Week 4!!! I'm slowly approaching the halfway mark of my 9 week stay at the MTC. The atmosphere here is definitely different. My companion is awesome, but has asked that I don't use his name online. There has been a lot going on. Over the last week, we've had one person leave to San Jose, California, Another person came and left for Cambodia and now we're sending off another roommate tomorrow to Fresno, CA, Hmong speaking. I don't speak or understand Hmong, but I'm pretty sure it's harder than Vietnamese. As all of the people I've become familiar with are leaving, I have a feeling these next two weeks are going to be stressful as I prepare to engage with new people.
The devotionals are still one of my favorite things here at the MTC. This last Sunday, an Acapella group from BYU came and performed They are called "Vocal Point" if you've never heard them or heard of them, look them up, stream it off the internet, and if you want, see if they have an album. As much as I enjoy hearing from Leaders of the Church, this devotional really touched my heart. All of the vocalists were returned missionaries and several of them bore their testimonies. The sincerity is hard to match. For those who didn't have the opportunity to bear their testimonies in word, definitely did so in song. The most exciting piece, was an arrangement of "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and a Zulu spiritual "Noyana" (I think that's what it was called anyway). It was fun, upbeat, and testified of coming closer to the savior. The most touching was an arrangement of "I Need Thee Every Hour." The main vocalist was so sincere in his words and tone, I felt his testimony pierce my heart. I cried. I felt it through my whole body. At that moment, and since I have a stronger conviction that the Savior loves us, and we need him. We need his grace and mercy to heal our hearts; To calm the seas in the tempest; to bring peace to an otherwise hectic and unbearable world. I'm so grateful for His redeeming love; for his sacrifice for sin.
While I know we are not all perfect, I do know that we are all capable of following the example of Jesus Christ. As we go throughout our day, show compassion to those around you. Turn outward when we are in distress, and show genuine love and concern for those who may be experiencing hard times as well. Through selfless acts, we become more like the Savior.
I am a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have been commissioned of Christ to go forth unto the world and proclaim that He lives! He Lives! He Lives! He Lives! He died for all of our sins, he felt our anguish and our pain, he provided a way by which we can be clean through his own blood, and all we need to do is accept his invitation of "come follow me."
There is a friend of mine I wish to address directly,
Nidia,
Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, he died for our sins and cleansed us from the evils of the world. He provided the great atoning sacrifice so that we can be clean. Even though you have created a division in your heart, by dilligently studying the words of Christ and the words of prophets, called by God, as included in the Bible, The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Convenants, and yes, even the Pearl of Great Price, your heart can be healed. God restored his true church on the Earth today through a young man who in 1820 prayed to our Heavenly Father to know which church was right. Facing great religious persecution, he followed the commission given of him by God, to restore the truth once again to the world. Through him, our Heavenly Father restored his authority to direct the affairs of Christ's Church, he reinstituted the the authority for Baptism, a covenant that we take upon ourselves to become a follower of Christ. He instituted once more, Eternal Marriage. I know this to be true, I not only have a testimony of it, I KNOW IT!Mormonism is not about performing duties, it is about changing your heart to be aligned with Christ. Turning yourself toward God and acting selflessy in the service of others. About enduring to the end through trials of our faith. While works do not provide salvation, they are a commandment of Christ. If we truly want to be a follower of Christ, we must excercise our faith. We must be always abounding in good works, we need to keep ourselves clean from the sins of the world and strive to be like Jesus, unspotted before our Heavenly Father. But we will not always be perfect. We will sin, we will defile our bodies and withdraw ourselves from the consant companionship of the Holy Spirit that we recieved through Baptism and Confirmation by those in Authority. We are not perfect, nor can we achieve perfection in this life, but we can repent. We can become clean again and draw closer, once again, to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We can forsake our sins, and become clean again. I implore you now, and anyone else who is reading this, to study the scripture, to align yourself with Christ, to forget yourself and serve others. While all of these things are good, the most important thing after you have done all of these things is to ENDURE TO THE END! Everything I have written is directly supported through holy scripture, I'm not a scriptorian, nor do I wish to direct your studies. What I invite you to do is to read the scriptures with a prayer in your heart, and a question in your mind. As you have a sincere desire to learn, the spirit will direct your studies to confirm to you the truth of what you have read and will write on your heart the impressions and knowledge of His everlasting gospel.At this time, I would like to speak a little bit of the Holy Spirit, the second comforter promised by our Savior. Everyone is entitled to recieving a witness through the Holy Ghost, and when they ask sincerely it will touch their hearts. But the constant, enduring, unending companionship of the Holy Ghost comes only through the figurative baptism by fire -- through the laying on of hands by those who hold and honor the authority and power of God -- and through enduring to the end and following Christ in all ways, at all times, and in all places. This is a promise of our Heavenly Father.
I hope all is well. Please feel free to write me with any comments or just tell me how you're doing. I love you all, I miss you, and I wish the best for you.
An Uncommon Elder
Elder Timothy Scott Ryan
4/9/2013