A Letter

I find it interesting how a letter, like the one you're reading now, is called a letter when it is made up of more than one letter, as in the letter "A". Well you can rest assured, this letter contains a lot more than one letter, as usual. 

So we've done a lot of biking recently, which has been a lot of fun, however, it has been tireing as well. Luckily it's not too much to handle, but it has been nice to have a brake from it these last couple days. Wheel be back at it soon though I'm sure, its kind of like one big cycle. 

But yeah things have been going pretty well. Elder Ellis is great and we've been trying to really emphasize working through the members to find more people to teach. Because we really want to find more people to teach. 

It's been going pretty good though. 

So usually, words like "big" refer to physical objects. For example, an animal scientist might say something intelligent like "the elephant is big." But in some rare cases, words like "big" can also refer to things which are not actual physical objects. For example a person reporting the news, or a news reporter as they're sometimes called, might say something intelligent like, "there is some big news from this week."

Well family and friends, there is some big news from this week. The news being that missionaries now have the opportunity, key word opportunity, to communicate with family, key word family, by means other than emailing on preparation day, key word preparation day, to share spiritual experiences and help strengthen the faith of their families, key word share spiritual experiences to help strengthen the faith of their families. So that's all I really have to say about that I guess. It's pretty cool and exciting but with it comes a lot more responsibility as well. I believe that the announcement made by the Church was indeed an inspired decision, and I think there will be some real blessings to missionaries and maybe even more so to missionaries families. So I would encourage you to read the Church's official statement if you haven't read that yet. It's a good read. 

Also, I just wanted to give a real quick shout out to my friends and family back home in the Marshall Branch for putting together a package of awesome random stuff. I especially liked the four band aids and the stick that was found outside the church. But it was just great to read all the notes from people and to see all the random stuff. I was laughing audibly at some points as I went through that box. So thank you. 

Well, I suppose I shall make like Hymn number 255 and Carry On. 

Today I just wanted to give my two cents on something. But my two cents today are not actually made of copper, zinc, and other metals that constitute pennies. Instead they are made of some thoughts I've had about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Now, I have mentioned on multiple occasions this "Gospel of Jesus Christ." And you may be wondering, what is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Well thank you for asking, because this is my favorite thing to answer. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ or the Doctrine of Christ as it's sometimes referred to, is essentially the means by which our Heavenly Father has prepared so that we as human beings can experience joy and peace in our lives, and to eventually live with God again, with our families for eternity. In other words, the Gospel or Doctrine of Christ contains the steps that are outlined for us, so that we can access the peace and joy and power that Jesus Christ offers us. 

And those "steps" are taught in the Bible, but they are taught most clearly and specifically in the Book of Mormon. That is why the Book of Mormon is so important. Because it restores the clarity of the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that had been lost or distorted over time from the Bible.

So these "steps" to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, if you want to think of it that way, are to first have faith in Jesus Christ. And having faith in the Savior leads one to repent and turn away from sin and turn toward Christ, through Jesus Christ's atonement. And as one decides to follow Jesus Christ, they then are led to follow the example of Jesus and be baptized by someone holding God's proper priesthood authority. Following baptism one can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Which leads to the final "step" which is often called "enduring to the end." And that's the part I kind of want to focus on because I really don't like to think of the Gospel of Jesus Christ like steps. As I've studied and learned about this topic, I've come to learn about how it really is not just a checklist. Because that last point, "enduring to the end" pretty much means that it's not over once we've made the initial covenants or promises with God, and that the process repeats itself over and over again. Even after baptism and even after any other covenant we make, it always comes back to faith in Jesus Christ. That's something we constantly have to build and strengthen. And we constantly have to be repenting and trying to be more like the Savior. And though we don't physically get baptized over and over again, we need to be renewing those promises that we made at baptism every week when we partake of the sacrament. And as we do that, as we remember the promises we've made, and as we keep the commandments, we can have that promised gift of having the Holy Ghost with us at all times to guide and protect us throughout our lives. President Robinson, our mission President, described the Doctrine or Gospel of Jesus Christ as a cycle that continues over and over again throughout our lives as we strive to become more like the Savior. And that is really so true. I have been able to see in my own life how this Gospel is true. And that's why I'm here on a mission. So I can tell others about Jesus Christ's Gospel. 

Thank you all for everything! Til next week!

~Elder Oswald

P.S. I've attached a picture of me with an awkward looking rooster perched on my arm. I hope you enjoy. Plus my zone at our last trip to the temple. Plus my new favorite thing to make for lunch.

The zone at the temple.

A twist on bean crisps called "pizzadillas"

Dinner at the Spencer's was interesting!