May 3rd Week 30- Serenity in Revelation  Layton Utah Week 20 (T2 - Trainer DL W/Gibson)

皆さん!

 

Sorry for the late email! I've been fighting Gmail all day... 

 

It has been a crazy week this week. We're seeing some amazing miracles happen even through our short time here thus far - Miracles I haven't seen even in my time here before Elder Gibson!

 

I'm convinced Elder Gibson is the lynchpin in this area. There have been so many miracles we've been able to see while we're here - and I know miracles will continue to occur. He has such an enthusiasm for the work, and the way that he sees things and the spirituality he carries with him... it's remarkable. There have been many a time where his advice has helped me to calm down - whether he knows I was panicking or not - and there have been so many things that he's said that I know came straight from the Lord. And it seems that the people here need exactly him - his spirit, his kindness, his joy, his love for all he meets! 

 

Weekly planning, for example - it literally felt like we were in the celestial room. It felt as if the Lord was sitting next to us as we spoke - talking about each others' fears and struggles, and helping each other through it. That, and just the love that we were able to feel for all of the people we're teaching... it was just amazing. I can't quite find the words to describe it.

 

One of the days this week, we took a bit of comp study sitting on one of the overlooks which faces the entirety of Farmington and the Salt Lake Valley. It's beautiful. One of the things we agreed on, gazing out at the city we both love, was this:

 

The Lord has placed us together not only for the people we serve... but for each other.

 

The miracles we've experienced have been amazing. I think I've made more contact with nonmembers by working with him and following the Spirit than I ever have before. And for each of them, it's felt like Elder Gibson has been the exact person that they need. We found one particularly recluse nonmember out on a proactive walk as he stepped out of his truck - extremely nice, but very uninterested in a message, unfortunately - we tried in natural ways twice! Another was on our way to deliver cookies to one of the families they're teaching for one of their birthdays - we met a part member family out in their garden and garage. We were able to set up a lesson with them - and the nonmember might be there, too!

 

And the other was after one of the inspired walks with one of the members of the stake presidency. 

 

He offered to take us back to our apartment, but as we were walking back to his house, I remember feeling this sense of just... unease. I wondered if it was just over thinking it...

 

But as we turned onto one of the roads back, I decided that I should act on that feeling. I asked if we could walk back, and he was more than happy to accommodate - especially when we told him it was a prompting. We stepped off to the side, and said a prayer - and just as we have been doing all throughout all of our walks, Elder Gibson and I counted to three and pointed in a direction. With the same direction, we bid our member friend goodbye and began our trek and walk down. Immediately, a rush of the Spirit flowed through my heart and soul. It was almost as if I heard a voice - "Hey! You're about to see something really cool!"

 

As we passed by one of the circles, both of our heads felt drawn towards it. Curious, we both looked at each other, and agreed to go and walk. Immediately, we felt our hearts pulled towards a garage, just opened a couple of seconds earlier. As we talked with the man inside, we learned he's a nonmember, but Christian, with a lot of faith! It was such a fun conversation, and the Spirit was definitely there - and powerful! It was great - and even though he's busy for the next week with an iron man, we're going to be setting up a lesson afterwards and set up Bible study with him! It's really exciting - and a huge miracle. We talked about it later - and Elder Gibson had felt the exact same things I was feeling.

 

It could have only been because of the Lord! 

 

There are so many miracles happening in this area with the two of us - I'm convinced the Lord has a plan for us. I'm going to continue to keep trying my best to keep up - and together, I have a feeling that the Lord has something in store for us we don't even recognize.

 

All of these things line up for me with Mark 2 - the story of the man afflicted with palsy, from my studies out of the New Testament. I love the expression of hope and joy that comes from the expression of both physical healing and spiritual healing! 

 

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

 

The Savior has the power to work miracles in our lives. I've seen it here on the mission - and I know it's true. I'm truly grateful to know that He who never sleeps or slumbers is actively engaged in this work with us - walking with us, talking with us, and showing us the path that will help others to come back unto the fold. And whether it be physical ailments or spiritual... the Lord wants to help us all. I know that and testify of that because I've seen it in my own life, both before and here on the mission! 

 

Take care! You all are amazing - love you all!

 

Cheers,

Elder Decker

デッカー長老

 

April 26th Week 29 - Music of Miracles  Layton Utah Week 19 (T1 - Trainer DL W/Gibson)

皆さん!

