Hey Guys!
This week went really well. The temple this morning was awesome and I learned a lot. This past week and a half has gone so fast and new years absolutely flew by. To celebrate we had a new year's conference in the north and south parts of the mission where President rolled out the new Standards of Excellence. We also all shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and how they have grown since we recently finished reading the Book of Mormon.
New Year's Eve we had a Zone activity where the Zone Leaders rolled out the new Zone goal for the month of January and then we played basketball and kickball and ate chile rellenos. It was so fun. We went to bed at the usual 10:30 then woke up at 11:55 and watched the clock turn, then went back to sleep haha.
The week was good and ZLC was yesterday and we learned about he importance of lesson plans and how the Atonement is infinite in depth of coverage. Today is Elder H.'s birthday and we are probably going to head to the Ghetti Museum in not too long.
Your questions this week are difficult! Seriously, very thought provoking and because I woke up at 5 this morning, those questions are taking some time to process haha but I will do my best. Brotherly love is exactly what the Savior demonstrated, right? He is our older Brother, and so He is the ultimate example of brotherly love or charity. It really is the greatest commandment to love thy neighbor/brother as thyself and when we not only make that something we know and understand, but something that is a driving force behind the rest of our actions then we receive the blessings from keeping the greatest commandment.
If we love the Savior in the same way that He loves us...or at least as best as we can because it would be impossible to attempt to imitate the love of the Savior fully, that is our motivation for keeping the rest of the commandments...after all, He did say "if ye love me, keep my commandments."
My perceptions of the meaning of a lot of things have changed since being on my mission. I think before, I thought that brotherly love meant giving service and doing it with a good attitude...and that is definitely a way that we can show our brotherly love, but a simple one-time act cannot in itself act as the definition of the word. The best thing that comes from service or a sense of brotherly love is a glimpse of how the Savior felt.
In the moment we act (give service) because of our brotherly love, we feel towards others the same way that He feels toward them. The best way to develop brotherly love is really a flash card answer. We must first desire to love others in the same way that the ultimate example of a brother loves all, then we must study His life and as we study and try to imitate what He did and do what He would do, then our will is swallowed up in the will of the Father. Christ always did the will of the Father, so if we think "what would Jesus do?" and then act accordingly, we are doing the Father's will. That's all I've got for now, but I will definitely keep thinking about it.
I am going to attach a copy of the "CLAM Chatter" (see "If You're Happy and You Know It" below) which is the mission newsletter that comes out once a transfer. I had the chance to write a short column in it...lemme know whatcha think!
Love you guys!
Love,
Elder Molinaro
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Elder Molinaro
What attitude-altering message can be found both in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Children’s Song Book? That question may seem quite daunting upon an initial reading of it; however, similarly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is simple. In my recent study of the Book of Mormon, one of the central themes that I have encountered is that the people of the Lord are a joyous people. In the first book of Nephi, we see that the difference between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel is that Nephi finds happiness in the journey with firm faith in the Lord and the trust that He is guiding them to better things. In contrast, Laman and Lemuel mentally dwell on what activities and riches might have occupied their time were they not in their current circumstance. Elders and Sisters, are we finding the joy in the journey?
With hands firmly grasping the Iron Rod, we are not only heading toward the fruit that will bring us unimaginable elation, but we are holding to the Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel. With such a priceless treasure in our hands, what better way to express gratitude to the Master than by doing so happily and with smiles of assurance upon our often times dreary faces? We teach of the life changing joy that the teachings of the Savior bring, but too often by the looks of us it would be difficult to convince even the most elect of God’s children that that is the case. Elders and Sisters, we know where we are going. We are marching to life eternal, inviting all who wish to partake of exaltation with us to grab hold of what is made available to all through the atonement of Jesus Christ. With the New Year approaching, may we all resolve to allow the smiles of faith and hope permanently reside on our faces as a beacon of optimism to those whom we encounter. In order to have His image in our countenances, we would do well to remember that like us, Christ is a helper to our Father in Heaven in bringing about His great and eternal plan. After all, we know that when “We’re Helping We’re Happy”, and if “you know it, your face will surely show it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment