Thanks for all those who write, express love, encouragement, and amino- I'm so blessed to have the love and support back home! This week was a good week and I wanted to share a few highlights!
This week I focused my studies on Our Savior and His life, but mainly the atonement and his suffering and experiences he had in the garden of Gethsemane. I also studied a bit about when he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and when Satan tempted him. This was really interesting to me and something I wanted to share. While Christ was fasting, the devil came to him and told him to turn the stones to bread and to eat. Obviously the savior was hungry and I'm sure his stomach was grumbling and rumbling. Our savior knew, and knows that he shouldn't use his powers to "prove people" or do things like that. Satan makes a statement and says, well if you're the son of god, your Father wouldn't want you to go hungry would he? (Reminder, we fast so we can become spiritually closer to our Father in Heaven and we can forget about our mortal bodies and focus on our spirits) The story goes on and we can read that Satan tempted Christ more than once the change the stones into bread. Later on, we can read that when Christ was being crucified, some of the people said, "if you're really the son of god, then why don't your save yourself?" Or "if you're really the son of god, where is god?"
We learn that Satan uses the word "if" to bring this doubt and confusion to us and we see that we can find this pattern in our lives...
We know that we have a Father in Heaven, God who loves us and He has a divine plan for us.
We know that we have a Savior who atoned for our sins and who died for us.
We know that God answers prayers.
We know that we are children of God.
We know a lot of things and many times the spirit has testified these things to us to help us and remind us that these things are true.
I don't know if I understood this correctly, and maybe I'm wrong, but I just wanted to testify that I KNOW we have a father in heaven who loves us, cares for us, and he is there for us, always! He is waiting for us to turn to him and I know at times we may doubt, but we shouldn't. Like Elder Uchtdorf reminds us- doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.
I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and I Know he knows all of our thoughts, feelings, and he knows what we're going through. Many times we think we're alone, we think that no one understand, but I testify, and I know that He knows. He understands. Those moments when we want to give up or think we can't move forward, push a little more, prayer a little harder- I know He's there!
This week my companion got sick and wasn't feeling very well, and I had a little bit of extra time to read. I had the goal to finish reading the Book of Mormon this week because I was close and I did it! This time reading the Book of Mormon, I really wanted to study, mediate, pray, and really understand what I was reading. I have never studied a book so hard, marked so many things and out so many sticky notes. It's incredible the things the lord can reveal to us if we are willing and wanting to learn! I know the Book of Mormon is the word of god and I know that it contains the fullness of the gospel. And I want to invite you, the person whose reading this, to either continue reading, or to start! we are so blessed to have this book, this guide, and this map to our lives in our hands. Pick up the book and read it, even if it's just 10 minutes! I know it will bless your life!
Well, I'm going to wrap this up. Sorry if this doesn't make sense or maybe it's wrong, but I know this gospel is true and I know God lives.
Have a great week! Love you!
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