religion of their family. (Some, not all). And there have been times when I wished I could say "actually I didn't know about this gospel until this point in my life and then I was converted and baptized." 

But, this week the Lord has been teaching wehat a great blessing it really is to have this lineage, and this suport frommy family, that I was taught these true principles of the gospel from a very young age and at a young age knew that they were true. That doesn't mean that I didn't have to ask these questions and ask if the Book of Mormon was true, if Joseph Smith actually was a prophet, if we have a prophet today, and all of the things we expect our investigadors to pray about. But, it does mean that this song has become one of my favorites, because I am so incredibly grateful that I have had the opportunity to grow in a home with goodly parents, who taught me to love to the Lord and to put Him first and how the rest then falls into place. I knew, and I still know who I can look to for a remission of my sins and who I can look to for relief and I have had the opportunity to accumulate this Gospel knowledge from a young age. I am incredibly grateful for those who were the pioneers in my fmaily, who ahd the courage to be the first to seek the truth and then act when they found it, who were humble enough to listen to the voice of the Lord calling them home, and especfially for those who died, and more importantly, lived for thsi gospel. 

We we teaching about Joseph Smith to one of our investigadors this week and as I was testifying of the truthfulness of this gospel, I told her more or less this- that Joseph Smith signed his testimony with his blood and that he died for this gospel because he could not deny what he knew to be true, and some of my ancestors have died for this gospel, and that if it necessary I am ready to die for this gospel, but more than that I am ready to live for this Gospel, to work every single day to better the kingdom, to cease to be idle, to lift where I stand, and to stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places, and to do whatever it is that shall be required of me by Him,"

I love you all, and you're in my prayers always.

Con mi amor eterno,

Hermana Rawlings