This is the dog of the people who we rent our house from. Beautiful husky.
My dearest loved ones,
I have very tender feelings as I read your emails. I feel of your love and cannot help but smile constantly as I read what you have written to me. Thank you all so much for your love that you constantly show to me through your emails and your prayers. I am very grateful for them and they are a strength to me.
I have had very tender experiences this past week. I feel as if, just for extending a little more time, the Lord has been so merciful and is double blessing me. I have never had so much clarity in my mind. I have never learned so much. I have never had my testimony so strong, and my conversion so deep as I do now. I feel completeley independent of my knowledge of the truth. My testimony I have as personal revelation and knowledge from my Father in Heaven. I can honestly say that I know for myself.
I have felt that I should just share some spiritual experiences and my testimony with you. That is my favorite thing to do :) It is amazing how the Lord is so good to us. I have seen and felt His mercy, I would almost say too much as I have been in His service. I am just so privileged. It is not easy to stay here, but it is more than worth it. I would stay here longer if I could, but I know that the Lord has other things planned for me.
I can say, that I know with a more certain knowledge now, more than ever before, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know it. It is knowledge to me. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know with all of my soul that it testifies of Christ and invites all to come unto Him and to do good continually. I am now reading in Moroni 7. I will soon finish the Book of Mormon again. What a precious treasure it is. I can say that I have come to know the prophets, Mormon and Moroni, and the other prophets of the Book of Mormon. I ponder on how they lived, on how they learned. I can testify plainly that God hears and answers all prayers that are offered with real intent. Our Father grants unto us according to our desires. I have seen that as I have prayed in humility, God has granted unto me according to my righteous desires.
I feel so concerned and it troubles me greatly when our investigators don't go to church after so much exhorting and persuading and promised blessings. It just makes my heart ache. Yet I still see that the Lord is merciful to me in offering peace to my heart. We have some great investigators - many who have come to know the truth of the Book of Mormon. I am sad that I will not be here to see them make convenants with the Lord, but it doesn't matter as long as they do it. We are seeing many miracles, healings, and seeing the Spirit work in the lives of investigators.
I will speak of two experiences of spiritual promptings. Last night, we had stayed too long in a lesson to a recent convert. It was very late, later than we have ever been out at night. We usually have to leave to go to the house at 8:00 pm in order to catch a taxi home, because they don't pass later than that hour, and because we always eat dinner in the house after that hour. We left that house at about 8:30 pm and arrived at the stop at 8:45 pm. I said a prayer as always to have a taxi sent to us to take us home so we wouldn't have to make the hour walk home and thus arrive late. It was raining a little bit and time was passing. I received a prompting to start walking. I thought, the only chance for us to get a taxi is here in the stop. I then asked my companion if we should walk, and he said that we could but asked what I thought. I said a prayer again and asked if we should start walking and received a clear answer in my mind, 'Yes'. So we started to walk and walk. We had been walking for about 5 minutes when we saw a stopped taxi about 100 yards in front of us. We began to walk quickly to catch it before it left. Just as it was about to leave we arrived there and asked if he was going to pass the place where we lived, and he admitted us to enter and took us home. If we had been just moments later, he would not have seen us and we wouldn't have been able to do so. At times we do not know all things, but that does not mean that we are walking in ignorance. I know that God answered both of my prayers in small ways in the exact moment when I needed help.
I have been talking with my companion a lot about gospel principles; about how if we do not understand something completely, or do not know something, it does not mean that it is not true. Quite the contrary. I have been learning many things that I had not known before and my mind is being filled with eternal truths.
On Sunday, I was sitting in the congregation after we had blessed the Sacrament. The time came to bear testimonies. A couple of members bore their testimonies. There came a time where I was pondering if I should share mine. I do not wish to take up the time of others if they have the desire to do so. In a moment of silence in which no one was there, I asked in prayer if I should bear my testimony and in the exact same manner as the night before, the Spirit told me, 'Yes'. I responded and stood to bear my testimony. I felt the conviction given me by the Spirit. I was able to testify boldly of what I know to be truth. As it says in my patriarchal blessing, that is my responsibility to bear testimony and stand up for truth. God has provided me with the knowledge sufficient and a testimony so that I can fulfill that mission and responsibility. My testimony strengthened in that moment.
I love you all so much and know that you know of the truth of my words. I can say for myself that I know that these things are true and am willing to testify before anyone of the truth of the Book of Mormon, or of the Prophet Joseph Smith, or of the Savior, Jesus Christ. This is His church. He leads it through living prophets. I sustain them with all of my heart. I feel very weak, yet at the same time I feel as if my faith and testimony were unshakeable. I feel as Nephi, and Mormon, and Moroni that not even a hundredth part of my experiences or testimony can be written down or sent to you at this time. But I am glad that I have the privilege to write you every week and to read your words. I will see you soon and it will be a very sweet time. Thank you for your love and prayers. I love you all so much.
Love, Elder Bitter
No comments:
Post a Comment