Monday, June 27, 2016

Letter # 102

Dear Mum and Family,

Happy Birthday Mum!!  I know that it is not your birthday today, but obviously I can't email you on Tuesday so I thought I would just tell you Happy Birthday today. I also sent your letter quite a while ago so I don't know why it is taking so long for it to get there. I hope that it gets to you before your birthday. If not I guess you will have to be patient and wait just a bit longer. 

It sounds like it has been a really eventful week for you all. I bet you are looking forward to a week to relax a bit because you have been all over the place. I am glad that Caden is keeping mum and dad young because someone needs to. Mum is turning the big 50 this week so someone needs to keep her younger. Haha   I hope that you still go on those bike rides with me even though you will be older. Haha

We have been trying our best to stay busy. We have been doing a lot of finding like I said that we were going to be doing. We have been able to contact a few people that are interested to see us again this week. I hope that they do actually see us and don't cancel on us. That is what we have had to deal with for quite some time now and it is pretty annoying. That is the joys of the mission though. Can't do much about people having the freedom to choose. 

Last Pday we were together as a district. We went to a place called merry hill shopping centre because a few missionaries needed to get a few things. So while we were there I got a few things as well because there were some nice sales of things that I wanted. All I have to get now is a suit and I am finally done with all the shopping. So yeah we spend a good chunk of the day there. We had lunch at Pizza Hut which was an all you can eat which was pretty nice. Not as good as America Pizza Hut though. Haha

I don't have much more to say. Everything is going pretty well over here. Hopefully we have a good week this week. It will be a great week if people will actually meet with us. That would be a blessing. Haha

Well I guess I will share my thought on the ponderizing scripture this week. I have tried to avoid what you wanted me to talk about. Haha. Nice try mum. You can't fool me. 

 Weekly Thought
As I have been thinking of this scripture a bit I have focused a bit more on the things that aren't really plainly talked about in these verses. The main point that sticks out is marriage, which is easy to read. Because I know mom chose this and wanted me to talk about that I decided to think of other things that we need to do to inherit the celestial kingdom. For some of us marriage might be a ways in the future, like me for example, and it might have past for others. 
There is more than just being married in order to live with our Heavenly Father in the celestial kingdom. As I was thinking about this I came across some scriptures found in D&C 76: 50-70 that stuck out to me. In this section of scriptures it is talking about those who have will "come forth in the resurrection of the just". 
When the savior comes there will be two major resurrections. There will be the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust. Joseph Fielding Smith explained a little bit about the resurrection of the just in which he states. 
"In modern revelation given to the Church, the Lord has made known more in relation to this glorious event. There shall be at least two classes which shall have the privilege of the resurrection at this time: ‘First, those who shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever’; and second, honorable men, those who belong to the terrestrial kingdom as well as those of the celestial kingdom."
Every single person will be resurrected on this earth. That is a gift that was given to everyone because of the Savior’s sacrifice and because Heavenly Father loves us. What we do in this life will determine where we go as a resurrected being after this life and when we will be resurrected. 

I love verse 51 in D&C 76. It talks about the first step we need to take in order to live with our Father in Heaven on the celestial kingdom. It reads

"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given"

This is the first commandment that we are given to follow. We need to gain a testimony of the Savior by exercising faith and repenting of our sins and the be baptized by immersion just like the Saviour. (Mathew 3:13-17) 

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve we too are mortal and we make mistakes. Our loving Heavenly Father has prepared a way that we can be cleansed and eventually live with him in the Celestial kingdom and that is through the Savior Jesus Christ. 
When we are baptized we are cleansed from all impurities. Because we all sin we all need to continually repent. We are able to do this through the sacrament each week. As we partake of the sacrament each week we are witnessing to the Father that we remember Christ and are willing to follow His commandments. 

We are given many commandments and when we chose to be baptized we are showing that we will follow the commandments that have been given us. By following these commandments we are able to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord in which we can eventually enter into the celestial kingdom. It takes a lot of effort and guidance from our loving Heavenly Father. He is there to help us, but when we turn away from Him we can't receive His guidance. He will not force us to listen to Him. 
Throughout my mission I have grown to love the scripture found in D&C 58: 27-28. It reads 
"27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."
We are given agency, or the freedom to choose.  We need to make sure that we do righteous things with that agency that we have been given. Like I said the Lord will not command us to do everything.  He trusts us that we will do righteous things and when we are stuck He will help us. 

I am so grateful for Heavenly Father and His plan for all of us. I know that he does have a plan for us. Many around us think that that this life is a waste of time and that there really isn't a purpose to life. Because if the Gospel of Jesus Christ being restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and because we have a living Prophet today, I know that there is a purpose to this life. 

Just like Alma 34:32 says:
"32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."
Our purpose in life is to prepare to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the celestial kingdom. I know that as we follow the commandments given to us we can truly accomplish that. 

I hope that we all can have living together as families in the celestial kingdom as a goal and that we are doing what we can as individuals to meet that goal. I love the gospel and I know that trough it this is all possible. 
I hope that you all have a great week. Thanks for all you do. 
Love,
Elder Peterson

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