First, I want to thank all of you for
your emails!! They make my week and it is so good to hear from all of
you. Its crazy to think that I only have one more week until I leave! To
be honest with all of you, the first thing I will be doing when I get
back to the states is getting some fast food. I have missed it. Now more
than ever I am SOOOO glad I am going back to the states to serve. Six
weeks in Mexico is all I needed to realize that :)
I have been really sick and have been busier than
ever. Sixteen hour days are not kind to the sick. But somehow the lord
is carrying me through, and I am doing good! This week, as any other
week, has been quite the week filled with a lot of experiences.I don't
have time to share all of them, but I will share a few of the highlights
of the week.
The experiences I want to share are about my
testimony of the BOM, and that it literally has all of the answers we
need to know in it.
First, my companion has
been having a lot of nightmares lately, and a lot of sleepless nights.
Sleep has also been something that has been difficult for me as well.
She would have such terrifying nightmares, and it would be hard for her
to go through the day because of how scary they were, and because of her
lack of sleep. In class, one of the activities we did was to find a
scripture in the BOM, and take ten minutes to teach our companion,
keeping their needs in mind. I really wanted to find a scripture that
would help Hermana Steele with her nightmares and something that would
comfort her. I found Alma 35 through 37. These verses are amazing. I
strongly recommend you all go and read them. They have given me and
hermana Steele a lot of comfort, and I know that they can help all of
you as well. It says to counsel the Lord in all they doings, and that he
will watch over you in your sleep, and will give you peace, if you
console him. It was such an amazing moment for us. The lord really does
watch over us in our sleep, but only if we ask him and allow him to take
the pains and hardships away. We all have our personal nightmares, but I
know that the Lord can take them away. He is always watching over us.
Even in the quiet moments when it seems that the turmoil, and pains we
go through are unending.
Next, hermana Steele shared with me an amazing
scripture as well. It is D and C section 6 verses 20 through 21. It
talks about the Savior, and that he is our light, and we are encircled
in his loving arms during times of sorrow, grief, and absolute darkness.
It was what I really needed to hear this week, and I know that this can
help all of you as well. The Saviors arms are outstretched to all us,
and he can be with us and take away our bad dreams and our tragedies,
but only if we let him in. We were both crying and just hugged each
other. It was exactly what we needed. We have had some hard times, not
as a companionship, but in our personal lives, and the love we feel for
each other is incredible. I hope that these scriptures can give you all
some solace during hard times.
Next story about the BOM. In one of our lessons, our
fake investigator, Rodrigo, who is our teacher Hermano Ramierez,
decided to really challenge us and give us a hard time. He asked about
why Nephi was able to kill Laban and break the commandments. He was not
satisfied with the answer of kill one man, and the nation will not
perish answer. Some Elders and I were actually talking about how we
would answer that, because they had been asked the same thing. With some
research and asking, we found a really awesome scripture. It is in D
and C 98 31 through 32. Once we got into the lesson, I completely forgot
the reference. However, I knew it was in D and C but I didn't mark it.
Somehow, I opened up my scriptures to the exact page where it was! It
was one of those awesome moments where you knew the Lord was there to
help you. I then had him read it. It talks about how Gods law is always
consistent and that if others are intending to harm you, that you are
justified in killing some one, and that it is the law that was given to
Nephi when he killed Laban. After Rodrigo read it, he was literally
speechless. I could tell my teacher was so surprised that we were able
to give him such a deliberate and blunt answer to his question. It was a
cool moment. Its not often that our teachers become speechless during
lessons. The Lord literally provided a way and my faith in him has been
strengthened. We had such a great lesson, and our teacher told us we did
a good job. Getting a ¨good job¨ from Hermano Hernandez is not an easy
thing to do, he is hard on us, and it felt good to truly teach by the
spirit.
I have learned so much. Especially using the
scriptures to apply to others. I have learned that the scriptures should
be taken spiritually and not literally, and that any passage can apply
to any one if you use it in the right way. Our teacher told us to read
and to approach the BOM as if it were a letter from God to us. It has
completely changed my entire perspective of the BOm, how I read it, and
how I use it to apply from others. I have learned how important it is to
give background to investigators and make if part of them, and what is
going on in their lives.
I am so grateful for the BOM and its profound
influence in my life and its ability to apply and to touch others
lives. I know we all say this, but it literally has all the answers to
any questions we have. We just have to search for them and have faith
that God will provide an answer. God will provide the rest and make up
the difference. This book is the most convincing evidence that we have
of the truthfulness of the Gospel . Without it, we, our religion, who we
are, and our purpose in this life would be nothing. I have never
treasured a book so much in my life. My love for the BOM has
tremendously grown. It is my rock, my source of stability, and my
everything. I don't know what I would do without it.
If you're struggling with finding answers, the BOM
has them. If we could find a scripture that literally testifies of why
Gods law justified Nephi killing Laban, we can find anyone. Of course,
some answers are more deliberate than others, but I promise you that if
you search the scriptures and pray specifically to receive an answer you
will. It is so amazing how many answers can be found in it. Everything
have questions about are in the BOM, we just need to find them.
Lastly, we had another really good lesson that has
strengthened my testimony of baptism. One thing I did that I haven't done
before is I started to pray for my companion during the lesson.
usually, I get worried about what we will say, if we will say it right,
or will be inspired. Instead of worrying, I just prayed for her. It was
the best lesson we have ever had. We literally finished each others
sentences and were able to ask the right questions at the right time. We
shared 2 Nephi 31:13, about how we need to follow the Savior into the
waters of baptism. Christ is perfect, but he loved us so much that he
set the example for us so that we can become completely clean and pure
again. He was still hesitant about baptism. I felt impressed to ask him
if he had faith in Christ, he said yes. I then asked him if he had faith
in Christ, if he would be baptized. He looked at me straight in the eye
and said at this very moment, I know totally and completely that what
you are saying is true. At that point, I knew it wasn't our fake
investigator talking, it was our teacher, Hermano cruz talking to us. It
was such a precious, special moment. It made all of us emotional and we
all just paused and looked at each other. I have never felt the spirit
so strong. It was confirmed to the three of us that baptism is an
essential ordinance and that our loving Savior wants us to be baptized
and to be clean again. It was by no power of my own, but by the spirit.
The power of prayer is so real. I know I say this a lot, but teaching by
the spirit and feeling the spirit has been so incredibly amazing. In
that moment with our teacher, the three of us could not deny it and
could not deny the spirit we felt.
I have never felt so loved in my life. My teachers
here are so amazing, loving, and caring. I love my district and my zone
as well. This experience at the MTC has been absolutely amazing. I still don't know everything about the gospel, but what I do know, and the
witness I have received, I cannot deny.
I love all of you so much. The BOM is amazing, and it has all of the answers. Please read it, I know that it will help you.
Hermana Failner
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