The Book Of Mormon: Power, Comfort And Protection

Zaculeau Guatemala, Two Miles Outside Huehue

Relaxing Before Interview With President Smith

Pizza After Interviews

Tortillas: 15
This week was good and long, we had to go to Huehue this week. We had to get up at 3 am to catch the bus, so we haven’t had much sleep this week and I haven’t been able to catch up on sleep. We went to Huehue to have interviews with President Smith. The interviews went great, I cannot express enough my love for the President and Sister Smith, I just love them and feel so much love from them, they are the most amazing people in the world. Every time I talk with President Smith I just feel like I am talking to an apostle and even the Savior, his voice is so full of love and he speaks by the spirit. As I was talking to him he talked about the Book of Mormon, then we ended up talking about President Ezra Taft Benson talk, “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion.” I say to all read that talk. This is what President Smith focused on: “In 1832, as some early missionaries returned from their fields of labor, the Lord reproved them for treating the Book of Mormon lightly. As a result of that attitude, he said, their minds had been darkened. Not only had treating this sacred book lightly brought a loss of light to themselves, it had also brought the whole Church under condemnation, even all the children of Zion. And then the Lord said, ‘And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon’ (D&C 84:54–57). Has the fact that we have had the Book of Mormon with us for over a century and a half made it seem less significant to us today? Do we remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon? ........If the early Saints were rebuked for treating the Book of Mormon lightly, are we under any less condemnation if we do the same? The Lord Himself bears testimony that it is of eternal significance. Can a small number of us bring the whole Church under condemnation because we trifle with sacred things? What will we say at the Judgment when we stand before Him and meet His probing gaze if we are among those described as forgetting the new covenant?” President Smith asked me what did President Benson mean when he said the church is under condemnation. I said honestly I don’t know. President Smith then asked this, if someone read the Book of Mormon everyday will they every leave the church? I said no, he said correct, then he said if an investigator reads every day, they will want to go to church, to be baptized and to go to the temple but this is what President Benson meant, if we are not LIVING it, we are not studying it enough to live it in other words treating the Book of Mormon this gift from the Lord lightly and as though it is of little importance, go and read Doctrine and Covenants: 84:54-57 and read it with that thought in mind, are you living the Book of Mormon, are you treasuring the words up in your heart and are your investigators desiring to live it. The Book of Mormon will teach us to live in times of trouble and see the dangers of the world that may creep into hearts. By reading and living the Book of Mormon we find great power, great comfort, and great protection. As I read those versus I realized that I am not living the Book of Mormon, not truly living it, and I need to study it more to know what to live and pray on how I can live it.

Traveling Inside The Bus

So This Is What It Is Like Inside The Bus

So who knew a country song would lead to a street contact well actually a bus contact. As we as we got on a bus to go to the main bus station, I heard a very familiar tune to a country song, as I realized what the song was my mouth dropped open and I was like there is no way I am listening to Just To See You Smile by Tim McGraw on a bus in Guatemala in English. I looked around to see if it was a cd playing or if it was the radio station.  I saw it was a cd, so I said to the bus driver, una pregunta (question) ¡es esta musica es suyo? (Is this your music) the bus driver said si es mio (yes its mine) then I said mi encanta..Tim McGraw es el major (I love it, Tim McGraw is the best). Then the driver starts talking in English and said he was in the states for 10 years, he was in Florida. Then I said in English, so you understand the lyrics, he said yeah man, I love country, then I died laughing (well almost) We ended up talking for as were are going to the bus station, turns out he has been to and maybe even lived in Tennessee, Illinois, Chicago, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas. He said he has never talked to Mormon missionaries. I told him what we do and that there are more than 80 thousand of us in the whole world, and then I said if you get the chance to see to a missionary again talk to them and they will go to your house to visit you and share with the greatest message you could ever listen to. He said ok and then I had to go to catch my bus to go back to the Huista. It was a sweet experience. It is amazing what can start a conversation about the gospel. 

