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