March 17, 2014

Hello!!

Well thanks for the firm rebuke on not sending pictures! I need to take more first of all and second the computers are so slow here compared to slough that it just takes up to much time.  I will try and do better but no promises! This last week has been pretty crazy, rough, boring, hard, all the above?  It was my last week with Elder Green which is a bummer but hey that is just missionary life for ya! He has been my favorite companion so far that is for sure! Elder Stewart goes home in 6 weeks so that is just insane! Elder Green is going to be leaving and going to the Maidstone Zone so he will have Elder Smith as his Zone leader so that is sweet! My new companion is named Elder Fuller and guess where he is from.... UTAH!! That is just the biggest shock ever! I just cant get a companion off of that dang North American continent.  Nobody knows him so we will see how things go when Wednesday comes rolling around.  Well as for my actual week it has been alright.  Elder Green and I have been struggling with finding new investigators so that has been super rough.  We have some solid people we are teaching especially Jess.  She is so cool and so prepared.  The only problem is she has a problem and needs to decided whether or not to stay with him. She is leaning more to kicking him out, but hopefully going to the temple tomorrow will help with that! She also fed us this last week and WOW is she an amazing cook! Her roast was so American and so good it was amazing.  They also have things called roast potatoes but they are done like you have never seen or had before.  England at least does that right haha.  The weather has just been so amazing that we broke out the short sleeve shirts and no coats!! WAHOO!!! I don't have much more to say then that.  I will have pictures of the temple so don't worry about that MOM AND DAD!!:)

For a spiritual thought I thought I would talk little bit about grace.

A lot of people now days believe that all you have to do is just say that Jesus is the Christ and you are saved.  That is completely and utterly false and devilish.  Though Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can be saved and return to the presence of the Father we must still do the works of righteousness.  The best way I have had it explained to me is like this.

When your mom pays for your piano lessons what does she expect?  Does she expect for you to pay her back?  No all she demands or commands is that you practice.  So it is with Christ and the atonement that he wrought for us.  He has payed the price and we will never have to pay that price as along as we except his atonement.  Now because he has done this for us he has the power to command us to do certain things if we choose to.  People may say that well aren't you saved by grace?  My answer to that is YES!! AND HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL THAT CHRIST AND OUR LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER HAVE GIVEN ME AND MY FAMILY.  The question I would then ask them is have you been changed by grace?  Yes we know that know matter how righteous of works we do in this life we cannot resurrect ourselves or give ourselves salvation.  That only comes through Jesus Christ.  But what we do in this life will affect whether or not we will live Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ and our families for eternity.  Now why does Jesus tell us that if we will but believe in him we will have eternal life?  Because when we begin to have true faith in Jesus Christ we will truly follow him and keep all his commandments with a willing heart and mind.  What is true faith then?  We know that faith is believing in things that are not seen but are true (Alma 32:21).  We also know that Paul tells us that we are to walk by faith and not sight.  So what are we to have faith in?  Our faith must be founded upon Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten of the Father and the Saviour and Redeemer of the World.  WE must have faith that through him we can be forgiven of our sins and return to live with our Heavenly Father.  When we have this faith we will do everything and want to do everything the Saviour asks of us.  So what does he ask of us then.  He has command us that we must repent and be baptized in his name.  "Unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven." John 3:5.  When we have this true Faith in Jesus Christ we will want to be baptized and enter into a convent with our Heavenly Father to take upon Christ name.  The Bible and Book of Mormon are all great examples of this.  When Peter is talking to the three thousand they ask him what they must do next and he says be baptized and they do it right away.  Throughout the entire Book of Mormon we read that after a prophet has cried repentance the people desire to be baptized.  As Jesus Christ says himself, 

"If you love me keep my commandments."  

In today's world where God is on the back burner and people love the world more it is hard to not wonder why me.  Remember that Christ was hated so much they crucified him.  Do you think that if we truly follow Christ that the world will not hate us?  We must all face trials and tribulations and those that do it in for Christ sake will receive a hundred fold.  I promise you that as you choose to follow Christ and serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength that you will find peace in this life, and eternal life in the world to come.  Christ invites all to come unto him and find rest in him.  I do the same to all that have not yet accepted his gospel.  If you truly love Christ you will be willing to take his named upon you.  I have felt his love for me more then ever when I have gone through the hard times as well as in the easy of times.  I know that this is his Church on the earth again and that it will never be taken from the earth again.  I know that as we apply his Atonement in our lives we can become more like him and return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Have a great week and love ya to shredzz!! 

Love,

Elder Wilson