In three days I'll be on the plane to my new home for almost two years! It's awesome how I'll be flying into a whole different country, continent, and a totally different season. I'm so excited!
We've been having meetings all week for preperation to leave and we've taught a couple lessons a day in Spanish. Elder Martell and I have our last scheduled lesson here in the MTC tonight with my friend Elder Gordon and his companion Elder Eindfeldt. They're learning Japenese but they are teaching in English and we just translate when we give our lessons. We were able to teach Elder Smith and his companion Elder Young yesterday too and it went really well. They testified strongly of the things they said to be true.
Last Tuesday we were blessed to hear from another apostle- Elder Robert D. Hales. He spoke of obedience and the light of Christ mostly. His message sank in majorly this week because I'll be putting all this council to use in the field real soon. He showed us a picture up on the screen that showed a gate and then a path to eternal life. Along the path it showed steps we need to take to obtain Eternal Life. The first of these were Repentance and Baptism. It then says we need to follow the straight and narrow path, meaning that we should keep focused on our goal of Eternal Life and not stray off the path by giving into temptations. The thing I really liked about his model was that the combination to the lock for the gate is "Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ." He said that taking somebody to this gate to start down this path is the greatest gift anybody can give. He also spoke of the Light of Christ and that everybody has it, they just might not know it. Darkness can't come upon us unless we let it and there is no darkness deep enough for the Light of Christ. Something I didn't catch from his talk when I heard it that my Branch President brought up after was that those who have the opportunity to serve a mission for their Savior, Redeemer and Brothers and Sisters but decide not to are the ones making a huge sacrifice, not us. We left worldly things behind but none are more important than what we are doing right now. Family will always be there. This opportunity to serve is a blessing and not a sacrifice.
Something I read that I want to share with y'all is a verse I read in Matthew in the New Testament the other day. Jesus Christ shows the perfect way of teaching by relating Gospel principles to things we can easily relate to. While he preaches the Sermon on the Mount in chapter five he talks about how we light a candle not to hide it, but on a candlestick to give light unto the house. Verse sixteen says, "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorifly your Father which is in heaven." This goes exactly with what Elder Hales said about spreading our light to others and that we all have a light. As it says in this scripture, it can be through our good works. It can also be through our sharing of our testimony with others of things we know are true.
I'd like to share with you my testimony that I know all these words I have said and heard are true. I know this Gospel that I wake up every morning to share with others is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the prophet Joseph Smith, who was chosen in the life before this to restore the Gospel on the Earth for the last time, is a prophet of God. I know the Book of Mormon and Bible are the words of God. I testify Jesus Christ provided a way for us to live forever in joy with our families and Our Father in Heaven who gave us life. He asks us to start on this path and continue on this path as Elder Hales, an apostle of God, has said. I say all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Hales had challenged us to give a prayer of only thanks to Our Heavenly Father. It has blessed me in doing so and I'd encourage y'all to speak with your Heavenly Father and just thank Him for everything he has blessed you with. I know you will feel the love of God if you thank him sincerely and you will grow closer to him.
Thank you for all your letters! I love them and I love y'all!
Elder Gregory
Imm. Fam- I'll be talking to y'all on Monday! I need to pack a lot today so sorry, I'm not going to write a whole lot of letters since I'll be talking to ya'll the same day it'd get there anyway. There's no limit on who I can call in the family so probably sometime between 6 30- 9 00 PM that day.
