Dear Everyone,
This past week has been pretty wonderful. My best friend received her call to Eugene, Oregon and I couldn't be happier for her. She will be an amazing missionary. We had Zone Conference this last week and we switched it up abit. Instead of having it in the chapel we had it in the gym and the tables were set up in a conference position. We were able to see everyone, but the acoustics were lacking. Needless to say, much that was said was not heard by all. However, I heard the things that I needed to hear and was much edified therefrom. I volunteered at Meals on Wheels, Helping Hands and the library while working with the missionaries and helping them get where they needed to be. We had another baptism just yesterday! I am so happy for her. She has worked hard to get where she is and she will go far with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in her life.
Well, I have been studying about repentance, obedience and sacrifice this week and have gained many insights from the scriptures and from the mouth of one of Christ's latter day apostles. When Christ appeared to the Nephites in 34 A.D. the first words that came out of His mouth, when He had the attention of everyone as far as the eye could see, were testimony of His divine mission, the fulfillment of prophesy and taking upon Himself the sins of the world by partaking of the bitter cup. In all these things He declares "I suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." That is a powerful declaration of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, what it means to truly say Thy will be done and mean it. It is the calling of a saint, meaning the calling to be a member of His church, His fold. It means that you are willing to sacrifice riches, dreams, ambitions, offices, prestige and the honor and praise of the men of the world and all these things because of your faith in and love for God. " It means you kneel when you might not want to kneel, you bow when you might not want to bow, confess when you might not to confess, even if it is a confession born of experience that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways." We give all we have, all we are and all that we hope to be the God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We tear down our idols and are determined to have no other Gods before Him, "especially if that would be God is [ourselves.]" We go and do what the Lord has commanded, for we know He will provide a way for us to accomplish those things and in doing these things we strive to be as Christ and "suffer the will in all things."
I know that God is Our loving Heavenly Father and that His will is that His children return to live with Him again. He desires our eternal happiness and welfare. I know that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son and that He truly did the Father's will in all things that we might be able to return to Him. I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that through him the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored with all the authority that was necessary. I know that Thomas S. Monson is God's Prophet on the earth today. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
With Love,
Elder Roberts
