Sorry for the day delay, we had Zone Conference yesterday and P-day was changed to today. But here I am again, you lucky people! Next week I´ll send pictures.
Things are getting much better in Guarambaré. After 2 months of hard labor, things are looking up. I speak in terms of the branch here, not necessarily investigators. The branch is finally getting it´s act together. Our branch president is working with us finally and getting things in gear, getting his branch organized and shaped up. We have worked extra hard with the members here these past few weeks to build them up and get them some enthusiasm, and we´re seeing the benefits. It feels good to know you´ve had some effect on somebody, and you´re not doing things meaninglessly.
President Lopez (branch president) actually gave us a mini calling in the branch. We can´t have callings because our callings are being full-time missionaries, but it´s an assignment. He called us into his office on Sunday and said that he and his counselors have been praying and they think that we are the right people for the job. We get to teach temple preparation classes. I´m way excited! It´s every Tuesday for anybody who is preparing to enter the temple for the first time. He called and asked President Callan for permission, and got the green light. We start today at 5, so I´m excited for that :).
Things are getting much better in Guarambaré. After 2 months of hard labor, things are looking up. I speak in terms of the branch here, not necessarily investigators. The branch is finally getting it´s act together. Our branch president is working with us finally and getting things in gear, getting his branch organized and shaped up. We have worked extra hard with the members here these past few weeks to build them up and get them some enthusiasm, and we´re seeing the benefits. It feels good to know you´ve had some effect on somebody, and you´re not doing things meaninglessly.
President Lopez (branch president) actually gave us a mini calling in the branch. We can´t have callings because our callings are being full-time missionaries, but it´s an assignment. He called us into his office on Sunday and said that he and his counselors have been praying and they think that we are the right people for the job. We get to teach temple preparation classes. I´m way excited! It´s every Tuesday for anybody who is preparing to enter the temple for the first time. He called and asked President Callan for permission, and got the green light. We start today at 5, so I´m excited for that :).
Ok, so if I didn´t respond to you this week, I´m sorry and I will next week sí o sí. But here´s this week´s Article of Faith. It´s number 7.
"We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth."
This has a lot to do with the previous AoF that talks about the Primitive Church. All these things are gifts of the Spirit - things we receive as blessings according to our personal righteousness. The gift of tongues deals with speaking other languages. I testify that it is real, because I have it. Spanish came incredibly easy for me in a relatively short period of time, which is not something that happens for most missionaries. Prophecy deals with future events or happenings. Revelation is any sort of information or principle revealed from on high directly from God. Visions are heavenly or celestial manifestations that cannot be seen with the natural eye. Anything seen that is not of a normal earthly state is a vision. This can be a seeing an angel, seeing a future event, seeing a deceased loved one in a dream, or seeing God Himself as did Joseph Smith. Healing is self explanitory - being healed of infirmities - physical, mental, or spiritual - through the power of God and the priesthood. Interpretation of tongues is the ability to translate languages. All these gifts are things received by man through the power of the Spirit of God. Man cannot see visions nor prophecy without the Spirit - for it is the Holy Ghost who shows unto him such things. See 1 Nephi 13. Man can have no interactions or dealings with the celestial realm without the Spirit; for that, they are called gifts of the Spirit. All of these mentioned gifts - and an even greater number unmentioned - existed in Bible times in the Primitive Church. We believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the same church, and thus it must have the same spiritual manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit. What is the purpose of these gifts? All serve as evidence that God exists and that Jesus is the Christ. He loves us, interacts with us, and His church is directed through these gifts of the Spirit.
"And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;
Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these thigns knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them:
For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who dot hvary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the god of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are."
-Mormon 9:7-11
Love and miss everybody. Until next week!
-Elder Moore
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