The Book Of Mormon

Hola hola a todos!

This past week has been filled with miracles! We recently started teaching a few new people. A couple of weeks ago, we helped a member of our ward wrap her Christmas presents. She lives in an apartment complex and didn't want her kids to see us wrapping the gifts, so we wrapped them outside on some tables. Her neighbor, Dawn, joined us and said that she was interested in doing Bible studies with us. We've now done two studies with her. Dawn said that she feels like she has a hole in her life, and she is searching for God. She had some bad experiences with the last church she went to and is hesitant about joining another church, so we've been taking things slowly. We introduced her to the Book of Mormon, and we have been using both the Book of Mormon and the Bible in our studies with her. We recently found out that she has a brother who is a member of our church but isn't super active. Dawn told her brother that she started doing studies with us and he was so excited. He lives in another state but told her that he wants to call her when we have our study this week and join us! 

On Tuesday, we met a man named Beto. He was busy at the time but said that he was interested in talking more and that we could come back on Friday or Saturday. He didn't give us a specific time, but we felt prompted to visit him again on Friday night. We were supposed to have a lesson on Friday night with our friend Jose. Jose lives in the same apartment complex as Beto, so we planned to visit Beto after the lesson with Jose. Jose ended up having to work late, so we went to visit Beto a little earlier. Hermano Bejarano, a member of the Spanish branch, joined us. We knocked on Beto's door and another woman answered. She was super confused when we said that we were looking for Beto and told us that he didn't live there. Her name was Neyla, and we finally figured out that the man's name is actually Alveito haha. There were two young women sitting inside and listening to all of this confusion. After we figured out that Alveito does live there and just wasn't home, one of the women looked at us and asked "are you missionaries?" Then both of the women turned to us and pointed to their missionary tags. Hermana Shefchik and I were like WHAT!? We had never seen either of those missionaries before. Neyla invited us in and the missionaries told us that they're serving in the Mesa mission. They were teaching Neyla, her husband Oscar, and Alveito a couple of weeks ago before they moved and just came to their apartment that night to drop some things off. The missionaries were planning to send us the information for Neyla, Oscar, and Alveito after that visit, but they were able to introduce us in-person instead! Hermano Bejarano immediately became friends with them and it was great for them to all meet. God's timing truly is incredible!

This year, as members of the Church, we are focusing our scripture study on the Book of Mormon. The Come, Follow Me manual helps us gain additional insights and more meaningful experiences from our studies. It is not only for members of the Church, but for anyone who wants to learn from the Book of Mormon. In the first few pages of Come, Follow Me, we read that "The Book of Mormon is not just a history of ancient American civilizations. It seeks to convince all 'that Jesus is the Christ,' and God Himself directed how it was written, preserved, and made available to us." Later, it says that "The aim of all gospel learning and teaching is to deepen our conversion and help us become more like Jesus Christ... But the kind of gospel learning that strengthens our faith and leads to the miracle of conversion doesn’t happen all at once. It extends beyond a classroom into an individual’s heart and home. It requires consistent, daily efforts to understand and live the gospel. True conversion requires the influence of the Holy Ghost." One of my favorite quotes from the Prophet Joseph Smith is written in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon. He said, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” By reading the Book of Mormon, we learn how to grow closer to God, but it is only by applying these teachings into our lives that we can actually get nearer to Him. As you study the Book of Mormon this year, I would like to invite you to listen to what the Holy Ghost teaches you and act on the promptings that you receive. I testify that gospel learning is much more than reading words on a page or listening to them as they are spoken by someone else - it involves diligently seeking knowledge, pondering, and being willing to act on what we learn. I know that as you strive to improve your gospel learning and make it an experience that deepens your conversion, the Holy Ghost will guide you and give you direction for your life. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is another testament of Jesus Christ and contains the fulness of His gospel. He loves you. He wants to speak to you, and He will do so through the scriptures. Of these things I testify in His name, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

I love you all!

Con Amor,
Hermana Kendrick









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