I Have Come to Love my Plack

So picture this.  We were walking home from teaching somebody to go eat lunch like we always do.  I have Dr. Scholl´s things in my shoes that my parents sent me.  We were just walking along, and all of the sudden I feel my Dr. Scholl´s pads fall out of my shoe - from the bottom.  How does that happen?  The shoe pads that are UNDER my feet fall out the BOTTOM of my shoe while I´m walking on them.  I look at my shoe and it had completely split in half along the bottom and my Dr. Scholl´s just fell right out.  That´s Paraguayan shoes for ya!  Needless to say, I bought new shoes on Saturday lol.

So this week, we´re having a baptism!  It´s scheduled for Saturday, and it´s a single mother and her daughter.  Her name is Mari Miranda and her 11 year old daughter is Evely.  They´re fantastic.  Yesterday they came to church by themselves without anyone having to go get them beforehand, they stayed the whole time, and they´re exited for their baptisms!  I´ll let you know how it goes in the next email!  Way excited.

I have come to love my plack.  It´s dirty and scratched, but it is such a strong symbol to me.  It has my name on it.  Elder Moore it says.  I share the title of Elder with every one of the 12 Apostles.  That is a serious thing.  But my name is not the only name on my plack.  I also bear the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am His
personal representative here in Paraguay.  What I say, what I do, what I teach is exactly what He would do were He here in person.  Sounds a little arrogant?  It´s not.  I was called by Him to do so, and I had hands laid on my head to set me apart and give me the authority to do so.  I know my calling and the power it holds, and instead of making me proud, it humbles me.  I must be ALWAYS mindful of everything I think, say, and do.  It is something incredible that I am so privileged to do.  My plack represents the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth.  It represents the hope for a life after this one, a life of eternal happiness with our families and with God.  My plack is a symbol of truth for me, and I love it.

Sorry I don´t have much time again (my emails get shorter and shorter, I know!).  I´d just like to share a few scriptures.

"...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged...And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother´s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thien eye - and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye;  and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother´s eye."  - 3 Nephi 14:1,3-5

"And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor´s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brough himself under condemnation."  - Mosiah 26:31

"For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you;  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  - 3 Nephi 13:14-15

"I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."  - Doctrine and Covenants 64:10

Let he that is without sin cast the first stone.  Love and miss you all.  Until next week!
-Elder Moore