 

...What a week. This week has been more of a whirlwind than I expected. I don't have room in this email (or enough time) to go over every single moment… but allow me to say one thing:

 

We believe in miracles.

 

My new companion's name is Elder Gibson! He's a native of Michigan, and I've never seen someone more eager to get out and work. His faith and his work ethic are amazing - and it's been incredible to see how prepared he was when he came out! I took him on a walk of the area, and we had the chance to share a couple of scriptures. And wow - he took to it like a duck to water. He's maybe still a touch nervous, but that's quickly fading. I'm still teaching him the ropes and all of that, but when it comes to teaching, it's as if he's been out forever. And he only continues to improve! I'm humbled the Lord would send someone like him here - and I couldn't have asked for a better trainee.

 

And not only that… we're continuing to see miracles everywhere we go.

 

Here's just one small example.

 

This entire week, we've been meaning to make our way up to one of our wards (on the opposite side of the stake from where we live). But things have continued to come up - Talking to someone that really needed it for longer than we expected, or just simply not having enough time. It's been a little bit weird.

 

But the Lord seems to always have the best timing.

We finally made it up to the ward on Saturday - and after comp study, we decided now was finally the time to get to know that area.

 

As we prayed for inspiration, Elder Gibson spoke up. "Hey, why don't we try praying for something specific?"

 

We did - but as I tried to go through each name in the ward that I could think of… nothing came up. So I prayed we might be led to someone who needs the Gospel or needs a message of the Gospel.

 

And then… we set off.

 

"Elder," my companion called. "Do you believe in miracles?"

"Do you?" I replied.

"Of course I do," he smirked.

"Good. Because I do, too."

 

What followed in the next two hours could only be described as a miracle. Each turn, we would call out which direction we should go - and we only conflicted once. Every single time we chose a direction, we looked within ourselves, searching for the direction that felt right the most. And then, on three, we'd point - and we'd get the same direction.

 

And it seemed the Lord had a very specific course He wanted us to follow.

 

We walked past a party one of the members was having, and we were able to share a message of the resurrected Christ to everyone there. We might never know what may come of that. We were able to encourage another member to reach out to their nonmember neighbors, and share just how much this Gospel has brought them joy. We ran into a part-member family (well, the member part), and we were able to share a scripture with them and just talk about how the week has gone.

 

And then, as we approached the intersection, we felt ourselves drawn towards the other side - the beginning of the other ward. Trusting in the Spirit, we decided to act.

 

Pressing forward, I looked down one of the streets to find a man finishing up repairing some of the interior of his truck. My spirit immediately felt pulled towards him, for some reason.

 

We approached him, and based on the house, I immediately knew - he's someone we've been trying to talk to for the past five months.

 

We talked for a while - talking about why we as missionaries were here, how much joy this Gospel brings, and how much we've seen it bring comfort and peace to other people. He smiled and nodded, but said he wasn't religious, and fell away from the church about when he was sixteen. But we were able to have a really good conversation with him… and we were able to build something of a relationship there.

 

The following day, his neighbor, who's in the Relief Society presidency, mentioned that just five minutes prior, she had been talking to him about religion, as well. In fact, it was funny because we looked over at her house, and we saw all her kids eagerly waiting to see what would happen. It was pretty fun.

 

But it was such a miracle. The timing of it all, and just… how much the Lord loves each of His children. It's incredible, isn't it? To know the Lord is willing to keep us and make sure that we're safe… it's a little bit of a miracle every day. And all because He and Heavenly Father love each and every one of us, and want us above all to have the joy and love.

 

I'm grateful that we had listened to the promptings of the Spirit. I realized later that though I wanted to pray for something specific, and the Spirit seemed to agree… the reason none of the names I came up with were because the ones I tried to say were in the wrong ward. Only Heavenly Father would have known that exchange could have happened. Only He. He guided our thoughts, our hearts, and actions - even the words we spake seemed to resonate with the Spirit. We tried our best to speak according to His will, inviting this friend to change. Though he never did accept… I believe we might have made an impact even bigger than we could even possibly comprehend.

 

But now, it's up to him to choose what path he wants to forge.

