Tuesday, January 26, 2016

January 20, 2016 - Kamputhaw, Cebu

Yes, I have been doing a lot of thinking, the dangerous pastime it is. And I feel the best thing for me to share now is my testimony. Usually the departing missionaries have the opportunity to bear testimony in front of a zone conference, where a lot of missionaries will hear them. I did not, and I'll take this opportunity instead.  

I know my Father lives. He is God. We are His children, and he loves us. I know he has a plan for me, and that a lot of that plan has come to pass in the last two years. His plan is focused on His Son, Jesus Christ, and as I've tried to focus myself on the Savior, I have seen the plan of God move forward. I have seen miracles happen. I know the Holy Spirit can stay with us if we invite him to be with us through prayer and action. If we do that, we will be able to focus on the Savior, and we will have the power of God in our lives.

I know our life is a time of action. God's got a great plan of progression, and we're best off doing something to progress ourselves. I can either spend my time doing nothing or something, and I've already spent enough time doing nothing. The Gospel of Jesus Christ tells me what is the best thing for me to do, so that I don't waste time doing nothing. 

I know that we have the priesthood of God today. Because of that, we can receive revelation from God. God will teach his prophets and apostles His plan, and we can follow the commandments we receive. I know that we can be given the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the priesthood, and by the power of the Holy Ghost God can teach us His plan. So if I am confused or nervous or unsure of what to do in my life, I can counsel with the Lord, and He can guide me. 

I know that God's end goal for me is that I enter His kingdom after this life healthy wealthy and wise. However, our status while we're living on earth is that everything is kind of piling up against us, trying to bring us further from our Father. Because of that, He sent His Son here on the earth. Jesus Christ was born on the earth, lived a life just like us, with all the same trials as we have, and descended below all the trials we face, even that he died. But Jesus was given the ability to rise above all these trials. He was given the power to rise from the dead, to rise from temptations and sorrows and everything he faced, and he entered our Father's presence perfect. He performed his Atonement, in which he shed his blood for us. He didn't just enter the Father's kingdom for his own sake. We can follow him if we follow the path that he gave us. This path is to gain faith in Christ, to repent of our sins and improve our weaknesses, to be baptised as a promise that we will follow Christ, and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will guide us always, to partake of the sacrament, in which we partake of his Atonement, and to receive the ordinances of the Temple, where we become prepared to enter the kingdom of God. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know the Gospel has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and it is the reason I know all of these things. If we read and learn from it, and ask of God if it is true, He will answer us by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

So what this all means to me is that I have an idea now about what to do in my life. I'm not just drifting along going to school and working just because my parents told me to, or just to fill in my time. I have a purpose, and that purpose is to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Whatever I do in my life, if I always have the Savior as my focus, I know that I will go right. So what I will do now is make goals for things I want to accomplish. I will make my dreams come true, because I know that whatever I want to do, I can do it. Whatever my Father wants me to do, I want to do it, because I know it's for the best. I will seek counsel from my Father in Heaven and strive to do what I feel is right.

I am thankful for my parents. I am thankful for you, Mom and Dad. I feel like I've learned a lot about you on my mission, and I'm glad I have the both of you. I think of you as being successful. I want to seek your counsel and help as well, because I know that you can help me in the life ahead of me. 

I am thankful for my Sister. Mom always said that we need to love and appreciate each other, because we're the only ones we've got. I love and appreciate you, and I will always look up to my older little sister. I'm excited to be with you and talk to you. I will not say the same about the rats. That's a joke. But I'm most excited to see you again, Rachel. 

I'm grateful to my grandmothers, and for their incredible examples of faith to me. I'm grateful for all the family that is mine. I'm grateful for the members of Granada Ward, especially my old Young Men leaders. I'm grateful for other members who have done so much to get me to be where I am. 

I am very grateful for my friends, both from High School and College. They are some of my best examples to me of Christ-like living.

And I'm grateful for the mission. I will never forget the people who have served me. They will be so near to my heart.

I love you. I hope this letter finds you well. I hope I don't come off as arrogant. I hope that I'm not arrogant. But I know that all of this is true, and I want to leave it with you. I love you, and I love this mission. I'll see at you at LAX.

Elder Dunford

No comments:

Post a Comment