34 year Anniversary!

Dear Aubrey,

It was wonderful to be able to see and speak with you on Christmas Day. You are a great missionary! How blessed we both are, to be able to serve missions at the same time!!

 

Inasmuch, as today is our 34 year anniversary, I want to express my love and respect for your good Mother. How blessed I am, (indeed our family is), as a result of our wonderful marriage. I love your Mom. She opens hearts and doors in an amazing way. 

How blessed we are as a family, because, we have the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. As you serve in Honduras, you seek to find those 'elect' "among all sects, parties, and denominations,...who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" (D & C 123: 12)

"mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; (D & C 29: 7) The Lord "will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer." (D & C 29: 2)  Meanwhile, "the wicked, for they will not repent;...for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not." (D & C 29: 17) "for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not;" (D & C 29: 44)

The elect, hear, humble themselves, pray for forgiveness, repent and are baptized. Sadly, there are some that you meet, similar to Aaron "they would not hear the words which he spake. Therefore, when he saw that they would not hear his words, he departed" (Alma 21: 10-11) Likewise, when your investigators stop progressing, you also need to depart and look for others.

The 2014 Mutual theme is focused on a portion of  the verse in Moroni10:32: “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” 

The way we come unto Christ is by repenting or "on conditions of repentance" 

"For, behold, The Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance." (D & C 18:11-12)

No one can come unto Christ, without repenting. 

"he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins. And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance;" (Hel. 5: 10-11) 

This is the "covenant of the Father" that by exercising faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance we can obtain a "remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot." (Moroni 10:33)

 President Harold B. Lee said: “..to be truly righteous there is required a daily pruning of the evil growth of our characters by a daily repentance from sin.”  (Harold B. Lee,Decisions for Successful Living, 93 - 94.)

President Ezra Taft Benson said: "The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones   in which we strive to be more like Him. ... God’s gifts are sufficient to help us overcome every sin and weakness if we will but turn to Him for help. Finally, we must remember that most repentance does not involve sensational or dramatic changes, but rather is a step-by-step, steady, and consistent movement toward godliness.”  (First Presidency Message, ‘A Mighty Change of Heart’. Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Oct. 1989, p 2)

Christian writer Max Lucado pointed out: "God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus." (Just Like Jesus, p. 3)

This week on Christmas Eve, we, together with the Dilles, hosted the 36 elders that serve in the Beira area.

 

 

 Sure love you,

Dad