Still in Irajá

Irajá again! I'm here for atleast 5 more weeks and I'm with the same companion. I know the Lord has a purpose. I just need to fast and pray to discover what more we can do. We're moving to a new house today.For the past 9 and a half months I've been living with other missionaries in another city about 30 minutes away and using the bus every day. Now we will be moving to Irajá and we're gonna live 30 seconds away from the church building!!!!!!!! A HUGE BLESSING! Ive been trying for so long to do this. Thank you so much for putting up my email. I've gotten several emails from some great friends. I'm so thankful for my time here and I know I'm doing the right thing. I've never been more certain of anything in my life......

you can email him now

jared.knotts@myldsmail.net

Hey Mom!

So we got an update with a change in the rules of my mission. We can email all of our friends and family now. You can and should put my email on my fbook so that my friends can email me. Its way faster and cheaper than letters. ...... it'll be nice to receive emails from friends every once in a while.

 

Please email him....he will be out one year May 9th!!

This (past) weekend was so great because General Conference was Saturday and Sunday! Truly and amazing opportunity to listen to such inspired men and women. It was equally as great to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I miss music so much and they are absolutely incredible! Singing in a choir will be one of the first things I do when I get home for sure! Everyone here is super excited about the new temple that is gonna be built in Rio de Janeiro! Truly the work is moving forward quickly here in Brazil! I'm excited to hear about new friend's mission calls also! All over the world, members of the church are leaving to serve God and His children. Its amazing to see how fast the church is growing and the "army" of missionaries. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be serving here in Rio! Its been a good week and we're excited about this new family that we've been teaching and helping. I've met some absolutely great people here in Rio. Its great to see the changes that people make in their lives and how they become more happy. That is truly what God wants for us. I know that we can be happy when we do what He asks us to do. 

Well just to wrap up quickly about some of my thoughts about General Conference, I read a scripture yesterday that really wrapped it up for me. I heard so many inspired counsels and teachings from prophets and leaders of the Lord. I don't have the time or space to write everything I learned but I know that is essential that we put in to practice what we learned. D and C 21:4-6 puts it in to clear perspective what it is that we must do when a true prophet of the Lord speaks to us. 

 4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give ^aheed unto all his words and ^bcommandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all ^choliness before me;

 5 For his ^aword ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

 6 For by doing these things the ^agates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of^bdarkness from before you, and cause the heavens to ^cshake for your ^dgood, and his name’s ^eglory.

The Lord gives us a promise here and we are entitled to that blessing when we study and prayerfully apply the teachings of modern day prophets and apostles. I know this is true.

Well I'm excited for Mother's day next month. School is almost over and I'm sure everyone is all stressed about finals. Well just keep swimming. I'm excited for the experiences and blessings that are coming your ways back at home. I hope to hear from you soon!

Elder Jared Knotts

April 1, 2013

Another busy week and I'm thankful that the weather is cooling down. I'm thankful for a lot this week. I'm thankful for great members here in Brazil that help me. I'm thankful for great friends at home that send letters and words of encouragement. I'm thankful for other missionaries that help me to learn more and to change and be better. I'm thankful for my health and safety. I'm thankful for my testimony that the work I'm doing is the most important work on earth. Especially, I'm thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ that helps us on a daily basis and several hundreds of years ago, suffered and died for me and 3 days later was resurrected. I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned here on the mission. I'm thankful for prayer that I'm able to speak with God and thank Him personally for the blessings, gifts and talents that I have. I'm thankful for a living prophet, Thomas S Monson that speaks with God today and leads the Lord's church on the earth today. I'm thankful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to send me here and help His children. I'm thankful for so much and hope that you all feel my love and gratitude for the help that you give me.

This week I just have a real short message. I read a talk about the importance of the Priesthood (power and authority of God given to His chosen servants on earth). President Henry B Eyring gave a talk recently called, "Families under Covenant". I learned a deep and powerful lesson from this talk that has helped me to have a more profound understanding and appreciation for the plan of Salvation. The scriptures say that, "Many are called but few are chosen." The Atonement (suffering, sacrifice and resurrection of Christ) enables us to return to God´s presence and live with Him once again for eternity. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end) we qualify to place the atoning sacrifice of Christ into practice and be cleansed of our sins. The ordanances (sacred ceremonies) of salvation can not be realized without the Priesthood authority of God. The privelege and responsibility of the Priesthood is incredible and we must honor it and use it faithfully and wisely. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a living prophet, with 12 apostles and the power and authority of God to bind on earth that which is bound in heaven (Matthew 16:19). I know that you can come to know these things are true if you have the desire to know and ask dilligently in prayer. I promise that the blessings of the priesthood are essential and have the power to accomplish the Lord´s restored gospel here on the earth today.

Elder Jared Knotts