Prayer and Practice

Another week down.  And thank goodness that this week it was a rockin´ one.

First, on Wednesday we had interviews with President Callan.  Those always motivate me and help me to focus myself.  That man is such an inspired person, it blows my mind.  The Spirit just radiates from him.  When he talks, you feel it just hit you in the heart.  But in a good way haha.  That animated me a lot.  Kind of sad to think that I´ll only have 1 or 2 more interviews with him.  And then he renewed my temple recommend.  It is reeeally weird to think that 2 years ago I got my temple recommend.  It definately doesn´t seem that long ago.  Don´t know when our next temple trip will be, but I hope to be using that new recommend soon!  I have a royal ancestor that is waiting patiently for me to perform these ordinances on his behalf that he can´t do himself.  That will be a really special moment for me, and I´m excited for it.  One of the strongest parts of my testimony is the temple.

Then with General Conference this passed weekend, how could it not be a rockin´ week?  Every single time, I think "No way this Conference will be better than the last one".  And it always is.  It was really cool too,

because in the Saturday afternoon session, the choir was from an Institute Choir in Utah (Ogden, I think).  Elder Pitcher was a missionary here a while ago, an assistant, and he was in that choir haha.  We all saw him and cheered and pointed haha.  We loved that guy, it was cool to see him.  But that´s a side note. The talks this Conference, wow.  My favorites were from D. Todd Christofferson (accepting correction and chastizement), Lynn G. Robbins (to do and to be), and Richard G. Scott (memories of him and his wife Jeanine).  But really, all of them were marvellous.  The talk by President Monson on temples and the temple in Rome really put into perspective that this is the work of the Lord and it is progressing.  Nothing can stop the work of the Lord.  And then when the choir sang "The Spirit of God" and just the 3 men started out. How could you not be moved by that?  It was an incredible tender mercy to be able to have an investigator (a 19-year old guy named Efraín) in that session.  You could tell that he felt something different.  It was just a great weekend and a great General Conference.  I can say that the last Conference I´ll see on my mission was an incredible one.

The other (and quite possibly most important) reason that last week was good is because it was my mom´s birthday!  Happy birthday mother of mine!!    I love you and I´ll see you soon!

This week I was flipping through my notes and my Book of Mormon to think of something to write you guys.  I found in an older study journal something that I had found to be really cool that I´ll share with you.

John 17:3 reads "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent".  How can we come to know God the Father and Jesus Christ.  The most effective ways are through prayer and practice.  Pray to God and apply the teachings of Jesus Christ in your life, and you will come to know Them quite well.  However, the way that I discovered is through the Book of Mormon.  It is truly another testament of Jesus Christ.  It teaches us who He is, what He does, and that He loves us.

In 3 Nephi 17 (page 440-441), I realized that it was an entire chapter that teaches us about who Jesus really is through His actions and His words.  I was able to divide the chapter into groups of a few verses that teach us something different about our Savior, and then give a name of Christ to summarize what that group of verses teaches us.  For example, take out your Book of Mormon and open to 3 Nephi 17.  These are verses 2 and 3:

"I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time, Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again."

I labeled these 2 verses "The Teacher", because they teach us that that is what Jesus is.  I did the same thing for the entire chapter.  Verse 4, for example, was its own group.  It says "But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them."  I labeled this verse "The Good Shepherd".  And so I did for the whole chapter.  I´ll list the verses and the names I labeled them with that describe our Savior so you can really study and ponder them in your personal or family scripture study.

2-3: The Teacher
4: The Good Shepherd
5-7: The Giver
8: The Redeemer
9: The Healer
10-12: The Way, The Truth, The Life
13-15: The Example
16-17: The Advocate
18-19: The Master
20-22: The Caregiver
23-24: The Miracle Worker
25: The Savior

The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah, and the great Jehovah of the Old Testament.  He is our Savior, He is our Brother, He is the Master.  Read the Book of Mormon.  You will come to know your Savior in a way that you will not be able to express in words, but you will feel the overwhelming love of Him for you in your life.  You will thank the Lord for a testimony of Christ because of the Book of Mormon, and it will carry you into the courts on high to live forever with your Father in Heaven, with this great Jesus Christ of whom the book testifies, and with your families.  I love this work.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I love my Savior and my God.  I love and miss you all.

-Élder Moore