 

That's just one example of miracles happening with this companionship. The Lord seems to be mindful of every detail. When we chose to make it to one of our wards on time instead of eating lunch, another ward mentioned they had brought sandwiches for some of the youth, but they hadn't eaten it all. So they gave us an unopened catering tray of sandwiches - all safe to eat. ...I wish I were joking.

 

Miracles seem to be prevalent everywhere that we've gone. We're constantly seeking the Lord's will in everything we do - and following the Spirit no matter where we may be going. It's surprising just how much we're able to see blessings in not only our own lives, but the lives of others as we serve! We've found by seeking others' needs and helping them before our own needs and wants, the Spirit works through us even more than we could possibly imagine - and we're truly able to touch their hearts through Heaven's help and strength.

 

I've found that the Lord is involved in the details of all of our lives… because He, our Older Brother, would never leave us alone to struggle by ourselves.

 

I know that if we pray sincerely, reaching out to Him, and asking of Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ if They are there, and if They love us - and not just us, but you, yourself, individually… They will answer. I've seen it in my own life. I've done the same thing in times of trouble and mire. And I've been able to feel the Spirit testify to me of their love.

 

And now[...] I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?

Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?

And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.

And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.

Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. (Mormon 9:15-19, 21)

 

And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?

For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. (Moroni 7:26-29)

 

You all are amazing! Hope you have a fantastic week!

 

Take care,

Elder Decker

デッカー長老

 

 April 19th Week 28 - Hope and Harmony  Layton Utah Week 18 (T6)

皆さん!

 

… 

 

I'm tired. lol. 

 

But seriously, this week has been a whirlwind. combining the stake has literally doubled the amount of work that we have… but it's brought some amazing miracles. Being to meet all of these new people - seeing them, talking to them… it's been so much fun. It's so much work, but it's so worth it. 

 

And the nice thing is that I have two amazing companions that are hard working! We became best friends almost immediately, and our apartment is just filled with laughter… well, wherever we are is, anyways. 

 

We've done basically everything under the rainbow - service, teaching, helping members, and performing musical numbers. I mentioned this before, but my companions are both phenomenal singers. Remember how I talked about singing at a girl's baptism, and how the Bishop asked us to perform a musical number? There's a little bit of a miracle with that. We definitely saw the Lord's hand in our lives - for sure.

 

As I mentioned, we accepted, and began preparations immediately… though at first, we were a little stumped on what to perform. 

 

I recorded the following events in retrospect at a member's request:

 

...and more than that, what can we prepare in a week? As we sat through the sacrament, we slowly got lost in the messages.

I remember looking up at the speaker, and he smiled fondly as he spoke the words, "One of my favorite hymns is In Humility, Our Savior."

A surge of the Spirit flooded into me - a reminder. This is it. This is the song you're to perform.

 

I mentioned it to my companions after the meeting, and they agreed - we would move forwards with that!

But that wasn't the only impression that I received.

Listening to that song, I remember writing in my notebook, "In Humility, Our Savior - New Verses?"

It was an idea I just threw around in my mind… but I found myself idly jotting a few ideas down. It wasn't anything particularly fancy.

Later that night, I showed it to the other Elders, and they liked it! So we began brainstorming new ideas… and as it progressed, we realized that this was something that we felt very strongly that we needed to pursue.

 

So before we went forward, we realized we needed a message. What kind of message did we want to leave with the audience? We had a few ideas, but collectively we felt strongly that we should focus on Church worship. We didn't particularly know why that was… but it just was.

We finished the lyrics, and polished the arrangement together in the limited time that we had. We arrived at the church a little bit early to rehearse, and then moved to our seats.

We were a little bit nervous. Would the congregation appreciate the message? Would they understand it? Would they feel it?

We fervently prayed it would.

 

It wasn't long before we saw Bishop Young walk through the doors after his morning meetings. We said hello, and talked for a while.

"By the way," he smiled in his gentle way, "we just received a message from the stake Presidency last night at 11:00pm. We just learned that we're going to be returning to two hour church."

My heart skipped a beat. Returning to two hour church?

Immediately, I understood what that prompting was.

It wasn't just a good message to share with the congregation. Only the Lord could have ever known that the timing would have been this way. Who could have ever guessed that our song, written to talk about the importance of gathering, would be delivered on the same day that two hour church was announced to begin?

 

Only the Lord.

 

And through the promptings of His Spirit, we were able to create something that we hope resonated with the people there that day and at home, listening.

