April 20, 2015

Buenas tardes!
This week was awesome. Saturday Jake and Ashley got hitched and later that day Jake was baptized! He is a trooper and has a solid testimony of the Gospel. The hilarious part was the Batman themed Wedding in the church building...don't worry, we felt uncomfortable too. Haha They were happy though! Just a few months ago Jake considered himself the last person to join the church, but after spending time around his close member friends and feeling the spirit he started to recognize the truth of the Gospel. My favorite part of being a missionary is definitely seeing the gospel click in someone's mind and heart, and then watching it bring light into their lives as they live it. I don't know how else to put it! 

I've been reading through the Book of Mormon again looking for how people demonstrate Attributes of Christ. It's been one of my favorite times reading through and I have noticed several things I have never noticed before. One of my favorites so far has been Nephi. If you know who Nephi is, you know he was courageous and stalwart, and extremely obedient. Well of course that's what we learn growing up, every kid wants to be "large in stature" and chosen to be a "ruler" over their siblings like Nephi was. But honestly, it's pretty true that most people admire Nephi and want to be like him. But how did he get the way he was? Was he just born that way? I always just assumed so.
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers." (1 Nephi 2:16)

I love this. Even Nephi had to have his heart softened, but it all just began with a desire to know the truth of what his father had spoken. Nephi had to gain his own personal witness and testimony before he could courageously say "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded" in chapter 3. Because of his desire and effort to know the truth, the Lord said:

"Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart. And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper" (1 Nephi 19-20).

Personal application is that we can try our best to be as faithful as Nephi, but in end if we don't begin with a desire and effort to know the truth we can't do the right things for the right reasons. Sometimes coming to know something comes from living it. Whatever way we learn truth, I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and how it can teach us truth according to our needs. I know it was written for our day.

Have an awesome week everyone!

Elder Collin Christensen