My Little Pink Chick

Purple Chick

Elder Ipa And All His Chicks

We meet with a family on Tuesday and had an amazing lesson with them. At first we started on their porch, then we moved into the living room because it started to rain and again we moved into a bedroom because that part of the roof didn’t have holes where the rain could come through. Once we finally sat down, the lesson truly started. As we shared the first vision we asked the Dad, so what is Christ going to say about what church is true, he was like ummm, I don’t know. Elder Ipanaque said, remember when we don’t have prophets and apostles, there isn’t priesthood power or authority upon the earth to direct Christ’s church. Then the Dad said Christ is going say none. I said you are correct, Christ said none of the churches have the truth because they did not have the priesthood, authority from God to organize His church and to act in His name. He called Joseph Smith to be a prophet. The priesthood was restored by the Lord to Joseph Smith through heavenly messengers to establish His church once again upon the earth. The Lord has revealed to us how can recognize and to the know the truth. Paul teaches us this in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 13:1 “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” I then said the Lord has prepared the second witness for our day which is the Book of Mormon. I showed the Book of Mormon to them and I asked what does it say below the title? They couple read otro testamento de Jesucristo (another testament of Jesus Christ). I shared with them the last prophet in this book wrote a very special promise for each of us and then we read Moroni 10:3-5. I told them you can know this is true, then these words filled my mouth, if you ask this very night if these things are true as you read the Book of Mormon, you will receive an answer tonight by the power of the holy ghost, I promise this to you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. I then challenged them to baptism (this was our first lesson with them).  I said when you receive your answer and know these things are true will you be baptized by someone who holds the authority of Jesus Christ. They both said yes. Now we will have to work on getting them married and having them come to church and to be committed in READING the Book of Mormon. The good thing is, neither one of them have been baptized into another church. They go to a church and that’s about it. The Dad is the guy I wrote about 2 weeks ago and how I saw a cry for help in his eyes. In a quick 30 second exchange we had with him on the street I have never forgotten I saw a blackness, sadness, a plea for help and I know we can help him and his brother. I know we can bring them to the truth.

B-Ball In The Rain, Why Not?

My Biggest Fan

I challenge you to all to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it to know that it is true and is a gift from God. Your life will be changed and you will draw closer to the Lord. The Book of Mormon will provide safety for the soul. I promise you that God will answer your prayers. I promise you if you truly read this gift from God and truly pray about it you will know the truth because this is the book that builds us upon the rock of our Redeemer that can build such great faith that you cannot fall.  Read the Book of Mormon every day, and you will never leave the church most importantly we won’t abandon Christ and He will never abandon us. We will never have to walk alone for He will walk by our side. No wonder Mormon wrote “Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ” I pray that we will read and live the Book of Mormon.

Thinking Of My Mom And Dad

Another Beautiful Day

The Courtyard At The Church In Zaculeau

What I love about Mom is that she read the Book of Mormon to me when I was super sick and by the power of those pages I was able to have peace and receive the rest I needed and what I love about Dad is that he would get up early to read the Book of Mormon. Dad I watched you do this just about every Saturday as I got up to watch cartoons. I got up early to watch you read. What I love about both of them is that we read the Book of Mormon as a family and that they taught me to love the Book of Mormon.

Nothing Like Soccer and B-ball in the Rain

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Hoopin' It Up With The Youth

con mucho amor
Ducks Forever,

Elder Mcilmoil

August 11, 2014

Scriptures of the week: 3 Nephi 9:13 

“Will ye not return unto me.” The Lord Jesus Christ

“Let me heal you.” The Savior of the world Jesus Christ

Come unto Christ to be healed by him.

You have never traveled to far from His out stretched hand, you are never too far from the one that truly loves you.

Moroni 10:3-5

“We must make a simple choice with the Book of Mormon: it is either of God or the devil. There is no other option. I have read every page of the Book of Mormon, again and again, and I bear my solemn witness it is from God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Elder Tad R. Callister

“I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world that the Book of Mormon is true.” Elder Jeffery R. Holland