That would be the greatest blessing we could ever hope for.

 

Music has always played such an important role in my life… being able to share that has been a wonderful and amazing blessing. I hope that through the songs we write and the pieces that we play, all that listen can know of what our hearts and spirits sing - of comfort, of peace, of joy, of love.

 

The rest of the week went by in a flash. So much has happened… it's incredible.

 

Inspired walks through areas both old and new. New faces to meet - messages to share - friends to find. And ultimately, lifting where we stand! We had the opportunity to serve someone in the community that doesn't belong to our church - and he is just an amazingly friendly man. We're grateful that he allowed us to help, and hopefully we can continue to help out whenever and however we can!

 

We've also continued to help out wherever we can - sharing messages with those that are a bit downtrodden, serving those unable to do so for themselves, and helping others to find and come unto Christ in every opportunity. Sharing principles and scriptures to enrich their lives is something that has brought us immense and unimaginable joy!

 

It's a wonderful blessing to be able to spend every single moment helping other people. It's interesting that by focusing on others, I've been able to find more of who I am in the process. I think that can be true of all of us!

 

...And I suppose I have a little bit of a way of testing that.

 

I received a call from the APs earlier today, who informed me that as of tomorrow, I will become my district's DL - or, district leader! My responsibility as a missionary remains the same, but now I will be watching over and taking care of four other missionaries in my district. Essentially, I'll be helping them to be able to do the best work that they can do, and help them to achieve their own goals. The Lord trusts me enough to do so - and so I'll try my best!

 

But that's not all the Lord had in store for me.

 

Also starting tomorrow, I'll have a new companion - and not only that, someone straight from the Missionary Training Center. The Lord trusts me enough to become a trainer! That's… certainly something, too. I'm excited and more than a little nervous - I, myself, am still learning a lot! - but I want to be the best trainer that I can be!

 

Exciting things await in store for us - and I can't wait to see what the future holds! Nervously, but filled with joy, onto the future we go!

 

I find strength and comfort in the words of our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson:

 

"The Lord understands our mortal weakness. We all falter at times. But He also knows of our great potential. The mustard seed starts small but grows into a tree large enough for birds to nest in its branches. The mustard seed represents a small but growing faith.

The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe."

 

I know this is the Lord's church on the earth. As we draw closer unto Him, and learn more of Him, we will be able to find such happiness and joy - such that we might never find anywhere else. The Lord knows us, and loves us. He does not expect us to be perfect - only that we try our best. And as we reach out to Him, His hands are already outstretched. Go forward - pray with all of your heart, truly seeking if He is there. I promise that if you do, with a sincere desire to know,,He will help you to know... and will help you to overcome whatever trials you have.

 

I can testify of that. I can testify of His miracles which He has sent for us as we've looked to Him. Both here on the mission... and evenbefore.

 

"I will not leave you comfortless," He urges. "I will come to you."

 

Love you all - have a fantastic week! Take care - you all are amazing!

 

Peace, love, and joy be with you all!

Elder Decker

デッカー長老

 April 12th Week 27 - Melodies and Meadows  Layton Utah Week 17 (T5)

(Another side note! I'll be performing again this Sunday - twice! 

Orchards Ward - 9:00am MST/ 8:00am PST - In Humility, Our Savior [arranged and performed by my companions and I, including two verses we wrote ourselves!]

Canyon View Ward - 11:00am MST / 10:00am PST - Missionary Medley, self-arranged

You can access the broadcasts through the Farmington North stake broadcast landing - http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/farmingtonutahnorthstake - and all you have to do is select the ward you want to broadcast and enter your name, and you're in! I'd love to see you all there!)

皆さん!

Holy cow, it's been busy. Like, ridiculously busy. So much has happened in such a short time, it's felt like a month has passed in seven days. One of those kinds of weeks.

But I guess I'll start with the biggest news.

This week was emergency transfers! One of our zone leaders received their call back to Peru about a month ago, and has been gearing up to go for a while. This past Thursday, it finally happened. And as such, a little bit of a zone leader vacancy was created...

...and who better to get that than Elder Cope?

Seriously, he deserves it. The amount of work and effort the puts into every single district council, every single lesson - it's amazing. And it's all because he has such an immense love for the people he serves and the people he's over. And so, as such, when we learned that our zone leader was going to be transferring over back to Peru, I immediately knew who it was going to be.

