I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and gearing up for a Happy New Year! Our Christmas was pretty busy with HEAPS of food! Started off at the Branch President's house for breakfast & calling home, an "investigator"'s for lunch, a member's for 2nd Lunch, and another member's house for a surprise 3rd lunch/dinner... The only break we had from eating was the 30 minute drive between each house... A great day though! Also I hope you're enjoying your cool, winter weather because it is hot-AZ here. It's heating up quickly and getting humid as well. We've been doing heaps of yard work service, so I'm getting a nice dark Lamanite tan. Then we've been blessed with the opportunity to test our patience and endurance with a flat without AirCon (A/C). We have 4-5 fans that just circulate the hot air. Besides that we hope people will have their hearts softened and let us into their nice, cool, AirCon filled house as they see us walking around in this hot-AZ weather... Pray for us...
***** Book of Mormon Thoughts *****
A couple weeks ago during Christmas Conference, our mission president shared how he loved the Prophet President Nelson's invitation to the Youth and the Women of the Church to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.
****Side note****
I love the responses by many of the members to this invitation, who are actively striving to complete it. The willingness to follow the Prophet and not take him lightly. Similar to the responses found in the scriptures:
(1) Alma: Commanded to return to the city of Ammonihah and preach repentance, then "after Alma had receive his message from the angel of the Lord he returned SPEEDILY..." (Alma 8:18).
(2) Samuel the Lamanite: Instructed by the Lord to return to the city of Zarahemla and prophesy. Well the people wouldn't let him back in, locking him outside the walls, "therefore he went, got UPON the wall, stretched forth his hand, cried with a loud voice, and prophesied..." (Helaman 13:4).
How can we be more responsive to our Heavenly Father's instructions and invitations given through angels, Prophets, or promptings from the Spirit, in our lives?
****End of Side Note****
So President Runia felt the men were missing an opportunity to follow a Prophet's invitation. So he extended this invitation to the Elders! Originally, during my Book of Mormon study I had 2 goals:
(1) Deep study with cross-references, tabbing, etc
(2) how the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ.
I've had to scrap the 1st and just do the 2nd, and start plowing through 15-20 pg/day. I eventually got to 3 Nephi, Chapter 17 which is one of the chapters that gives an account of the resurrected Jesus Christ's personal ministry in the Americas.
****Story (If you know the story you can skip ahead to my thoughts on the story)****
Prior to this chapter, Jesus (as He did in Jerusalem) gave His sermon on the mount, talks about Him fulfilling the Law of Moses, explains that they were the "other sheep" he referred to in Jerusalem (John 10:16), and gives other teachings. So heavy, and a lot of material. Much like many of us towards the end of General Conference, He notices that the people are tired and not completely understanding everything He's saying. So He says,
"go ye unto your homes and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand and prepared your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again."
He decides that while He lets the people rest and prepare themselves for tomorrow, He will visit other "sheep" elsewhere in the world like He had just done in America.
However, "when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about... and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them." As a result, He decides to change His plans and stay with them a little longer, "my bowels are filled with compassion towards you", and "He did heal them EVERY ONE..." their sick, afflicted, lame, blind, etc. Additionally, He bid them to bring their little children and "He took their little children, ONE BY ONE, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them." (3 Nephi 17:21) As a result, the heavens opened and angels descended from the heavens and did minister unto the children.
****End of Story****
****Thoughts/생각들****
Is that not beautiful? The character of Jesus Christ. I love that we get this additional account in the Book of Mormon. He had a job to do, to visit the other people around the world. A task given to Him from Heavenly Father himself! If it were me, I'd probably be like, "sorry guys, gotta go. Got a job to do, really don't wanna keep Father waiting. I'll be back tomorrow anyways, so cheer up." Haha seriously though, but no this isn't what the Savior did. Keep in mind that the number of people here is about 2,500 people, men, women and children. So this isn't just taking a couple minutes to pray for everyone at once, say a general blessing, or snap His fingers and BOOM everyone's healed. No. He takes the extra time to heal them, bless and pray for them, ONE BY ONE. If you wanna do some math... If Jesus were to spend 1 minute with each person, that would add up to a total of 41 hours. If 30 seconds, about 21 hours. If 15 seconds, about 10.5 hours... Either way, it's HEAPS OF TIME. The time it takes to heal every person, to bless every child, to allow the angels to minister, and all... Just wow... This is our Savior, our Redeemer. The Son of God. The one who suffered the pains, sorrows, depression, feelings of hopelessness, loss, and failure of every single person that has lived, is living, and will ever live. This is who we strive to follow, strive to become like one day. No matter how long it takes. The Atonement makes it possible. Possible for us to repent, change and slowly but surely bring our lives in harmony with God's will and plan for us. I'm grateful that He is the head of our Church. He leads us through a living prophet today. The Book of Mormon is another testament of JESUS CHRIST. We are His restored Church. We are the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints. Not the Mormon church or Church of the Latter-Day Saints.
"And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called Moses' name then it be Moses' church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel... Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day... this is my gospel." (3 Nephi 27: 8, 20-21).
I'm grateful that we were given additional scripture that gives us an additional witness of Jesus Christ. That together, we can have the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "This [the Book of Mormon] is written for the intent that ye may believe that [the Bible]; and if ye believe that [the Bible] ye will believe this [the Book of Mormon] also” (Mormon 7:9).
Have a Happy New Year! Only 12 more hours for us until 2019! Don't really have any plans. Mission President just wants us to be in our flats by 7:30 to protect us from drunk driving or anything too crazy. Have a great week!
포기는 없다! 힘 내자!!
Elder Escamilla
에스카미야 장로
Australia Sydney Mission
호주 스다니 선교부
P.S. First time teaching the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" (one of the discussions) yesterday!
Our Christmas visit with Noni. We were supposed to just visit because she said that she wasn't doing anything for Christmas. However, it turns out she had some surprise plans and got busy in the morning, then when we came in the evening, she had prepared us a surprise 3rd lunch/dinner... After we had already eaten 3 full meals... She's great though!
Christmas Eve lunch with the "Good Guys"
How sure are we that the Book of Mormon took place in America?.... I mean why else would there be an Alma street in Port Stephens?
Yes that it Mia. She's the crazy one out of the 3 of us Escamilla kids.
That is Paige. Don't let her cool, chill vibes fool you. She's also crazy, but slightly less than Mia.
Merry Christmas for the Escamilla Family! Sending much Love from Mesa, Arizona and Port Stephens Australia!