April 29, 2013

This past week has been a miracle and I say miracle with the most respect to Jesus Christ and how He literally puts people in our path.I am so grateful for the amazing opportunity to do service for the city of Philadelphia on my birthday for 6 hours. I am doing great physically and the work is really coming along and I want to just share this with you. My companion and I are doing great we finally are opening up to each other and finding peace in our relationship and are working in harmony with the Spirit. By the way don't worry mom because on my birthday a member made me tons of hamburgers and hot dogs and root beer and a huge cake and ice cream. She wanted to make sure I told you that so you don't feel like I am starving.

In this past week I was able to study the topic "Faith in Jesus Christ". I divided this topic up into 3 sections: 1)"Faith"- Faith to me is knowing no matter what that this thing or person exists and can help me in my life. 2) "Jesus Christ"- He is my Savior and Redeemer and I know that I could not be here with out his mercy and his sacrifice. 3) "In"- The word in to me means that you are putting something that you have and placing it on someone else or on something else. Now I think that this phrase is simple meaning that it is only comprised of 4 words but that this phrase is the most complicated because it is comprised of the Holy Ghost and how you interpret it as a Child of our loving Heavenly Father. This topic resembles our devotion as missionaries and our desire to forget about our selves and put our "Faith in Jesus Christ" and realize we are but a Shepherd that he is guiding to bring the sheep back to the fold as Ammon did with King Lamoni's sheep. Then as we do this and forget about ourselves the Adversary will fight back with the "natural man". He does not want us to win and we know that but I do think that there are many ways that he will deceive men to not listen to our message. I know for Hispanics it is almost always "I work to much I'm sorry we don't have time". I want to promise you that the Lord will make time in their lives if you are persistent in what you say and do for everything we do on this earth is not on our time but on the time of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I want to stress don't lose Faith for it is more precious then almost anything you can have for once your Faith is gone Satan knows and he will attack you in any way possible. Be like Ammon when the Lamanites were trying to scatter the sheep fight back don't back down for we are more powerful than any power of the Adversary. We have been called of God to bring his sheep back to the fold and partake in this miraculous Gospel that is centered around Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer.

I know that this church is true and I know more that it is true everyday. I know that the Gospel we have is true and the Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that he truly restored his Gospel to the Earth today. I love this Gospel and strive to live it in exactness.

Elder Marse