He denied it every single time I joked about it. 

But now that Elder Cope has transferred areas, there's not a vacancy within my are,a now! So what ended up happening is the e time has come that the Farmington Noth stake was to be combined!

There have previously been two Elders - or rather, two sets of Elders - that were serving in the Stake. Now that there's a vacancy, they're recombining the stake to one set of elders, and I've joined the other companionship in a trio of Elders. It's really exciting - and they're both amazing! Elder Thompson and Elder Caryotakis and I spent the past couple of days adjusting to the doubling of size of our areas, and have really worked on making sure we're able to help as many people as we can in the meantime. We've set up an insubordinate amount of lessons and service opportunities (including six hours of service on Saturday because of the Farmington spring cleanup-pickup!) and a ton of inspired walks. It's exciting to see what'll happen in the future!

Already, the unity that we have is consecrated by the Lord - I know that .We're making the same references and jokes, and even walking in step most of the time. It's... kind of creepy, to be honest. But what's even more interesting is that we're sort of quickly becoming known as the musical elders... and the stake is taking full advantage of that, apparently.

No complaints here - it's fun to get these things ready and to perform them!

As such, like I mentioned at the beginning of the letter, there'll be two opportunities to hear us next Sunday:

In OIrchards, we'll be singing performing "In Humility, Our Savior" (including an  added two verses we wrote together!), and in Canyon View, I'll be performing a Medley of missionary songs for one of the missionary departures. It's... really busy. But that was fun!

Speaking of music, one of the first teaching opportunities we had was to teach a baptism lesson to one of the children turning eight. Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptism does not occur until the child is old enough and chooses to be baptized. As such, we typically wait until they are old enough to make that decision - about eight years old. We had the privilege of teaching a young girl named Hannah about baptism - she had just recently turned eight, and was excited to be baptized! We taught her a little more than what she already knew (her parents did a really gootd job of teaching her what everything meant!) including how we can continue to remember the covenants - or promises - we make at baptism, and what we receive in return. She soaked it in like a sponge - and answered all of our questions and found herself learning a ton! That's one of the coolest things about teaching someone willing to learn - through asking questions, you can help them come to a conclusion themselves, and really help them to see why it's important!

After the lesson, I noticed a piano that they had in their living room - and they asked if I played at all. I quietly admitted that I did, and that the other elders had amazing voices, too! So we sang "When I Am Baptized" - one of the children's songs in our church - and it was a lot of fun!

We got a call later that evening, and apparently Hannah had asked if we could sing that again at her baptism. We were honored.

And what an amazing baptism that was! To see the amount of love her father had for her as he administered the ordinance, the loving and tender care her mother showed to her, her siblings supporting her... it was wonderful to see. So much joy was exhibited there at that moment - it was an honor to be able to perform there!

...The next Sunday, we got a text. Apparently, Hannah's family had mentioned to their bishop that they were really thankful we were able to be there - and that it meant a lot to themm. We should be the ones saying that, first of all! But Bishop texted us... and asked if we could perform this following sunday. So that's the performance on In Humility, Our Savior in the Orchards Ward.

We then got a request from the Canyon View Ward's bishop to perform in their ward, as well... so we're pretty packed now. We'll find time to practice somehow... but finding people to share the Gospel with is our main priority! 

We're continuing to serve and teach wherever we can - and we're trying to become the missionaries the Savior wants for us With music in our hearts and the winds of spring in our souls, we're continuing to move forward and helping all those that we can around us.

To hear that we had been able to touch others' hearts through our music... brings me a joy I can't quite explain. Especially because during that baptism in particular, everything I played was dedicated to her, of course - it's her special day! And to hear that she enjoyed it - and for her to come up and say, "Thank you for playing!" It's inexcplicable. There's nothing quite like touching someone's life through that - after all, music has the power to heal wounds deeper than the eye can see, and fill hearts sometimes even better than words alone can!

I feel as Ammon after his brothers had returned from the land of the Lamanites, where he exclaimed,  "Therefore, let us glory! Yea, we will glory in the Lord - yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full. Yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of His great power, and of His mercy, and of His long-suffering towards the children of when? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel!" (Alma 26:16) Being able to help people to find peace, comfort, and joy - through music, through service, through teaching them - it brings such joy that I can't quite explain. It's wonderful - and I'm so excited to be able to continue to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

Here's to the future - song in our hearts, wind at our backs, and the love the Lord within our spirits!

