Written on P-day July 23, 2013
Familia Kanaga,
Wow! Uncle, what an odd concept. I’m glad both mother and
baby are good and healthy! Devy is such a good example!
I did watch the three part light message (Watch Elder Bednar's message on light: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). I just love it. I
think “ray” is such a good analogy because there is only one way, a sole path
to track the ray back to the light source! Christ lets our eyes capture that
ray. Now we need to follow it to the source.
So Irmão Belchior lived in Gilbert Arizona for a while
before his mission. He has only has been back four weeks from his mission. He
is a spiritual giant and a strength to me! He says “Stay true to what you are
saying”, “Believe in what you teach”, “Give it your all”, “It is not you
anymore, it is Christ” and “If God sent you to Mozambique
Earlier this week I went on a split with Elder Christianson
to the dentist. There were video games, and an Ipad with a Facebook log-on up
and ready. Awesomely enough, I just laughed. I had 0% desire to do either!
One sad thing, hymns do not translate directly from English
to Portuguese, for example; “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel” or “Nossa Lei é Trabalhar” translate to: Our
law is to work. A funny thing is that Irmão Walker’s mission President had him
replace “Trabalhar” with “Batizer” so: “Our law is to baptize”! How funny. We
sang it in class like that and it was hilarious.
One cool thing, Alma
Eu sei que esta igreja é a Igreja verdadeira.
(I know that this church is the true church.)
É a igreja de Jesus Christo e Deus.
(Is the church of Jesus Christ and God.)
Sei que Deus é nosso amando Pai Celestial e Ele quere nos
ser feliz.
(I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and He wants
us to be happy.)
Eu sei que meu missão é uma chama de Deus e que meu missão é
um benção muito bom em minha vida.
(I know that my mission is a calling from God and that my
mission is a great blessing in my life.)
Eu sei que se seguo os Mandamentos de meu missão, Eu estou
protecão e meu familia são benção.
(I know that if I follow the Commandments of my mission, I
will be protected and my family will be blest.)
He sent along some little notes most likely from his scripture
study:
Knowledge/Wisdom/Learning/Light/Truth
Whatever principle of intelligence
we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
And if a person gains more
knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience
than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. - D&C
130:18-19
Knowledge goes with us, whatever we
have learned here is what we will know there; never ever stop learning. Ever.
Strive to learn at least one new thing every day.
O that cunning plan of the evil
one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they
are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of
God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their
wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
But to be learned is good if they
hearken unto the counsels of God - 2
Nephi 9:28-29
Never ever let our “worldly”
knowledge get in the way of our Faith. Every single true fact is of God. Ever
fact TESTIFIES OF CHRIST AND OF GOD.
Organize yourselves; prepare every
needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of
fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of
order, a house of God; - D&C
88:119
“Organize yourselves… house of
learning”. When we are organized we allow the spirit to come. When we are
organized not only is it easier to learn the things of the “world” but also to
learn the things of God.
Man was also in the beginning with
God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither
indeed can be. – D&C 93:29
“Intelligence… light of truth, was
not…made neither… can be”. Facts are facts are facts. One cannot make
truth nor destroy it. It just is. However, you can discover it.
The glory of God is intelligence,
or, in other words, light and truth.
Light and truth forsake that evil
one. - D&C
93:36-37
“The glory of God is
intelligence…or…light and truth” God loves knowledge and light and truth. He wants
us to have it. Not only is it good but it drives away bad. If there is 1 lumen
of light then there is less darkness. Darkness has no power when light is
present.
And God said, Let there be light:
and there was light. – Genesis 1:3
“Let there be light”. Though God
was speaking of bringing physical brightness; He also wanted us to have light
and knowledge and truth in our lives. I know that He says to us always “Let
there be light [in your lives and in your hearts].”
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let
us walk in the light of the Lord - Isaiah
2:5
“let us walk in the light
[rays(straight and narrow)] of the Lord” - - - Interesting thought I just had
from a short entry in the Topical guide.
The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined. - Isaiah
9:2
“The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light”. Your eyes dilate to adjust to more or less light.
Your pupils get bigger or smaller to allow or restrict the entrance of light.
This applies in two separate almost opposite ways.
#1 When we have dwelt in darkness
and our eyes have adapted to not having light, when a light is turned on, even
if it is not an overly bright one, it hurts your eyes. So when you have been
living a worldy life and you are told of truth, sometimes it can be very bright
and harsh to your spiritual eyes. Once you have been in it (the light) for a
time you will adjust and be comfortable in the light.
#2 (Opposite way) Our pupils enlarge
and more light is allowed in. The more light we give the eyes of our spirit,
the more we want to let in. However, when light is taken away we don’t seek
more and sometimes restrict it (light, knowledge).
Let us dilate our spiritual eyes to
always receive additional light from the Lord.
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