Enjoying New Area

This week I´ve been thinking a lot about the family unit. As the prophets teach us, the family is the basic unit of society. The other units of which we are a part have a huge influence on who we are. For example, which nationality, which church, which college, etc. The family has a larger effect on the character of a person that any other place. I´ve seen this week the influence parents have over children in the family. It´s astounding. If the parent is impatient, irresponsible, and just yells all the time, the child will follow the example. I´m kinda nervous to be a dad because it´s a huge responsibility and you have a big influence on the eternal progress of another child of God. I really got prepare and become the best I can be.

 

 I´d like to share a part of the CES fireside talk given by Elder Jeffery R. Holland. He explained how Zion has always had to flee Babylon to be safe and able to live the gospel. IN all of the dispensations from Abraham to the pioneers, we´ve had to flee. However, this dispensation is different from the others. The time has come to set in our stakes and create Zion in every part of the world wherever we are. We no longer have to run. The time has come to fight back against Babylon and establish God´s kingdom! We cannot be quiet! We cannot run! We must stand were we are and be the light to draw in the elects of God! Think and pray about how you can do that better i your life. As Elder Holland has said ´´It´s getting late.´´ It´s time for us to do more than we´ve done before.

 One of my favorite scriptures is D&C 107:99-100. Read it. Remember it. Just going to church is not enough. Just being baptized is not enough. If we want to be worthy to enter into God´s rest, we must serve with ALL of our heart, might, mind, and strength. So do it. It´s worth it.

I love you all and can´t wait to be with you again. I know that Christ is our Savior and Captain. We are His disciples and therefore must model His perfect life.

Anyway, this week I got to speak in Sacrament meeting. They don´t have a chapel, just a house. There were a good amount of people there though. I had a blast. i spoke about.... MISSIONARY WORK and how it makes us happy. And how we have an obligation and duty to do it if we want to receive eternal life.

We also had a baptism this week. His parents are also very interested in the church. The mother knows the church is true and will likely be baptized in a few weeks and the father is listening to us and said he would go to church! I´m excited for everything that´s happening now. We´ve really got some good work set up in the area now. 

 

We taught a lot and some miracles happened this week. President and Sister Souza came to our ward and discoursed. It was really good. The Spirit was really strong. We had Lindomar come to church (his divorce is finishing up right now and we´ll start his wedding this week.) 

Alberto also went. His wife was inactive for 20 years but came back to church  before I got here. Her daughter was baptized too. The husband, Alberto, is very Catholic and never had come to church. But, this week he came for the first time and stayed for all three hours! I think he really liked it. We´re gonna work on getting him a date for baptism set up now.

I´ve been thinking a lot about conversion and what it means to really be converted to the Gospel of Christ and be a Disciple. I was thinking, ´´I wonder if I am truly converted? Would I be willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING, not just my life but all of my time, efforts, desires, personal status, and comfort for Christ?´´ I´d like to think I would. I´m grateful that I haven´t been put up to that test yet. I´ve seen so many people who draw close to God with their lips but whose hearts are very from from Him. Be a Disciple of Christ and converted to His Gospel. It is the only path to lasting happiness. Trust in Him and He will direct thy paths.

Love you and cant wait to see you,

Elder Hodson