Take care, everyone - you all are amazing! Cheers!

Elder Decker

デッカー長老

 April 5th  Week 26 - He Lives, Layton Utah Week 16 (T4)

皆さん!

 

There has been so much amazing stuff happening! Between Easter and conference, serving some and teaching others... it's been wonderful.

 

So much has happened. We watched general conference together as a district - outdoors, socially distanced, listening to living prophets and apostles speak. It was so much fun - and being able to bounce lessons we've learned off each other has been a ton of fun. (We held our breath for the group pictures!)

 

I could go on for a long time about what's transpired this week... but even amidst exchanges with the Zone Leaders, serving nonmembers and inactives, and meeting so many amazing people through inspired walks, after time and time again of being able to see gratitude in people's eyes as we lift their spirits and warm their hearts... I've really come to know my Savior even more.

 

And ultimately, it is because of Him that I'm able to be here today.

 

Throughout this week, I've been studying the Lord Jesus Christ leading up to Easter. Holy Week is a wonderful time to reflect upon His teachings, His life, and His purpose. And I've found that as I've done that, I've truly come to see Him and know Him more than I could have ever thought possible.

 

There are too many broken hearts and broken souls in the world today - whether it be through sorrows and sadness, trials and tribulations... there is so much to mourn in the world.

 

"Be of good cheer," Christ told his wavering disciples, "for I have overcome the world."

 

My testimony is that He *has* overcome the world. He did not just take upon Himself the sins of the world - no, He did so much more.

 

I've shared this scripture before, but I'll share it again.

 

"And He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind - and this, that the word might be fulfilled which saith He will take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses of His people.

And He will take upon Him death - that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people. And He will take upon Him their infirmities - that His bowels may be filled with mercy according to the flesh, *that He may know, according to the flesh, how to succor His people according to their infirmities."

 

This is my testimony of Him, above all - that He lives! He knows us. He loves us. And He wants nothing more than to heal us. From the triumphant entry in Jerusalem to the teaching of disciples and Pharisee alike. And from there... to the agonizing pain of the Atonement. Every pain, every joy, every sorrow, every joy... He has felt it all. And as such, no matter what the situation is, He can commiserate.

 

And through the influence of the Holy Ghost, He can cause "the heavens to shake for [our] good." He knows the best way forward because He's felt every single possibility. Every single heart, He knows. And as such, He knows how we will react. How we will think. And as such, He has the end from the beginning - and can bless us by guiding us through the darkness.

 

That was the power He gained in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the power He gained once all was completed - and every single emotion ever felt... had been felt. 

 

He is the Rock and our Redeemer. He is the Good Shepherd. "Fear not, little flock," the Savior soothes, "for it is your Father's great pleasure to give you the kingdom."

 

I testify that after He had suffered all things - after He had been betrayed by all of His apostles, one by one, until even His most devoted had fled. After He had been scourged, unjustly sentenced to death, and after He was crucified... three days later, He rose from the grave, with "healing on His wings." 

 

He is a Testament of our potential, and a Testament of our glory. In a coming day, we will overcome sickness. We will overcome pain. We will overcome death.

 

We will "rise [again] with the just, when the Savior doth come!" For above all... the Lord loves us. He would not have sacrificed all if He didn't.

 

Did Christ have to suffer all of these things? Did Christ have to bear every single one of our sins? Did Christ have to feel every single sorrow, every single failure, every single bout of loneliness? Did He have to give up His life? Did He have to be crucified, and abandoned by His Father?

 

Did He have to do any of it?

 

No. He didn't.

 

But He did.

 

And because He did, we, too, can rise. Physical death will die - and we will all be resurrected. We will all become as They are - glorious, perfected beings, filled with light and hope and love. We will continue on this path, learning and growing together. Those we love will be with us - every single one.

 

Together, we can look to the future with hope.

 

That is my testimony and my witness. God the Eternal Father lives. His Son, Jesus Christ, live. They know us. They love us.

 

They have prepared a plan that allows us to become better. To learn. To grow. To improve. To fail. To succeed.

 

And through that, become better - and eventually, return to live in eternal happiness together, forever.

 

I bear you that witness in the name of our Savior and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

Elder Decker

デッカー長老