Hi Everyone!
So, as I am serving in Mexico, you could say I'm
"serving among the Lamanites" as I am in Mexico, but more than
anything, this scripture applies more than just to Thomas Marsh, it applies to
every single member of the church becasue it is a reponsibility tha we all have
to share the Gospel with your friends, families, and neighbors. So, as I write
this or whoever reads this to you all I want you to think about how this also
applies to you nad how you can fulfill these blessings.
I'm going to take this part by part starting at the
beginning of sectin 31.
The first few verses talk about how Thomas Marsh´s little
ones will be blessed and know the truth. When I came on my mission, I had a
testimony, I knew what I was teachign to be true, but I wasn't sure how I was
going to be able to relate to the people here in Mexico and the perople I was
teaching seeign that I grew up in the church wit an amazing family. I thought
that I wouldn't have the fire or the conviction or the understand to help
others also realizes that they too can come unto Christ. I also discovered how
untrue this is. Faith does not come from doing wrogn and then repenting, we
don't need to have walked the lonesome paths of darkness to have faith. Faith
come from obedience to the principles of God and keeping the baptismal
covenants yo uhave made. It is a blessing and a gift from God, and Jesus Christ
is the perfect example of understanding and faith and He never did anythgin
wrong but he understood and had perfect faith in the Lord. It is the same with
you all and I have seen this so much in my mission as I have leraned to love
and serve these people that I can teach with the powr and conviction necesary
because its comes thrgh the Spirit.
Which brigns us to the next verse or two. I'll share a story
with you all for this one. We went to visit a man named Servando. We had been
techign him for about 5 weeks and he hadn't coem to church once despite
understanding much of the doctrine we were teaching. We went to an apointment
one day with him and we had decied in the morning that if he did not commit to
come to church, we could not keep visiting him, becasue the tiem of the Lordis
quite precious. We started the lesson and right off the bat, he told us he
wuldn't be able to come to churhc that week either and my heart just hurt and
as my companion began to speak and to start the lesson, I began to pray in my
heart very fervently to the Lord, sayign somethign along the lines of
"Lord, it hurts me to lose this soul. He is precious to Thee and I CANNOT
lose him. Please, please, please let me be guided by Thy Spirit, let me be
humble enough to speak the words Thou would have me speak and not mine own that
He can understand adn comprehdn this doctrine and have the desire to come unto
Thee." We had planned that day to teach him about the doctrine of Christ
(faith repentacne, baptism, gift og the holy ghost, and endurign to the end),
with the focus on baptism and remind him that he wants to be baptized and for
that he needs to coem to church. The Lord had other plans, as we bagn to speak
and listen to the SPirit, we instead focused on Faith, faith in Jesus Christ
and how it is an action and I felt the Lord put His wordds in my mouth. I know
they weren't mine and I know He was doign the same with my companion becase,
during apause in the lesson, he appeared to be thinking rather hard, and
finally looked up and said, "so, in order to have fatih, I need to act?
Well, I'll see you at church then." and he came and he loved it nad he has
kept coming ever since. He was able to entre the waters of baptsim about to
weeks ago. But it is all because The Lord opened our mouths and let us speak
with the power of His Spirit. As a misionary, you can do nothign and you will
accomplish nothgin lasting, unless you are speakign and acting with the spirit.
Also, I can't testify enough ho much joy and hopr the Gospel brings to the lives
of people, I have seen thsi literally every single day of the tne months I have
been here. Every. Single. Day. and I know there is nothing that can brign more
joy than declaring the word of GOd, liftign you voice to join the tetimony of
thousands, and thousadns more from the dust of the earth to say "I KNOW
that my Redeemer lives. He loves me. He loves you. Adn he has a plan for
you."
And because I don't want this to be too long, I'll focus on
just one more verse - the famous line in Doctrine and Covenents "the field
is white (nd ready to harvest)" but this sectoin has a rally interstign
promise atached to it, if we look at verse 5, it says
Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul,
and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your
back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire.
ONe of the blessings we recieve is that we are forgiven of
our sins and I would very easily go so far to say that we are also strengthened
in our weaknesses, even to the forgettign that we had them. I know I have
comitted error after error in my life nad that I have weakness after weakness.
To quite Nephi, "as to the flesh, Iam weak" but I also can tell yo
uthat I have changed and been perfected so much here. I still have a long way
to go, but I also have trouble remebering who I was when I got here and that's
been really interestign to realize because I know that whoever I was, I don't
want to go back to beign her. I like how the Lord has humbled me and molded me
here in the mission feild. I believe it was Jeffrey R Holland who gave a talk
on this, but this apostle said once that when we will be judged of the Lord and
how we will say, I do not have any sins will be more like aying, Father, I did
this, I committed this error, but I'm not that person anymore, I'm someone
else.
Strive to be worthy that when or if the day comes, you will
be prepared to share yu testimony adn be a missionary. The day will come soon
and it it will come in small ways - sharign with a classmate, conforting
a friedn who is havign a difficult time, and maybe one day serving a full tiem
mission with a black plastic square on your clothes that means you are a
representative of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Livign GOd, nad that you have a
message to share with everyone you possibly can. Prepare yourselves, share the
gospel, pay attention in seminary, and the Lord will blss you.
May God be with you.
All my love,
Hermana Rawlings
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